She and Edric were simply too different. That was why Yuis could never truly understand Edric’s claim that he did everything to protect her. But that didn’t mean she was entirely unaware of his heart.

Even so, Edric and Yuis would always remain on parallel lines—fated never to meet. Theirs was a bond that could never truly converge. In a way, it was a quiet relief that they had finally reached the point where they could let go.

“…Still, I feel a little unsettled not being able to see Major Lennox before I leave.”

She couldn’t help but feel a pang in her heart at the thought of leaving without seeing Isaac,the one who had played such a decisive role in her escape. She had wanted, at the very least, to thank him.

“He mentioned he was leaving on a mission. You’ll see him when he returns, my lady. So please, don’t worry too much.”

“You’re right. I’ll be able to see him again. I can thank him then.”

Yuis smiled and gave a soft nod. She would be sure to thank him properly. For allowing her to rest, even if just briefly. As she recalled Isaac’s gentle smile, the thought only deepened in her mind.

All throughout her tea, Yuis’s face carried a faint smile as she quietly thought of the good people she had met.

***

Preparations for her departure were completed swiftly. The Brechen estate had long been made ready, and it didn’t take much time to pack what little Yuis would be bringing with her.

All the mansion’s staff had gathered in the main hall to see her off. At the front, Miles and Madam Gion bowed deeply. The other servants followed suit.

Yuis returned their farewell with a gentle smile and glanced around. Since that day, she had not seen Edric—not even once. She couldn’t even be sure he was still in the estate.

Sensing her search, Miles quietly spoke.

“The master left the estate ahead of you. He said he would be accompanying Major Lennox on his assignment.”

“I see… thank you for telling me, Miles.”

She had thought, perhaps, she might see him one last time, that they could exchange a proper goodbye before she left.

But maybe…maybe this was better.

There was no comfort to be found in seeing each other again.

Yuis began walking toward the carriage waiting at the front of the estate. With that, she turned her back on the mansion she would never return to—not ever again.

***

As Laura had said, Brechen was terribly cold. Even wrapped in a thick coat, Yuis couldn’t stop shivering. In just that short walk from the carriage to the manor, she could already grasp how harsh the climate here would be.

“Why did he choose a place like this of all places…?”

Murmuring under her breath, Yuis’s face had turned bright red from the cold. Seeing this, Laura quickly wrapped a large muffler around her neck.

Once inside the manor, the butler who had come to greet her was already waiting.

“Welcome, my lady. I hope the journey wasn’t too difficult?”

“Thanks to you, I’m fine. The manor is truly beautiful.”

Brechen was different from Haneder—and different from the capital. Just as Miles had said, it resembled a grand castle straight out of a winter kingdom. Even the interior gave off that impression.

If the estate in the capital had been a smaller, cozier version of Haneder, then this place was the largest, most majestic of them all.

In some ways, it even felt like the manor that suited Edric best.

“I am Leif Muntz, the butler of the Brechen estate. I’ll do everything I can to ensure your comfort here. Are you cold, my lady? Please, allow me to escort you to the drawing room.”

The staff of the Brechen estate served her with stiff nerves and careful hands. The manor was usually left empty, since it was rare for the Duke and Duchess to visit the far north, where it was so bitterly cold.

That was why the news of the Duchess coming here to recuperate had come as such a surprise. For the butler, it had become a mission—to ensure her complete satisfaction without a single misstep.

A warm cup of apple cinnamon tea was placed before Yuis.

She smiled softly and lifted the cup.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

This manor, she’d been told, now belonged to her. A gift from Edric.

She could live here for the rest of her life, if she wanted. But when Miles had gently suggested that she might want to see other places once spring came, Yuis had quietly nodded in agreement.

In truth, Yuis had always wanted to live somewhere warmer than this. But even so, she had followed Miles’s suggestion—because she didn’t want to reject the care he had shown her.

And though Brechen was just as cold as she had expected, the manor itself was not.

It maintained a comfortable warmth, and the staff were just as kind. It didn’t seem like a bad place to spend the winter.

As she sipped her tea, a small smile lifted the corners of Yuis’s lips.

***

The intelligence had been wrong.

Hetar launched a surprise attack one day earlier than predicted.

The border was instantly engulfed in flames.

The frontlines continued to fall back. What had begun as a war at the Kalang-Hetar border had already pushed deep into Kalang’s southern territories.

The city where Yuis had briefly stayed was now too damaged to ever know peace again.

Edric Descartes, Supreme Commander of Kalang, once again led the army from the front lines.

It was the small city of Fetchif, a place he now had to protect with his life.

***

“My lady!”

Laura burst into the bedroom early that morning, her expression far from ordinary. Pale as snow, eyes wide, and clutching a newspaper in her hand, she stood frozen in place. Yuis’s expression turned curious at the sight.

She had planned to share tea with Laura this morning.

Had something happened?

Winter had arrived early in Brechen. Since last night, a layer of snow had begun to settle. The mountains and trees blanketed in white looked beautiful as if she had stepped into a world where every color had been washed away by snow.

She had meant to celebrate the season’s first snow with a warm cup of tea. But judging by Laura’s face, that wasn’t likely anymore.

“Laura, what is it?”

“My lady…”

“Yes?”

Concerned by Laura’s uncharacteristic silence, Yuis stepped forward and took the newspaper she offered.

She unfolded it.

And the headline immediately caught her eye:

[Hetar Launches Surprise Attack on Kalang’s Southern Front]
[Fetchif Becomes the Bloodiest Battleground!]

[Hetar, Having Lost the Crown Prince, Sends the King Himself to War]

Yuis’s violet eyes moved swiftly across the lines of text beneath the shocking headline.

‘Hetar has launched a surprise invasion, leading the Southern Alliance in an attack against Kalang.’ Kalang quickly mobilised its forces and responded to the *ssault, with fierce battles erupting over the city of Fetchif. Emperor Richard Ellenhower stated that protecting Fetchif and pushing the front lines back towards Hetar was of the utmost importance. Kalang’s Supreme Commander is Duke Edric Descartes.”

The newspaper slipped from Yuis’s hands. She staggered and Laura rushed to steady her.

In that moment, a memory flashed through her mind: Her last conversation with Edric in Fetchif.

“So, because of you, Darec will now go to war with Kalang.”

“Do you think Kalang will let it go quietly? The place you’re hiding in will end up in ruins too. Because you rejected the position of my wife, countless lives will be lost.”

They hadn’t been empty threats. Edric had spoken them with full awareness of the weight they carried.

He was Kalang’s Supreme Commander. His endless work hadn’t been merely about running businesses.

There was no way he hadn’t known.

Her violet eyes began to glisten, slowly welling up with tears.

‘So that’s what it was…’

He knew everything. And once again, he saved her by deceiving her in his way.

He had protected Yuis before she even realized it.

There was a reason Miles had insisted on this estate.

There was a reason Edric had to take her away from Fetchif.

Because he needed her far from the battlefield.
Because he had to protect her…

In his own way, once again.

That was it. Tears fell in quiet drops, soaking the newspaper.

The king who had lost his crown prince had never forgotten the crushing defeat. He rallied the nations of the south, formed a coalition—and at last, brought war upon Kalang.

After saying he would take her to the estate and let her go, telling her she had to live. He had placed himself at the very front lines. In a place where he might lose his life.

Her breath caught. A choking, aching pain rose in her chest, like she wanted to strike it just to ease the pressure.

‘Why do I always find out too late—when it comes to you?’

“Then… will you hold me? Just once?”

The unfamiliar warmth in those blue eyes that day. That strange request, spoken so softly. The way Edric, like a child, had quietly burrowed into her arms.

‘Why didn’t I question it?’

The look in his eyes, the words, even his actions, they hadn’t been like him at all.

‘So why… why didn’t I notice?’

The resentment she couldn’t bring herself to direct at Edric curled back toward herself.

Tears fell uncontrollably.