Elios entered the temple using a fake identification token he had prepared for his usual covert excursions outside the palace. He slipped in like a shadow, avoiding the eyes of holy knights disguised as priests. Fortunately, the harsh weather had noticeably reduced the number of priests walking outside, making it easier for him to move.

In an instant, the sun had completely set, and the sky had turned navy blue with barely a few stars visible. However, this dark sky actually helped conceal Elios’s movements. As he entered the enclosure and made his way to the deepest part of the temple, Elios smirked.

He could have come to meet her like this anytime if he had wanted to.

During all this time, he wondered what he had been enduring for; his father’s brief embrace had become so faint that he could barely remember it.

Elios walked under the dark sky. His footsteps gradually quickened until he was running with all his might.

“Snow, Snow.”

He kept repeating that name in his mouth.

Finally, the blue grass crunched beneath his feet. It was something he had stepped on only once before. When, as a child, he had sneaked out of bed to seek the holy maiden’s advice on life and headed toward the Santarium. It was the same grass he had walked on then.

Remarkably, despite the winter weather, the grass was as fresh as if it had just been watered.

A little farther away, a unique building that emitted a hazy light even in the darkness came into view. Unlike other temples, it was built for someone’s residence rather than for sacrifices or ceremonies. The enormous amount of marble used in the building’s construction had been provided by the imperial household. The outer walls of the building, which looked like a small replica of a palace, were filled with all kinds of intricate carvings.

That was the Santarium, the holy maiden’s space.

Elios stopped running and quietly approached the white building, minimizing his footsteps as much as possible.

His heart pounded, thump, thump.

From the moment he stepped on the grass, he no longer felt the cold. Like the eye of a typhoon, the fierce wind that had been blowing did not blow here. It was perfect stillness.

At some point, Elios completely stopped his approach.

Snow was there.

Just like when he first saw her. Poking her head out the window. Looking up at the sky with dreamy silver eyes.

Elios, just as he had when he first met her, once again stared at her, entranced.

She was more beautiful than any nineteen-year-old Snow he had imagined on his own. She was still lovely and mysterious. Her thin, small lips appeared even redder in contrast to her white skin. Her neat forehead, slender chin, large eyes with deep double eyelids—everything that made her up filled Elios with emotion. Strangely, his heart tickled.

Elios observed her expression. She didn’t seem as depressed or distressed as he had worried. Only her eyes carried a deeper silver hue, as if she were deeply contemplating something.

Elios approached her as if bewitched.

“Snow.”

Snow slowly lowered her head and finally saw him. At this moment, he had no anxiety about whether she would recognize him. No, actually, that didn’t matter. He remembered her, knew her name was Snow, and now they had met again. That was enough.

And after a moment of silence, she moved her lips.

“…El?”

Elios smiled as brightly as the sun illuminating the night.

♣ ♣ ♣

Tomorrow, Snow will turn nineteen.

In truth, Snow hardly felt how significant this was for her. She thought that her nineteenth birthday would pass peacefully under the quiet congratulations of a few priests, just as her seventeenth and eighteenth birthdays had.

That’s how her life had always been. Without undulations. Just flowing smoothly like a clear, clean stream that had yet to be discovered by anyone. Without stones to cut through the current or any factors to cause splashes—just flowing peacefully.

That was her life. It had been so until now, and it had to remain so in the future.

She seemed to have heard that there would be a coming-of-age ceremony for this birthday, but she expected it wouldn’t be much different from the prayer rituals she performed with the priests morning and evening. After all, she only knew there would be a coming-of-age ceremony but had heard nothing about its scale or the order of events. So she concluded on her own that it couldn’t be that important.

That’s why she woke up that morning stretching with a serene face, without any worries, just like any other day. As always, Snow closed her eyes drowsily, leaning her tired head against Arianne’s hands as she combed her hair. Soon, her silver hair fell neatly down to her waist.

Arianne, now thirty-six years old and at an age where one could say she was getting on in years, was enthusiastic about everything related to Snow, but she took particular care in grooming the holy maiden’s hair. Perhaps she was obsessed with Snow’s thin, pretty straight hair that fell smoothly, in contrast to her own orange hair which was unruly and severely curly.

But today, she was putting in several times more effort than usual in combing Snow’s hair. She seemed determined not to miss a single strand of tangled hair.

That wasn’t all. From somewhere, she had obtained fragrant oil and applied it lightly to the comb, allowing it to be gently absorbed into the hair. This was something she didn’t usually do. At this point, Snow began to question her unusual behavior.

Generally, Amir’s priests didn’t place much importance on adorning themselves. Not only did they not value it, but some even despised it. Rather than their own outward appearance, they were more obsessed with the kind of adornment that enhanced the authority of the temple itself. The exterior and corridors of the Santarium bustling with hundreds of angel sculptures was a good example of this.

Snow, raised among such priests, was no exception. The items she used were of quality no less than those used by high nobles, but without elaborate decorations. Also, Snow had never adorned herself except for the absolute basics necessary for life. Even something as common and simple as a ring had never been placed on her fingers. So it was natural that she was seeing hair oil for the first time.

“What are you putting in my hair?”

“It’s fragrant oil. This makes your hair look softer and gives off a nice scent.”

Though she had never seen it before, she naturally knew what fragrant oil was. Aromatic oil. Used to adorn hair beautifully. Snow took a handful of her silver hair that had fallen neatly and stroked it. A tiny bit of oil came off on her hand. Although the fragrant smell was quite pleasant, Snow found it somewhat awkward.

“Why are you applying oil?”

Since this was something not usually done, she was curious about Arianne’s intention.

“Oh my, Snow. Your coming-of-age ceremony is tomorrow. It’s your first official appearance as the holy maiden.”

After saying that much, Arianne brought her mouth close to Snow’s ear and completed the sentence in a hushed voice.

“Wouldn’t it be better to look pretty anyway?”

In Snow’s eyes, Arianne was a somewhat unusual priest. She had argued that being surrounded by only white was not good for mental development and eventually changed some items in Snow’s room, such as bed sheets and glass tables, to colorful hues. She also paid attention to appearance, diligently grooming Snow’s hair and constantly saying things like “You’re beautiful, Snow!”

Ah, her interest in appearance was limited to Snow. Arianne herself was aging naturally as she was. She didn’t care at all about her disheveled hair or the wrinkles that were gradually beginning to form.

But Snow thought such an Arianne was quite beautiful. Looking at those light blue eyes, she thought that if she were to see the actual sea, it might feel like that.

“Arianne, a devout heart is more important than outward adornment.”

Snow said quietly. Why was she so concerned about something like the coming-of-age ceremony? Although the coming-of-age ceremony was approaching, none of the priests had specially reminded her of it like this.

“Of course, that’s true. But… His Imperial Majesty will be coming, and important nobles will be there too, and I want Snow to shine the brightest. I want everyone to be unable to take their eyes off Snow, even His Imperial Majesty not daring to meet your eyes, just looking up at you from below.”

“…Wasn’t the coming-of-age ceremony just something similar to a prayer ritual?”

Snow suddenly felt as if a heavy stone had dropped onto her heart with a thud. It was an emotion she had never experienced before in her life.

His Imperial Majesty? Nobles? These were people Snow had never seen. They were people living lives completely opposite to Snow’s, who would live her entire life as a servant of the goddess.

Snow had always thought of herself, the holy maiden, as standing on the top of a barren rocky mountain without a single tree. In contrast, they were people who were not only high but also splendid and in a warm place.

Snow somehow shrank when thinking about them. She understood that since there was a common point of being “high” between her and them, they would inevitably meet someday, but meeting them seemed like something that required a lot of courage.

But tomorrow? They’re coming tomorrow? It felt as if a trap she thought was far away and hadn’t prepared for had suddenly opened right beneath her feet.

Arianne, sitting behind Snow, failed to gauge the holy maiden’s emotions and chattered happily.

“A prayer ritual? That’s something we do every day. Tomorrow’s coming-of-age ceremony for Snow will be held on a scale that could never be done every day. Ceres has been preparing for it for months for the holy maiden.”

Snow’s expression hardened. Arianne’s expression hardened as well.

“…No, Snow. Did you really not know how the coming-of-age ceremony would proceed? Didn’t you receive a guide about the ceremony procedure recently? I saw High Priest Patrick carrying it, saying it was for the holy maiden.”

“I-I never received such a thing…”

The two didn’t know, but High Priest Patrick had indeed come to Snow’s room with a paper detailing the ceremony procedures. However, coincidentally, it was during the brief time Snow, who rarely went out, had gone to take care of personal business. The high priest should have waited until Snow returned, but due to urgent matters, he had placed it neatly on the table and left. It was obvious that Snow would return soon.