Elios clicked his tongue. Regardless of how his brother reacted, Crusis continued with what he wanted to say.

“Brother, aren’t you seeing anyone?”

“What are you talking about? I meet so many people every day. I’m even talking with you right now, Crusis.”

Elios replied nonchalantly. Crusis hit his own chest as if frustrated.

“No, I mean women. Aren’t you seeing any women? With so many people who like you, why are you always alone?”

“…Women?”

“Yes, women.”

Crusis nodded.

Come to think of it, Elios had been remarkably uninterested in the opposite s*x all this time. No, was he really uninterested? Rather than being uninterested in the opposite s*x, he already had someone who completely filled his heart.

That holy maiden, Snow, whom he had seen just once when he was twelve.

The holy maiden he had seen only once had been idealized and further idealized in Elios’s imagination. Until his dramatic reunion with Snow, to Elios, she was an angel from a fantasy, perfect without a single flaw, and the most beautiful person in the world. Elios himself had packaged her so grandly in his memory. With such a perfect being filling his heart, there was no room for any other romantic interest.

Then how was the real Snow when he actually saw her?

Elios felt his heart pounding like a boy just beginning his first love. As Snow’s face came to mind, he became restless. As he slightly shook his head to calm himself, his brother’s voice whined in his ear.

“Did you know there’s a rumor going around that you prefer men?”

“What?”

“I’m joking.”

Crusis retorted casually, as if nothing had happened. Still maintaining his emotionless voice, Crusis opened his mouth.

“But it’s only a matter of time before such rumors start. An eighteen-year-old prince who has never been involved with any young lady. And there are plenty of people who like you. If not someone who prefers men, then perhaps sexually impotent. It must be one of the two, right?”

“…You’re right.”

Elios muttered as if slightly deranged. The page Crusis was holding tore with a ripping sound. Crusis, who had been half-planning to tease his brother, stared at Elios with his mouth open.

‘That’s right. I do like her.’

At last, Elios found the answer to his feelings.

Snow was even prettier and more lovable than Elios had imagined until now. She wasn’t just a perfect and gentle person like an angel in an oil painting. But that made his heart beat even faster. When he saw her cupping her cold, reddened cheeks with her hands that she had blown warm breath into, it tickled his mind as if with down feathers. When she had opened her eyes wide in surprise after he had unknowingly kissed her white hair, she was so cute he wanted to hold her.

He wanted Snow to be happy. He wanted her to always smile, to see only beautiful things, and for everyone in the world to be kind and gentle to her so that she would never be hurt.

He now knew the identity of this feeling. He truly liked Snow.

Elios was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t hear a word of what Crusis was saying in astonishment.

“Brother, are you serious? Since you can’t possibly prefer men… is it the impotence?”

He didn’t even have the presence of mind to answer Crusis, who was asking with a serious face. Elios thought deeply for a while with a serious expression, then at some point placed his hand on Crusis’s shoulder. And he briefly said to his brother’s trembling navy blue eyes:

“Crusis, thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve realized it.”

Elios left the library without waiting for his brother’s response. Crusis closed the book he had been reading and began to urgently pull out and open all kinds of medical books from the bookshelf. S*xual function. S*xual function. Crusis muttered as he searched through the table of contents. His brother was to become Emperor. Impotence? This was truly a serious problem. Crusis turned the pages frantically.

His misunderstanding was cleared up a few days later when he visited his brother’s room with precious medicinal ingredients hidden in his sleeve, and Elios finally understood what misunderstanding his brother had been harboring.

Meanwhile, for Elios, every day was a struggle after becoming aware of his feelings for Snow. He wanted to quickly see that delicate face, hear that clear voice so full of shyness.

But if he spent another night outside right after his previous overnight absence, he would certainly arouse suspicion, and then his father might have him followed when he left the castle. Elios anxiously counted the days until he could meet Snow again.

03. Drizzle

“Snow. Has something good happened?”

“No.”

Snow answered Arianne’s question with a broad smile. Arianne tilted her head in confusion.

Snow, who had splendidly accomplished the coming-of-age ceremony she had been worried about, had been in that state ever since. Smiling while eating, smiling while spacing out. She even attended solemn prayer ceremonies without erasing the traces of a smile from her face. Since it had been so long since she had looked this happy, Arianne also became happy along with her. But the problem was that she couldn’t figure out why Snow had been floating on air for days.

At first, Arianne thought it might be because she had successfully completed her coming-of-age ceremony. But if that were really the case, Snow would have had no reason to hide the cause. Unable to contain her curiosity, Arianne asked “Has something happened?” several times, but Snow would only say “No, nothing at all” while resting her chin on both hands and tilting her head.

She even hummed songs softly in her bell-like voice, which only increased Arianne’s curiosity. Of course, the weather during this time had been nothing short of fantastic.

It was about four days after the coming-of-age ceremony. As usual, Arianne was brushing Snow’s hair before bedtime. But Snow’s condition seemed a bit strange.

Just during dinner, the holy maiden had been making expressions as if tasting the most delicious thing in the world, but now she was rolling her eyes around as if anxious about something. What was even stranger was that despite this anxiety, the smile on her lips still showed no sign of fading.

It was as if she were waiting for someone who had gone on a long journey and promised to bring back a gift. She seemed unable to contain her happiness at the thought of what gift might be brought, while also anxious that something might have happened to delay the arrival, preventing them from coming today.

What on earth was going on? Arianne tried to deduce what was happening while carefully examining Snow with her sea-colored eyes, but it was still impossible to know. Arianne lightly kissed Snow’s forehead and then left the room with the candlestick that had been lighting the room.

As soon as Arianne left, Snow threw off her blanket and got up. Then she flung open the window by her bedside. The cold winter chill crept in through the window. Snow wrapped herself in the blanket she had thrown off.

One week. El had said he would come back within a week. And now it was exactly the fifth night, so if he came early, there was no reason he couldn’t come now. In fact, she had opened the window and waited with the same heart from the day of the coming-of-age ceremony until the second and third days. She wanted to see El quickly, even a little sooner. Moreover, Snow was planning to make a very big request to El. She was about to embark on the first adventure of her life.

Was waiting for someone you miss this happy yet cruel? She looked out the window, her neck stretched to the limit.

The moon was bright and clear. The stars that were always visible, the grass that glowed unusually blue despite the winter—all was well. The light snow that had fallen during the day seemed to cover the trees in a thin layer. The day had been so clear that even the ridge of the mountain range, which was always faintly visible in the distance, could be quite clearly distinguished with the n*ked eye.

Snow’s eyes, which had been blankly staring at the mountains while tightly clutching her blanket, soon began to close. The blanket she had been covering herself with slipped down, and her head collapsed, pressing her soft cheek against the windowsill. It was then that a gentle, whispering voice came to her drowsy mind.

“Snow.”

“Arianne. Let me sleep a little more…”

“Pfft, Snow?”

Snow lifted her heavy eyelids. For a moment, not understanding the situation, she blinked slowly.

‘Why am I lying with my cheek pressed against the windowsill instead of a soft pillow? What was I doing before going to sleep? And then that voice came again, full of laughter.’

“Snow. Look at me.”

“Hah!”

Snow’s eyes flew open. Startled, she unconsciously made a strange sound. As Snow raised her face from the windowsill, her silver hair slid up, dragging along the marble wall. The culprit who had been making Snow smile for days was standing right below her, looking up at her. She exclaimed with excitement:

“El!”

“Shh.”

Elios urgently put his finger to his lips. Only then did Snow recognize the situation and nodded while covering her mouth with her hand. Elios laughed out loud again. Snow felt indignant. Of all times, he had to come when she was dozing off. She had shown him an unsightly appearance. Snow said somewhat sulkily:

“…Don’t laugh.”

But Elios couldn’t stop laughing. That was because the shape of the windowsill was imprinted in red on Snow’s cheek. Now, even calling her cute or lovely wasn’t enough. Having belatedly realized his feelings, he truly liked her beyond measure.

“Snow. If you sleep like that, you might catch a cold.”

At those words, clearly intended to tease, Snow pouted. How embarrassing.

“Then why didn’t you come a little earlier?”

Her small grumbling was just like a little squirrel. Elios couldn’t hide his pleased expression.