Snow now wore an expression as if she had been struck. Shocked, she stammered:

“Th-that’s impossible. The imperial princes…”

The wind that had been tickling her ears suddenly stopped, as if it were a lie. Even the sound of short grass blades rustling against each other in the breeze was no longer heard. In the silence, Snow’s shock grew increasingly deeper.

Snow lay down on the grass, following El’s example. Looking up at the night sky, she said:

“I thought that only imperial princes and princesses in the palace were perfect from birth. But… if what El says is true, then there can never be anyone who is perfect from birth.”

The boy giggled and agreed with Snow’s words.

“That’s right. There’s no one who is remarkable from birth. I guess I didn’t need to worry so much about my current shortcomings. I just need to work hard to fill in what’s lacking. Ah, I’m so glad I came to see the Holy Maiden. I can’t believe how much lighter my heart feels.”

Snow didn’t understand why the boy felt relieved when she hadn’t really done anything for him, but she smiled, thinking it was fortunate nonetheless.

“Why are the stars twinkling so brightly tonight? It feels like they might shower down on our heads. Would it hurt to be hit by stars?”

The boy asked. ‘It’s probably because my mood is good that the stars are twinkling more brightly,’ Snow thought to herself as she continued gazing at the star-filled sky. Somehow, the fresh scent of the grass growing on the ground seemed to have intensified as well.

The boy, seemingly tireless, continued telling Snow stories about the imperial princes and princesses living in the palace. While he was merciless in his assessment of the other two princes and the princess, he became generous only when speaking of the first prince, suggesting that the boy was probably closest to the first imperial prince. Snow envied the boy who was so familiar with the imperial princes and princesses.

“I envy El. I’d like to become friends with the imperial princes and princesses too.”

“I’m not sure about the others, but I think the first imperial prince would really like the Holy Maiden. I know the first imperial prince best. I can be certain of it.”

“Wow, really?”

“Of course.”

As they spoke, the stars disappeared one by one, and before they knew it, the rising sun was turning the dark blue sky pink. The boy mostly talked about stories related to the imperial princes and princesses, while Snow shared stories about things that had happened at the temple.

Snow quietly told the boy, who had become like a soulmate in just one night, about the relationship between her mood and the weather. The boy listened with interest, and when Snow put her index finger to her lips and said, “Shh, this is a secret that shouldn’t be told to anyone. Understand?” he nodded solemnly. Despite Snow’s protests, the boy insisted on kneeling and swearing that he would never tell anyone the secret about Snow’s mood and the weather.

Chattering away and losing track of time, the boy and Snow eventually realized the moment to part had come.

“Holy Maiden. I’ll definitely come back. Next time, let’s explore outside the temple together. I want to show you how many interesting things there are outside the temple.”

The boy, reluctant to part, said to Snow. Instead of answering, Snow gave a wistful smile. While she would very much welcome the boy’s return, they probably wouldn’t be able to go outside together. If something were to happen to her while outside, no one could predict whether torrential rain would fall, or heavy snow, or some other calamity might occur. Instead of responding to that, she said:

“El. Do you know my name?”

“Of course. You’re Saint Bernadette, the Holy Maiden.”

Snow closed her eyes and shook her head.

“That’s correct, but I actually have another name. I’ll tell only you. Like the secret about me and the weather, this too should be known only to El. Understand?”

The boy smiled as brightly as when he first saw Snow. His figure overlapped with the rising sun behind his back, making Snow unable to look away.

“Of course. I won’t tell anyone. I want to hear the Holy Maiden’s name. Please tell me.”

Snow whispered into the boy’s ear, “Snow, my name is Snow.” The boy, smiling broadly once more, earnestly requested that she not forget him until he came back again.

The sun had now risen almost completely. The boy, who was clearly running late, gave Snow a final greeting and hurried back along the path he had come. Snow stood watching until the boy was no longer visible, then soon realized that she too needed to return to the Santarium before the other priests woke up, and turned to leave.

He was the first friend of her own age that she had made in her life. Snow’s heart fluttered. With her eyes crinkled in a pretty smile, she murmured that she hoped to see him again.

Not knowing that the boy was actually Elios Riman Akelan, the first imperial prince of the palace.

02. The Sun

At eighteen years old, with his coming-of-age ceremony at the great temple just a few months away, the first thing Elios did when he opened his eyes in the morning was to check the weather outside his window. This had been his habit for about six years now, so it was quite longstanding.

On days when his black eyes filled with the sight of an exceptionally blue, clear sky and warm sun, Elios wore a smile all day that made everyone who saw him feel good. Conversely, if dark clouds began to appear in the sky, he would look out the window almost every few minutes, biting his lip. Because of this, those who served him also became sensitive to the weather.

That day, Elios woke up a little earlier than usual. To be precise, it would be more accurate to say he had tossed and turned all night. He pressed his slightly bloodshot eyes with his palms several times, having not rested properly.

Elios took a few long strides and sat in the chair by the window. A thin layer of snow had accumulated on the windowsill outside the glass, shimmering white in the morning sunlight. He opened the window and slowly brushed the white snow with his index finger. A line formed along the path where his finger had passed over the once-white windowsill.

He raised his tired eyes to look at the sky. There were some clouds, but they weren’t ominous black storm clouds. They were soft, fluffy, pure white clouds that reminded him of someone he missed, whom he had met just once six years ago. He blinked heavily and smiled.

“Snow. Judging by the good weather, you must have slept well.”

His voice, which had deepened just right over the six years, settled on the snow accumulated on the windowsill.

He remembered when he first placed this chair by the window. Back then, Elios was much smaller, and when he stood straight, the windowsill came up to his chin. After looking out at the weather hundreds, thousands of times while sitting in this chair, the windowsill had come down to about his waist level.

There was a knock at the door. Elios looked toward the door without answering. Soon a maid entered. Having come to wake Elios, she confirmed that he was already awake and politely asked how he would like his breakfast.

“As usual.”

At that answer, another maid entered carrying a tray with food. Though it seemed meager and insufficient for a meal for royalty, it was specially prepared for Elios, who preferred to keep his breakfast as simple as possible. He put a few spoonfuls of food in his mouth, then said casually:

“The weather is nice. Isn’t it?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The maid answered in an extremely businesslike tone. In truth, assistance with meals was unnecessary. However, according to protocol, someone had to be in attendance when royalty dined. When he was younger, he had ordered the maids to wait outside a few times, finding it uncomfortable to have them staring at him, but now he knew well that his orders put the maids, who had to follow royal protocol, in a difficult position. Instead of dismissing the maids, Elios now made meaningless small talk.

“If only the weather could always be like this…”

The maid glanced at the prince. His orange-tinted blonde hair was a bit disheveled from having just woken up, but it gleamed softly in the sunlight. His black eyes, which disappeared and reappeared beneath golden eyelashes with each blink, always had a warm light to them.

‘Ah, what a handsome person.’

While maintaining a businesslike expression in front of the prince, the maid always thought this behind her facade. The fact that such a person had never been involved in even a rumor with any lady was a common topic of conversation among the maids. So when she became a maid serving the first prince, many maids both envied and were jealous of her.

Most of the maids were noble young ladies of marriageable age. To be in a position serving the prince so closely! The maids sometimes hoped that while serving the prince up close, their eyes might meet or they might fall in love.

She too, at first, had such expectations, even while receiving strict training from the head maid that she must never show emotion in front of the prince.

This was none other than Prince Elios. He had recently been granted the Astal Knights by His Imperial Majesty. This was a knightly order that had belonged to the crown prince for generations. Although he had not yet been officially designated as crown prince, Prince Elios was already as good as the crown prince. Add to that his handsome appearance and good personality. As a potential husband, he was the best in the empire, no, even beyond that.

But she soon completely abandoned such thoughts herself.

The prince seemed kind yet indifferent. He would smile with a mischievous face to his siblings and some close associates, but to everyone else, he never came closer than a certain distance. Or perhaps that was inevitable for someone who would inherit the throne.

But watching the prince gazing far outside the window, she sensed that someone already occupied his heart. What he was looking at through the window was not merely the weather. He was looking at something much farther away.

Elios finished his meal and put down his fork. The maid bowed her head in greeting and withdrew with the empty dishes and spoon.

After bathing and changing his clothes, Elios couldn’t stay still and kept pacing around the room. Then he slumped down in a chair and ran both hands over his face.