“You drive me crazy.”

The child whimpered as if feeling sleepy.

He soothed the child and extended his arm, suggesting they go to bed now.

* * *

Catherine felt like she had a long dream. Her body floated like a feather, feeling as if she were buried in soft, fluffy down. Catherine always loved this tranquility.

Lying on her side and blinking, Catherine closed her eyes again. A languid breath spread.

‘Just a bit more.’

Her long blonde hair scattered across the blanket. She was just falling into a light sleep with her cheek buried in the pillow.

It was quiet. This air, so very quiet, suddenly felt unfamiliar.

“Little one……”

Catherine fumbled beside the bed.

Gone. As she brushed back her long blonde hair and sat up, the bedroom was empty.

The baby’s crib was also empty. Catherine tilted her head back. Her long blonde hair, disheveled, flowed down her back.

‘Where did they go?’

Her daughter, who particularly hated falling asleep alone, extremely hated being left alone. While she would blink her eyes like a small deer when with her parents, she would burst into tears when left alone.

She thought she had finally soothed the crying child in the early morning and fallen asleep together…

“Little one?”

Catherine was alone in the empty bedroom.

Tilting her head back, she sat staring out the window. It was still early dawn. As she tousled her long hair, the dawn air felt peaceful.

“Ahon, where are you?”

Catherine called for Ahon in a small whisper. She wrapped a shawl around herself and went out as if entranced.

* * *

The hallway was quiet. Only candles flickered sparsely. It was a time when even the servants would still be asleep at dawn.

Catherine, with her shawl tightly wrapped, passed through the corridor. No one was there. An unspoken tension crept up in this alien quietness.

“Ahon.”

Catherine called for Ahon in a small voice.

Light leaked from the far end of the corridor. Following the flickering light under the door crack, Catherine stopped walking.

Creak.

The door opened with the sound of old hinges. Catherine stood blankly, staring at the scene before her.

Lorendis held the child in his arms.

The child breathed evenly with soft wheezes. Those even breaths were evidence that the child was comfortable.

The child reached out with her small wiggling hands as if sensing her father’s presence. She smacked her lips, looking innocent.

“She resembles you a lot.”

Lorendis spoke in a whisper.

“Her eyes and nose resemble you.”

“Is that so?”

“Your father said so. That she resembles you when you were young.”

Upon seeing the newborn child, both sets of grandparents found parts that resembled their own children. Still, with her bright blonde hair, she resembled Catherine a lot.

“I’ve been feeling it more lately because she resembles you.”

“In what way?”

“I will always be weak around this child.”

Lorendis held the child close and asked Catherine.

“Why are you up and not sleeping?”

“Your side was empty.”

“Ah, the child was crying so I brought her out. Were you looking for her?”

“I thought she might be with you, so I looked, and here she is.”

The child slept leaning on her father’s arm.

“You haven’t slept properly for days. Go back to sleep.”

“No. I slept well.”

It felt good to have a light body after several days. Catherine massaged her neck and reached out her arms.

“Shall I hold her?”

“No.”

“Isn’t she heavy?”

“If this small child is heavy, surviving on the snowy mountains with a sword would have been even harder.”

He had ended the long war with the barbarians. If he had been of weak character, it would have been difficult to survive for so long and end this war.

Helen is a strong territory. The people of the territory are each like solid castle walls, strong enough to protect their country’s safety themselves.

“Will you teach this child to use a sword too?”

“……I’m not sure if she’ll be able to hold one.”

“This child being small will only be for a very brief moment.”

This period passes quickly.

“It will pass in an instant, enough to be remembered someday, so take it all in with your eyes.”

“But no sword.”

“You’re surprisingly strict in unexpected areas.”

If you bring a potential husband someday saying you want to get married, your father might fall into great despair. Though that’s a matter in a very distant future.

She happily mumbled to herself like that.

“Little one.”

Catherine whispered softly in the child’s ear.

“You need to grow up quickly.”

After that, the couple shared various conversations.

Despite the sound of the two chatting softly, the child remained deeply asleep in her father’s arms without stirring.

The child sleeping with her eyes tightly closed brought a slight feeling of happiness to Catherine.

* * *

Catherine, who had been nodding off, raised her head.

“……”

As she turned her body to the side, Lorendis was already awake.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

Lorendis just answered like that and pulled up the blanket. The bed was surrounded by a canopy, making the cozy warmth relax her body languidly. The arm embracing her waist from beside her was firm.

“How long have you been awake?”

“Not long.”

“You should have woken me.”

“I felt guilty seeing you sleep so peacefully.”

Catherine brushed back her long blonde hair. When she stretched her back straight, her shoulders tingled. As she tilted her head back with a small groan, he pressed her shoulders with his hands.

“Does it hurt?”

“I suppose so. My back and shoulders feel a bit stiff.”

“Turn over. If it’s muscle tension, loosening them should help.”

Lorendis turned Catherine over and gently pressed from her shoulder blades. In the past, when she was tired after giving birth, Lorendis would bring massage cream and apply it…

Remembering that time, Catherine entrusted herself to him more comfortably.

“Mmm.”

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

As he loosened each knotted muscle from her neck, a languid sigh escaped.

Her neck felt chilly. When her shoulders were very tense, she sometimes had severe headaches, but as the muscles loosened, she felt the blood flowing quickly. It felt somewhat refreshing.

With her head feeling clearer, she had the leisure to converse right after waking up.

“What do you do beside me when I’m asleep?”

Lorendis ran his hand down her spine.

“Nothing in particular.”

“But I often find you looking down at me when I wake up.”

“That must be your imagination.”

“It seems like you’re avoiding the conversation. Is it something difficult to talk about?”

She had some idea. He stroked her spine with his hand.

“Your hands have a lot of calluses.”

“Are they hard?”

“No. I like hands like that. They seem to tell me what kind of person you are.”

The hands that held the sword were full of calluses. She had never once been repulsed by such roughness. The calluses were traces of how harshly he had spent these years.

“I find myself checking if you’re breathing from time to time.”

“……Are you still anxious?”

“I often feel anxiety when I look at you.”

You made me this way, so you must endure it. He kissed Catherine’s back. It was a cold yet hot sensation.

“Feeling better?”

She felt refreshed, perhaps because of the loosened muscles. Her body seemed lighter too. As she gently rotated her shoulders, her eyes met Lorendis’s.

“Tell me if it hurts.”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“I’m sensitive about everything when it comes to you.”

Catherine embraced his neck. She took a deep breath. Then, with a subtle smile, she said.

“……I am breathing.”

“That’s true.”

“Then that’s enough.”

“You have a talent for making very difficult statements sound casual.”

Lorendis glanced at her and lightly kissed her lips. Catherine lowered her head and responded to his kiss.

“Dent wished for Helen’s peace. Since it’s a gift from him, you can be at peace too now.”

Just then, the child opened her eyes in the baby crib. She looked like she might cry at any moment, but upon discovering her parents, she opened her eyes wide.

Her young cheeks were flushed. The child rolled her round eyes and smiled brightly. As if saying it was nothing.

“She says it’s okay.”

If the winter child says it’s okay, wouldn’t it be?

It was a strange feeling. Seeing a child resembling herself sitting there felt like looking in a mirror. Not because they looked alike.

“They say parents are mirrors to their children. It means our inner selves are reflected in that child. The child will know what feelings we harbor.”

Ahon gently creased her eyes. As she waved her small hands, Catherine somehow felt like she might tear up.

“I feel like I shouldn’t harbor weak feelings. I want this child to be strong.”

“Yes.”

“Later when the child grows up, I want to walk on snow together outside, walk on frozen lakes, and try various things. I’m in trouble because there are more and more things I want to do together.”

The casual conversation continued.

“I hope this child takes after you and is full of vitality.”

* * *