Amelia, who had been buried in the snow and unconscious, woke up.

“So cold…”

Before she could grasp the situation, the piercing cold from the frozen ground registered first, startling her nerves.

Lying face down, she slowly lifted her upper body. The wet strands of hair and the faint breeze digging into her neck felt like knives slicing through her skin.

“Hah…”

The air she inhaled was unbearably cold. Even the warmth from her breath seemed precious in the bitter chill. As she tried to stand, her jaw chattering, a heavy pain from her ankle caused her to collapse back down.

“Aah!”

Her hands instinctively gripped the ground. She heard the sound of frozen grass being torn up. Amelia gritted her teeth and forced her body to push through the sharp ache in her fingers.

“It hurts…”

It seemed she had injured her foot when she fell from the horse. Not just her foot—her whole body felt as though it had been battered. Forgetting to brush the snow off her dress, Amelia shouted.

“Help… please help me!”

The cry had come out reflexively. It was eerily quiet, as though all traces of life had disappeared from around her. Sitting there, alone and coatless, Amelia suddenly felt terrified and began shouting desperately.

“Help me! Please, is anyone there?”

People had said they’d be passing by, hadn’t they?

But the mountain remained silent. The sky, devoid of even an echo, was a pale and hazy shade. Above, a few nameless winter birds leisurely flew by.

“Help…”

A faint fear began to cloud Amelia’s blue eyes.

There were rough, sweeping marks on the snowy slope as if a broom had dragged across it. It must have been the path where Amelia had rolled down.

The slope wasn’t too steep. Under normal circumstances, Amelia might have been able to climb it by herself. But now, her legs wouldn’t move.

Should she try crawling up with her arms? As she pondered the futile idea, she noticed a figure moving in the distance.

“Here… over here…”

Amelia started to call out loudly, but then stopped.

What if it was a wild animal?

If it had been a person who heard her, they would have responded by now or she would’ve heard footsteps crunching in the snow. But the sound of that figure walking was too quiet.

Amelia closed her mouth and anxiously watched the figure coming down the slope.

“…”

But it wasn’t a wolf or a leopard that emerged from the silence.

“Your Highness…?”

Josef was looking down at her. Amelia blinked several times, but Josef remained where he was.

He had undoubtedly seen her. Even though he was still some distance away, Amelia knew from their eye contact. Yet Josef didn’t move at all.

“…”

Questions swirled in Amelia’s mind. Why is he here? How did he find me? Why isn’t he doing anything after seeing me?

“Your Highness!”

But Amelia was the one who grew impatient. Her voice rose slightly.

“Your Highness, please help me! I can’t move!”

At Amelia’s cry, Josef finally began walking.

She watched him approach, not hurriedly, but steadily drawing closer. And then she realized:

“I called for him.”

He’s coming because I called.

That man had been waiting for her to ask for help. He had waited until she would ask for help on her own.

Despite being the one who had run away from him, here she was again, helplessly begging for his aid like a powerless weakling.

That’s what Josef had wanted to hear from her.

“Wear this.”

In front of her, Josef held out the cape Amelia had worn earlier.

“…Thank you, Your Highness.”

While Amelia wrapped herself in the cape and tied the string, Josef knelt on one knee and lifted her dress slightly.

“What… what are you doing…?”

“Don’t move.”

Josef’s low voice stopped Amelia, who had been trying to cover her half-exposed calf.

‘What is this…?’

The man who had lifted her skirt without permission was now giving orders. Did this man not have any sense of chivalry?

“It’s not broken.”

Josef lightly gripped Amelia’s bruised ankle. It hurt so much she felt as if the pain reached her bones.

“Aah! Please, stop…”

It wasn’t the pain itself that was unbearable, but the sight of her swollen, bruised ankle. Amelia turned her head, shivering.

“Should I carry you?”

Josef, watching Amelia’s pained expression, asked.

“…Pardon?”

“You said you can’t walk.”

Josef sounded sincere.

“Go ahead, ask me to carry you.”

It wasn’t just a request; Josef was telling her to plead for it.

“Wouldn’t a simple ‘thank you for saving me’ suffice?”

Amelia forced a smile, trying to appear courteous, even though she didn’t owe him anything. In fact, if anything, it was him who had been rude to her on multiple occasions.

“I didn’t come for your gratitude.”

“…”

“Does an apology from a hostage mean anything to me?”

The last time, Josef had gotten angry at her for not thanking him, and now, he was dismissing gratitude altogether with haughty logic.

“Then what do you want from me?”

“Ask me to carry you.”

Josef responded nonchalantly.

Amelia wiped the smile off her face and stared at him. She could see in his eyes that he wouldn’t move until she answered him.

“Your Highness seems to enjoy humiliating me.” Amelia said coldly.

“Yes,” Josef replied, seemingly amused.

“You make a lot of different faces when I do.”

“…”

The hem of Amelia’s dress was getting soaked in the snow. She couldn’t just sit on the ground forever.

Amelia let out a small sigh.

“Please… carry me.”

As soon as she extended her hand, Josef’s arm drew her in like a magnet. Though she knew there was a difference in their strength, Amelia was still a bit surprised at how effortlessly Josef lifted her without so much as a change in his expression.

Josef began walking while holding Amelia. Leaning against his strong arms and chest brought an odd sense of comfort, which annoyed her.

“Did you watch the match?” Josef’s deep voice resonated from his chest, making Amelia flinch for a moment.

“…Yes.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“It was fun.”

Amelia responded without avoiding Josef’s overly close gaze. She didn’t want to become more of a toy for the crown prince, who seemed to take pleasure in her shame.

“…”

Josef looked at her for a moment before turning his head again. Perhaps it had been a meaningless question.

“We’re running late. We’ll have to ride a horse.”

For the first time, Josef said something Amelia was thankful for, as she had been growing anxious about how long they would remain like this.

However, when she glanced over Josef’s shoulder, she noticed there was only one horse. After helping Amelia onto the horse, Josef, as if it were natural, mounted behind her. Wrapping one arm around Amelia, he tapped the stirrups lightly.

“Let’s go.”

As if understanding the command, the horse began to gallop.

‘Oh, no…’

Riding the horse made things worse. Their thighs pressed together, and with each movement, their bodies bumped slightly against the saddle. The feel of his body, firmer than she had expected, and the friction of the fabric warmed by his body heat felt indecent.

She tried twisting her body to pull away, but Josef’s arm held her tightly, without the slightest movement. There was nothing she could do but remain in his grip.

Amelia pulled her hood down over her face.

* * *

“Your Highness!”

The sound of the horse’s hooves pounding the ground came to a halt. Amelia, startled by the familiar voice, pushed back her hood and gasped.

It was the captain of the royal guard, staring up at Josef and Amelia on the horse with a look of astonishment.

From behind the nearby tents, people started poking their heads out, clearly dying of curiosity about the identity of the lady cradled in the crown prince’s arms. Meanwhile, the young soldiers who had been feeding the sled dogs were beaming, thrilled to see the long-awaited Josef arrive.

It seemed they had reached the base camp. Josef dismounted first and extended his arm toward Amelia.

“Get down.”

Even from atop the horse, Amelia could hear the murmur of the nobles gossiping. Josef looked at her, puzzled, as she hesitated and gestured for her to hurry.

Despite the eyes of the crowd bearing down on her, Amelia knew she had no choice but to accept his help. Bowing her head, she let Josef help her down from the horse.

At Josef’s instruction to bring a chair and bandages, the guard captain moved swiftly.

As Josef wrapped a bandage tightly around her bruised ankle, Amelia had to endure the curious stares of the nobles, watching her from a distance.

‘I wish I had just fainted so I could have been carried here.’

Or maybe I should pull my hood back over my head.

Unaware of her thoughts, Josef looked at her ankle and said,

“You’ll need to use crutches for a few days.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I will send a maid to assist Lady Amelia,” the captain of the guard responded, now addressing her as “Lady,” likely out of respect following Josef’s earlier scolding.

Nodding, Josef stood up and approached the young soldiers.

“So, who won?” he asked.

The young soldiers, who had been peeking to catch a glimpse of the crown prince, quickly formed a line under the captain’s stern gaze. The nobles, too, shifted their attention away from Amelia and exited the tent.

“W-We greet His Highness, the Crown Prince!” One of the young soldiers with a head like a chestnut stepped forward and shouted boldly. He stood as straight as possible, trying to act like a knight, but his stiff, nervous face still showed his youth.

“Well done.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Josef’s voice, praising the boy, was so gentle that Amelia doubted her ears. His profile, too, showed a faint smile.

“Your Highness.”

Marika approached Josef quietly, carrying a velvet cushion on which lay a small, gold-embellished dagger that glistened in the sunlight. Josef picked it up and handed it to the young soldier. Their coordinated movements, bestowing grace upon the lower-ranked soldier, seemed practiced, as if they had done this a hundred times.

“T-Thank you, Your Highness!”

“Congratulations,” Marika said softly with a smile. The young soldier, now kneeling to receive the dagger, blushed furiously in front of her. The gathered nobles clapped in delight.

Amelia sat alone on a makeshift chair, watching the scene unfold. It was like a display of royal customs straight out of an etiquette book. Though not unpleasant, it didn’t feel good either. The throbbing pain in her ankle seemed to remind her that she didn’t belong here.

“…”

Amelia felt a bit pathetic, sitting there as though she were tied down by invisible ropes, waiting for someone to help her up. She pulled her cape tighter around her and gazed up at the sky, unaware that Marika was silently watching her as she followed the flight of a winter bird with her eyes.

TL NOTE: Visit and bookmark the story at dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and updates of its latest release.