It was a threat that if she didn’t properly confirm her affection, she wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow. Thinking it was a joke, Lydia burst into laughter. But that laughter quickly faded.

‘Is this all the affection you have for me?’

‘That’s not it, but I’m tired, no more, no more……’

‘They say affection cools after marriage, and it seems that’s true for you too.’

‘That’s not true, Arsen. Wait, please.’

‘But my feelings remain the same. I’ll prove it to you.’

Lydia cried that it wasn’t necessary. But Arsen insisted on confirming his still robust affection for her, staying up all night to do so. He spent a long time admiring Lydia’s face as she fell asleep exhausted, then left the bedroom as the sky began to dim.

The snow that had fallen continuously while they rolled around in the bedroom had piled up past their knees, but to Arsen, this was nothing. So his statement about visiting his mother before more snow fell was a lie.

In truth, Arsen was just hurrying to return before Lydia woke up. If he returned before dawn fully broke, Lydia would still be sound asleep.

“……”

Visiting his mother and adoptive father’s graves, he felt a bit guilty that his mind was still with his wife in bed. Every time he returned from observing their death anniversaries, his heart felt heavy, but not this kind of heaviness.

However, seeing how his steps lightened as he approached the mansion, he seemed unsuited to being a filial son. Since it had come to this, he would be a good husband instead.

Having cheerfully given up on being a filial son, Arsen walked more lightly than ever, and behind him, a winter rabbit hopped through the snow.

* * *

The sky grew hazily bright.

Though she seemed to have slept a long time, Lydia felt stiff and opened her eyes with a groan of discomfort. Into her increasingly clear vision came a well-toned, muscular chest. Among the large and small scars, she could also see fresh scratches where the redness had not yet faded.

Her mind, now free of sleepiness, recognized these as wounds she had inflicted. She didn’t feel sorry. Last night had been as harsh as the borderlands’ winter. At least for Lydia, it had been.

Arsen had been particularly persistent, and though she knew he had no reservations in expressing affection, it had been overwhelming.

‘You know what? We saw each other more often when you were locked in the temple than after we got married.’

‘Come on, it wasn’t that……’

But it wasn’t untrue. When they actually counted, Arsen and Lydia had spent more time together when she was confined in the temple as a saintess candidate. Arsen sulked with his large frame, saying this wasn’t why he got married.

‘What can I do when I’m so busy?’

‘No matter how busy, you could find time to show your face if you really wanted to.’

Lydia was struck speechless by words she had heard many times before.

‘Lydia, those are your own words.’

They were words she used to repeat when chasing after Richard. He remembered that! Lydia, rendered mute as if she’d swallowed honey, couldn’t offer a single rebuttal and was dragged along by Arsen.

As a result, despite having slept soundly for the first time in a long while, she now felt a fatigue that didn’t feel like she had slept at all. Somehow, she seemed to be losing to Arsen more and more as days passed. Was this okay?

She didn’t doubt his affection. However, Lydia couldn’t trust herself. What if she became obsessive again? What if she became annoying, anxiously fretting over whether his feelings would change?

Lydia had painfully learned through past experience that this was the quickest path to a relationship’s ruin. She didn’t want to repeat those behaviors, but the affection Arsen lavished on her made Lydia expect more and more.

“……Have you finished your appreciation?”

“Oh my goodness!”

Lydia jumped like a fish out of water at the voice above her head. Finding this amusing, Arsen suppressed a laugh.

“If you’re awake, you should let me know, Arsen. You startled me.”

Lydia, feeling awkward, slapped Arsen’s shoulder.

“You were awake but staring so intently at my chest.”

Last time it was my face you were staring at. Hearing his clearly teasing voice, Lydia huffed and turned away. I can look if I want to. It’s not like looking will wear it out.

“I didn’t mean for you to turn away. I won’t tease you anymore, so please look at me, wife.”

“I refuse, Grand Duke.”

“If that’s what my wife wants.”

She thought he might embrace her from behind, but Arsen nimbly moved over Lydia with a swift motion. He pulled the surprised and stiff Lydia into his arms.

“Arsen!”

Embraced, Lydia struggled a few times, then gave up and surrendered to him. As the rustling blanket quieted, they held each other and burst into playful laughter without exchanging a single joke.

“But why is your hair wet?”

As she reached out to brush away the bangs poking his eyes, she noticed Arsen’s hair was slightly damp.

“Did you wash up?”

“Ah, I visited my mother.”

Right. Today was the anniversary of Arsen’s mother’s death. Lydia squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them, realizing she had forgotten this fact. After insisting she would go with him, she had forgotten!

“You’ve already been?”

“I went early because I thought it would be difficult to move if more snow fell.”

Arsen avoided Lydia’s gaze, unable to tell her that he had hurried back to the bed before she woke up, wanting to spend this intimate, private time with her.

“I should have gone with you.”

“I guarantee you wouldn’t have made it ten steps.”

Fortunately, Lydia didn’t notice Arsen’s lie.

“Did that much snow fall?”

“It’s still falling.”

“Really?”

Lydia got up, pushing away Arsen’s arm that was caressing her waist. On her body, as white as a snow field, last night’s bruises bloomed like red flowers. Though Arsen disliked Lydia leaving his embrace, the sight was quite beautiful, so he chose to quietly appreciate it.

However, when Lydia rose to open the curtains, he had no choice but to get up as well. The lady from the capital who stubbornly insisted she had resistance to cold had caught a cold not long ago by going around thinly dressed.

She didn’t know it herself, but Arsen was extremely sensitive about Lydia’s health. It was his secret that his heart trembled every time he saw Lydia cough, nearly making him sick with worry.

“It’s cold outside, Lydia.”

Only after wrapping Lydia tightly in a thick blanket did he open the curtains for her. He let complaints about his overprotectiveness go in one ear and out the other, even though she wasn’t even opening the window.

“Wow.”

When Arsen lifted Lydia, blanket and all, and placed her in front of the window, her complaints quickly ended. Before the endless white snowfield and the silence as if even sound had frozen, Lydia couldn’t close her mouth.

The snowflakes, which had begun to subside, were beautiful, and the white snow piled on every branch looked just like a work of art. In her eventful life—being born, dying, and coming back to life—she had never seen so much snow.

“It’s beautiful.”

“You are more so.”

Lydia bit her lip at the low voice brushing her ear. If she didn’t bite down hard, her mouth corners would stretch so much they might tear all the way to her ears.

Ah, if only time could stop like this. Sometimes she felt anxious about making the same mistakes as before, but she was happier than ever. At least this moment was beautiful enough that she wanted to preserve it forever.

“Huh?”

Turning her head to kiss Arsen, Lydia stopped abruptly when she saw something pale pink flickering in the distance.

“Arsen, that, that.”

Lydia, forcibly freeing her arm from the blanket, pointed excitedly.

“A winter rabbit, right?”

Arsen’s gaze followed Lydia’s fingertip. Somewhere far away in the white snow field, something pink hopped here and there, then disappeared in an instant.

“Probably.”

Though it was too far away to be certain, it was most likely a winter rabbit. Unexpectedly seeing a winter rabbit, Lydia clapped her hands with delight.

“Its fur really is pink! Oh my, I thought you were lying.”

To think that a small rabbit that looked like a demonic beast would become so fluffy and cute in winter! Though she couldn’t see it up close, Lydia was convinced it must be adorable.

‘Come to think of it, she said she wanted to raise one.’

Arsen looked down at the excited, chattering Lydia and recalled what she had said before. If he had asked her now if her feelings remained unchanged, Lydia would have said no.

Because she was too busy now to care for another life. However, unfortunately, Arsen was already planning to catch a winter rabbit and surprise her with it.

Even though that plan had failed last time.

* * *

“A winter rabbit, again?”

Kedrick recalled their previous rabbit hunt. Their knight order had failed gloriously. The humiliation of not even touching a single rabbit hair resurfaced, and he wondered why Arsen wanted to try again.

Had he experienced too many victories and now craved defeat?

“The Grand Duchess wants to raise a winter rabbit.”

“They’re at their cutest now, but isn’t it a bit dangerous to raise one?”

“Of course I won’t let her get too close. I’ll keep it in a cage for a few days, let her feed it a few times, then release it.”

But that was only if they captured the rabbit intact.

“You remember we failed last time, right?”

“Back then.”

Arsen unnecessarily cleared his throat. That defeat, how could he forget? But Arsen had his excuses.