Back then, he had been forcibly separated from Lydia and couldn’t even meet her in secret. Moreover, it was a time when Arsen was mentally strained, not knowing if he could be with Lydia in the future.

In other words, the Black Wolf Knight Order had lacked a proper commander. But now Arsen was fully in his right mind. So the hunting results would naturally be different.

“We don’t even need to go into the forest now.”

“That’s true, but.”

The borderlands’ winter is harsh. Small animals, including winter rabbits, often came down to inhabited areas in search of food. Arsen even spread out a map and pointed to where the village met the forest.

“We’ll set up a wide net, and when the rabbit enters, we’ll close the net while narrowing the encirclement.”

Arsen explained the plan quite seriously, and even the indifferent Kedrick soon became engrossed, offering opinions. Several knights who had been rolling around in their rooms, unable to train due to the snow, joined in.

Since the winter rabbit was to be a surprise gift, they chose the day of their regular patrol as the decisive moment. Arsen left the mansion naturally, receiving Lydia’s send-off.

He heard her sighing softly about the pile of documents, so Lydia would probably stay in her office all day. How happy she would be if he suddenly presented her with a fluffy winter rabbit. Arsen mounted his horse, imagining Lydia’s bright smile.

But when do things in life go as planned?

“Kedrick, you’ve been cooped up in your room lately, and your body seems heavy. Can’t you even catch that one properly?”

“No, Commander, you’re blaming me? If you had been just a step faster, we would have caught it.”

The knight order was divided.

“It laughed at me, it laughed at me!”

“David, rabbits can’t laugh. Their oral structure doesn’t allow it.”

“No, I’m telling you, it laughed!”

They lost the rabbit and David’s sanity.

“But isn’t that Her Highness over there?”

“……Lydia?”

And they were caught.

* * *

Even after Lydia, who had come as a priestess, left, Byron remained in the borderlands to guard the old temple.

Though Lydia had departed, when Wellington stayed at the temple and began seeing patients, the number of people visiting the temple increased.

With Charles the pharmacist also settling at the temple, and Byron volunteering as a writing teacher for the border children, the temple began to bustle. Byron decided to expand the temple, and Lydia supported it in every way.

Previously, there were no technicians in the borderlands, but now with a blacksmith shop and active exchanges with Wonde’s territory, the temple expansion progressed smoothly.

Working without rest even on snowy days, the temple now had a respectable appearance. Byron wanted to show it to Lydia first and invited her. Since it was Byron’s invitation, Lydia set aside all her work to see the temple.

Snow was still piled up like mountains, but the paths diligently cleared by people were sufficient for carriages to pass. Still, Lydia chose to walk, treating it as a rare stroll.

“I didn’t know snow could fall this much.”

Anna, who had been Lydia’s dedicated maid at the marquis’s residence, somehow ended up following Lydia all the way to the borderlands. Having been born and raised in the capital, Anna stuck out her tongue in amazement at the relentless snow.

“I know, it’s amazing no matter how many times you see it, right?”

Lydia chatted pleasantly with Anna while taking in the path that had transformed into a white snowfield. She had traveled this road countless times when she first came to the borderlands with Arsen and stayed at the old temple.

She had walked alone to see Arsen, ridden horses with him, and walked side by side matching their steps. Back then, she never imagined she would end up marrying Arsen.

“Oh, isn’t that a person over there?”

As Lydia walked lost in reminiscence, Anna narrowed her eyes and looked toward the entrance of the forest.

“That person walking just now looks exactly like Sir Kedrick.”

“It’s not just someone who looks like him, I think it is Sir Kedrick.”

Though the person appeared as small as a finger from their distance, they could roughly identify who it was by the familiar uniform and hairstyle.

“Didn’t they say they were going on patrol?”

The way they were gathered, jumping around and shouting, looked nothing like patrolling by any measure.

“What are they doing?”

“I’m not sure, maybe having a snowball fight.”

Lydia waded through the snow and got as close as she could. When she got closer, she became even more puzzled. Seeing nets and capture frames, they seemed to be trying to catch something.

“Aack!”

“No, do it properly—huh?”

Why was a person caught in the net? Was this some new training? She sincerely hoped so, but Anna raised her hand to point at something.

“It’s a winter rabbit, Your Highness.”

“Oh my, so it is.”

Something closer to a pale pink cotton ball than an animal slid across the snow. It was so round yet so fast. But considering the true form hidden beneath that fur, the speed wasn’t incomprehensible.

Those hind leg muscles had been as bulging as a horse’s. But now, covered in fur, it looked like nothing more than a fluffy doll.

“Herd it, herd it inward!”

“Over there, catch it properly!”

Several knights in black uniforms were in chaos, unable to handle a single rabbit. Things weren’t going as planned, and Arsen was stomping his foot with a deeply furrowed brow, trying to drive the rabbit to one side.

The rabbit ran toward the capture frame, avoiding the human stomping his foot. It looked like it would finally be caught. Poor rabbit, I should tell them to release it soon. Just as Lydia was about to open her lips,

The rabbit, which had been sliding toward the capture frame, suddenly stood on its tiptoes, jumped up, and—

“Ugh!”

—landed with a thud on David’s cheek as he held the capture frame, then landed nearby beyond the frame, its pale pink fur fluttering.

“That, that rabbit, Commander, the rabbit……”

David, who had unexpectedly become a stepping stone, clutched his trampled cheek and pointed at the rabbit.

“It’s mocking us right now.”

It might sound like nonsense, but it was true. The rabbit didn’t run far away but hopped around near the knights. As if daring them to try catching it again.

“I can’t disagree.”

Arsen pushed back his hair, wet with snow, and glared at the rabbit. Since morning, they had failed to catch that one rabbit, and their uniforms were covered in snow. The other knights were in the same state.

He’d rather be in a white robe like Lydia standing over there… Wait, Lydia?

“Arsen.”

Arsen swallowed dryly at the low voice piercing his ears.

“I thought you were going on patrol, but what are you doing?”

Ah, he was done for.

* * *

“You were trying to catch a rabbit for me?”

“Didn’t you want to raise one?”

Arsen’s shoulders slumped, having not only been caught in his surprise gift attempt but also having been humiliated by a single rabbit. Lydia swallowed her laughter when she noticed his slightly reddened earlobes.

Was she completely infatuated if even this side of him seemed cute?

“It was just something I said. You remembered that?”

“I remember almost everything you say.”

That was somewhat touching. Lydia knew Arsen had a gentle personality despite his appearance, but at times like this, she couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter anew.

“I also remember everything you said when you were chasing the emperor.”

Except in cases like this.

Lydia pouted her lips.

“……You should forget about that.”

“Since they’re such intense memories, I’m not sure if I can, but I’ll try.”

“What does that mean?”

Despite their bickering, Arsen and Lydia didn’t let go of their tightly held hands.

“I feel used.”

Watching the grand duke and his wife’s budding romance, David rubbed his slapped cheek. He was happy that his lord was happy, truly he was, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of being sacrificed for the couple’s relationship.

“It’s not just a feeling—you were used.”

At Kedrick’s response, David’s expression turned sullen, unsuited to his large build. Kedrick playfully patted David’s shoulder and chuckled.

Though it was frustrating to be used for someone else’s romance, it was worth it seeing Arsen so happy.

Since both Arsen’s mother, the duchess, and Brahman died on snowy winter days, Arsen became less talkative during the snowy season.

But this year was different. Next year would be different too. Eventually, Arsen might create at least one good memory on a snowy day.

“Try dating yourself, then you’ll understand the commander’s feelings.”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

David’s shoulders flinched at the casually thrown joke.

“What? Don’t tell me you’re actually dating someone, you rascal?”

When did this happen? Just as Kedrick was about to interrogate him, David changed the subject, announcing they had arrived at the temple.

“Vice Commander, look over there, look.”

“You think I’ll let this go that easily?”

“No, I’m telling you to look.”

Thinking the temple expansion must have been done well, Kedrick looked up and couldn’t believe his eyes. The winter rabbit they had tried so hard to catch was sitting plainly in the temple yard. And not just one.

Moreover, winter rabbits were visible all around the temple, either hopping around or munching with their mouths, going about their business.

“Ah, you’ve arrived……”

“Master, what on earth is going on here?”

Arsen was equally dumbfounded, cutting off Byron’s greeting as he came to welcome them.

“Why are there winter rabbits here?”

“Ah, the rabbits. A mother gave birth to her young here and then died.”

It was a story of how the weather was cold and the babies were pitiful, so they took them in and raised them, and now they followed human hands.