It was past 10 o'clock when the two people who had set out from Line's house got off in the carriage in front of the house prepared by Harlin. Harlin, whose face was pale due to physical exertion, greeted the two people while trembling.
“A nice new house happened to come up... They left the furniture as is and the servants cleaned and wiped it down, and the maids even changed the sheets.”
“If you’re done, get out.”
“Ha, but Alika’s house isn’t expensive so I have a lot of money left over...”
“I told you to pay for the errand. If you don’t want to clean up the body, then go home and die.”
As Winter spat out harshly, Harlin grabbed the remaining money he had offered and ran away in a hurry. Violet sighed and asked.
“If you gave him money for the medicine, why didn’t you just say it was medicine? If you were going to give it to him anyway, why are you being so mean?”
“I said it was an errand fee. It’s not my fault that Alika’s house is cheap.”
Winter was so mean to his half-brother, but when it started to snow, he put one hand in his coat pocket and covered Violet's head with the other.
The villa the couple had in Alika was a lovely house built solidly of red brick. On the first floor, there was a fairly large living room, kitchen, and servant's room, and from the second-floor windows, there was a wonderful view of the valley in the distance.
Violet looked down at the canyon, a shape she had never seen before in Rockround, and admired it.
“Oh my gosh, this is amazing... How did you find such a nice house in just one day?”
“I’m from here, so I should get this much. By the way, I can buy a house like this and still have that much money left over. I saw on my way here that there’s a hot spring right behind here. I should stay here a little longer and see if it’s worth using as a tourist attraction.”
“Outsiders won’t be allowed to enter.”
“You should give some money to those shameless old men who asked for donations. While waiting in the carriage, I talked to the twins and they said that there is nothing here that can be used as a base for the economy. Tourism would be the only way out.”
“That’s your major.”
“Is that so?”
Winter looked as if he had found a vein of gold, and Violet was delighted to see him.
It was clear that if he put his mind to it, the quietly crumbling Alika would quickly come back to life like Chiron.
Soon the two sat facing each other, ate the food they had brought, and took a bath in the warm hot spring water to relieve their fatigue. Violet, dressed in a robe, sat in front of the fireplace and spoke with a happy face.
“The hot springs are really nice.”
“That sounds plausible.”
After Winter agreed, she nodded languidly and opened her mouth again.
“I need to have a cup of tea and then go to bed.”
"On a snowy day?"
“Does your eye matter?”
Violet tilted her head and asked, and Winter motioned for her to wait. He went to the kitchen and returned with two cups. Inside were hot chocolate made by Winter, who had just finished his bath.
“This is what a snowy day is like.”
"Oh my goodness..."
“I made it with my special recipe. This is the first time I’ve made it for someone else.”
Winter, who had brought the ingredients to make it for his wife, made a nervous expression. Violet took a sip of her hot chocolate and opened her eyes wide.
“What did you put in it? This is the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.”
“Everyone else puts in it. Cocoa powder, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, sugar. But I have my own ratio.”
“Oh, my goodness. This is so delicious.”
Violet sipped her hot chocolate with a face that seemed to say that she had never tasted anything this delicious before. Winter leaned back in his chair and smiled cheerfully because he thought it was cute. Violet asked.
“If I want to drink this, can I go to the hotel? Is it on the menu?”
“No matter how much I love money, I won’t sell everything I have. Sometimes I need to have something of my own.”
“Is this yours?”
“It’s yours now. Is it delicious? Is this the reason you can’t part with me?”
Violet gave Winter a mischievous glare but soon returned to drinking her hot chocolate with a happy face.
Winter's gaze never left his wife's as she emptied her glass. It had been like this ever since she left the temple. It had been like this before, but now it was a bit worse, so Violet asked with concern.
“Are you going to keep looking at me like that? I came back from the temple, but my mind was not at peace. Instead, I feel more anxious.”
“It’s been seven years since I’ve seen you. I’ll keep seeing you.”
“I can’t do it.”
“I met my mother too. Today, you should show me more sympathy.”
Violet, who had fallen for Winter, who was trying to cover it up with a pitiful expression, stroked his cheek in pity. Then he grabbed Violet and sat her down on his lap.
“Our Princess.”
Violet looked at Winter with eyes that understood what he wanted. Winter spoke from almost touching her.
“You have pretty eyes. Of course, you have a pretty nose and pretty lips too.”
“What is that...”
“Your neck is pretty. Your honesty and old-fashionedness are also pretty. From the day I first saw you until now, I have always loved the sincerity in your eyes.”
"Ah..."
“What do I look pretty in?”
When he asked mischievously, Violet smiled slightly and became lost in thought.
Violet thought for a while, then remembered the behavior of her cousins, Angela and Benjamin, whom she had seen at the family council.
They must have received the same sex education as she did, but the couple was patting each other's butts in front of others without a care in the world.
And what about Sharon? She covered the Navy so they couldn't even lay a finger on her.
'Was I too inflexible?'
Violet looked worried. Of course, Angela and Sharon are both particularly restless frogs...
Winter frowned slightly when she didn't say anything.
“Why? No matter how much I think about it, there’s nothing pretty about it?”
“No. They’re all pretty.”
“Answer honestly. You are an honest person.”
"Here..."
Violet's hand wrapped around Winter's side. Winter felt his muscles tense for a moment and asked.
“Is that pretty?”
“Yes. The muscles here. It seems like the part that is most different from me.”
She ran her hand along his biceps, then placed both hands on his shoulders and continued speaking.
“And this one is wide and thick too.”
“Do you like that?”
“Aesthetically.”
“You really like my body.”
“Oh, and tattoos suit you too. I’m too scared to get one though.”
“You look good without tattoos.”
"And..."
“Is there more?”
“I like your voice too.”
Violet began to find the parts she liked one by one, diligently, as if to melt away the pain Winter had suffered for seven years.
Winter's head was spinning as if he was drunk from the thought and talk of his wife, who was talking fluently. Violet could feel the clammy stiffness below his waist, but she didn't try to avoid it.
Winter asked, wrapping his hand around her waist as if to cover her waist.
"And?"
“Perhaps... I would like the ambition you have too.”
“It doesn’t seem like an inferiority complex?”
"Well."
Violet asked, tilting her head slightly as if she didn't understand.
“Why would a man like you have an inferiority complex?”
As her voice rang in his ears, Winter's breathing became ragged as if he were very angry. All the pleasure he had felt while building the hotel so far was not comparable to this, and all the excitement he had felt while watching all the sports was not comparable to this.
Unable to pour out all of this explosive desire on his wife, who was physically so different from him that it would bury her in his products, Winter could only find some satisfaction in looking at her face.
Violet knew that, but without saying anything, she calmly looked into her husband's eyes, who was looking at her from very close as if he was going to swallow her.
As his breathing slowly became softer, Violet asked.
“Are you calm?”
"Pretty."
“How gentlemanly.”
As Violet patted the back of his neck as if complimenting him, Winter lifted her up with one arm and unbuttoned his shirt with the other hand as they headed toward the bedroom.
Contrary to what they had thought when they first came to Alika, the two of them ended up staying in their bedroom for several days longer than planned to deal with what had happened at the temple. Even without that, the two of them secretly liked Alika.
Violet loved the hot springs and the views of Alika, and Winter was so ambitious to control Alika's tourism industry that he spent every day trying to persuade and threaten the shamans. It was easier to keep him out than to stop him from getting in and running wild.
While Eglin, who arrived midway, joined in and stirred up trouble at Alika's real estate, Violet went to the hospital with her bodyguards to check on the children and went around looking around Alika.
Alika was a city built in a radial pattern around a temple. The roads were not properly paved, so it was easy to get lost, but there was a map that recorded almost every building.
At first, the people of Alika were extremely wary of Violet, a foreigner, but after they heard the news of Rockround, their perspective changed day by day.
Alika was a very quiet and beautiful place, perfect for gathering one's thoughts. Violet's mind was at perfect peace.
In Alika, she went to bed earlier than Winter and woke up later, as usual. When she opened her eyes, Winter laughed and tapped Violet on the nose.
“I almost woke you up.”
“Did you wake me up?”
“You were sleeping so soundly.”
“Alika is really nice. The hot springs are nice, and the sunlight is nice...”
“Come again.”
Violet smiled and nodded at Winter's words.
When she got up, Winter had finished his morning routine again. He usually did a hard workout in the morning, then showered and shaved, so she could tell from his chin that he had been up a long time ago.
Winter asked as Violet absentmindedly touched his chin.
"Why?"
“Isn’t it too cold here to exercise?”
“You won’t get cold if you run.”
"Ah."
“Let’s go for a walk. Before we go back.”
“Well, I think it’ll be cold. I think I’ll just go to the hot spring and then go.”
“You’re a surprisingly easygoing person.”
“It’s okay because you’re doing your part for me too.”
“That’s a refreshing excuse.”
Winter said teasingly. Then he pulled his wife's leg over his thigh and started putting on her slippers. Now Violet was used to the action and didn't say anything.
“The kids outside came to say hello. I guess they heard we were leaving Alika today.”
“Shouldn’t you stay in the hospital a little longer?”
“They say that it was because they didn’t eat well, but after we fed them well and put them in a warm place, they completely recovered. In fact, they're much healthier than before.”
"Yes."
“Let’s have a snowball fight with the kids.”
“Um... if you promise to make me some more hot chocolate.”
“I'll do it.”
In response to Winter's answer, Violet held out her pinky as if to ask for a promise. Winter shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her action, and linked his pinky with hers.
“A nice new house happened to come up... They left the furniture as is and the servants cleaned and wiped it down, and the maids even changed the sheets.”
“If you’re done, get out.”
“Ha, but Alika’s house isn’t expensive so I have a lot of money left over...”
“I told you to pay for the errand. If you don’t want to clean up the body, then go home and die.”
As Winter spat out harshly, Harlin grabbed the remaining money he had offered and ran away in a hurry. Violet sighed and asked.
“If you gave him money for the medicine, why didn’t you just say it was medicine? If you were going to give it to him anyway, why are you being so mean?”
“I said it was an errand fee. It’s not my fault that Alika’s house is cheap.”
Winter was so mean to his half-brother, but when it started to snow, he put one hand in his coat pocket and covered Violet's head with the other.
The villa the couple had in Alika was a lovely house built solidly of red brick. On the first floor, there was a fairly large living room, kitchen, and servant's room, and from the second-floor windows, there was a wonderful view of the valley in the distance.
Violet looked down at the canyon, a shape she had never seen before in Rockround, and admired it.
“Oh my gosh, this is amazing... How did you find such a nice house in just one day?”
“I’m from here, so I should get this much. By the way, I can buy a house like this and still have that much money left over. I saw on my way here that there’s a hot spring right behind here. I should stay here a little longer and see if it’s worth using as a tourist attraction.”
“Outsiders won’t be allowed to enter.”
“You should give some money to those shameless old men who asked for donations. While waiting in the carriage, I talked to the twins and they said that there is nothing here that can be used as a base for the economy. Tourism would be the only way out.”
“That’s your major.”
“Is that so?”
Winter looked as if he had found a vein of gold, and Violet was delighted to see him.
It was clear that if he put his mind to it, the quietly crumbling Alika would quickly come back to life like Chiron.
Soon the two sat facing each other, ate the food they had brought, and took a bath in the warm hot spring water to relieve their fatigue. Violet, dressed in a robe, sat in front of the fireplace and spoke with a happy face.
“The hot springs are really nice.”
“That sounds plausible.”
After Winter agreed, she nodded languidly and opened her mouth again.
“I need to have a cup of tea and then go to bed.”
"On a snowy day?"
“Does your eye matter?”
Violet tilted her head and asked, and Winter motioned for her to wait. He went to the kitchen and returned with two cups. Inside were hot chocolate made by Winter, who had just finished his bath.
“This is what a snowy day is like.”
"Oh my goodness..."
“I made it with my special recipe. This is the first time I’ve made it for someone else.”
Winter, who had brought the ingredients to make it for his wife, made a nervous expression. Violet took a sip of her hot chocolate and opened her eyes wide.
“What did you put in it? This is the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.”
“Everyone else puts in it. Cocoa powder, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, sugar. But I have my own ratio.”
“Oh, my goodness. This is so delicious.”
Violet sipped her hot chocolate with a face that seemed to say that she had never tasted anything this delicious before. Winter leaned back in his chair and smiled cheerfully because he thought it was cute. Violet asked.
“If I want to drink this, can I go to the hotel? Is it on the menu?”
“No matter how much I love money, I won’t sell everything I have. Sometimes I need to have something of my own.”
“Is this yours?”
“It’s yours now. Is it delicious? Is this the reason you can’t part with me?”
Violet gave Winter a mischievous glare but soon returned to drinking her hot chocolate with a happy face.
Winter's gaze never left his wife's as she emptied her glass. It had been like this ever since she left the temple. It had been like this before, but now it was a bit worse, so Violet asked with concern.
“Are you going to keep looking at me like that? I came back from the temple, but my mind was not at peace. Instead, I feel more anxious.”
“It’s been seven years since I’ve seen you. I’ll keep seeing you.”
“I can’t do it.”
“I met my mother too. Today, you should show me more sympathy.”
Violet, who had fallen for Winter, who was trying to cover it up with a pitiful expression, stroked his cheek in pity. Then he grabbed Violet and sat her down on his lap.
“Our Princess.”
Violet looked at Winter with eyes that understood what he wanted. Winter spoke from almost touching her.
“You have pretty eyes. Of course, you have a pretty nose and pretty lips too.”
“What is that...”
“Your neck is pretty. Your honesty and old-fashionedness are also pretty. From the day I first saw you until now, I have always loved the sincerity in your eyes.”
"Ah..."
“What do I look pretty in?”
When he asked mischievously, Violet smiled slightly and became lost in thought.
Violet thought for a while, then remembered the behavior of her cousins, Angela and Benjamin, whom she had seen at the family council.
They must have received the same sex education as she did, but the couple was patting each other's butts in front of others without a care in the world.
And what about Sharon? She covered the Navy so they couldn't even lay a finger on her.
'Was I too inflexible?'
Violet looked worried. Of course, Angela and Sharon are both particularly restless frogs...
Winter frowned slightly when she didn't say anything.
“Why? No matter how much I think about it, there’s nothing pretty about it?”
“No. They’re all pretty.”
“Answer honestly. You are an honest person.”
"Here..."
Violet's hand wrapped around Winter's side. Winter felt his muscles tense for a moment and asked.
“Is that pretty?”
“Yes. The muscles here. It seems like the part that is most different from me.”
She ran her hand along his biceps, then placed both hands on his shoulders and continued speaking.
“And this one is wide and thick too.”
“Do you like that?”
“Aesthetically.”
“You really like my body.”
“Oh, and tattoos suit you too. I’m too scared to get one though.”
“You look good without tattoos.”
"And..."
“Is there more?”
“I like your voice too.”
Violet began to find the parts she liked one by one, diligently, as if to melt away the pain Winter had suffered for seven years.
Winter's head was spinning as if he was drunk from the thought and talk of his wife, who was talking fluently. Violet could feel the clammy stiffness below his waist, but she didn't try to avoid it.
Winter asked, wrapping his hand around her waist as if to cover her waist.
"And?"
“Perhaps... I would like the ambition you have too.”
“It doesn’t seem like an inferiority complex?”
"Well."
Violet asked, tilting her head slightly as if she didn't understand.
“Why would a man like you have an inferiority complex?”
As her voice rang in his ears, Winter's breathing became ragged as if he were very angry. All the pleasure he had felt while building the hotel so far was not comparable to this, and all the excitement he had felt while watching all the sports was not comparable to this.
Unable to pour out all of this explosive desire on his wife, who was physically so different from him that it would bury her in his products, Winter could only find some satisfaction in looking at her face.
Violet knew that, but without saying anything, she calmly looked into her husband's eyes, who was looking at her from very close as if he was going to swallow her.
As his breathing slowly became softer, Violet asked.
“Are you calm?”
"Pretty."
“How gentlemanly.”
As Violet patted the back of his neck as if complimenting him, Winter lifted her up with one arm and unbuttoned his shirt with the other hand as they headed toward the bedroom.
***
Contrary to what they had thought when they first came to Alika, the two of them ended up staying in their bedroom for several days longer than planned to deal with what had happened at the temple. Even without that, the two of them secretly liked Alika.
Violet loved the hot springs and the views of Alika, and Winter was so ambitious to control Alika's tourism industry that he spent every day trying to persuade and threaten the shamans. It was easier to keep him out than to stop him from getting in and running wild.
While Eglin, who arrived midway, joined in and stirred up trouble at Alika's real estate, Violet went to the hospital with her bodyguards to check on the children and went around looking around Alika.
Alika was a city built in a radial pattern around a temple. The roads were not properly paved, so it was easy to get lost, but there was a map that recorded almost every building.
At first, the people of Alika were extremely wary of Violet, a foreigner, but after they heard the news of Rockround, their perspective changed day by day.
Alika was a very quiet and beautiful place, perfect for gathering one's thoughts. Violet's mind was at perfect peace.
In Alika, she went to bed earlier than Winter and woke up later, as usual. When she opened her eyes, Winter laughed and tapped Violet on the nose.
“I almost woke you up.”
“Did you wake me up?”
“You were sleeping so soundly.”
“Alika is really nice. The hot springs are nice, and the sunlight is nice...”
“Come again.”
Violet smiled and nodded at Winter's words.
When she got up, Winter had finished his morning routine again. He usually did a hard workout in the morning, then showered and shaved, so she could tell from his chin that he had been up a long time ago.
Winter asked as Violet absentmindedly touched his chin.
"Why?"
“Isn’t it too cold here to exercise?”
“You won’t get cold if you run.”
"Ah."
“Let’s go for a walk. Before we go back.”
“Well, I think it’ll be cold. I think I’ll just go to the hot spring and then go.”
“You’re a surprisingly easygoing person.”
“It’s okay because you’re doing your part for me too.”
“That’s a refreshing excuse.”
Winter said teasingly. Then he pulled his wife's leg over his thigh and started putting on her slippers. Now Violet was used to the action and didn't say anything.
“The kids outside came to say hello. I guess they heard we were leaving Alika today.”
“Shouldn’t you stay in the hospital a little longer?”
“They say that it was because they didn’t eat well, but after we fed them well and put them in a warm place, they completely recovered. In fact, they're much healthier than before.”
"Yes."
“Let’s have a snowball fight with the kids.”
“Um... if you promise to make me some more hot chocolate.”
“I'll do it.”
In response to Winter's answer, Violet held out her pinky as if to ask for a promise. Winter shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her action, and linked his pinky with hers.
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