The moment she was certain she was going to die was the day she encountered a bear in the middle of the snowfield.
Just then, a masked man appeared from somewhere and saved her. Without a word, he lifted her up, her ankle injured, with broad shoulders and a strong touch.
And this person who was silently pulling her up was now amidst the blizzard.
So that man back then was Calix.
The moment the faint possibility turned into certainty, Odelia's heart pounded violently, piercing through the freezing air.
She gathered her gloved hands together and clenched them tightly. It was a gesture to conceal the trembling she did not want to be caught, but the more she tried to hide it, the more clearly the pounding of her heart was transmitted to her fingertips.
Even though she had climbed up onto the snow relying on Calix's firm hand pulling her by the arm, Odelia remained slumped on the ground, staring blankly up at him.
Amidst the swirling snowflakes, the silent gaze stretched out strangely long.
“Why are you doing this?”
"..."
"No way. Did you sprain your ankle?"
Calix frowned and crouched beside her. His hand naturally moved toward her ankle.
"You didn't hurt the same spot again, did you?"
As his hand touched her right ankle, Odelia suddenly snapped back to reality and blinked. She stared at him intently, then bowed her head slightly and spoke quietly.
"Thank you... for saving me."
"It's fine."
Calix replied briefly and nonchalantly, but his gaze remained on her ankle. Odelia curved her lips slightly and smiled.
"I felt like I didn't even get to say hello last time."
Calix's gaze froze for a moment. Last time?
Oops. A subtly stiff expression flashed across his face for a split second. However, he soon turned his head to a composed expression and spoke in a nonchalant voice.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"It's nothing."
Odelia didn't press any further. Instead, she parted her hand, which was covered in thick snowflakes, and casually brushed off the topic of the moment like a joke.
The faint smile she gave at the end of her sentence shone strangely even amidst the falling snow. Calix stared at her intently for a moment, then chuckled softly and shook his head.
He rose from his seat and brushed away the snowflakes that had settled on his cloak. However, his gaze, cast over his shoulder, still lingered on Odelia's face.
The commotion at the hunting grounds continued for quite some time. One by one, the young noblemen who had been hyping up the atmosphere with a snowball fight, and the ministers who had been chasing the game, could not hide their signs of fatigue.
The snowfield was already tattered with horses' hoof prints and footprints, and the piles of snow scattered at every entrance to the forest path were uneven in height.
As the trumpet sounded again, the crowds scattered here and there gathered one by one.
The prey caught was not large, but that was not the important thing today. Since the gathering was originally intended to foster camaraderie rather than competition, expressions filled with laughter and jokes were enough to wrap up the event.
In a world where snow was still fluttering, Odelia walked with the servants holding the reins, exhaling a white breath.
The warmth of the large gloves still lingered at her fingertips, and although she did not voice this fact, the sight of her slowing her pace with her hands tightly clasped together was quiet, like a secret she held to herself.
***
The imperial palace, welcoming the eve of the New Year, was more splendid than ever. The vast marble garden was decorated with dozens of lanterns and torches, dazzling brighter than the night sky, and as the lights shimmered, the ice sculptures placed here and there sparkled.
All kinds of delicacies brought from the imperial palace kitchen filled the long dining table. From honey-roasted pheasant and wine aged with spices to small pastries sprinkled with sugar decorations like snowflakes, the table was overflowing with impeccable food.
The palace attendants bustled about, filling cups and changing plates. Children ran around on one side holding sugar candies, while noble ladies showed off their splendid dresses for the New Year, subtly comparing the hems of their garments with one another.
In the center of the square, a band played bows and flutes. As the strings and wind instruments blended together to create an excited rhythm, several young nobles began to dance in pairs. At the sight of them holding hands, spinning around, and laughing, even those watching nearby spontaneously began to stomp their feet.
As not only nobles but also city merchants and knights invited to the imperial palace mingled together, the garden was bustling with activity, much like a marketplace. On one side, laughter erupted as playfully tossed snowballs burst, while on the other, wine glasses were clinked as people toasted to each other's New Year's wishes.
A bell announcing the time was waiting at the spire of the imperial palace. Everyone was waiting for the fireworks that would adorn the sky along with the sound of the bell, and that anticipation gently rippled across the garden.
It was not tension, but a heart-fluttering stillness. It was the trembling of welcoming the end of the year and the beginning of the new year together.
Odelia, who was interacting with people in the midst of it all, surrounded by splendid laughter and music, somehow felt as though she were trapped inside a coffin.
Eventually, she left the center of the garden, where the cheers and music mingled, and moved toward the shade of a pillar at the edge.
She lowered her gaze as she slowly tilted the wine glass. The red liquid glowed softly inside the glass, but the taste on her lips was nothing but cold.
The voice coming from afar was familiar. After all, it was the same thing she had heard just moments ago. "How long will you stay alone? It is about time you formed a good relationship."
Following that were the blatant smiles of the young men, and even the subtle seduction pretending to be drunk.
None of that was welcome to Odelia at all. It sounded like nothing more than a demand or a deal. Words she could laugh off, but could not accept.
That was the reason. She had deliberately distanced herself from the group. To avoid meeting the eyes eyeing the groom's seat, and to stand quietly alone while drinking.
A cold wind seeped to the edge of the garden, but to her, that coldness was actually more comfortable than the heat of the crowd. Odelia gazed from a distance at the excited faces of the people waiting for the fireworks.
At that moment, a low, calm voice rang out right beside her.
"Isn't it too crowded here?"
As she turned her head, she saw Calix with the crowd behind him. He gestured lightly without any particular explanation.
As Odelia clasped her hand, he turned his body as if avoiding her gaze, yet naturally led her. His touch was neither forceful nor loose. While certainly firm, it was subtly cautious.
The other hand holding the glass trembled slightly, causing the red liquid inside to shake, but Odelia could not shake his hand in the end.
Amidst the noisy square where people's laughter and music were intertwined, that brief encounter was strangely quiet.
Odelia's gaze was fixed on the shoulder-high lamps and lights, but her consciousness was entirely swept away by her fingertips. The commotion of the crowd faded into the distance, and the warmth transmitted between her fingers grew increasingly vivid.
When he stopped in front of the balcony railing, Odelia finally realized that her hand was still in his.
A warmth that was neither hot nor cold. However, she could not stop that warmth from spreading from her wrist to her heart.
At that moment, fireworks burst as if the sky had split open. She raised her head and looked up at the sky.
A golden flash bloomed in the night sky, and thousands of lights shone in Odelia's eyes.
However, her gaze toward the sky could not linger for long. The moment the afterglow of the flames scattered over the silver hair of the man standing beside her, and the moment she saw his eyes shining clearly in the darkness, she caught her breath for a moment.
Not far away, cheers and laughter burst forth in a mixture, but to Odelia's ears, only the pounding of her heart echoed clearly.
Ah... I'm still there.
A realization that could not be fully expressed in words spread through her heart like a flame. She realized anew that the emotions she had long tried to suppress had not yet died out.
Odelia bit her lip and tried to avert her gaze, but her fingertips remained unyielding. As if her body were betraying itself, she wanted to hold onto that warmth for a little longer.
The fireworks bursting one after another into the sky were dazzling, but what truly captivated her was the single person standing beside them. Her gaze lingered there for a long time, as if by instinct.
Just as Odelia was about to lower her gaze, Calix slowly turned his head.
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