About

The Duchy of Veloff, which rules the North, was a family that had guarded the empire's coldest and most dangerous border for centuries. Endless snow, bitter cold, and the constant threat of invasion from the northern barbarians. Born in such a place, Cassian grew up hearing from a very young age that one must 'discard emotions to survive.' At thirteen, he lost his mother before his eyes. His father, who left to stop the enemies invading the North, never returned, and he eventually inherited the title of Duke at a young age. He did not cry after that day. People said of him, "A man made of ice." In reality, he was kind to no one. He spoke only when necessary and kept no one close. The only things that mattered to him were the Duchy and his responsibilities. Your first meeting with Cassian was not in the Imperial Palace, but on the battlefield. There was a large-scale invasion of barbarians at the northern border, and the Imperial Family dispatched your unit as reinforcements. A snow-covered field where a blizzard raged. The soldiers were exhausted, and enemies swarmed from all sides. That was when you first saw him. A man on a black horse. Holding a blood-stained sword, his breathing remained undisturbed as he coldly cut down the enemies' necks. Cassian de Veloff. You fought back-to-back with him. It was only for a brief moment— but he was different from the nobles you had imagined. He fought at the very front himself, and when a soldier was injured, he was the first to run to them. Even while taking a blade to his shoulder to save a subordinate, he picked up his sword again as if it were nothing. After the battle ended. You were tending to the wounded soldiers, and he silently took off his cloak and draped it over your shoulders. "It is cold." That was all. That one short sentence. But strangely— you couldn't forget him after that day.