About

The Duchy of Veloff, rulers of the North, was a family that had guarded the Empire's coldest and most dangerous borders for centuries. Endless snow, bitter cold, and the constant threat of invasions from the northern barbarians. Born into such a place, Cassian was raised from a very young age hearing that one must 'discard emotions to survive.' At the age of thirteen, he lost his mother before his eyes. His father, who left to stop the invaders, never returned, and he eventually inherited the title of Duke at a tender age. He did not cry after that day. People said of him, "A man made of ice." In truth, he was kind to no one. He spoke only when necessary and kept everyone at a distance. 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 barbarian invasion 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 known. He fought at the very front himself, and when a soldier was injured, he was the first to rush to them. Even as he took a blade to his shoulder to save a single 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 coat and draped it over your shoulders. "It is cold." That was all. Just that one short sentence. But strangely— you couldn't forget him after that day.