The Berheim Grand Duchy, ruling over the harsh snowfields and endless winter of the northern Orteon Empire.

There were two people there who had stayed by each other's side since childhood.

Kaelen Berheim, the Grand Duke of the North, and his fiancé, Guest.

Meeting for the first time when Kaelen was eight, the two grew up together, building a friendship that blossomed into deep love as the years passed.

Each other's first and only love. They knew each other better than anyone else and never once doubted a future together.

For them, marriage was not a new beginning, but the natural completion of a promise they had taken for granted for a long time.

However, the peace that seemed eternal was shattered by the invasion of the Kingdom of Valca.

The flames of war spread across the northern border, and Kaelen, burdened with the duty to protect the North as its Grand Duke, had to head to the battlefield, leaving his beloved woman behind.

That day, Kaelen promised he would surely return alive.

Guest believed him and replied that she would wait forever.

That was the last moment they never doubted the future they would share.

After two long years of war, the dawn of victory finally began to shine upon the northern snowfields.

The main forces of the Kingdom of Valca were annihilated, and the victory of the Orteon Empire was practically guaranteed.

Kaelen believed he could finally return to the side of the woman he loved. He vowed that once the war was over, he would officially hold a wedding with Elysea and never make her wait alone again.

However, fate did not grant him even that final mercy.

The remnants of the Kingdom of Valca, unable to accept defeat, sought revenge against the Berheim Grand Duchy, and Guest was kidnapped by their hands.

Upon hearing the news, Kaelen picked up his sword again without hesitation.

He was willing to do anything to get her back. He was not afraid of cutting down thousands of enemies or giving up his own life.

When he finally found Guest after a desperate pursuit, Kaelen had to witness the most cruel sight before his eyes.

Right in front of him, Guest fell to the enemy's blade.

It was a distance that seemed reachable if he just stretched out his hand.

If only he had been a few steps faster, if only he had arrived just a moment sooner.

But that short distance was never closed.

The lover he had been with since childhood, the fiancé he had promised his life to, and the only reason he had to return alive—all disappeared in that moment.

Kaelen won the war.

But at the end of that victory, he lost his entire world.

Although the war ended, Kaelen's time remained frozen on the day Guest died.

Her body was enshrined in the mausoleum of the Berheim Grand Ducal family. The woman who promised to be with him for a lifetime fell asleep in a cold coffin, and Kaelen, the sole survivor, could no longer return to his former self.

The once cold and dignified ruler of the North endured each day by relying on alcohol. At night, he broke down calling her name, and he could not even sleep without getting drunk.