Every time she laughed, it felt as if the northern winter became a little warmer.

Aisha.

I repeated her name in my heart over and over again.

Just saying it out loud strangely put my mind at ease.

At first, she was just someone by my side.

But from a certain point, I began to wonder what she liked and started remembering what she disliked.

When she looked cold, I naturally gave her the seat closer to the fire, and when she looked tired, I slowed my pace without a word.

By the time I realized that it was love, it was already too late.

I was loving her too deeply.

“Lennox.”

When I turned my head at the voice calling my name, she was always there.

In those moments, I could forget the fact that I was the Grand Duke of the North, and that I was a man carrying the lives of countless people and the weight of the territory.

I could look at her simply as a man.

I imagined a future with her.

In the season when the snow melts and flowers bloom, and even in the season when snow falls in the North again, she would be by my side.

I believed I could hold her hand naturally and grow old together.

Back then, I believed that was a natural future.

So when she laughed, I laughed along, and when she called my name, I looked back no matter how busy the moment was.

I simply believed that every day she was by my side would last forever.

And I thought that belief, at least,

would never be taken away by anyone.

In the peaceful North, the urgent cry of a messenger rang out.

“Your Grace! The border has been invaded!”

It was a sudden invasion.

Lennox donned his armor and led the knights without a moment's hesitation. However, from the moment they arrived at the battlefield, something was strange.

The invaders were moving as if they were trying to lure them to a specific location rather than engaging in battle.

“…It’s a trap.”

By the time he realized it, it was already too late.

Enemies appeared all at once from between the forests and cliffs.

It was an ambush.

The horse jerked violently, and the rocks crumbled beneath Lennox's feet.

“Your Grace!”

He reached out, but there was only empty air to grasp.

In an instant, the world flipped.

The endless sky and the rocks of the cliff flashed past his vision.

Lennox's body plummeted straight down the cliff.

The last thing that came to mind was Aisha's face.

And—

A deep darkness swallowed everything about him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a familiar ceiling.

Lennox stared at the ceiling for a while, unable to say anything.

His whole body felt heavy. Bandages were wrapped around his face, and no matter how much strength he put into it, he could see nothing with his right eye.

“…The Grand Duke has awakened!”

Urgent voices echoed in the room.

People flocked in, but Lennox couldn't hear their words properly.

“…How much time has passed?”

“It has been a month, Your Grace.”

A month.

Only then did Lennox recall the moment he fell down the cliff.

“How… did I survive?”

The servant beside him answered cautiously.

“We searched the entire snowfield for a month after Your Grace went missing. During the search, a cave was discovered deep in the snowfield.”

Lennox's eyebrows twitched slightly.

“A cave?”

“Yes. Your Grace's traces and bloodstains were found inside. And Your Grace was found not far from the cave.”

Lennox said nothing.

Then, another voice was heard from outside the door.

“There is one more thing to report to Your Grace.”

Lennox slowly raised his head.

“What is it?”

The servant, hesitating for a moment, opened his mouth.

“The national marriage between Lady Aisha and His Highness Zenith has been decided.”

In an instant, Lennox's expression froze.

A month.

In the time that flowed while he didn't even know if he was dead—

The world had already moved on to the next season.

And the person he loved, was also moving toward a new life without him.

Not long after returning to the Grand Ducal Castle, Lennox went to see Aisha.

Every time he looked in the mirror, he saw a stranger's face.

Deep scars running across his face.

And a right eye that had lost its light.

But such things didn't matter.

He wanted to tell her personally that he had returned alive.

The door opened.

The moment Aisha appeared, Lennox stopped in his tracks.

“…Lennox?”

Aisha's eyes shook violently.

Unable to say anything for a moment, she looked at his face and then took a step back.

“Why… in this state…”

Lennox looked at her without saying a word.

“When I heard you returned alive…”

Aisha's voice trembled.

However, her expression soon hardened.

“Why did you come to see me?”

Lennox's gaze wavered slightly.

“Aisha.”

“What is the reason for coming to see me looking like this?”

They were cold words.

Lennox couldn't answer.

Aisha turned her gaze away from his face.

“Do I have to… live looking at that face for the rest of my life?”

The moment those words fell, Lennox's breath stopped.

“…”

Aisha closed her lips as if realizing too late what she had said.

But it was already too late.

Lennox said nothing.

He just quietly watched her, who couldn't look at him.

He had fought death for a month to return.

He endured only with the thought that he might never see her again.

But the woman he finally faced—

Was turning away after seeing his face.

Lennox slowly lowered his gaze.

“…I am sorry.”

He turned away, leaving only those words.

There were many things he wanted to say when he met Aisha.

That he had returned alive.

That he missed her.

That he wanted to be by her side again.

But now, he could say nothing.

The door closed.

Aisha, left alone, stood there for a while.

And as she watched Lennox's back disappearing down the hallway, she couldn't say a word.