Swaying up and down on the slowly trotting horse, Belladonna was lost in thought.

Escalion was a knight with a strong sense of loyalty.

It was probably his innate nature, and also his way of life that had solidified even more through his long years as a knight.

‘That’s why he’s so kind to me, his only family and wife…’

Realizing that his endlessly affectionate behavior towards her stemmed from loyalty was perfectly understandable, yet accompanied by a bitter feeling.

‘Even about the mistress he hasn’t completely settled things with yet…’

She thought that perhaps he was gradually settling things behind her back.

And that would be the time when he could tell her everything.

Belladonna let out a complicated sigh. White breath flowed out, riding on the air that had suddenly turned cold.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

Escalion, noticing her sigh, asked from behind.

Belladonna quickly shook her head.

“Are you cold?”

Belladonna shook her head vigorously again.

She wasn’t cold at all, as Escalion was holding her tightly in his arms from behind.

He let out a laugh like air escaping and spurred the horse to go faster.

Belladonna looked back at the village, which now looked like a tiny dollhouse in the distance.

Where are we going?

The place where he stopped the horse was about 20 minutes after they had left the village and started galloping quickly.

Belladonna turned to look at him with puzzled eyes as he stopped the horse in the middle of a forest that seemed to have nothing.

Why did you bring me all the way here?

The snow-covered white forest looked like a beautiful winter kingdom.

Escalion, who had jumped off the horse nimbly, turned and stretched out his arms to her.

“Be careful.”

As Belladonna carefully put her arms around his shoulders, he lifted her up and safely landed her on the ground.

Standing on solid ground, Belladonna looked around, feeling somehow like an excited child.

‘This is my first time in a place like this…’

Perhaps because it was a forest in a cold region, they were surrounded by trees with sharp leaves that were rarely seen in Astanya.

Belladonna reached out and fiddled with the sharp-looking leaves.

The soft leaves bowed under her hand, dropping the snow they had been carrying.

“Let’s go that way.”

Belladonna, who had been playing with the leaves for a while, turned her head towards him.

Escalion had unloaded everything from the horse, slung it over his shoulder, and was striding off in the opposite direction.

Wait for me!

Belladonna quickly followed after him.

Her legs, which had been hurrying along while looking at his broad back, suddenly came to a complete stop.

‘Wow…’

As they passed through the pointed trees, a wide-open vista spread out before them.

There was a lake shining brightly in the sunlight.

A beautiful lake, shining so brightly it was almost blinding.

It felt like visiting a lake straight out of a fairy tale book, the kind that was read and reread many times by the children in the neighborhood because there was only one copy.

“Come down carefully.”

Escalion, who had gone down to the lakeside first, turned and reached out his hand to her.

Belladonna, who had been staring blankly at the lake, took his firm hand and went down.

After making sure Belladonna had safely come down, he put his foot on the edge of the water and stomped down hard.

Soon, he said with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“It’s completely frozen.”

Frozen?

Belladonna looked down at his feet.

Up close, as Escalion had said, the lake was frozen solid.

Ah…! Is that why it sparkled so brightly?

Escalion stepped fully onto the lake and began to slide as if skating.

Walking from the edge to the middle, he came back to Belladonna with a satisfied smile.

“It seems quite thick at this level. Will you come this way?”

Belladonna, her eyes sparkling, carefully stepped onto the solidly frozen lake.

Astanya was a city where it didn’t snow even in winter.

The river that flowed through Astanya also didn’t freeze at all in winter.

Standing on such a huge sheet of ice was an experience she had never had before.

‘It’s slippery…!’

She slipped with a wobble as she stepped out without thinking, as if it were solid ground.

If Escalion hadn’t quickly reached out to grab her, she would have undoubtedly fallen on her backside.

Belladonna looked at him with round eyes.

H-how do I walk?

“It seems our graceful saint doesn’t know how to walk on ice.”

He said teasingly.

“Don’t try to walk, but slide. Try it like I did.”

Like Escalion did?

Belladonna tried walking on the ice by pushing her feet forward as he had done earlier.

“You’re doing well already. Don’t go too far.”

A satisfied voice came from behind.

Belladonna slid across the ice, unable to hide her rising smile.

Ah, this is fun!!

Escalion, standing at a distance watching her wobble along, unknowingly gazed at her with a deepening expression.

The same smile he had seen at the beach last time.

Not the unnatural smile that always seemed like she was wearing a thin mask, but that innocent face that came from genuine happiness.

He wondered if perhaps he had brought her all the way out here just to see that smile once more.

Belladonna, who had gone quite far by now, stopped her legs.

Before she knew it, caught up in the excitement of moving forward, she was already in the middle of the lake.

Although Escalion had confirmed it was solid, if the ice suddenly cracked, she, who couldn’t swim, would fall helplessly into the water.

Having imagined something scary, her legs suddenly became paralyzed and stiff, refusing to move.

‘Come help me quickly!’

Belladonna awkwardly raised one arm to gesture to him.

Escalion, who had been watching her from afar, moved his long legs and approached her in an instant.

‘Phew, thank goodness…’

Belladonna reached out to him and grabbed both his arms.

Escalion looked down at Belladonna leaning on him and flashed an amused smile.

He found her hand and grasped it, then began to slowly back away towards the shallow part.

“Were you scared? I thought I had gotten a brave wife, but it turns out I got a complete coward for a wife.”

Belladonna looked down as she was being pulled along by him.

Below the transparent ice, darkness of unknown depth lay settled.

I guess I should just play gently in the shallow areas…

As Escalion was holding her and moving towards the shallow part, Belladonna’s toes, which had been standing still and being dragged along, caught on a sharp piece of ice.

‘Ack!’

Belladonna, who had been very tense and was startled, flailed her legs widely and fell forward.

Escalion, also surprised, reached out his arms to support her as she fell.

“Be careful…!”

But realizing his hand was heading towards her round chest, he hastily pulled it away, and ended up losing his balance as well.

Thud!

Ugh… That hurts…

No… It doesn’t hurt at all?

She had thought she would inevitably break her nose or knees hitting the hard ice floor, but she had fallen on top of something soft.

Belladonna opened her eyes with a frown.

What is this?

“…!”

Escalion’s face filled her vision.

Belladonna’s eyes widened.

Escalion also seemed quite surprised, wearing an uncharacteristically flustered expression.

So Belladonna had fallen on top of him, crushing him.

“…”

Having assessed the situation, Belladonna moved her knee to get up off his body.

S-sorry…

“Ugh.”

Escalion, trapped underneath her, let out a low groan.

Eek! I’m sorry! Did I press on a bad spot?

Startled, Belladonna lifted the knee she had been pressing down, but lost her balance again and fell flailing onto his upper body.

Escalion raised one hand to hold her tightly and stabilize her so she wouldn’t roll off.

“Ha…”

Above her head, she heard his low sigh.

Belladonna couldn’t lift her face due to embarrassment.

She buried her head in Escalion’s chest and listened to the pounding heartbeat.

Huh…? A pounding heartbeat?

She thought it was her own, but the sound she heard was much louder and clearer than her own.

Belladonna listened quietly.

The rapidly beating heart sound was coming from Escalion’s chest, not from inside her own body.

Hearing that sound, her face strangely began to heat up.

Belladonna blinked her eyes rapidly, not knowing what to do.

“Bella.”

At that moment, a low voice resonated through their pressed bodies.

“I’m going to sit up. It might be a bit wobbly.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Escalion propped himself up on the ice with his thick arms.

Belladonna, who had been on top of him, naturally slid into his arms as he sat up on the ice.

This is so embarrassing…

She couldn’t bring herself to look at his face properly.

Belladonna lowered her head and looked down.

“…Lift your head a bit.”

Escalion reached out and lifted her chin.

Her forcibly raised eyes met his gaze.

Escalion cupped her flushed cheeks with both palms.

He had thought her cheeks were red from the cold weather, but there was a clear warmth under his palms.

Belladonna’s trembling eyelashes as she looked up at him, not knowing what to do, were more stimulating than he had expected.

Escalion felt his mouth go dry without realizing it.

“…”

Belladonna also blinked her eyes, flustered by her increasingly pounding heart.

An excessively hot heat was flowing from Escalion’s body so close to hers.

The sight of his ears turning red caught her attention.

She thought it looked pretty, his bronze skin flushing red.

Belladonna slowly turned her eyes to his golden ones.

Two gazes filled with heated emotions collided in the air.

Finally, Escalion, moving his Adam’s apple once, slowly lowered his head towards her.

With Belladonna tightly closing her trembling eyes, he also closed his.

Their breaths, exhaling thin white smoke, intertwined towards each other.

Escalion’s large palm strongly pulled the back of Belladonna’s head.