Throughout the entire journey from the imperial palace to the grand duke’s mansion, the white steed Blanca desperately needed earplugs.

Solas and I had encountered the grand duke on the battlefield several times. But I never realized before how petty and noisy a person he was.

“What am I to you?”

Frost kept pressing Yuriella, interjecting that question like a verbal tic whenever he changed the topic.

“Please, Your Grace. Don’t get so worked up, it’s not good for your health−.”

“It was only two days. I was away from the capital for just two days. One day visiting the imperial palace and the Swan Palace! Another day having a private audience with the Emperor and even making an absurd proposal.”

Blanca really wanted to throw the grand duke off its back right then, but seeing how obvious its master’s affection was for that man, it just gnashed its large teeth and diligently quickened its pace.

“I told you several times I didn’t make any proposal like that. I really didn’t.”

Just from its master’s voice, Blanca could tell she was lying now. And that she was trying to brush off the stinging guilt she felt.

But the master is always right. It’s the noisily nagging grand duke who’s in the wrong.

“You think I’d believe that? I’m curious what the hell is going through your head to even think such a thing. How could you?”

This was the first time Blanca, who loved spending time with its master more than anything, was desperate to return to its personal stable. That’s how persistent and noisy the grand duke’s nagging was.

“Did you feel so sorry for Justin being born to a cruel mother and tainted by darkness? Why do you think he shattered the magic of the Matop in front of you? It’s because you’re so tender-hearted and kind, so he tried to take advantage of that. Did you forget what the Emperor did to you out of pity?”

Once the grand duke’s anger was ignited, it burned and blazed endlessly, fueled by worry and love. Is this really the Ice Duke who’s said to be colder than ice?

“I never made such a proposal. But if I had, it would be a way to−.”

“You called it a small sacrifice? Why are you a small matter? To me, you mean more than the whole world combined. Without you, nothing has meaning to me!”

“Your Grace……”

Blanca could easily picture what kind of expression its master must be making towards the grand duke, whose very anger was a passionate love confession, just from hearing her voice sweeter than sugar cubes.

“What if I proposed to another woman to spend my life with her in order to protect you and your loved ones? Would you be fine with that?”

“…..If that is Your Grace’s wish, I….. I’m fine with it.”

There were already two sighs and hesitations before she answered. Even that was enough for Blanca to clearly know its master was saying something she didn’t mean.

“Fine with, it? I, can’t say, that to another, woman. But you, can say it, to another man. And you’re fine, with me, saying it to, another woman.”

Hearing the grand duke’s disjointedly pausing voice filled with disappointment, as if in shock, Blanca sincerely worried about its friend Mars.

Has the Ice Duke’s brain completely melted from his fiery love, becoming incredibly stupid?

Humans must all turn into fools when they fall in love. Even the wielders of the Sacred Swords.

In any case, it’s not like earplugs would fall from the sky. And there seemed to be no end to the grand duke’s nagging, so Blanca kept trying to convince itself:

The one riding on its back wasn’t the grand duke, but a very small, cute nightingale. The clamorous voice of the grand duke in its ears was the nightingale’s chirping, more beautiful and peaceful than the sound of a stream. Therefore, I am at peace.

As a result of this long self-hypnosis, Blanca ended up disliking the angelic nightingale of the forest it had once loved as much as sugar cubes.

*

Although a bit different from Blanca, the reaction of the grand duke’s household that night was similar.

Duke Greco, who had briefly stopped by to check if the grand duchess had returned safely, sensed the mood in the time it took to have a sip of tea and made a quick escape using urgent business as an excuse.

Lewis, who couldn’t flee with the duke, had to endure a few harsh words from the grand duchess’s temper and was stuck with Yuriella in the grand duke’s office until nearly midnight.

Lewis tried to think of his cousin’s endless nagging as white noise to increase focus, and inwardly organized what he needed to say to Duke Greco and the nobles they would be visiting tomorrow.

But he occasionally got scolded for not being able to immediately respond to interjected attacks like “Lewis, what would you do?”

“I can’t believe there’s not a single person in this household in their right mind!”

The head butler and head maid, having reached a state of no-mind befitting seasoned veterans, just silently focused on serving warm tea and freshly baked cookies to the crestfallen duchess.

Unable to watch any longer, Leo stepped in to stop the grand duke.

“Your Highness. Do you know that you just broke the record Frida set? If there was a nagging competition, you would undoubtedly win first place.”

“What? Nagging? Me?”

“Yes. Be grateful that Her Highness has such a patient personality and please give it a rest!”

“Why else would I be acting like this?”

Frost was inwardly grateful to Leo for intervening, feeling he had gone too far himself.

“Everyone must be tired, so let’s go rest and tomorrow−.”

“Then may I say one thing now?”

The grand duke glanced at Yuriella as she rose from her seat.

“It’ll be quick.”

She flashed a big smile as if she hadn’t just been scolded.

Based on her bright smile, it didn’t seem to be a counterattack against her husband’s nagging.

But for some reason, it was a smile that made everyone’s spine tingle.

“I’m going to head east at first light tomorrow.”

It wasn’t posed as a question of “May I go?” but stated with a conclusive ending, conveying firm resolve.

“I need to go find Nikon! Oh, of course Aeri will come with me.”

She clearly stated her reason for going east and who would accompany her, trying to reassure the grand duke, but-

“Whew.”

Only a deep, deep sigh flowed from his mouth, neither permission nor anger.

Seeing him furrowing his brows and continuously rubbing his temples, he seemed quite angry, but said nothing for a long time.

[We’re going east? When are we going?]

Aeri, who had flown in through the open terrace window, excitedly circled in the air.

“We’re going tomorrow.”

[But why does everyone look so gloomy? Did you fight? Who fought with whom?]

Aeri, who had been sent on an errand to the Matop, landed lightly on Yuriella’s shoulder and tilted its head.

“Why would we fight? Nothing happened.”

Yuriella failed to realize that she had just poured oil on the grand duke’s fading anger and fanned the flames.

She was only worried about further provoking him if he found out she had gone to the imperial palace alone without Aeri, so she even cutely winked at the grand duke as if asking him to play along.

Leo heaved a long sigh, glancing at his friend who said nothing at all when truly angry. Her Highness wasn’t patient, but thick-skinned and dense.

“Aeri says it forgot about Nikon in its rush to come from the east. We’re worried since it hasn’t returned or contacted us at all.”

Lewis, daunted by his cousin’s murderous expression, stepped in.

“Sister-in-law, it’s too late tonight, so tomorrow−.”

[Tomorrow won’t work! Let’s go today, Yuriella~! Nikon might be in danger. Aeri has good night vision, so let’s go now! Let’s head to the east right away~.]

Aeri, who had grown very attached to the shabby Nikon, flapped its wings hard, causing a fierce wind to swirl around the room.

As everyone braced themselves against the wind whipping their hair and clothes, only Frost remained still, quietly gazing solely at his wife.

As the wind died down, Yuriella tidied her tousled hair and added one more reason for going east.

“Head Attendant Dario says he’s temporarily protecting Nero. The Emperor’s bedchamber has completely turned into Nero’s playground. The Emperor said he absolutely won’t harm Nero, but how can we trust that? We need to go east and find even one string of the sacred sword Aeri lost.”

“Whew.”

Another long sigh flowed from the grand duke’s mouth.

“Your Grace, can’t you just scold me like before?”

Yuriella’s expression also darkened at the prolonged silence.

“Go, and rest, everyone.”

Giving a vague order of dismissal to no one in particular, Frost got up from his chair and left the office.

Yuriella quickly chased after him, but Frost was nowhere to be seen.

Not in the grand duke’s bedchamber. Nor the study. There was no sign of him in the dining room or garden either.

She spread Aeri’s wind energy wide from the top of a tree in the garden to search, but Aeri shook its head, saying it couldn’t sense the grand duke’s energy anywhere.

[He must have put up a barrier. The grand duke probably doesn’t even want to talk to Yuriella now. What a petty fellow.]

Yuriella’s shoulders slumped.

“What does Popo say? Is there any clue to finding the string of wind?”

This time Aeri’s small shoulders slumped.

[Popo says it doesn’t know either.]

“I thought Popo would have heard some stories about the other sacred swords since it often went with the Goddess to get rid of black magicians. Popo doesn’t know either?”

[The Goddess probably never imagined I would become senile and lose all ninety-nine strings. So there’s no way she would have told Popo how to find them……]

“We can’t be gone for long….. What should we do?”

[I know. The east is really vast. And the wind….. never stays in one place……]

“Let’s go and tackle it head-on for now, Aeri. We have a capable guide, don’t we?”

[You found a guide too? Who is it?]

“You.”

[Me?]

“You’re the wind. What better guide is there than the wind? You found the harp too.”

[That, was Nikon who found it. Nikon said there was a mysterious rainbow on Mount Doppio that hadn’t disappeared for five hundred years, so it suggested we go. We just….. found it by chance.]

Aeri mumbled, quickly growing gloomy.

“There are no coincidences in this world, Aeri.”

Yuriella, sitting on a branch gripping it with both hands, closed her eyes and quietly listened to the sound of the night breeze blowing in.

“Before I met you, wind was just wind to me. But after getting to know you and starting to love you, the sound of the wind feels different to me. Different every day. Different every moment, it’s really incredible.”

[My sound?]

Aeri, who had been sitting on Yuriella’s skirt, closed its eyes quietly like its master.

Although it had existed as wind since the world began, it had never really thought about its own sound. It had never flowed around with interest in how it would sound to someone.

“If you listen closely, you can hear sounds you’ve never heard before.”

Aeri thought Yuriella’s voice carried on the wind was so gentle it made tears well up.

“Isn’t it wonderful?”

Aeri’s heart pounded at the thought that the sound of the wind combined with Yuriella’s voice was a bit wonderful.

“I’m so glad to have met you.”

Yuriella didn’t cheer Aeri on by saying things like “You can definitely find it” or “I believe in you.”

She just quietly closed her eyes, listened to the sound of the wind together with Aeri, and rejoiced in this moment of being with it.

Just that was enough for Aeri’s slumped shoulders to return to their place. No, they seemed to puff up slightly with pride.

[I’m really glad to have met you too, Yuriella.]

That night, the people of the grand duke’s mansion received quiet comfort for their hearts, which had been shattered and broken by the attack of the undead mercenaries and the collapse of the northern iron mine, as they faced the gentle wind blowing in from the window.

Smiling softly as if they could smell the scent of red earth and edelweiss that could only be found in their hometown, carried on the wind.

*

One step. Then another.

Yuriella climbed the stairs leading to the rooftop of the annex.

Aeri had said it couldn’t sense Frost’s presence anywhere inside the mansion, but Yuriella felt he would be here.

On the night when neither stars nor moon were out.

In that spot where she had sat alone, intoxicated by the “enchanting night.”

He was there.

“Your Grace!”

Even though he must have heard her calling, Frost’s back remained motionless as he sat on the railing.

Yuriella approached his side and with a spirited “hup!” threw her body onto the railing.

Before her body even touched the railing, Frost’s large hands grabbed her waist and firmly sat her next to him.

“I can do it well on my own.”

“I know. You do everything well on your own.”

He spoke sulkily without even raising his head.

“Yes. That’s how I found you even though you hid away like this.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“Because my eyes only look at you, Your Grace. Because my heart only worries about you. No matter where you hide, I can find−.”

Frost’s lips swallowed her next words.

Yuriella slowly closed her eyes.

He must have been drinking wine alone. The deep aroma unique to grapes that had withstood the northern frost lingered heavily in her mouth.