Diana opened the terrace door and breathed in the fragrant spring air.

Gripping the railing and gazing into the distance, she could see her mother’s garden blooming colorfully in front of the annex.

It was spring again.

The spring of her seventeenth year. Soon, Raoul would be knighted and have to leave for Bihern Gorge.

‘This winter…’

Diana smiled bitterly.

Recently, Ayla had been making the front pages frequently. The heretic group had saved marginalized border regions instead of the imperial army.

News spread through the tabloids about masked figures in black clearing out monsters and recruiting believers.

The imperial palace tried to suppress the media, but to little effect. Rather, public sentiment began turning towards the persecuted saviors.

Even Saint Bersein’s prophecy of the end times was gaining strength as rifts opened in the capital.

‘They’ll get anxious soon. They’ll try to clear out monsters somehow to show the imperial dignity.’

In the past, they had sought to prove the legitimacy and strength of imperial power once again by clearing out the monsters of Bihern Gorge.

Diana counted the remaining months on her fingers.

It was just over half a year.

‘Not much time left.’

Though she had spent an excessively happy time, there was no way to hold back the bitter regret that remained.

At that moment, a low, gentle voice carried on the wind from outside the terrace.

“May I come in?”

“Of course. Come on in.”

Raoul approached in neat attire, erasing his stern morning appearance. A faint soap scent wafted from his freshly showered body.

“You should have dried your hair completely.”

“I was in a hurry.”

His face looking up at Diana with bent knees appeared very soft in the dim light.

But when moonlight seeped onto his right cheek, it was a different story. His perfectly sculpted features created deep shadows, completely erasing his youthful impression.

‘When did he grow up so much?’

Diana wiggled her toes hidden in her slippers as she barely met his sparkling eyes.

It was a strange feeling – tense, but not wanting to avoid it.

To feel such a precarious thrill towards a friend.

Every day was a battle with her conscience.

“It’s already spring.”

“Indeed…”

Raoul sat down on the floor and slowly enveloped Diana’s hand.

It was just the right time and atmosphere for improper thoughts.

“Cherry blossoms are starting to bloom outside the outer walls.”

“Ah, it’s already that season.”

Raoul rested his arms on his knees and smiled gently.

As the hand enveloping her hand moved slowly, she could vividly feel even the shape of fingerprints and calluses.

‘Am I really an irredeemable trash?’

Diana swallowed dryly and slowly withdrew her hand.

“It’s a bit hot… Is it because it’s spring?”

Raoul chuckled as he gazed at her neck covered in goosebumps.

‘Is it really hot because it’s spring?’

He handed over a cherry blossom branch he had picked earlier that day, staring intently at the flushed Diana.

“It reminds me of the old days.”

Diana started and took the pink flower, licking her lips.

“It’s dangerous to get distracted during a mission.”

Though she was touched that he thought of her even during his busy time, what came out of her mouth was unintended criticism.

Diana fidgeted with her fingers in the awkwardly prickling atmosphere.

Finally, she jumped up and filled a glass on the tea table with water.

She had intended to use it as a makeshift vase, but quenching her burning throat came first.

As her vocal cords were smoothly moistened, her head gradually cleared.

‘It wasn’t this bad until recently, why am I like this?’

She felt embarrassed at being overly conscious on her own.

They say you get numb with familiarity, but Raoul didn’t give her time to get familiar.

‘I can’t take it. My heart aches.’

Diana clutched her white lace nightgown tightly, trying to calm her startled heart.

‘Maybe it feels new because we rarely run into each other.’

Recently, Raoul had been busy with wall defense duties. His achievements had spread even to the imperial capital, enough to catch the emperor’s eye.

Despite such great accomplishments, no rewards were given for his performance.

That was how slaves lived in this era.

At some point, his time spent at the castle shortened, and lately he returned only about twice a month.

During that time, the two of them met sporadically like playing with a rubber band.

The time spent together was so short that Diana couldn’t set a standard for how to treat Raoul.

It felt like a baby crying yesterday had become a man overnight.

That was why the two of them still rubbed shoulders without formality.

“You seem lost in thought today.”

Raoul said in a low voice, resting his hand on the edge of the table.

“It’s not that. I’m just thirsty…”

He didn’t seem to believe her.

Leaning forward to meet her eyes, Raoul plucked out the twig wedged between her slender fingers.

The branch sinking into the water with a gurgling sound seemed just like her situation, and Diana couldn’t take her eyes off it.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“Huh…? Just a little.”

“Let’s talk lying down.”

“What’s with you suddenly! Ahh…!”

A strong left arm wrapped around Diana’s shoulders, and the back of her knees was grasped.

Lifted like a princess, she reflexively wrapped her arms around his firm neck.

One slipper precariously dangling fell to the floor with a thud, and her reddened cheek stuck to his shoulder.

“Lean back comfortably.”

Raoul pulled back the blanket and laid Diana down neatly on the bed.

Even after her head settled onto the soft pillow and the hot body temperature moved away, the lingering warmth made her brain tingle.

‘Why am I really like this? Ugh… Why am I so nervous?’

Diana avoided Raoul’s gaze, using the blanket as a shield.

“Why are you shaking so much? Didn’t you say you were hot earlier?”

Diana rubbed her arms, following his turned back with her eyes. I was shaking? I hadn’t realized at all.

Diana crawled to the edge of the bed and pulled the blanket over her head.

‘Raoul seems normal, why am I the only one freaking out!’

She wanted to dig a hole to the Earth’s inner core.

The whitest part of her heart ached sharply. It was her conscience.

“How’s your volunteer work at the monastery?”

“…It’s good.”

Fortunately, Raoul changed the atmosphere first. At the mention of monastery volunteering, Diana relaxed and poked her eyes out from under the blanket.

“Seems like you have a knack for taking care of kids.”

“It must be tough, but that’s admirable.”

“Though it’s physically tiring, the kids are so genuinely happy… It makes me feel proud too.”

As they conversed, Diana let down her guard and smiled brightly.

As Raoul leisurely rested his chin on his hand, focusing on the conversation, Diana suddenly clapped her hands and blushed.

“Oh right. Something surprising happened today.”

She turned towards Raoul while lying down and explained the lovely scene she had witnessed earlier that day.

“Remember before, when we secretly watched Biche and Helen’s confession scene in the armory?”

“I wouldn’t say we secretly watched, but I remember.”

“Something similar happened today.”

Raoul raised an eyebrow and asked.

“At the monastery?”

“Not with the clergy, but with a friend at the monastery.”

“Which friend?”

“Um, a boy named Hugo who lives at the monastery.”

From that point on, Raoul’s gaze changed.

The oblivious Diana kindly explained the usual playing house game. And that was a big mistake.

“How old is he?”

“Seventeen.”

“What seventeen-year-old plays house?”

“Why would we play such games if it was just the two of us? I told you there’s a younger sibling.”

Raoul couldn’t hide his displeased expression as he continuously gathered information about Hugo.

Diana couldn’t understand where the conversation had gone wrong.

“His actions seem lecherous. Using his younger sibling as an excuse to gain your favor.”

“He’s not that kind of person.”

After being pestered for quite a while, Diana ended the conversation with her soul completely drained.

It wasn’t the right situation to explain Anya’s one-sided love story.

No matter how much Raoul made Diana’s heart flutter, a repetitive conversation like this was exhausting.

As Raoul pulled up the blanket for Diana who had turned away, he said:

“The monastery is a sacred place.”

“I know. That’s enough now.”

Why are you treating playing house like a crime of indecency! Diana gave up thinking and closed her eyes.

Living as Raoul’s attachment figure was no easy feat either.

The next morning, Diana woke up earlier than usual.

She had wanted to catch up with Raoul whom she hadn’t seen in a while, but tired of his persistent questioning, she had gone to bed early.

When she opened her eyes, Raoul was nowhere to be seen.

He had already gone down to the training grounds for morning practice.

Without time to feel his absence, Diana also headed to the forest early.

The tree standing tall in the middle of the backyard had now grown as big as Diana.

As she stroked the lush leaves, a sparrow that had been perched on a branch hopped down onto Diana’s shoulder.

“How cute. Do you like this tree too?”

They say birds choose trees carefully for their nests, which meant the Dunkel that Diana had raised was that excellent of a tree.

‘I’ve heard of raising children easily, but never of raising trees easily.’

Not only was its growth rate fast, but it also didn’t require much care.

As a tree that grew by consuming holy power, it was not affected by water or sunlight at all.

‘So it would grow even in a desert.’

Diana hugged the tree trunk like a person’s waist and rubbed her cheek against it.

‘You’re doing great. Keep growing well like this from now on!’

It was time to return to the castle. She quickly walked away from the grand hanok-style building.

Busy, busy! It was almost time for class.