A small white hand shook Lakrahan, who was deep in sleep.

“Lakrahan, it’s time to get up.”

“Uhm. Just a little longer.”

“Father and Raphael have already prepared and eaten breakfast, you know?”

The round eyes buried in the bed snapped open.

“Really?”

Lakrahan, who had just turned 15, kicked off his blankets and ran outside.

Mrs. Edkins, who was watching him, burst into laughter.

Lakrahan haphazardly grabbed some clothes and put them on as he ran outside to join his father and brother who were waiting for him.
“Lakrahan! Run slowly. What will you do if you trip?”

At his father’s voice, Raphael, who was mounted on a horse, burst into laughter.

“Father, is running slowly running or walking?”

Raphael, who had just turned 19, was clearly overflowing with a warm aura, like a pleasant breeze.

With broad shoulders and long legs, flawless white skin, and facial features, he seemed to be a future reflection of Lakrahan.

The moment Lakrahan arrived and took the reins from the groom, Raphael kicked the hindquarters of his horse and said,

“Lakrahan! Let’s bet on who gets there first!”

Leaving those words behind, he raced out onto a snow-covered plain connected to the forest.

“Brother!”

Lakrahan quickly mounted his horse and struck its hindquarters.

“Hyah!”

Two horses dashed into the forest where trees were beautifully blanketed in white snow.

Duke Edkins, who was watching the spectacle, suddenly turned his head and looked back.

Seeing Mrs. Edkins waving her hand from the window, a bright smile spread across his lips.

“Let’s go!”

As his words disappeared into the forest, Mrs. Edkins vanished into the door that led to the terrace, wearing a contented smile.

“Brother, go slowly!”

Lakrahan, who had been unable to catch up to Raphael all along, was visibly frustrated.

“Ah, Brother!”

The hunting grounds the Edkins men often visited were places where pines grew densely, which boars and deer liked.

This area was seldom visited by people, and it was full of interesting things.
Lakrahan always liked Bercheria’s tower the most among them.

Running after his brother, Lakrahan found himself distracted again beneath the tower.

“Lakrahan.”

Duke Edkins, who had followed, found Lakrahan and burst into laughter.

“Your brother knows you waste your time like this here, and he takes advantage of it.”

Lakrahan directed a smile at his father.

“I win the hunting games anyway.”

Duke Edkins slowly guided his horse to stand right beside Lakrahan.

Both of them looked up at Bercheria’s tower side by side.

The profiles of the father and son looked strikingly similar.

“In a few days, your brother and I will leave for the battlefield. You know that, right?”

Lakrahan nodded slowly.

Recently, soldiers from the Kingdom of Kontana had invaded the outskirts of the capital.

Although it was a distant place, far removed from the north, Duke Edkins had recently moved near the capital due to the Emperor’s orders.

They missed the north and would sometimes stay there as if on a holiday, but a war broke out just at this time.

“Lakrahan.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Stay in the north and don’t follow us to the capital. It’ll be safer here during the war.”

“Yes.”

“And you must look after your mother.”

“Of course.”

“It won’t take long.”

“I know.”

Lakrahan lifted his head toward the tower again.

“Do you know why I always stop here, Father?”

“I wonder.”

Duke Edkins quietly waited for Lakrahan’s answer.
The eldest son had been obedient without any sharp edges, so he was raised without any particular difficulties. But the second one had a peculiar side to him.

Especially since turning fifteen this year, it was impossible to really understand what he was thinking.

“I’m watching over.”

“Watching?”

“Yes. Imagine how lonely Bercheria would be. So, as one of Edkins’ people who protects this land, I watch over her. My people.”

Duke Edkins momentarily looked surprised, but then he heartily laughed.

“Ah, that’s a good thought. Later on, our Lakrahan will make a good husband and father.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The ability to comfort those who are lonely is a very special talent.”

“And what if I become lonely?”

Sometimes these piercing questions put him in a difficult position.

Fifteen years old.

“Ha ha. Then someone will appear for you, Lakrahan. Maybe your heart will realize it before you do.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. By then, make sure you pay close attention to your feelings so you don’t miss it unknowingly. Understand?”

“… ”

“Experiencing love is a very special thing. So never ignore or miss those emotions.”

Edkins chuckled and ruffled Lakrahan’s hair.

“Otherwise, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He did not say that there was no need for this, given that Bercheria is not the people of the north but a goddess governing the north.

He’ll find out eventually as time passes.
“Lakrahan, let’s go now. Otherwise, that Raphael guy will start nagging again. Hurry!”

When Duke Edkins vanished into the forest, Lakrahan also turned his horse’s head, preparing to leave.

But at that instant.

The sound of an approaching carriage echoed from somewhere.

Lakrahan slowly guided his horse to the opposite side of the tower crowded with trees.

There, at some undetermined point in time, a lavish carriage had been parked.

“Who could it be?”

As the coachman opened the carriage door, a woman holding a fan began to rise from within.

She stepped down from the carriage and slowly looked up at the tower.

Every time her fan fluttered, her face would momentarily appear and disappear until at one point.

She suddenly closed her fan.