“You… this side, it suits you better to neatly sweep your side hair.”

In a gentle voice, Asela placed a pearl pin in Jade’s hair.

“If you’re here to find a potential suitor… there’s a man with almost blonde hair and fair skin. He usually wears dark navy clothes, but I’m not sure about today. His cravat is always gray.”

“Who is that?”

“He’s Henk Meling, the second son of the Meling family. Though not the eldest, I heard he’ll inherit a considerable fortune. I’m not sure about his abilities, but he’s a knight with a good reputation, suitable to pair with you. He seems calm and a good listener, so you should be able to have a decent conversation.”

Asela gently narrowed her eyes.

“Go on. I won’t tell Father about this, I promise.”

You can trust me this time.

With a barely audible whisper, Asela stood silently in the shadows, her lips sealed. There was a clear intention to sever the comfort that had enveloped them until moments ago.

Jade, who had been gazing at her delicate profile, turned and walked back along the corridor.

Back in the center of the party, Jade quickly grew tired. She had returned after hearing Asela’s words, just in case, but her motivation remained low. She thought it might be better to stay home, burying her head in books, insisting this was just homesickness.

Whether it’s Henk Meling or whoever, it’s impossible to find them here. With so many people and everyone dressed so extravagantly, how am I supposed to distinguish anyone? All the backs of heads look the same.

Well, that person by the window frame seems blonde, and that man walking over there has hair close to blonde too.

And why should I be targeting Henk Meling anyway? I came here to find a comparison to Axel, didn’t I?

Just as she decided to leave the party and turned around, the approaching man quickened his pace.

“Good evening.”

Jade responded politely, but with a lack of enthusiasm.

“Yes, hello. The party venue is quite splendid. I hope you’re having a pleasant evening?”

Just as she was about to say that she had to leave due to some business, the man introduced himself.

“My name is Henk Meling. May I have a moment of your time for a conversation?”

The man before her had light-colored hair and kind, dark brown eyes. And as Asela had mentioned, a gray cravat.

He gives off a completely opposite feeling to Axel. The thought briefly crossed her mind.

They conversed. Unlike William Seymour, this man didn’t just boast about himself. He listened attentively to her stories with a consistently humble attitude, interjecting with appropriate questions at the right moments.

As a result, their voices flowed smoothly and calmly for quite some time.

“Ah, I see you’ve had such experiences.”

Henk smiled pleasantly. His dark eyes twinkled warmly.

“Had I known you were absent all this time, I might not have attended every party. It’s a pity.”

His subtle insertion of interest was just charming enough without being burdensome.

As Asela had predicted, the conversation flowed well, and Jade thought he was a decent person. With his handsome face and renowned family background, she could understand why the surrounding women were glancing at him.

She thought anyone would like him.

But that was all. She felt nothing more.

Because throughout the conversation, Jade kept thinking of someone else.

That person was full of masculine lines. The prominent brow bone below his clean forehead gave a strong impression, and the high bridge of his nose extended straight from it. His firm jawline was angular, making his profile particularly striking.

His thick eyebrows had a distinct texture, looking as splendid as if someone had meticulously drawn them, and his eyes, set close beneath, were a clear, deep gray that emitted a sharp light. It was intense enough to overwhelm anyone.

But when he smiled, all that sharp and intense impression melted away.

His cool eyes would curve slightly, and his tightly closed lips would loosen. The muscles in his cheeks would lift, forming a slightly crooked smile like a crescent moon. Somehow, a soft light would ripple in his eyes.

Finally, when his low, resonant voice mixed with playfulness, it became truly perfect.

Seeing his relaxed smile for the first time was a surprise and a delight for her. Though it had become familiar at some point, it was still a pleasant reward every time she saw it….

“Is there anything you’d like to ask me? I feel like I’ve been the only one asking questions. Since it seems to be our first meeting at a party, I’m afraid my eagerness has led me to be rude.”

Henk Meling asked gently. But Jade just blinked quietly before saying,

“I’m sorry. I have to go.”

She turned and hurriedly crossed the party hall. Walking quickly along the exit path to prevent anyone from following, she suddenly stopped. She covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut.

Her heart was pounding so hard it resonated to her fingertips and toes. She couldn’t hear anything but that throbbing.

The heat rising up her face finally reached the top of her head. She felt dizzy, wanting to retch and also to run somewhere without stopping.

Now she understood why she had been unbearably curious about Axel’s past. While she had maintained the courtesy of not asking about Ollie’s past, why couldn’t she do the same for him and wanted to pry into every detail?

Although she had called Axel a friend, it seems that wasn’t entirely true. Some other emotion had crept in and was sprouting.

That’s why she must have felt disappointed when he left her at home to go to the hunter. It seemed like he didn’t need her.

With Axel not in front of her now, everything was mere speculation, but Jade decided to just sink like a bombarded ship.

Even when she saw a good person she could potentially connect with, she kept superimposing Axel’s afterimage over them, and this couldn’t simply be because they were friends.

She thought it might have been better not to realize this.

But her foolish mind kept replaying memories. Every moment she had shared gazes with him.

The reason was simple. She missed him.

The day Axel first smiled at her comfortably, the moment their eyes met as he faced a monster, the thrilling sight of flames running along the blade.

The day she finally perfected a simple egg dish. The moments they sat together in front of the fireplace, chattering about trivial things. The lakeside where they rode horses together.

She buried her face in her palms.

“You fool…”

How could you think this was homesickness? He’s at the center of all the memories you keep recalling.

Jade admitted that she wasn’t missing the Athanase Forest, but Axel.

And the moment she admitted it, she decided to stop.

Calloused fingertips gently touched the snow resting on the tip of a branch. The slightly pointed shape, preciously holding the soon-to-sprout leaves inside, had grown.

The man exhaled a long breath and looked around.

The ground, where snow had completely melted, was full of power to give birth to new life. The surroundings, once speckled with gray and brown, now began to show glimpses of tender green here and there.

Finally, after the long winter, spring was about to arrive.

But he felt no particular excitement.

Axel finished organizing the felled trees and slung the axe over his shoulder again.

The man, who had been momentarily wandering while focusing on monster hunting, was now readjusting to a peaceful daily routine.

A life focused solely on what needed to be done, without other thoughts. Simple, clear, and repetitive.

Someone had described it as ‘being buried.’

‘Why on earth are you leaving?’

‘It’s the same if you bury yourself there. People won’t forget you. I know there are people who are easily forgotten. But you’re definitely not that kind of person. So rather, do what you need to do outside.’

Well, that’s debatable. Only a magician who fell from the sky would come to a place like this.

Axel paused at the face he unconsciously recalled. Then he sighed irritably, glaring at some point in the air.

Damn it, once I start thinking…

It’s probably been about two months since Jade left.

He hadn’t obsessively counted the passing days, but inevitably counted while trying to predict when spring would come. To safely get through winter, he had to keep track of the quantity of stored items and monitor their usage.

‘Axel!’

The time she stayed in this forest wasn’t very long. Coming at the end of autumn and leaving past the middle of winter, it was barely four months.

Axel had spent over five years in this forest. So, in his stopped time, the proportion she occupied was very small.

But why did she leave so many traces? When did this happen?

His footsteps, trying hard to ignore, grew faster, but the foolish thoughts continued. The feeling that Jade might suddenly pop out somewhere on the way to the spring.

‘Axel, look at this.’

Purple eyes narrowing with a smile.

At this rate, not only will I hear things, but I’ll start seeing things too. When will everything settle down and become peaceful again?

Axel walked home as if escaping. The problem was that the house wasn’t exactly a safe place either. In fact, it was the most dangerous place.

When he opened the door, the house was very quiet. Of course it would be.

He threw the key onto the windowsill.

Having done physical labor outside all day, he was thirsty. He gulped down the tea that had been brewed in the morning and had gone completely cold. The well-dried tea leaves with a strong aroma were left behind by the woman.

‘Doesn’t it smell nice? Hey? Answer me, quickly! See, what I picked up is useful, right?’

‘Who said otherwise.’

‘Hmph.’

Getting used to something could be this frightening. After five years here, in just four months, he found the quiet kitchen unfamiliar and the living room without Jade disconcerting. It felt like he should at least hear her chattering voice.

‘When is that rooster going to start waking up late? What? It’s going to live like that its whole life? Why…?’

‘The problem is that I guessed right. Why are you the one resting!’

His large hand roughly rubbed his face.

If you weren’t going to stay here forever, why did you do so much before leaving?

I should have prevented you from doing anything. At least then I wouldn’t feel this useless emptiness.

But regret always came too late. Jade had already left her mark everywhere – in front of the fireplace, on the dining table and sofa, in the kitchen and living room.