When he opened his eyes, a snow-white scenery greeted him. Even when the duchy was completely covered in white snow, it wasn’t this bright.

A soft breeze brushed against his skin. Though not fierce in intensity, his body moved along with the wind. His body, moving on its own, stopped in front of the platform.

Above the platform, a five-colored light was shining down. Inside the light, more lustrous and colorful than a rainbow on a clear day, was a familiar sword. It was the holy sword bestowed upon the Knight of Honor.

Sieghart, who slowly grasped the sword, raised his head. As he closed his eyelids and prayed quietly, an ethereal voice appeared.

‘Do you really want to save that child?’

It was a question directed at him, who had used the holy sword.

It was an exotic voice that could not be judged as human. But the man responded calmly. He replied as if it were a familiar voice.

Yes, Sieghart answered inwardly.

‘In this life too, still?’

Yes, Sieghart affirmed once again.

‘There were many chances, yet you’ve come back again. Isn’t it time you realized this is futile, chosen hero?’

No, Sieghart denied for the first time.

He couldn’t blindly affirm everything, even if it was God’s will, to the point of not understanding. Sieghart had judged that his efforts were never in vain. How could one call it futile to hold onto someone leaving his side?

Even an ungraspable stream of water might show possibility with just one touch of the palm. Even sand grains slipping aimlessly through the palm, some would eventually remain on the skin.

Sieghart had been running, seeing only that rare possibility. He had reached this point clutching that tiny hope.

There was no giving up now.

‘This place would be hell for that child. Writhing in endless torment, suffering for a lifetime. Knowing your choice would be poison for that child, will you make the same decision again?’

Yes, the answer came back to the starting point.

“Rather let them wither by my side while alive, and wait until they become happy while living. That is my belief.”

It was the first words spoken aloud. And uniquely, the answer was longer.

‘What a selfish man.’

A faint sound of laughter was heard.

It was the period to the conversation.

“Tisha! Come quickly. The weather is lovely.”

A nostalgic scene unfolded before Natasha. The Charliee family was enjoying a picnic together in a garden full of beautiful blooming flowers.

The queen of the Charliee Kingdom, Eleanor Charliee, was smiling brightly and gesturing for her to come over.

Someone quickly ran towards her as she stood dazed. It was the young-faced Natasha Charliee.

She ran with her prettily braided hair swaying and snuggled into her mother’s arms. Even Eleanor, who would have scolded that a princess of the nation shouldn’t behave so informally, turned a blind eye just for today.

Because today, she was not the queen strict about princess etiquette, but a mother protecting her daughter’s happiness. Eleanor wasn’t cold enough to be rigid even on her daughter’s fifteenth birthday.

“Mother, is this garden really my birthday gift for this year?”

“Yes, Tisha. The garden’s name is taken directly from our daughter’s name, Tisha Garden. The inside is dyed with red roses that resemble your eyes.”

“I love it so much!”

Soon after, other family members arrived. With a cream cake covered in fluffy whipped cream, Natasha’s favorite!

Placing the gift boxes prepared by her siblings on her lap, she blew out the candles.

Whoo-!

The rising gray haze disappeared. The secret wish she made seemed to have risen and reached the sky.

“Did you make all your wishes?”

Eleanor asked tenderly, tucking her daughter’s golden hair behind her ear.

“Yes!”

“I won’t ask. They must surely come true.”

“Hehe, they will definitely come true!”

Young Natasha answered happily with a smile.

Yes, she had wished fervently.

For this happiness to last long, for her family to live long and healthy…

There was a time when she was so naive, not knowing the future that would come.

After finishing the dinner made of Natasha’s favorite dishes, the night grew deep. It became difficult to stay outside now as the chilly wind pierced through the shawl.

The family members rose from the table, saying it was time to go to their rooms. Natasha happily followed behind them.

Were you happy? To her father who asked belatedly, young Natasha said with a bright smile – The happiest in the world!

They disappeared into dots. Happy until they vanished.

She alone stood there, the only foreign element. An outsider, unhappy while everyone else was happy.

‘There was a time like this…’

She clenched her fist tightly. Her reddened eyes soon became moist. A viscous liquid flowed down her cheeks. Though her heart felt hollowed out as if carved, surprisingly, tears didn’t pour out abundantly. Perhaps because it was a story from so long ago.

Darkness approached Natasha as she stood lost in thought. After blinking a couple of times, a new door appeared.

She opened the doorknob as if entranced and stepped through. It felt as if she was captivated by the bitter emotion regained after a long time.

Opening the door and stepping through, a night sky beautiful as a painting appeared. It looked like a masterpiece with a round moon and densely packed stars.

It must have been a rare sight even in Flare Village, as Tisha Winter was crouched in front of a bonfire she had lit.

“You’ll be cold sitting here like this.”

A man who had quietly approached her handed her a shawl with a gentle smile. The warm cup of cocoa he brought along was a thoughtful gesture.

“But it’s too beautiful a sky to give up because of the cold.”

Natasha answered, blowing on the steaming cup she had received familiarly. Her casually smiling attitude seemed to emphasize their close relationship.

“Can’t be helped then.”

He chuckled and bent down. Natasha, who had noticed his next action, quickly moved her hips to make room.

“I’ll have to share my warmth to keep you from catching a cold.”

The man who sat next to her moved his hand languidly. His large fingers came to bump against Natasha’s. It was a cute request for permission to touch.

“This is an unexpectedly affectionate choice for the person I know.”

“Do you dislike it?”

“No, I meant it’s cute.”

She added primly, granting permission for the unnecessary contact. As Natasha first curved her fingers, his elegant fingers followed, exploring hers as if weaving threads.

Her heart began to beat slowly. Unable to dare assert that it wasn’t their own, the two who would normally have been mischievous kept their mouths firmly shut.

Yes, there was a time like that too.

A fragile emotion welled up. The bitter taste left on the tip of her tongue seemed to spread throughout her body.

After that, Natasha encountered many doors, and likewise faced memories of happy times. Unlike past recollections that only showed Natasha’s unhappy times, this time’s recollections picked out only the happy moments to show.

Her fifteenth birthday spent in the kingdom, the lullaby her mother reluctantly sang unable to resist her whining, the night sky watched with her loved one, unintentionally brushed lips, the proposal, the first night…

It became difficult to enter through the doors anymore.

Natasha knew the end of the emotion she thought would be eternal. It was a cruise ship sinking with faded memories. The loss of happiness that had become tiny grains of sand impossible to grasp.

“Ah, ah…”

The weak she could not fathom the will of the great god.

Why show these memories on the verge of death?

Rather, like before, they should have repeatedly shown only unhappy pasts to maintain the desire to die. Wasn’t this too cruel for someone facing death?

Natasha, kneeling, watched the remaining memories brazenly.

A woman is seen secretly rejoicing if her husband’s clothes brush against her. In the next door, a foolish duchess blushing at a single conversation, and in the next, a future mother finding the will to live upon learning she is with child.

That was the last.

Darkness came again, and the next door she needed to open never appeared. As if implying Natasha’s happiness had disappeared.

After a while, the surroundings brightened. The first thing that caught her eye was an elegant chandelier densely studded with crystals.

“This place is…”

High ceilings and stained glass windows illuminating both sides with colorful light. A sturdy platform and white statues standing neatly beside it.

It was the prayer room of the temple.

Soon after, a wavering haze approached her. The smoke split into two streams, enveloping Natasha’s entire body.

Then a soft sensation brushed against her skin. The briefly passing smoke smelled of the incense that priests always burned in the prayer room.

“Am I… dead?”

Natasha, who had instinctively realized the nature of the smoke, asked quietly. Her dazed voice was close to talking to herself.

‘You were destined to die.’

An unexpected answer came back immediately.

‘Though I gave you ten chances, you still tried to cross the path of death in the end, so I saw no reason to hold you back.’

‘It’ was not a voice in human form. Nor was it an animal, but a mysterious sound that seemed to transcend the principles of the world.

Natasha could instinctively understand.

‘It’ was the one who had arbitrarily saved her, the god of this world.