“Lately, you’ve been skipping meals again.”

“Is that so?”
Valentin responded as if he were listening to someone else’s story rather than mine. He chuckled softly and stood up.

“The news seems later than I thought.”

“…”

“I thought you would come at least three days ago.”

Adel realized how smoothly his words had become. Yes, it had been a long time, just as he sarcastically mentioned.

It had been exactly ten days since she met Valentin again.

His words seemed to indicate that it had been ten days since Grita went missing.

The excuse that the timing coincidentally overlapped was pointless.

It might seem absurd or foolish. Adel fidgeted with her hands, then hesitantly spoke.

“If you had called through a servant, it would have been more appropriate…”

“Really? Would I have come if you called me?”

There was no sign of mockery or sarcasm. It was just a calm confirmation.

If he hadn’t heard about Grita’s safety, would he have come closer to her? Perhaps it was close to sarcasm, but at least that intention didn’t completely show.

Maybe it was because he looked excessively cold and lonely.

“…”

Even in the middle of winter, he was dressed in a simple tunic.

Considering that he considered himself fine as a ‘shadow,’ his nose was bare, and his lips were turning blue.

The study had many unrepaired windows, allowing a strong draft.

Unless he intended to protest against his conscience, it was futile to stage a protest. Even if it were a protest, it was an inefficient act.

Did he intentionally want to catch a cold?

Adel, looking at him with a perplexed expression, noticed that the stew brought by the servants had frozen solid.

At the same time, she realized that the cold inside the study was not simply due to the draft.

Since the stew was boiling just a while ago, it couldn’t have frozen like that with just the draft.

Ultimately, the meaning was one.

He might have the power to regulate the temperature of the air.

“In fact, I had some guesses.”

Adel clenched her trembling hands. At that moment, unable to endure the prolonged silence, he opened his mouth.

“Why did you suddenly come looking for me?”

Adel took her eyes off the stew bowl. Valentin met her gaze with a seductive look and blinked lazily.

He seemed to be ready to hear whatever she wanted to say, even though he already knew it all.

Valentin’s enchanting smile deepened a bit.

“I didn’t suddenly want to see you. I came because I have something to discuss.”

“…”

“Speak.”

“Eyes…”

Even though she managed to unstick her tongue, words didn’t come out easily.

She thought there might be a way to make him stop looking at her eyes, but she had always avoided it until now.

“If I moved, I probably wouldn’t have bothered with my neck… I mean, breathing.”
He said those words exactly a week later.

How could she not suspect him? Whether it was Grita’s death or disappearance, she didn’t want to beg for her life, pretending not to know, under Valentin’s feet.

For that moment, when he might be her enemy…

Adel bit her lips.

Maybe all of it was just misunderstandings, and due to her useless stubbornness, everyone suffered by taking the harder path. Adel wanted to correct all those misunderstandings now.

“Maybe… can you stop the snow or melt it altogether?”

“Ah. Now you’re interested in my abilities?”

Adel, who was deliberately avoiding his gaze, looked up. Hope shone in his emerald eyes.

“So, does that mean it’s possible?”

“Well, it’s not possible to control snow and storms. It’s beyond the reach of my power. However, I can melt all the nearby snow.”

“That’s…”

“It means I can temporarily raise the surface temperature or bring up hot spring water. Both might seem too bizarre to be noticed by ordinary people.”

“…”

“Do you want it?”

Valentin slowly turned around the long table and stood in front of Adel. While locking eyes with her, he flashed a sensual smile.

Feeling cornered like a trapped mouse, Adel couldn’t take her eyes off his gaze.

“Tell me. I’ll do whatever you want.”