Caught off guard, I laughed awkwardly and then admitted it.

“…Yes.”

“The shock of breaking off the friendship must be considerable.”

“It’s unexpected, I guess.”

I replied bitterly.

“Do you want to reconcile with them?”

“No, I’m too upset to even consider that now. It’s just a bit unfair.”

I only told him half of the story. My frustration was partly due to Rumi, but more than that, I was worried about Klaus getting troubled because of her.

Klaus shrugged.

“That friend of yours is foolish. To have someone like you and not realize your worth.”

“Haha, thank you for saying that.”

His presence always managed to bring a smile to my face. Without him, I couldn’t have endured this life.

As we both smiled, Klaus looked out the window, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“It’s snowing.”

“Huh? Oh, it is.”

I approached the window and looked out. The faint light in the garden illuminated the thin snowflakes drifting down.

We quietly watched the scene for a moment. It was my first snowfall in this place.

Klaus joined me by the window.

“Damn, I ended up seeing the first snow with you. They say you should watch it with your lover.”

“Is there such a saying here too?”

“Of course. Watching the first snowfall with your lover means you’ll never part.”

I jokingly said.

“You should have found a lover before the first snowfall.”

“I regret it now. Should’ve attended the balls instead of being buried in work.”

He clicked his tongue. Even that expression seemed cute. It looked like I was completely smitten with my first love.

I remembered a scene from the original novel. The first snow event was there too, when Evangelin and Klaus met in the palace garden, foreshadowing the happy ending for the main characters.

But in the novel, it was a heavy snowfall, not these light flakes.

“It’ll probably stop before we reach the palace, won’t it?”

“Seems so. At this rate, only those awake at this hour will know it snowed.”

I naturally picked up my coat.

“The air is very cold due to the snow, Your Highness. We should head back.”

“Yeah.”

Klaus straightened up from leaning against the window.

We stepped out of the training ground. The faint snowflakes continued to fall, swirling before our eyes.
I smiled subtly. I had managed to experience the first snow with Klaus, albeit a light one, unlike the original story.

Quietly, I followed Klaus and his escort knight.

“Sigh…”

Walking slowly, I blew out a breath into the cold air. My white breath fogged up like mist.

There was an inexplicable warmth.

It seemed to bring some recovery to my weary heart and mind.

Shortly after, two letters arrived for me. One was from Evangelin, and the other from Rumi.

I hurriedly read through the letters.

Firstly, Evangelin happily agreed to my request for tea lessons. She informed me of her free time and asked me to visit the Foerbach Count’s house.

And Rumi.

“Ah…”

In his letter, he expressed a desire to meet me as soon as possible. He even wrote that he would adjust to any time and place I suggest.

The content wasn’t long, but his attitude was definitely different from before. At least this time, it seemed like he would genuinely listen to what I have to say.

Yet, my feelings were complicated. Half of me wanted to meet Rumi quickly, while the other half felt uncomfortable about it.

The reason was clear: the man Rumi desired to marry had become the object of my affection.

Nevertheless, since I initiated contact with Rumi, it was only right to meet him. However, what I planned to discuss wasn’t about marrying Klaus, but about how to live well without him.

I also had a personal agenda. If I couldn’t take Rumi back to the real world, I needed to find a way for myself to return alone.

“Of course, not right away.”

There might come a time when I grow tired of Klaus and want to leave everything behind, including love. It’s just to be prepared for that possibility.

That was as far as my thoughts went. Now, it was time to take action.

“So, what should I do now?”

I opened my wardrobe wide and fell into contemplation.