The winter in the capital, which would have been harsh in normal times, passed comparatively warmly.

Litania’s escort knights received compensation for being mistakenly locked up as lunatics. Bain, the captain, was recognized for his meritorious service in assisting her and was granted both a title and a small estate.

“Bain, congratulations. Ah, should I call you Baron Penbroth now?”

“Please call me by my name, Your Highness.”

Bain lowered his eyes with a look of gratitude.

“Your Highness persuaded the dragon to accompany us and prevented the border dispute. I feel undeserving and ashamed to receive a share of the credit, making it difficult to raise my head.”

“What are you saying? I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you, Bain.”

“That can’t be…”

“You protected me.”

When Dragon Castle became ruins and the geyser erupted, Litania would have been seriously injured if Bain had not shielded her.

When Orbis appeared, Bain risked his life to step forward and point his sword at him. Even knowing human resistance was futile against the dragon.

“I felt sorry that despite your loyalty to me, I couldn’t even grant you a title with my own power.”

“Princess Litania…”

Resolving the border dispute was to keep Verververvium, where she would live, from facing the danger of war, but it was also to reward her knights.

Only Emperor Ferus could bestow awards and titles, so she judged that solving the border dispute, Ferus’s concern, would give her grounds to make the request.

Upon hearing Litania’s words, Bain pressed his lips tightly shut, unable to continue speaking. It felt like hot water was welling up in his chest.

‘I misjudged.’

When he first met Litania, he thought she was just an innocent princess from living in confinement. When they met again, he thought she was fragile enough to need his protection.

But that wasn’t the case. Litania was much stronger and more steadfast than Bain had thought.

In a palace rife with betrayal and trickery, granting unconditional goodwill was impossible unless one was truly upright and unshakable.

Bain looked at Litania with a much softer expression. The princess, dressed in a white dress as soft as snowflakes, looked just like a mysterious snowman.

One that wouldn’t melt even in front of a warm fireplace.

“Having Princess Litania as my liege is the greatest joy for this Bain.”

“Haha. What’s this, so ticklish.”

Litania blushed and grinned bashfully, perhaps embarrassed by Bain’s praise.

“Anyway, His Majesty said he would give all the knights a rewarded vacation. Bain can inspect his new estate and see his nephew too.”

“…I will stay here.”

“What? It’s a rare vacation. Bain, you haven’t seen your family in over a year.”

During Bain’s stay at Dragon Castle, his sister Barbara gave birth. After having twins, she was too busy to attend last year’s spring banquet or the fall banquet at Dragon Castle.

After Dragon Castle was closed and Bain was confined, she even sent a letter to the Emperor requesting her brother’s release.

“Protecting Princess Litania is more important to me.”

“Oh come on, it’s inside the palace, what danger could there be? I’ve been to Dipamo and there are no major imperial events in the winter, so I won’t be going out for a while.”

“But…”

“Do I seem so cruel as to watch my precious knight work without even being able to see his newborn nephew?”

“…”

When Litania brought her face close and asked, Bain pursed his lips into a straight line and lowered his eyes. Both his ears turned as red as his hair.

‘Precious knight…’

Earlier it felt like hot water was crashing in waves, but now it felt like a ticklish breeze was blowing.

Bain bit the inside of his mouth and barely maintained a solemn expression.

“…I am grateful for your grace.”

“Haha. Leave grace aside and come back well-rested.”

“Yes.”

Bain stood up, bowed politely, and left the reception room.

As soon as Bain left, Snow, who had been waiting in the opposite room, came in to clear the teacups.

Litania used to wonder how Snow timed his entrances so perfectly, but he must have good ears as a rabbit.

“Litania, you’re quite sinful too.”

“Huh? What? Did I do something wrong?”

When Litania asked back, Snow quickly cleared only Bain’s teacup, brought out a new dessert, and poured tea into Litania’s cup.

“Just a feeling I got.”

“What, Snow. Tell me properly so I can fix it.”

“You don’t need to fix it. It’s not good to let a worthless fly buzz around you, Litania.”

“That fly doesn’t mean Bain, does it?”

“Who knows.”

Snow averted his gaze as he drawled his words. Litania chuckled at the boy’s thin shoulders shrugging.

“Don’t misunderstand. Bain is devoted to me because he is faithful to knighthood.”

“I don’t think it’s just because of knighthood.”

“Even at Dragon Castle where we had many chances to get close, Bain never tried anything improper with me.”

Would the garrison knight at Dragon Castle dare make advances on the lady of the castle? Of course it wouldn’t show outwardly.

But Snow knew Simons often chased away knights loitering around the main palace.

As a noble-born captain, Bain couldn’t approach her openly, but the sensitive Snow had detected that rigid knight captain staring intently at the third floor window and had drawn the curtains many times.

“Yeah, well.”

Snow narrowed his eyes and evaded answering.

Back then, Bain at least pretended to hide it, but now that Litania was divorced and this was the palace, whenever he faced her, he looked at her with a heated gaze.

Litania seemed too dense to notice though.

“Romance and marriage are troublesome. I’d rather you not suffer anymore, Litania.”

“Snow. You’ve never dated or married.”

“I don’t need to to know from serving by your side for so long. You’re not one to be satisfied with an ordinary man, Litania.”

“…Somehow that sounds like an insult?”

“Of course not. I’m always wishing for your happiness, Litania.”

Snow smiled brightly and came around behind the sofa to start massaging her shoulders.

As Litania crunched on a cookie, she thought she should teach Snow to be more careful with his words.

It was a season where different thoughts piled up like snow in each heart.

The season of silence passed and the season of budding life rapidly approached.

Late fallen sleet thinly covered the ground like sprinkled powder. Neat footprints were left on the still chilly ground.

The sweet scent of spring began wafting through the garden that had been colorless all winter. Litania realized the crisp morning breeze was no longer harsh.

‘Spring is almost here.’

As the frozen ground thawed and new sprouts bloomed, longing blossomed like flowers in the empty space of her broken heart.

The season when she met Orbis was approaching.

“I seek an audience with His Imperial Majesty.”

“Mm.”

Since their conversation that day, Emperor Ferus had not sought out Litania again. Perhaps because they never ran into each other despite being in the same palace, his face looked unfamiliar and awkward after a few months.

“Your Majesty. You have grown a bit thinner.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“But your complexion has improved.”

“Ahem.”

Ferus, who had been suffering from insomnia, had been getting sufficient sleep since the day Litania returned from Dipamo. Vapor occasionally told her that Ferus would pull at his hair in anguish over nothing, but as it did not interfere with his governance, no one made an issue of it.

In Litania’s view, Ferus’s state, which had seemed as sensitive as a needle point, seemed to have improved greatly. The biggest difference was that his unpleasant impression had softened slightly.

“I plan to marry after the spring festival ends.”

“What? With whom?”

“The third princess of the Nobus Kingdom.”

Ferus, who had been rejecting all marriage proposals from noble families, finally decided to take a princess from another country as his bride.

A union between the emperor and a noble family was good for gaining a powerful ally early on when the power base was weak, but it was prone to checks from other families and one could never be completely free from the in-laws’ influence.

The Nobus Kingdom was a small country with no special resources, but with advanced maritime technology, it was situated at a good point for expanding beyond the continent.

For Verververvium, which did not border the sea, receiving Nobus’s help was necessary to pioneer new trade routes, so it was a decision with foresight.

“Congratulations on your marriage, Your Majesty.”

When Litania offered congratulations in a calm tone, Ferus’s expression crumbled slightly.

He stared blankly at Litania for a moment, then let out a small sigh and turned his head.

“I can’t stay tied to the past forever either.”

His tone was a little curt, but it was no longer as sharp as before.

He must have sorted out his feelings in his own way. Litania nodded.

“Did you summon me to inform me of your marriage?”

“No. It’s about the spring festival.”

Litania tilted her head quizzically. Wasn’t it the festival held every year? There shouldn’t be anything to discuss with her.

“Before a royal marriage, there is a custom of specially pardoning criminals. You know this too.”

“Yes.”

“I intend to lift Herna’s confinement.”