Gillian carefully laid Bianca down on the bed.

Fortunately, Bianca’s eyes, now closed, looked much better than before.

Her once overly prominent jawline had softened, and her sunken eyes no longer looked pitiful, even in deep shadow.

Lovely.

Though not entirely gone, the shadows would soon fade.

Gillian pulled the blanket up to her neck.

In contrast, Bianca was a delicate person.

Someone who could easily lose body heat to the cold of the North, whose faint pulse could stop at any moment.

He had experienced it once already.

Just recalling that day made Gillian’s heart feel frozen.

The small, chilled body, and the pretty lips that never answered his calls.

Her eyes, which always curved softly at his call, would never open again.

“Sigh…”

Gillian clenched his trembling hand into a light fist.

Never again would such a thing happen.

“Bianca.”

“……”

“It’s not time yet.”

“……”

“When spring comes.”

When spring comes.

When everything is cleanly sorted out, finally free from other concerns, when nothing else needs to be considered.

Gillian swallowed what he was about to say and smiled.

“Please become my bride. I will fill the world with white lilies, which you love.”

“……”

“Though it won’t entirely absolve the sins of the Barlocks.”

Suddenly, Gillian looked up at the sound tapping on the window.

Knock, knock, knock.

A white bird with a black spot on its crown.

His bird.

His eyes, which had been undefended, hardened in an instant.

“Really, your sense of timing is as bad as your flawed master.”

The bird had brought urgent news.

The disbanded commanders had been reassembled in the dead of night.

“Report on the second rift.”

Upon hearing Gillian’s words, the complaining Raymond immediately shut his mouth.

“Isn’t this too fast?”

Blat spoke, and even Killian, who rarely spoke, nodded his head in agreement.

“It’s strange, the snow hasn’t even fallen yet.”

“The snow will start falling again the day after tomorrow.”

“……”
How do you know? It didn’t sound the same.

One of the abilities of the Barlock Dukes.

They had an uncanny knack for recognizing snow.

Whenever they arrived, even on a sunny day, it would start to snow.

Wasn’t it the same this time?

The ceaseless snow stopped the moment Gillian spoke.

As if he had commanded it to stop, it was accurate enough to make a stranger think he had used magic.

“Do your joints happen to hurt?”

Unable to contain his curiosity, Blat cautiously asked, only to get a hard jab in the ribs from Killian.

Gillian opened his mouth only after a period of throatclearing noises followed by silence.

“Originally, the snow should have continued, shouldn’t it?”

“True, it didn’t seem likely to stop.”

Since it was dark all the time, day and night had lost their meaning.

“When do you think it will burst?”

“One week.”

“It’s surprisingly slow this time.”

“Why, would you have preferred it to come sooner?”

“No, absolutely not. Though it’s easier said than done, the 7th Fortress is in the midst of wall repairs, and the temporary housing is still underway.”

“The more time we can buy, the better.”

“Do you think a week is enough?”

“Of course.”

“You guys…”

Gillian paused and touched his forehead.

He rarely showed any expression, but unusually, he was frowning.

“Are you not feeling well?”

Looking back, it seemed like it had been forever since Gillian, who had convened the generals, had been full of laughter and banter in the banquet hall.

“I’m tired.”

“Did the Duchess give you a bit of a scolding for calling me out all of a sudden?”

Blat muttered loud enough for all to hear, bursting into a ‘Ha ha’ laugh.

He was a knight of considerable skill, but unfortunately, his sense of humor was a mess.

It was a joke meant to lighten the increasingly tense atmosphere, but it fell flat.

However,

“It was inevitable.”

“I deserved it.”

Unexpectedly, the backandforth between Gillian and Hailey lightened the atmosphere, which had briefly turned stiff.

“Do they really nag you?”

“How sharp can it be?”

“Though they are usually gentle, being lenient and being weak are two different things.”

This time Hailey took the lead and wrapped up the conversation in a stylish manner.

“Lenient, you say…”

“Weren’t you generous enough, Captain Elizabeth?”

“Who knows? Sometimes that distinction is ambiguous. Captain Hailey seems to know well.”

“I do. The line between sincerity and arrogance is also ambiguous, so I’m quite cautious.”

Clearly, they were both smiling, but there was an edge to the conversation.

Raymond, who had been blinking his eyes, tapped Killian on the ribs.

“Why are they like that? Weren’t they on good terms?”

“Must be upset about losing the position of Field Marshal.”

“Ah, so she stole it from him? But didn’t Captain Hailey look after Captain Elizabeth?”

At that point, Elizabeth’s sharp gaze fell on Raymond.

“Why, what? This time Captain Elizabeth can take care of the 4th Fortress. You’ve always entrusted it to her, so she can look out for you once.”

“That’s enough.”

Before Elizabeth could reply, Hailey cut off Raymond’s imprudent words.

“The knights of the 4th Fortress only know their ‘master’; they won’t follow anyone else’s orders.”

Hailey’s gaze was locked onto Elizabeth, who was staring back at him.