A Certain Winter’s Tale Chapter 3.13 - Elia Winter

Matilda beamed. It was because the way Noah described Elia as “sweet” was both surprising and deeply satisfying to her.

In truth, Elia was a man who could be mercilessly cold when he chose to be. Though he had lost his motivation and didn’t pay much attention to internal affairs lately, he was originally someone who did not tolerate mistakes. Thus, while loyal subjects remained by his side, there were very few close acquaintances left like Michaelis or Nanny Matilda with whom he could truly let his guard down.

Having watched over the lonely days Elia spent in isolation, Matilda found Noah, who had formed such an informal, easy bond with him, truly precious. She also understood why Elia had commanded that Noah not be let outside while he was away from the inner palace. Elia likely didn’t want to expose Noah to the eyes of the nobles who were prowling around every corner of the palace, eager to snatch the position of his wife.

However, since Noah wanted it so badly, she couldn’t refuse him, so she had offered a compromise of her own. Fortunately, Noah seemed to have regained a bit of energy from that alone. He followed her with a lovely smile.

Finally, they reached the entrance leading to the outer palace. Matilda pulled a pocket watch from her pouch, checked the time, and spoke.

“If it’s only this far, the Sovereign won’t scold us. We’ve timed it perfectly for when the Sovereign leaves his office.”

But it was then. A group of palace attendants approached the two people waiting for Elia’s return. At the very front of the group walked a young man with brilliant blonde hair.

While Noah watched them with curious eyes, Matilda bowed her head toward them, showing respect.

“What brings you all the way here, Master Aiden Lux?”

The young man, who approached the two without hesitation, stared intently at Noah. Aiden Lux’s emerald eyes did not drift from him. Noah gave a slight bow to greet him, and Aiden Lux captured every single action and breath of his, recording it all in his eyes and ears.

Without looking away from Noah, Aiden Lux answered slowly.

“I went to the office and heard he had already left for the day, so I came to the inner palace myself. However, it seems the Sovereign has not returned yet.”

“Yes. That is correct. I was also just out here to meet the Sovereign.”

“And, who is this person here?”

Aiden’s eyes scanned Noah even more thoroughly. Noah looked at Matilda. When he sent her a glance asking if he should answer directly, Matilda nodded with a smiling face.

Soon, when Noah met his eyes, Aiden Lux put on a bright, sunny smile.

“I am the second son of the House of Lux, from the Sun Territory. My name is Aiden.”

“I am called Noah.”

Noah only had his name to introduce himself, but he did not lose his nerve. He was merely surprised to learn that the young man before him was from the same Sun Territory where Noah was born.

However, Aiden seemed to consider Noah’s short answer as a lack of sincerity and asked back bluntly.

“And?”

“I am also out here with Matilda to meet the Sovereign.”

As he was answering, one of the attendants following the young man named Aiden couldn’t stay still and shrugged her shoulders. That attendant, who caught his eye, was none other than the maid who had come to fetch water from the bathroom while Noah was bathing. Since she wore different clothes from the palace attendants who commonly moved about the castle, Noah recognized her instantly. Then this young man was likely a nobleman, and that maid was a servant he had brought from his private residence.

Just how high was his status? Who on earth was he that he could come all the way to the inner palace to see the Sovereign? The answers that would satisfy Noah’s dazed curiosity soon flowed from Aiden Lux’s mouth.

“I see. Actually, I’ve heard quite a bit about you, so I know who you are. Among the concubines who were in the Secret Palace, there was one who recently entered the Sovereign’s inner palace to serve in his bed, right? I came here personally because I have things to say to the Sovereign, and I also wanted to see that concubine. Since we will have to keep running into each other once I marry the Sovereign.”

“Ah.”

Noah’s lips parted slightly, showing his surprise. From right beside him, he heard Matilda’s soft sigh. Noah didn’t know how to respond, so he simply stood facing Aiden Lux with a smile.

Aiden’s large eyes curved into rounds. It was a good sight to see a man of such striking appearance smile, but somehow, it didn’t feel entirely warm or gentle.

“I knew at a glance because I heard from the attendants who manage the Secret Palace. They said you were a beauty with amethyst eyes dyed with the color of violets and skin as white as snow all over your body. I was inwardly surprised because I truly haven’t seen someone this pretty before.”

“Thank you. I also haven’t seen anyone as beautiful as you, Master Aiden, except for the Sovereign.”

When Noah replied with a forced smile, Aiden Lux’s brow furrowed ever so slightly. However, Noah pretended not to see it. Then, Aiden, hiding his sly inner thoughts, asked.

“I have revealed my origin and my house, but why is the concubine saying so little? Are you trying to hide something? Or perhaps, are you displeased with me, the one who will become the Sovereign’s wife?”

“Ah, no. That’s not it. It’s just…”

Noah hesitated and looked at Matilda. It wasn’t that she could help Noah, but seeing her gentle smile gave him a bit of courage.

“It’s just that, since I am not a noble, I do not have a family name like yours, Master Aiden. That is why I couldn’t give you an answer. I ask for your understanding.”

Aiden gave a smirk. One could see his well-defined jawline clench and become firm. He seemed displeased by the fact that the person who had easily taken what he couldn’t grasp was a commoner with no roots. Noticing that sign, Matilda tightly gripped the thread of her tension inwardly, fearing Aiden might harm Noah.

Fortunately, however, even though Aiden was gritting his teeth, he did not lose the smile on his lips.

“I see. Then may I ask who you are and which territory you came from?”

Once again, he felt flustered. If it were revealed that he was from the same Sun Territory, it would bring Noah more harm than good.

He had never felt ashamed of his origin or felt it was lacking. However, in a position where he had to stand beside Elia, it wasn’t something that would be good if it became widely known.

A place where the custom of having sex and producing offspring without affection was rampant. What if someone in this Imperial Palace, which valued etiquette and formality, made an issue of Noah’s background? Noah, more than anyone, hated the idea of Elia being troubled because of his existence. Matilda, who didn’t know in what environment he had grown up, also seemed to find it difficult to help this time.

“I am…”

In that moment of hesitation.

The reason Noah had come out to the entrance of the inner palace with Matilda. The voice of a man, as warm, lovely, and sweet as a snow wolf, was heard.

“Noah. Why are you out here?”

The palace attendants, including Matilda, who had been watching them with tense faces, all bowed their heads at once. A smile returned to the lips of the troubled Noah. As if he couldn’t see the others around him, Elia approached Noah with rapid steps. As he reached out his arms with an ecstatic face, intending to pull Noah into his embrace, a voice, resonant for a man but somehow sharp, stopped him.

“Sovereign. Are you no longer even going to greet the person who will be your husband because of a mere concubine?”

Noah looked up at the face of Elia, who stood like a wall right in front of him. Watching with an interested gaze as Elia’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly, he soon felt Elia reach out and yank Noah toward him.

“Whoops.”

Because of the force, which was rougher than expected, he ended up bumping his nose slightly against Elia’s chest. He let out a small sound instinctively because of it. With a look of “oops,” Elia pulled Noah’s face away from his chest and lifted Noah’s chin, inspecting his face here and there.

Thanks to that, Noah became the center of attention for everyone gathered there. His face grew hot and he tried to pull away, but Elia didn’t let him go, making a shushing sound, shhh, as if soothing him.

“Sovereign.”

“Shall we go in, Noah?”

Aiden called Elia once more. However, Elia only wrapped his arm around Noah’s shoulder and led him toward the inner palace.

Isn’t that exactly what it means to be treated as less than the air contained in a breath? At least the air was helping him breathe, but Elia was acting with an attitude that Aiden Lux was in a completely different dimension and wasn’t even visible.

As he tried to turn away and enter the inner palace, a biting voice called out.

“Sovereign!”

Aiden strode forward and snatched one of Elia’s arms, pulling it. However, as if that attempt didn’t even tickle him, the solid and large man simply gave a cold sneer.

“How unpleasant.”

Aiden slunk his hand away, aware that he had touched the Sovereign’s body without permission. However, he soon burst into a fishy laugh.

“Ha, are you ignoring me entirely now?”

“I believe I notified you through the Council of Nobles to get out on your own feet if you didn’t want to be dragged out.”

The voice coming from above was colder than usual, so Noah looked up at Elia with a dazed face. When their eyes met, a smile, melting like thawing ice, beamed toward Noah.

Witnessing that change right before his eyes, Aiden huffed as if he were even angrier.

“Sovereign. No matter who you are, you cannot entirely ignore a matter decided by the Council of Nobles!”

“And what if I do ignore it?”

Elia, looking annoyed as if he were fed up, looked down coldly at Aiden. Noah, caught in the middle for no reason, simply felt tense and swallowed hard.

“No matter how much you ignore it, the fact that we are a married couple remains unchanged. Sovereign, because you signed it!”

At the words that followed, his mind went blank for a moment as if hit by a hammer. Subconsciously, Noah had hoped Elia would deny Aiden’s stubborn claim. And it was only after hearing the voice that flowed helplessly from Elia’s lips that the anxiety hit him, that he might be harboring a useless greed.