A Certain Winter’s Tale Chapter 3.5

“Snow?”

A cold, moonlit night. In the garden of the Inner Palace, Elia followed the sound of Snow’s cries. Except for the peak of his mating season when he couldn’t overcome his loneliness, the snow wolf rarely howled; why was he crying his heart out today of all days?

Upon entering the garden where he used to stroll with Noah, he spotted Snow’s white body. The garden, where everything except the statues, every flower and tree, had withered away, felt only more piercingly cold as the night wind whipped through it. Having come out wearing only a single thick coat over a comfortable robe, he might have felt the chill especially keenly.

Rubbing his shivering arms, Elia approached Snow.

“What is the matter?”

The moment Snow heard Elia’s voice, his ears perked up. Then, without sparing a single glance this way, he kicked off the ground and began to run.

“Haaa.”

It wasn’t a gesture to play at this time of night; for what reason was that clever wolf acting so strangely? Elia felt doubtful, but he soon noticed that Snow was showing such behavior because he wanted Elia to follow him.

The Lord, who had felt heartlessly betrayed by love and had shut himself away, walked into the Lord’s Forest following the snow wolf.

How much time had passed since he started walking? The night grew even deeper. To make matters worse, heavy snow began to fall.

Crunch, crunch.

He traversed a pure and pristine snowy path, which no one had ever stepped on, with a quick pace.

Walking fast enough not to fall behind the snow wolf’s pace, he soon found himself out of breath. The snow-white forest visible through the falling white flakes reminded him of Noah’s white, fair skin, making Elia’s eyes grow hot. Thus, he moved his legs even more diligently.

And before long, he realized. Snow was leading Elia to the place where he ate and slept.

“Ha, you naughty thing. Surely you didn’t call me out just to play at this hour.”

Elia muttered to himself. Snow, running ahead, pricked his ears and looked back. His attitude, pressing Elia as if asking what he was doing instead of following quickly, was astounding, but Elia followed him faithfully despite his sighing.

Having reached the nest of his old friend before he knew it, Elia discovered something and stopped in his tracks, his breath seemingly catching.

“……Noah?”

Even from a distance, he immediately recognized the young man with that slender body line. He had found Noah fallen asleep, huddled in Snow’s bedding.

With eyes wide open, Elia headed toward the spot where Noah was sleeping, following Snow.

“Why is Noah here?”

He asked Snow, but no matter how clever he was, the snow wolf could not speak. Elia, who tried to read the intent by looking at Snow’s slightly drooping ears, ultimately found out nothing. With a sigh, he shook the sleeping Noah to wake him.

“Noah?”

“…….”

He wanted to ask how he had fallen asleep in such a place. However, no matter how much he shook his body to wake him, those firmly closed eyes showed no intention of opening.

“Noah.”

It was strange. Elia carefully reached out his hand to touch Noah’s cheek. Only then did he realize the fact that the cheek, which usually looked soft with a rosy glow of vitality, was cold as a sheet of ice.

“Noah……? Noah, wake up. Noah!”

He pulled Noah’s body and held him in his arms. The cold, warmthless body was pulled toward him, fluttering as if it might break.

Above the freezing snowfield, Noah’s white, fair hand dropped down powerlessly with a thud.

❄️🐺❄️

Matilda, Elia’s nanny, had also left the Inner Palace early that day and headed for the quarters where high-ranking palace servants stayed. Tomorrow was her long-awaited weekly holiday. She was slightly excited, as she would be able to return to her home in the city outside the castle where her husband and children were.

Once a week, every time she went out from the castle, her family would go out to eat together. What menu would be good for dinner tomorrow? The Lord seemed quite discouraged; would it be alright to leave the castle?

After repeated contemplation, Matilda shook her head and finally finished preparing for bed.

But then. Hurried footsteps approached, and someone knocked on her door roughly, bang bang.

“Matilda…… Matilda! Open the door.”

“Lord?”

It was Elia’s voice. Elia, who had been discouraged because the person he held in his heart disappeared after preparing the bedchamber, had been shut inside the Inner Palace all day without coming out. Yet, for him to suddenly leave the Inner Palace and come all the way to the Outer Palace where the servants stayed. What on earth could be the matter?

Matilda hurriedly opened the door. There, Elia’s large frame, breathing heavily, filled her field of vision.

“Lord……! What has happened?!”

“Noah…… Noah is not breathing.”

Elia’s ears and hands were frozen red. Furthermore, he was in his pajamas without even wearing a coat. What in the world was going on in this cold? Unable to hide her horror, Matilda quickly scanned him. Then, she discovered that Elia was holding someone wrapped in a coat in his arms.

“Lord……? What on earth is this……”

“Hurry! Noah, Noah is not breathing. His body is already frozen cold……. He cannot open his eyes!”

Matilda shouted in surprise.

“The bathwater prepared near the bedchamber should not have cooled yet! Let us bring him there first. I will go there with a physician and people to help, Lord.”

Elia bit his trembling lip and nodded. Desperation could be felt from the back of him as he turned around and ran.

The sight of Elia, who used to be as emotionless as a doll, being so urgent was unfamiliar, but Matilda put that sentiment aside for a moment. She hurried her steps to wake up a few servants who would have gone to bed.

❄️🐺❄️

His whole body was throbbing and heavy. He had been thrown into the biting cold, but the sleepiness was more of an ordeal than the cold. That’s right. That was why he had intended to close his eyes just until Snow returned.

Just as he was catching the strands of hazy memories. The sound of splashing water echoed in his ears.

His body, which had been frozen from the cold, relaxed with a drowsy warmth. Was it a dream? Someone was calling his name anxiously and repeatedly dropping something as soft as a feather onto his face.

“Noah, please…… open your eyes. Noah……”

He barely pushed up his eyelids, which were heavy as lead.

“Noah……?”

“Ugh……? El?”

He saw a haggard face and Elia’s eyes, which were like glass beads. One or two tears, even more transparent than his eyes, fell with a plop-plop, the sound of water droplets flowing. No way, could it be that the sound of splashing water was just because of tears?

Noah, who was looking around while rolling his violet eyes, soon discovered. He was immersed in toasty warm water, being held in Elia’s arms.

“What is this…… cough!”

A cough erupted as if his throat had been parched and shriveled. Seeing him breathing and starting to move his body, Elia let out a sigh of relief and pressed his lips firmly against his cheek as if leaving a seal.

Noah loved that warmth so much that he tried to close his eyes again softly. Just then, a strange woman’s voice was heard from right nearby.

“Lord. Please move his hand outside the water. The physician wishes to check his pulse.”

Noah opened the eyes he was about to close once more. Then, the fact he hadn’t perceived until a moment ago became clearly visible.

He was in a large bathtub, his body pressed tightly against Elia’s. Outside the bathtub, he saw a middle-aged woman older than Madame Clara standing with a worried gaze. A gentleman in his later years standing next to her fumbled with various tools and sought permission from Elia with a glance, reaching his hand toward the bathtub.

“Noah, I shall borrow your hand.”

Noah, whose senses were awakening as he blinked at Elia’s low-vibrating voice, soon realized. He realized he was in a bathtub among people, stripped naked, and he sat up in a startle.

“Uwaa!”

The water sloshing in the tub overflowed with a splash.

However, Noah, who was sitting up, couldn’t leave the bathtub; he felt dizzy and collapsed back down as if falling. Elia hurriedly caught his body so he wouldn’t fall into the tub.

As if scolding such a Noah, Elia lightly bumped his forehead against Noah’s with a thump.

“Stay still. We must check your pulse.”

Noah tried to squirm to cover his naked body, but his limbs didn’t move as well as he thought. Having no choice, he burrowed into Elia’s arms and curled up as much as possible. Whether that action was quite to his liking, Elia forgot even that he had been shedding worried tears and burst out laughing.

“My goodness, Lord, how long has it been since you laughed like that……”

The woman’s voice was heard, but Noah merely turned beet red and hid in Elia’s arms. Elia coaxed him softly and gently.

“Noah. Will you give me your hand?”