Chapter 36

“Mama, look at this! It’s snow!”

“Yes. It’s snowing today.”

—

On one side, a commoner family was heading out to enjoy the festival.

—

“Hehe, anyone else want to have a snowball fight? Everyone here has already fallen─whoosh!”

“What does it feel like when you get caught while looking elsewhere?”

“Hey, why did you throw it at him instead of my brother?”

“In this game of choosing the king of the neighborhood, where are siblings? Here, eat this!”

—

On the other side, siblings were enjoying a snowball fight.

And then.

“Where are you going? Going to enjoy the festival?”

A much younger sister than now.

The maturity and refinement that would come later were not yet present. The young, innocent girl, barely shy, was seventeen years old at the time.

There was a young boy chasing after her with sparkling eyes.

—

“Wow. This is the Snow Flower Festival…”

And a boy three years younger than her was witnessing the kind of scene that could awe children his age.

—

Watching a snowball fight or spending a cozy winter eating warm food on the street, this place bustling with curiosities was nothing short of magical.

Moreover, for the young boy Carsein, who had always been confined to the mansion and isolated in the hall, it was even more so.

Anything was fine.

Why not try doing something with the snow falling from the sky?

How about the feeling of hearing and writing down things never seen on the streets before?

Or maybe, like other kids, roam the streets buying all sorts of things.

Curiosity blooming in Carsein, simply being here was enough satisfaction.

“Carsein.”

“Huh? What is it?”

Carsein, wondering what he was going to do, blinked his eyes and asked.

He expected. He hoped to hear what his big sister would say.

—

“Festival. You said you wanted to enjoy it, right?”

“Yeah! Of course!”

“Here. Go ahead and enjoy yourself. Play however you want.”

Arina took out 300 pessel worth of money from her wallet and dropped it into Carsein’s hand. It was pocket money.

The excited boy, happy yet worried, received the pocket money.

“I got scolded a lot today… Can I really play?”

But the look in his sister’s eyes was as cold as ice.

“Yeah.”

Those two words were Arina’s final statement.

—

“Yay!”

The boy jumped up and down joyfully.

Enjoying his newfound freedom, he ran out onto the street like a donkey, his feet untethered by anything.

—

Snowflakes fell, and in the boy’s hands, there were strange treats, toys, and fun things.

But soon, he lost interest.

Even though he gained such precious freedom,

even though he was given permission along with the money,

even though it might be a chance he wouldn’t get again,

—

“Playing alone… isn’t fun after all.”

Carsein wasn’t having any fun.

Because he was alone.

—

Then, a scene caught his eye on the street.

“This is a gift for Mama!”

“Oh, thank you.”

He saw a son giving his mother a prize won on the street as a gift.

The son scratched his head, looking apologetic as he smiled at his mother.

“I wish I could have gotten something better.”

“No, Mama is happy just seeing you take care of her like this.”

That scene made Carsein’s body move again, breaking free from his loneliness.

—

Prizes for the family.

Gifts.

—

And.

‘My sisters, my younger brother, Mama. They’d like gifts, right?’

It was the attention of the family.

‘Yes. They definitely would. By giving them something hard to get, they’d surely praise me!’

Carsein made that promise and shook off the snow from his bottom.

—

Snow started falling again.

Under the once blue sky, the white snowflakes now looked red, and soon, lanterns began to light up.

In Carsein’s hands were bags full of items, stuffed to the brim. He must have collected a lot from somewhere.

—

But, the boy didn’t know.

He didn’t know where the carriage that brought him here should go.

Only Arina knew the location of the carriage.

—

“Hmm… If I wait, Arina will come, right?”

Wandering, Carsein sat on a pile of stones and moved his legs excitedly. Perhaps, he expected to surprise someone if they saw this.

—

While waiting, why not build a stone tower?

If he kept stacking these flat stones, Arina would surely find him, knowing her position.

—

But Carsein knocked down the stone tower several times.

Stack, and stack again.

Hours passed, and Arina still hadn’t come.

—

Replacing the worried sister, someone else found him.

—

“Yo~ Look at this? You seem to be a noble young master, huh? Why do you carry so much?”

“Ah, everything is prizes?”

“Hey, what? Then aren’t these useless?”

“No, you can sell these and get money.”

—

They were much bigger than Carsein.

—

“What? That’s mine!”

“Hey, young master. Don’t want to get hurt, right? Just give it to me. Looks like it doesn’t have any crest.”

“Why should I give away what I worked hard to get?”

“Hey, just give it. Don’t you want to get hurt?”

“Ha ha. There’s always those kinds. Still thinking they can walk proudly at night.”

“These guys need a few hits. That’s their medicine.”

—

The boy had everything taken away.

Due to resistance, his tender skin turned bruised, and the hit spots swelled up.

—

Finally, Carsein was discovered.

After a long time, a knight revealed that he was here.

—

“Carsein…! What are you doing here… No, no. Let’s go home. My son, okay?”

His mother, who seemed to have gone mad, was shocked.

Carsein’s appearance was so terrible, it was hard to look at.

—

Behind Isabel, Arina watched Carsein with alarmed eyes.

Only then did Carsein feel relieved.

Knowing his older sister was there, he could finally take out what he had hidden in his pocket.

—

“This… is a gift for Arina.”

His frail arm reached behind Isabel’s shoulder, holding a hair tie decorated with snowflakes. A small gift for his sister who often tied ponytails.

—

His vision flickered.

—

The precarious stone tower still stood, unshaken by rain or wind, as if it had witnessed everything.

Carsein’s expectations, just like mine, must have been high.

—

“Carsein!”

Right behind him.

—

The one who made him build that stone tower appeared.

—

*Ding!*

—

—

It was a mistake.

Mama realized Carsein wasn’t there, and the house knights were dispatched everywhere.

Arina couldn’t stay idle either. She rode a horse and searched around the carriage first.

—

“What? No one came back to the carriage?”

“That’s correct, Miss.”

Carsein didn’t return to the carriage.

Heron confirmed it, so there was no mistake. Carsein hadn’t returned after finishing the festival.

This left Arina puzzled.

—

‘Where could he be…?’

Isabel’s worry must have deepened during this time. Arina grabbed the reins and galloped.

—

After searching for a long time on horseback, she found the boy staring at a pile of stones in an awkward spot.

—

‘That, could it be?’

She was sure when she saw the slight hint of blue in his black hair.

—

Arina immediately dismounted and called out his name.

—

“Carsein!”

—

The boy who hadn’t been seen for a long time was indeed there. As she got closer, she realized his physique and clothes were no different from those he wore during the festival.

—

At last, she felt relieved.

If she brought Carsein back to Mama now, she could worry less and enjoy the festival again.

—

Of course, the house knights had to bear the cost of their efforts, but she also bore some responsibility.

—

“If I had mentioned the no外出令 from the beginning, Carsein wouldn’t have felt this way. I won’t overlook this anymore.”

—

“I understand your feelings. I said we should enjoy the festival, but I secretly doubted you. So, I wanted to test something.”

—

“What kind of test?”

—

“To see how much you’ve changed.”

—

Arina, brushing her hair back, continued.

—

This was a reasonable reason to convince Carsein.

—

Before the snow festival, there was a family meeting.

Based on that meeting, the forgotten birthday and the poorly chosen birthday present.

—

Arina intended to use this to convince Carsein.

—

She planned to mention the lifting of the no外出令 as well.

—

But Carsein was sharpening his knife.

—

“Was what happened a few years ago also a test?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why? Don’t you remember? Like during the coming-of-age ceremony?”

—

When Carsein turned around, a hidden place came into Arina’s view.

—

“Here. When I was 14, you gave me 300 pessel and told me to go play freely.”

“…”

—

Memories flashed back.

—

A tower built with flat stones.

—

Underneath, Carsein, beaten and bruised, lay.

—

This place…

—

It was where 17-year-old Arina Bargrand left her past, marked by mistakes.

—

“C-Carsein. That time… back then…”

—

Arina couldn’t speak.

—

With a chilly gaze, Carsein stabbed Arina again.

—

“You said it was because I caused many accidents. Well, it seems it was the same back then. Right?”

“No! Carsein. I… back then…”

—

“Are you saying you didn’t expect it to turn out like this?”

“…”

—

His own words escaped from Carsein’s mouth.

—

His blue eyes, filled with panic, tightly shut.

—

“When I was young… too young. Too young to make proper judgments.”

—

Trying to make excuses, he looked away. But Carsein didn’t let go, holding firmly onto his words.

—

“Making excuses is good, but don’t lie. You expelled me from the Duke’s House because I caused too many accidents. You wanted to see me suffer.”

—

“Not everything is a lie! I… I didn’t expect you to be hurt on the streets…”

—

Arina shouted immediately, denying any intention.

—

“Seeing me cause trouble was indeed a disgrace to the family. But… I didn’t want to see you come back beaten and miserable. This is true.”

—

Even if Carsein disliked it, she didn’t expect him to be treated like that.

—

She thought it would be better if he went somewhere else, but she never imagined he would be found outside like this.

—

Now, her feelings remain the same.

—

“…It was a mistake from my childhood. I’m truly sorry. I never meant to…”

—

“Stop it.”

—

“Carsein…”

—

Trying to apologize for her past actions, Carsein cruelly cut her off.

—

“At a time like this, telling me to enjoy the festival and not worry Mama? Could you do that?”

“…”

—

“Just leave him alone. He wants to be alone. Unlike back then, he won’t get beaten up and return to the Duke’s House foolishly.”

—

*Young Master!*

—

Meanwhile, the Bargrand house knights arrived quickly. But they couldn’t take Carsein away.

—

“Carsein wants to be alone.”

“Really? But…”

—

“Just let him be. This is my fault. I’ll take responsibility and explain it to Mama.”

—

Carsein slipped through the knights and walked away alone.

—

The knights were bewildered, but since Arina promised to take responsibility and explain to the Duchess, they had no choice but to return to their positions.

—

Arina watched the knights leave and stood there for a long time, staring at the spot where Carsein had been standing.

—

Then.

—

*Thud, thud. Clatter.*

—

The precarious stone tower finally collapsed.