Same Sky, Different Night
Perennial Snow Garden.
A vast garden located within the northern grand duchy, named for its snow that never melts all year round.
It was both a symbol of the grand duchy and a source of pride.
Naturally, it was a place where entry was strictly forbidden to outsiders, accessible only to the bloodline of the Winterfell grand ducal family and distinguished guests who had received an official ‘invitation’ from the family.
For the Winterfell grand ducal family, it was a sacred space where careless entry could literally cost someone their head.
Strict security was a matter of course.
Thump, thump.
Currently, I was on my way there.
Invited by a woman who had waited for me in the annex only to leave just a note in the end, I was walking comfortably.
I hadn’t even brought a knight for escort.
There was no need for that.
Swift and decisive.
That was my mindset in response to the heroine’s challenge.
‘But really, why would the heroine do this?’
Even in the original work, it was said that those who make a sincere repentance shall be granted freedom.
So that was why.
Reflecting on oneself, the vile villain dared to dream of becoming a person of the grand ducal family.
Therefore, I planned to quietly leave all dreams behind and depart.
I was sincere.
The character Elden was villainous.
‘And there seemed to be a depiction that he would never obsess over revenge.’
Well.
I understand that the plot has changed due to the bystander’s abstention, but I absolutely cannot allow my peaceful night to be stolen.
No matter how grand a duchess she may be, she has no right to disrupt the night of a count who has not violated the marriage duel rules and is a declining but still upper-class noble.
Abstaining still meant showing her face in the marriage duel was merely fulfilling the minimum duty.
Staying in the grand duchy was merely a step back for a culinary trip.
If she intends to interfere with that, I have no reason to uphold my duty either.
Anyway.
Now, I was merely walking to fulfill the bare minimum duty towards the challenge.
A woman, ignored in her confession of love, had sent a heartfelt invitation to the Perennial Snow Garden, called a ‘forbidden zone’.
Rather than fueling severe repercussions with repeated disregard, it was a fair response as a human duty.
Thus.
“Have you arrived?”
I reached the entrance to the Perennial Snow Garden.
As if to warn that it was not a place to be trifled with, a densely woven wooden fence stood tall.
Nothing could be seen inside.
It was quiet enough that one wouldn’t know if someone died there, a somewhat creepy atmosphere prevailed.
Gellwood, who was standing at the entrance, bowed his head and greeted me.
I was surprised to see him instead of a guard, but it worked out better for me.
Smiling, I approached him.
“The grand duchess invited me to the Perennial Snow Garden.”
“Yes. She is waiting for you.”
“But, what business does she have with me, a mere abstainer, to invite me to this sacred sanctuary?”
With my casual question, Gellwood swallowed his words and shook his head.
Even he seemed a bit frustrated by the heroine’s capricious actions.
Just yesterday, he was supporting me with a gentle smile.
Perhaps because of a visible unease.
Excessive obsession always complicates matters.
While one note could be overlooked, actions beyond that could douse cold water on the sacred festival of the marriage duel.
Especially today, in the second round of the evaluation, she had done something that should not have been done to the victor, Kyle.
If someone other than her had smashed the great Winterfell grand ducal family’s emblem into the ground, they would have been imprisoned immediately for a serious crime.
“Hmm… I don’t know either. I was just ordered to guide you.”
“Is that so?”
“Let’s go then.”
Gellwood stepped into the entrance of the garden.
I just stood there, hands clasped behind my back, blankly staring.
Soon, Gellwood turned around with a puzzled look.
“…Aren’t you coming?”
Instead of answering, I just gave him a faint smile.
***
As the sun set, tinting the evening sky in hues of fiery orange, and a faint darkness began to descend, the early night brought a chill to the Perennial Snow Garden. There, dressed in a white fox mask, stood Remian, alone and deep in thought, preparing for the long night ahead.
With a heavy sigh, Remian expressed her deepening frustration. Despite her efforts, the turmoil within her only spread like a wildfire stoked by the wind. Unable to contain herself, she had stormed into Elden’s annex.
“Duchess, please be reasonable…!” Gellwood had tried to stop her, but she pushed past him in her fury.
The irritation was maddening. Despite enduring her disgust and managing a confession, Elden, casually chewing fruit as he walked down the mountain trail, clearly rejected her.
‘Dare he reject the duchess’s confession?’ She had thought it an irresistible temptation, an undeniable solution. She was certain of success.
Yet, she was overwhelmed with a feeling of revulsion that she couldn’t expel. Her anger flared.
Just because of Elden, everything was falling apart. The complex problems seemed insoluble, appearing more tangled and intricate.
It was humiliating. The assured victory that she had boasted about now made her look utterly incompetent and foolish. Her whole body trembled with shame; her insides twisted with humiliation. For her, who had never failed to solve a problem on her own, these repeated failures brought an unbearable despair.
Her mind was in ruins, and it felt as though her body was breaking down. The usually indefatigable duchess now wanted nothing more than to give up.
Rational thinking became difficult. She kept getting carried away by her emotions, her patience seemingly exhausted, leading to impulsive actions.
Eventually, she received a stern reprimand from her advisor, Gellwood.
“Duchess, I know it’s not my place, but what you did was not appropriate.”
She had broken her promise to reward the winner generously, instead throwing the emblem Kyle brought to the floor in a fit of rage. Even with ten mouths, she couldn’t make excuses—it was a wrongful act.
Yet, if placed in the same situation again, she couldn’t guarantee she would act any better. Seeing Elden, her blood seemed to boil, an irresistible surge, and if she could go back to that moment, she might even have slapped him.
‘Annoying. Disgusting. Infuriating!’
Thud! Standing alone on a wooden bridge, Remian stomped heavily.
Snow slipped from the railing quietly.
‘Or could it be that my basic assumption is wrong?’ She wondered if the reason she couldn’t find a way to counter Elden’s changes was because her fundamental assumption—that Elden’s transformation was absolutely false—was incorrect.
‘No, it can’t be!’ It was too late to accept that.
Thud! Again, Remian stomped, her irritation visible.
She refused to consider the possibility that all her previous efforts had been in vain and that all her future plans might go awry. She prayed that her initial assumption was not wrong.
‘Or does he know my true identity?’ Perhaps Elden knew she was Erinysia Belloc and had abstained from the competition anticipating her revenge.
Though it was a plausible hypothesis, Elden’s consistently carefree demeanor made it unlikely. His lack of any apparent crisis consciousness, seeming even to enjoy his stay in the grand duchy, made it a weak theory.
“Ah…” Solving this merely by thinking seemed impossible. She would have to confront Elden, force the truth out of him, even if it meant removing her mask.
Due to the cold weather, Remian’s deep sigh turned into a white mist.
That’s when she heard it. Footsteps from behind.
She composed herself and turned around.
“Duchess?”
The sound was strange. It was the footsteps of one person, not two. And she knew instantly whose they were.
“What is it? Why are you alone?”
“Ah, that…”
Only Gellwood had arrived at the bridge in the Perennial Snow Garden. He cautiously handed her a note.
“Lord Elden left this at the entrance before he turned back. I tried to persuade him, but he insisted this was the best he could do.”
“This is… his best?” Remian took the note, perplexed.
Angrily, she tore it open and began to read.
[I apologize for responding with this note. I hope you can understand that this is the best I can do.]
‘Apologize, really?’
[I heard you were waiting at the annex. I should have met you, but I was delayed by training.]
Typical. He was nonchalantly training!
[Gellwood informed me of your feelings. I am grateful for your overwhelming support.]
Grateful, after losing the second evaluation?
[However, through self-reflection, I have humbly declined the chance
to be engaged to you, a dream-like opportunity.]
I know… I get it! But why decline it?
[I am now dreaming of change. Although late, I intend to travel the kingdom and transform into a new person.]
Oh, stop it! Do you think I don’t see through you?
[Thus, I am respectfully returning the precious feelings you conveyed to me in this letter.]
What…? So, you’re officially rejecting my confession?
[Thank you for seeing me in a good light, but I cannot accept your love.]
Wait…! The confession was just a tactic to make you compete!
It wasn’t sincere!
I wouldn’t like someone like you!
[I wanted to tell you this in person, but as you know, I am an abstainer and do not wish to cause unnecessary harm to other candidates. Please forgive me.]
No…! Since when have you cared about harming others? You enjoyed it!
[Please, retract your feelings for me.]
Don’t be mistaken! I never had such feelings!
[I am afraid.]
What…? Suddenly?
[If it became widely known that there was a ‘designated’ candidate in the sacred marriage duel, it would tarnish a venerable tradition. The grand duke would not want that.]
My designated candidate?! You think too highly of yourself because of a single confession note!
You’re nothing!
[So, I wish you a peaceful night.]
Trembling! Trembling!
[Sincerely, abstainer Elden Lapellion.]
Remian’s hands shook violently as she held the letter.
Once again. Elden, that slippery snake, had escaped the net. Just out of reach, making it even more infuriating.
But all she could do was stare at it, helplessly furious.
The letter, written so politely, left no room for rebuttal. It was filled with nothing but correct statements, no mistakes to seize upon.
Yet, she felt so wronged. It seemed as though he took her confession seriously, which made her even more upset. She didn’t want him to strut around thinking he was ‘the man who dared to reject the duchess’s confession’.
Pattering! “Duchess?!”
Remian started running down from the bridge, lifting her skirt.
She wanted to correct that one piece of misinformation.
But…
“Elden—!”
The entrance to the garden held nothing but empty darkness.
No sign of Elden. Not even a shadow.
“Haah! Haah!”
It was suffocating. It was infuriating.
Unable to do anything, being dragged along by him, whether in the past or now, gave her an unbearable sense of humiliation.
It had seemed that she held the upper hand at the start.
Since when had she been chasing after him, having her advantage snatched away, lamenting this reality?
What went wrong? Why was the victim clinging so desperately to the perpetrator?
It was incomprehensible.
All she could do was…
Crackle! Crackle!
…tear the letter into pieces.
Into fragments, never to be pieced back together again.
Just like that, Remian had to tear apart the man who tormented her heart until the letter turned to dust.
“Duchess…?”
Crackle! Crackle!
*
At the same time.
Elden, who had leisurely returned to his annex, looked up at the sky.
Swoosh!
Just then, a shooting star streaked across with a long tail.
“Oh! A shooting star!!”
With a bright exclamation, Elden clasped his hands together and began to make a wish.
nice