Chapter 26: A Promise in the Falling Snow

Sighing softly, Silas let out a breath.

It couldn’t be helped that work was busy at this time of year.

Even so, around this same time last year, he had spent every day doing something with his friends and his sister.

No matter how busy he was, he always made sure to set aside time for them.

And yet, the wife he had been married to was never there.

He didn’t even think they had exchanged New Year’s greetings.

Now, all that remained was regret.

If he hadn’t believed the words of his friends and his sister, perhaps Dorothy would have been smiling at his side.

He hated himself for harboring such lingering thoughts.

…Come to think of it, because it had been a white marriage, he had never held Dorothy in his arms.

He had never felt her body heat.

All he remembered was the cold sensation of her hand when their hands were brought together out of obligation.

“…Dorothy…”

He had already lost even the right to call her name.

Thinking back, Dorothy had always looked at him straight on.

He had never known a Dorothy who stood beside him as his wife—only a Dorothy who stood facing him.

If he had simply reached out and held her, would things be different now?

If they had shared a warmth untouched by this cold, would their future have changed?

Enduring the chill of an impending snowfall, Silas spent his time thinking about the warmth he had lost forever.

With her work settling down for a moment, Dorothy brewed some tea for herself and took a short break.

Looking out the window of the workroom she usually shared with Leticia, she saw clouds covering the sky, heavy with the promise of snow.

“It’s already the end of the year… This year feels like it passed so quickly…”

She knew the reason.

Until last year, she had spent the year-end and New Year’s alone in her room.

Her family and husband had gone out to parties and gatherings, but Dorothy had lived no differently than usual, spending the season quietly embroidering in her room.

This year was different.

She had been so busy with work that she returned to her room only to sleep.

Only one year had passed, yet the difference was so great it made her laugh.

Her place of living and her position had completely changed.

By moving from a place where she was never needed to one where there was always work waiting for her, time that had once merely flowed past had become meaningful.

“Hehe… how strange.”

“Oh right, I need to submit my shopping list.”

During the year-end and New Year’s period, shops closed, so anyone who wanted personal items had to shop early.

Since palace staff were too busy to go out shopping, special order slips were prepared during this time.

If you submitted one, the merchants who entered the palace would prepare and deliver the items.

It was incredibly convenient, since there was no need to go down to the city.

Meals were still provided, so food wasn’t an issue, but this was for personal items like treats and daily necessities.

Dorothy didn’t buy many things, but she was running low on the tea she kept in her room, and she wanted to restock.

Some baked sweets would be nice too.

“…It’s really strange.”

“Before, even if there was something I wanted, I just gave up if I couldn’t get it…”

Now, she could buy whatever she liked with the money she earned herself, without worrying about anyone else.

No one would sneer at her for it.

As she was thinking that, Leticia entered the room.

“Dorothy, Lady Aurelia is calling for you.”

“Alright, Letty.”

After the incident, Dorothy and Leticia had gone from coworkers to friends, and now they could talk freely like this.

“It’s gotten cold, hasn’t it?”

“The corridors are freezing.”

“Yes. It might snow tomorrow.”

“If it does, should we make a small snowman?”

Leticia’s suggestion made Dorothy giggle.

“Would His Majesty scold us?”

“If it’s His Majesty, he might find it amusing and make one with us.”

“That does sound like him.”

If Emperor Eugene got into it, he might make a perfectly round, meticulous snowman.

As they spoke, snow began to drift softly outside the window.

“…It’s starting.”

“If it keeps up, a lot of people might stay overnight in the palace instead of going home.”

When the weather was bad or work piled up, many people chose to stay in the palace.

“Is Lucien-sama staying?”

“Probably.”

“He’s been getting home late lately anyway, so if it snows, he’ll definitely stay.”

“If that’s the case, then Noah-sama too, right?”

“…I don’t know.”

“We haven’t seen each other lately. Our schedules haven’t lined up…”

Between regular duties and year-end preparations, the Chancellor’s Office had entered a near-demonic work mode.

Their calm, precise instructions were so intense that even the military officers joked they could kill with a glance.

“He hasn’t been in the library either.”

“I hope he hasn’t fallen ill…”

Winter always brought bad colds, and this year was no exception, worsening the staff shortage.

“It’s going around the palace too.”

“Yes…”

Dorothy was worried, but Noah—assistant to the Chancellor and future Fermeren Marquis—was a well-known figure.

Even if she didn’t want to hear about him, gossip reached her ears.

If he were sick, women would surely be clamoring to visit him, so the lack of such noise meant he was probably healthy and still coming to work.

“We might not meet again until after the New Year.”

The palace was vast.

If you wanted to meet someone in particular, you often had to search for them.

Though Noah and Dorothy crossed paths for work, they rarely met by chance.

Thinking about it, Noah must have been adjusting his schedule to meet her until now.

At this rate, the next time they could talk properly might be after the New Year.

“I hope you can meet soon.”

“…Yes…”

From Leticia’s amused smile, it seemed Dorothy and Noah looked like a couple to her.

Perhaps others saw it that way too.

Saying “we’re not dating” was starting to feel difficult.

Lost in thought about how others perceived them, Dorothy entered the room where Aurelia was waiting.

“What’s wrong, Dorothy?”

“You look troubled.”

“Nothing at all.”

“I was just thinking.”

“If you ever have trouble, you can always talk to me.”

“Yes.”

Aurelia was always kind, making the workplace a pleasant one.

That was one of the biggest reasons Dorothy didn’t want to leave.

“Dorothy, could you return this book to the library for me?”

“Yes.”

A book sat beside Aurelia—it was one Dorothy had borrowed before.

“I took too long reading it, so please apologize to the librarian for me.”

“And since I enjoyed your recommendation, borrow another one this time too.”

“Would you like history?”

“Or something about regions?”

“Let’s see… A travelogue would be nice.”

“I’d like to read something written by someone who’s actually been there.”

“A travelogue. Understood.”

Holding the book carefully, Dorothy headed toward the library along a familiar path.

At first, she had been afraid of getting lost.

Now, she didn’t hesitate.

Her body remembered the route.

This too was a change.

Small daily accumulations were quietly transforming her life.

“…I already told you I can’t return your feelings, didn’t I?”

Words she recognized reached Dorothy’s ears as she walked near the library.

A man with slightly drooping eyes and a tear-shaped beauty mark beneath one eye was rejecting a young woman.

In a narrow corridor, it was an obvious obstruction.

The old Dorothy would have waited silently for it to end.

She didn’t want to get involved or be resented.

She believed that if she waited quietly, one of them would eventually notice and move aside.

But the current Dorothy was different.

Smiling lightly, she stepped forward and addressed them.

“Excuse me, I need to get to the library.”

“And this is a place of work.”

“If you continue to obstruct duties, shall I report this to your father?”

Noah blinked in surprise, then laughed silently.

Those were the very words he himself had once used when rejecting a noblewoman who had confessed to him—on the day he first met Dorothy.

“E-eh? A-are you speaking to me?”

Startled by the sudden intrusion of an unfamiliar lady-in-waiting, the woman asked, and Dorothy nodded firmly.

“Yes.”

“You are not employed by the Imperial Palace, are you?”

“If you were, I would speak to your superior.”

“Otherwise, the matter will be reported to your father.”

“Noah-sama, you know who this person is, correct?”

“Of course.”

“And no matter who says what, I have no intention of dating you.”

“If you continue to interfere, I will personally send a formal complaint to your father.”

The woman went pale and immediately fled.

Unfortunately, unlike the previous one, she didn’t glare at Dorothy as she passed.

Perhaps she was a more timid type.

“Good grief.”

“So many persistent women, even after being rejected.”

“That’s because you’re a capable Chancellor’s aide and the future Fermeren Marquis, isn’t it?”

“Probably.”

“I don’t want someone who approaches me for those reasons.”

“By the way, this time you stepped in.”

Last time, Dorothy had simply waited until Noah noticed her.

But this time, she had intervened herself—calmly, confidently, using his own words.

“I did my best to remember what you said that day and imitate it.”

“It was almost perfect.”

“That was the first time we met here, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“This corridor has become a very memorable place for me, in many ways.”

Back then, she had never imagined she would divorce, let alone face mortal danger.

Nor that Noah would come to care for her and confess his feelings.

Unlike the Dorothy of that day, she could now think about her own happiness.

Perhaps it was selfish.

But she had earnestly thought about how to grasp happiness for herself.

“Noah-sama…”

“Would you search for a happiness with me that can surpass my painful memories?”

Dorothy looked straight at him as she spoke.

When Noah had confessed, he had said she could take her time answering.

She had her reasons, and it had been right after her divorce.

Because of that, some women still thought he was free.

He hadn’t cared.

Still, he hadn’t expected to be confessed to again at this exact timing.

To end up in the same situation as when he first met Dorothy—it felt like fate playing a trick.

Back then, Dorothy had been indifferent to him.

He was probably just an annoying man blocking the corridor to her.

She smiled only when he introduced himself as Frederica’s brother.

Little by little, he talked with her, letting her get to know him.

And now, she was looking straight at him.

At last, she was directing her true feelings toward him.

Joy trembled through his chest.

“Of course, Dorothy.”

Not for anyone else.

They would search for their happiness together.

They would go on together, no matter how far.

Noah slowly reached out and embraced her.

The corridor was cold, but Dorothy was warm.

He had nearly lost this warmth forever.

“…Together, our happiness…”

Hearing those whispered words by her ear, Dorothy hesitantly wrapped her arms around him.

“Yes, Noah-sama.”

It was a promise made by only the two of them, in an empty corridor, as the snow fell quietly outside.