Afterstory: The Warmest Winter in the World

One day, five years later.

Soft morning sunlight spilled into a bedroom furnished with polished, expensive wood.

Linea lay beneath the covers, blinking sleepily at the ceiling. It took a few moments for her to realize how bright the room had become.

“Ah…!”

She sat up in a hurry.

Her silver hair was in disarray, but there was no time to straighten it. She looked around for Theorad. Her husband was nowhere to be seen.

Ashley was gone as well. Without either of them, the enormous bed seemed strangely empty.

Did I oversleep?

Still blinking, Linea rubbed her eyes and let out a little yawn. Then she swung her feet off the mattress and hurried to stand.

“Eek…”

The cold floor sent a shiver straight up her legs.

She stretched out one foot, found her fur-lined slippers, and slid both feet inside. Their soft warmth immediately improved her mood.

Now, then…

First she would wash and dress. Then she would check on her daughter, and after that she could make her way to the kitchen to begin thinking about lunch.

Since marrying Theorad, Linea had taken charge of preparing lunch and dinner at the mansion. Theorad always praised whatever she cooked, but that only made her more determined to prepare something he would especially enjoy.

Carbonara? No, we had that yesterday. Steak… Too ordinary.

Surely there was something both delicious and a little special.

She was still searching her imagination for a suitable dish when a knock sounded.

Knock, knock.

The door opened, and Ashley appeared in an elegant dress, smiling brightly.

“Awake at last? You slept later than usual today.”

“Somehow, yes… But where's Theorad?”

“He's already dressed. He's waiting in the front yard.”

“Are we going out? To the capital?”

“What? Of course not.”

Linea blinked.

If they weren't going to the capital, where were they going? Ashley came closer, a trace of amused embarrassment on her face.

“Linea. Are you really asking because you don't know?”

“…Did Theorad get into trouble?”

Ashley could only stare. Then she sighed and laughed at the same time.

“Nothing's wrong. Just get ready. Theorad is waiting for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes. Come along.”

At this hour, Theorad would ordinarily be attending to the affairs of the household. Linea still couldn't see what had changed, but Ashley wasn't one to fuss over nothing.

She hurried into the bathroom, washed her face and hair, and changed into a traditional black dress. Then she sat before the dressing table.

Ashley, however, had not left.

She came up behind Linea, took a towel and began gently drying her still-damp silver hair.

Linea watched her in the mirror, growing more uneasy by the moment. Ashley had always been kind, but today's attentiveness seemed almost excessive.

“Ashley… Did I do something wrong?”

The question made Ashley smile mischievously.

“Not at all. I'm simply returning a kindness.”

“A kindness?”

“On my wedding anniversary recently, you gave Theorad and me time to ourselves, didn't you? Today it's my turn.”

Wedding anniversary…

Only then did Linea remember.

Today was the anniversary of her own wedding to Theorad.

She could still see herself in the little chapel on the Deharem estate, dressed in white, exchanging rings with him. The memory was as vivid as if it had happened yesterday.

Even now it made her cheeks grow warm.

Yet the happiness brought another memory with it. Linea moved her fingers together, unable to decide whether she ought to speak.

At last she gathered her courage.

“Ashley… I'm sorry.”

“For what?”

“For ruining your wedding. Back then, I left the mansion without telling anyone…”

“That?”

Ashley let out a small laugh and lowered her towel.

“I was upset, of course. When Theorad learned you'd gone, he was miserable all day. It spoiled the reception. Do you know how awkward it was to face the guests?”

Linea lowered her eyes and bit her lip.

Ashley saw the guilt on her face reflected in the mirror. Her smile softened, and she gathered Linea's long hair into four sections.

“But honestly, I was far more frightened that you might never return. I was worried about what foolish decision you might make all alone.”

Her fingers worked steadily as she began to braid.

“That's why I was so happy when Theorad brought you back. All the jealousy, resentment and anger I'd felt toward you seemed almost unreal.”

Linea remembered that day.

She had met Theorad again at the boundary of the Great Forest. After telling the elder that she would not become its guardian spirit, she had returned directly to the Deharem mansion.

Ashley had been waiting at the entrance.

The anger on her face had frightened Linea. She hadn't known how to apologize.

But when Ashley came close, her expression had crumpled. Instead of scolding, she had thrown her arms around Linea and held her tightly.

I'm glad you came back.

The words had meant more than Linea could say.

“So,” Ashley said now, deftly continuing her braid, “I don't want to hear any more apologies for that. Do you understand?”

“Ah… Yes.”

Linea's reply was shy and quiet.

Ashley finished the braid and tied the end with a red ribbon. She studied her work in the mirror.

“Hmm…”

Something was missing.

She lifted the plait and laid it forward over Linea's right shoulder, then nodded in satisfaction.

There. That's better.

The braid made Linea appear both neat and unexpectedly graceful. Of course, Ashley thought, someone as beautiful as Linea could hardly look bad no matter how she arranged her hair.

“Well? What do you think?”

Linea looked at herself in the mirror.

Her red eyes moved uncertainly from one detail to another.

Ashley grew concerned. Had she gone too far?

“Is it strange? I could always put it back the way you usually wear—”

“N-no. That's not it.”

There was nothing wrong with the hairstyle.

Linea simply wasn't accustomed to taking so much trouble over her appearance. Seeing herself dressed up this way felt almost like looking at someone else.

She touched the braid lying against her chest and raised her eyes to Ashley's reflection.

“…Do you think Theorad will like it?”

As if there were any doubt.

“What man wouldn't be pleased that his wife dressed up for him?” Ashley replied. “And if Theorad so much as looks dissatisfied, tell me. I'll give him a proper scolding.”

Linea couldn't help laughing.

The joke eased the tension in her chest.

“Yes. I'll tell you.”

Ashley gave her hair one final adjustment, then opened a drawer of the dressing table.

From it she took a necklace set with a deep red ruby. Even at a glance, the workmanship was exquisite.

Linea stared.

“When did you…?”

Ashley stepped closer and clasped it around her neck. The cool metal made Linea shiver.

“Ashley? This is…”

“A present from me. I thought it would look lovely with your dress. Do you like it?”

Linea looked down at the jewel.

In the days when she had held immense power, she had worn ornaments far grander than this one. None of them had touched her as deeply as a necklace Ashley had chosen for her.

“…It's beautiful.”

Ashley smiled, delighted that the gift had been received so warmly.

“Then enjoy your outing. I'll look after the children.”

“…Don't you need to go to the castle?”

“No. We agreed I could spend weekends at the mansion unless there's some urgent matter.”

The arrangement had been settled the previous year.

As Leonberg grew old and his mind began to fail, Ashley had inherited responsibility for Pelgaroin. She was no longer simply Lady Ashley, but Count Ashley.

At a gathering of her vassals, the new count had announced that she would not live permanently at the castle. She would attend to the county's business there during weekday mornings and afternoons, but return to the Deharem mansion for her evenings and weekends.

The retainers had protested. What kind of lord spent so much time away from her own seat?

Ashley had refused to yield.

Moving her entire household to Pelgaroin Castle would mean uprooting Theorad from the Deharem estate. That, in turn, threatened the continuity of the Deharem family itself. She wanted to meet the obligations of her county without abandoning her life with her husband.

In the end, the vassals had accepted her conditions.

The eldest heir had died, her second brother Fred had renounced his claim to succession, and the emperor trusted Ashley. There was no plausible alternative candidate.

A year later, the same vassals had little cause to regret the decision.

Ashley had reorganized the standing army and military structure, improved roads, encouraged the commercial use of warp gates, and built canals to move goods. Pelgaroin was growing more prosperous by the day.

“So don't worry about my work,” Ashley told her. “Go and enjoy yourself with Theorad.”

Linea's expression warmed.

She hesitated, her pointed ears drooping as a blush crept into her cheeks.

“Thank you… for being so considerate.”

Saying it aloud made her unexpectedly shy.

Ashley leaned down and embraced her.

Their cheeks pressed together. For a moment they simply held each other in the quiet of the room.

“Thank you, too,” Ashley whispered.

Linea had saved Theorad's life. Ashley, in turn, had made room for Linea at his side.

Each knew she owed something precious to the other.

Outside, the winter air remained cold. But for a little while, the two women shared a warmth born of gratitude and the friendship that had grown where old rivalries had once stood.