Before the eyes of enemy soldiers, the man stole Razel’s lips. Then, without hesitation, he lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the waiting warhorses.

There, a carriage had already been prepared. Razel’s eyes widened, her breath catching.

‘So this was why he came to the Epor estate.’

Her fingers curled weakly over her chest. 

How long had he been preparing for this moment?

When she dared to glance back, her violet eyes were clouded with fear. Soldiers of Crombell, the empire that had destroyed her homeland of Bertia, followed the man who now carried her.

The slave Razel had once cast onto the battlefield like refuse had returned as Crombell’s commander.

‘Driven by his hatred for me…’

She had no doubt that every step he took, every word he spoke, was steeped in resentment.

The wounds she had given him could only have led to this outcome.

Not long after, his footsteps came to an end. They had stopped before a carriage bearing the flag of Crombell.

“I will take you to my castle in Crombell,” he said.

Razel’s breath faltered.

“The moment you set foot inside, you leave the name Epor behind. In Crombell, until you become my wife, you’ll be nothing but a nameless commoner. And even then, you’ll remain only spoils of war.”

Catching the hollow look in her eyes, he gave a sharp, mocking laugh. Then, as though offering a favor, he added,

“If you wish to run, I’ll give you the chance. Kill me now, and you may leave.”

But Razel had nowhere to go. Her country was gone. He knew that, and yet he said such things.

Or perhaps it was a warning.

Unless she killed him here, she would never escape him. Not in this lifetime.

“Choose wisely. If you stab me only to fall beneath my soldiers’ blades, then we’ll simply be together again in death.”

His words pressed against her like a blade, meant to grind her into despair. Yet Razel’s eyes grew sharper than before.

Her lips trembled, then moved.

“I… won’t run.”

My sin.

The man I clawed and wounded with my own hands. The man I cast away.

Perhaps from the moment he vanished from my life, I had always known this day would come—that he would return to deliver a punishment worse than death.

‘I’m afraid. I’m terrified. But it’s all right… At last, I can atone for the sin that has haunted me.’

His gaze lingered on her, memorizing every line of her face. Then, after a long silence, he finally moved.

With heavy steps, he climbed into the carriage.

Razel had forsaken her country, Ephor’s estate, her family, and everything else.

“Razel Windmore,” he said.

“That will soon be your new name.”

He set her gently onto the carriage seat. The cold that had gnawed her bones seemed to ease, if only a little.

“Depart.”

The man before her had changed beyond recognition. Yet Razel steadied her breath, trying to gather her strength. But once calm settled, so too did exhaustion. She sagged, trembling.

‘Kailo…’

His name surfaced in her fading consciousness. The name of the man she had once desperately longed for, loved, and desired—and had no choice but to cast away.

It had been eleven years ago.

At the end of a winter that devoured the world’s warmth.

About two weeks after the snowfall had ceased, Razel finally left the room she had been confined to for so long.

“My lady, what if you catch a cold? You’re far too frail to be outside—”

“I’ll be fine. And if I fall sick, won’t that just mean you’ll have to take better care of me?”

Razel replied lightly beneath a bonnet of thick fur, her golden hair spilling out in soft waves. Her laughter rang as clear as falling snow.

Since childhood, the second daughter of House Epor had been frail and often unwell. Illness had left her sensitive and naive from knowing little beyond the walls of her room.

‘But that’s all in the past now.’

Just a year ago she had been bedridden, wasting away. But recently her health has improved, almost miraculously.

Like spring returning to barren soil, color had come back to her once-pale cheeks. Razel no longer feared for her health, though her maid still did.

Nora, sighing softly, added in a cautious voice,

“Didn’t the master say he would soon bring you back to the count’s estate? If you catch a cold before then, he’ll be heartbroken…”

“Will he?” Razel smiled faintly.

Nora noticed the anticipation beneath her smile.

The second daughter of Epor had spent most of her life tucked away at this estate. The reasons as to why were many. The family’s physician resided here, and the peaceful countryside was better for her recovery. 

But those were only excuses.

In truth, the Count of Epor felt shame over his sickly child. Publicly, he said she remained here to recuperate. Privately, he never brought her to social functions. When guests visited, he made certain she never appeared.

‘Rumor has it the Count’s mother, stricken by a fatal illness, indulged in all manner of indecencies… For this reason, the servants say he goes mad at the mere sight of a sickly person.’

He had even ordered them to prevent Razel’s return whenever possible.

Razel herself never knew. 

What she did know was that when she began to recover, the count finally visited and told her he would bring her home—seemingly relieved, even pleased, at her recovery.

“Doesn’t the sky look clearer today?” Razel said, stepping outside to breathe the crisp air.

Nora, still worried about her catching a cold, could not help but smile at Razel’s bright face.

Whatever the past had been, it seemed certain that Razel’s future would finally be filled with sunshine.

The sickly, irritable girl confined to her room was gone. All that remained was a daughter eagerly awaiting the love of her family.

***

“Father!”

Razel ran into Count Alexio’s arms, her face glowing brighter than ever.

“My Razel. Have you been well?”

“Of course, Father.”

Count Alexio of Epor greeted her with warmth. His hand patted her lightly a few times before pulling away.

She was already thirteen, yet Razel clung to him, starved for affection. The girl who had often been irritable toward servants softened completely in his presence.

“Are you packed and ready?”

“Not yet. I heard it isn’t finished… but it should be soon.”

Razel shook her head, glancing toward Nora, who immediately bowed and hurried to hasten the servants preparing her luggage.

Razel turned back to her father with an eager smile.

“Father, while we wait, could you and I—”

“Razel.”

Before she could finish, Alexio laid a hand on her shoulder.

“While you finish packing, I must see to something. There’s much to settle after being here so long.”

“What? But the servants will handle the packing… Can I not go with you—”

“I won’t be long.”

His refusal was firm. 

Moments later he was gone, back into the carriage that had arrived less than half an hour earlier. 

The father she had so longed for vanished from her sight again.

Razel stood alone, staring blankly after him.

‘…What is this?’

It felt like there was a distance between them that shouldn’t be there.

She told herself it was only because they had been apart for so long. But the sting in her chest did not fade. 

This was never what she wanted. It had been forced upon her from the time she was a child, exiled to Pellcio.

‘It was a blessing… that’s what they said. They told me to recover here. If I’d stayed at the estate, perhaps this miracle would have never happened.’

Razel forced herself to think positively.

She only needed a little more time with her family. After that, harmony was sure to follow.

‘It’s all right. From now on, only miracles will come.’

A pale breath escaped alongside Razel’s firm resolution. 

She hoped the snow would soon melt and the warm spring would arrive.

“Tsk.”

Meanwhile, far away in his carriage, Count Alexio clicked his tongue.

Just as his second daughter seemed to have shaken off the shadow of a bedridden life, a bothersome matter arose.

The matter he was now on his way to deal with.

‘Why would His Majesty burden me with a mere slave…?’

Summoned to the capital, Alexio had been “entrusted” with what the king called a great duty.

Though to Alexio, it was nothing but a nuisance.

“I have an important task for you,” the king had said. “Your second daughter is recovering in Pellcio, is she not? I hear she will soon return to the estate.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Word has traveled quickly, it seems. Haha…”

“When you set out to fetch your daughter, bring back a certain slave who resides in Pellcio as well.”

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