#144. Homecoming (1)
(귀환 1)
Sasha couldn’t take her eyes off Pavel’s drawings and started thinking back on her own memories.
The way she remembered herself, she was never so lively, fresh, or pretty.
“…I always thought I was boring, stiff, and dull.”
But the Sasha in Pavel’s drawings was always the complete opposite.
To draw so many lively and beautiful pictures, there had to be something real in them.
“So when he always said I was pretty, maybe it wasn’t just empty words.”
Of course, Sasha knew she was considered good-looking in this life.
But she was always harsh with herself, focusing more on her flaws than her strengths. She never thought she was this pretty.
“It’s strange.”
If two people can see the same person so differently, which version is closer to the truth?
Sasha wanted to look in a mirror again. Was it really her eyes that were wrong?
No, more than that, she wanted to see herself from someone else’s point of view—objectively.
“Oh, there’s that.”
After carefully closing the safe, Sasha walked to the second-floor hallway where the portraits were hung.
She quietly looked at the portrait of herself and Pavel together.
“Hmm, it does look more like how Pavel sees me than how I remember. Is this really me?”
She touched her own face, puzzled by seeing herself through someone else’s eyes.
Sasha then walked along the row of former family heads’ portraits, stopping at the nearest one—Dmitri.
His portrait, painted in dark tones, felt heavier and sadder than how Sasha remembered Dmitri. It made him look more closed-off and gloomy.
“Some people will only remember Dmitri this way. But he wasn’t always like that. He could be cute sometimes too.”
As she murmured, a new thought appeared.
Maybe…
“Maybe even my own memories are wrong.”
The problem isn’t how she stores her memories. She trusts her memory palace is perfect.
But maybe, from the very start—
“Maybe I just remembered it wrong.”
And maybe it’s not just about how she sees herself. Maybe there are other things in her life that she remembered differently from reality.
“Maybe my memories aren’t exactly the same as what really happened.”
Her brows furrowed as she realized—she had never thought about this before.
The victorious army’s return was very quick.
At first, everyone was so happy to finally be going home that they forgot about their exhaustion.
Later, when the excitement faded, the tiredness was almost overwhelming—but still, they didn’t slow down.
No one wanted to sleep another night on hard, cold ground. The knights hurried even more, dreaming of real beds.
As soon as they left the frozen land, their pace got even faster.
The corrupted energy in that land affected not just spirits but people too. Just leaving that place made their bodies feel lighter.
Now that Pavel’s group was out, Sasha’s spirit could easily reach them.
The spirit quickly delivered all sorts of supplies—food, warm clothes, everything they needed.
On the way back, the spirit even carried thick bundles of letters from Pavel and the knights.
So the news of their return reached Bellicordo Castle right away.
“Come on, everyone! Move quickly!”
Olga, who used to be Sasha’s nurse and was now the head housekeeper, organized the servants skillfully.
When the victory message arrived from the north, everyone cheered—and then got to work.
The castle was always well-kept, but today they cleaned and decorated even more for this special occasion.
Today was the day Pavel and his army were coming home!
The whole castle was bright and lively. Even the busy workers couldn’t hide their excitement.
Sasha was different from usual too.
Normally, she worked in her office all day except when she slept. But today, she did nothing but try on dresses in the dressing room.
“Isn’t this a bit too much?”
Sasha weakly protested, but Olga and the maids would not step back.
“You’re always beautiful, Madam, but today is special! You must be the most beautiful woman in the world!”
“We’ll make you that way.”
“Yes! Please trust us!”
They tried on dresses for hours until Sasha was exhausted.
But it didn’t end there. They tested different makeup, tied and untied her hair in every possible way, and switched out hair accessories again and again.
Only after half the day had passed was Sasha finally released.
Olga then went to check the rest of the castle’s decorations, so Sasha was able to rest for a moment in her room.
She tried to calm her excitement by reading a book.
But…
What is Olga doing now? Is she tying the curtains again?
So many thoughts filled Sasha’s mind that she couldn’t focus on the words.
She put down the book and picked up her teacup instead.
The warm tea soothed her.
That’s when she realized she was nervous.
“I’m not a child anymore.”
But soon, Sasha thought—maybe it was only natural.
Her husband had been away at war for a long time. Of course she should be excited and nervous to see him come back safely.
Is he healthy? How did he live all this time? What if I cry when I see him?
Her cheeks grew pink as she daydreamed.
Nina, who was serving nearby, saw Sasha’s blushing face and began to fidget nervously.
“Madam, should I light another fire?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“But the room is cold. You might catch a cold…”
Nina glanced at the wide-open window.
It wasn’t winter yet, but in the north, the air was always chilly. Even with the fire blazing, leaving the window open made the room cold.
That wasn’t good for Sasha, who had been sickly since she was young.
But Sasha stubbornly kept the window open. She wanted to hear sounds from outside—right away, as soon as they came.
They said they’d arrive today…
The longer she waited, the more she wanted to see Pavel.
Just then, a blue light came flying through the window.
It quickly turned into the shape of a wolf and moved its mouth.
[They just entered the territory. They’ll be here soon.]
It was a middle-ranked spirit, bringing news that Pavel’s group had just crossed into their lands.
“Really? Thank you for telling me.”
Sasha checked the time. If she moved now, everything would go as planned.
“Nina, I’m going out for a bit.”
Nina, who was poking at the fire, jumped up.
“Oh! Madam, I’ll come with you!”
“No, I’ll be back soon.”
Clang!
She accidentally dropped the fire iron, making a loud noise.
Nina looked startled but hurried over.
“At least wear this!”
Nina grabbed a thick fur coat from the closet and wrapped it around Sasha’s shoulders.
The white, shiny coat was made from the fur of a rare silver wolf that Pavel had hunted himself.
It was so precious, you could buy an entire castle with it, but her husband had given it to her without hesitation.
“Everything of mine is yours, so don’t feel burdened. Just take it.”
Sasha couldn’t help but smile at the memory.
She couldn’t just laugh it off like she used to—now she knew what he really meant when he said everything of his was hers.
I want to give you as much as I can too.
Sasha moved quickly, mumbling to herself.
She met Olga at the entrance and told her Pavel would arrive soon, then went outside the castle.
The wind was sharp, but with the thick coat around her, she didn’t feel cold.
Even if she didn’t have the coat, the spirit could easily protect her from the freezing air.
But I like this better.
Holding her coat tightly, Sasha, with the help of the spirit, went to a place she had visited years ago for the same reason.
She arrived at her destination quickly.
“The flower isn’t damaged at all. That’s a relief.”
Sasha carefully gathered the Barudum flower she found on the mountain.
It was so delicate that it could wilt in moments if mishandled, so she put it right away into a box infused with the spirit’s energy.
Hugging the box, Sasha smiled as she walked back toward the castle.
That’s when she heard a welcome sound.
Bwooo—! (horn)
“The Black Wolf Knights just passed the main gate!”
Sasha stopped and looked toward the gate.
“Wow—!”
The people who had been waiting started cheering loudly.
Their joy at victory, gratitude for the knights, happiness at the return of loved ones—all mixed together in that noise.
The returning knights stopped, surprised by the huge welcome, but soon the procession began moving again.
Sasha climbed up onto the wall and narrowed her eyes to watch the man at the front.
A tall figure, sitting perfectly upright on a huge black horse.
A strong body, black armor under a fluttering red cloak.
She couldn’t see his face through the helmet, but…
He’s riding so straight. He must not be badly hurt.
A smile spread across Sasha’s face.
Her husband, whom she had waited for so long, was finally home safe. She couldn’t ask for anything more.
“Pavel!”
Unable to hold back her overflowing emotions, Sasha shouted and waved her hand high over her head.
Could he hear her from that far away?
Pavel, wearing his helmet, turned his head.
He stopped and looked right at the spot where Sasha was waving.
Sasha didn’t notice, but at that moment, Pavel Volkov’s lips moved slightly.
And then, the procession sped up.
The horses raced forward at full speed, making Sasha’s eyes widen in surprise.
Soon—
Neigh!
The Black Wolf Knights stopped before Sasha, kicking up clouds of dust.
Pavel jumped down from his horse and strode straight toward her.
And then—
He hugged her tightly.
