The Long Winter Passes (3)
In the end, Seraphina had no choice but to accept Mark's terms.
In exchange for claiming victory in this duel, Mark altered the terms of their agreement. The outcome would no longer depend on his match with Rofel, but rather on a future duel between himself and Seraphina.
As for Seraphina, she was sworn to absolute secrecy regarding the duel and Mark's underhanded tricks. Only by accepting this condition was she able to obtain the Advanced Healing Potion and administer it to Rofel.
Fortunately, the potion proved highly effective, pulling Rofel back from the brink of death.
He was subsequently moved to the infirmary for intensive treatment, and his condition improved significantly.
However, the aftereffects were severe enough that he would remain bedridden for the foreseeable future.
Although it was an unavoidable choice to save Rofel's life, she felt deeply ashamed of her actions that day.
Had it been a mere verbal agreement, she would have long since spoken out and exposed Mark's foul deeds.
But the Oath of Silence she had taken to secure the potion bound her. Now and forever, Seraphina was forbidden from speaking the truth of what had transpired in the dueling arena.
If only I had been stronger, she thought. Could I not have taken the potion from Mark by force to save Rofel?
If she had, Rofel would have claimed the honor of a rightful victory over Mark, while Mark's insidious nature would have been laid bare, dragging his reputation into the abyss.
Or perhaps, from the very beginning, Rofel would never have had to challenge Mark to that perilous duel on her behalf.
Going back even further, perhaps her father would never have designated Mark as the successor in her stead.
All of this had happened because she was weak, because her talent was lacking.
The more she dwelled on it, the more a dark, suffocating guilt consumed her, whispering that everything was her fault.
It was at that moment, as her heart plummeted into a seemingly bottomless abyss of despair.
Suddenly, she felt a gentle warmth enveloping both of her hands.
It was a familiar touch—rough and calloused, yet strangely tender.
"...Seraphina, are you alright?"
Rofel, lying in the hospital bed, had reached out to hold the hand of the girl who had come to visit him.
Her expression looked so dark and melancholy that Rofel, despite being on the verge of falling asleep from the heavy medication prescribed for his recovery, could not bear to ignore it and spoke up.
"...Ah! I am quite well. It is only... that I have a few matters to ponder."
She realized she had inadvertently let her emotions show on her face.
Quickly regaining her composure, she masked her vulnerability, returning to her usual cold, commanding demeanor.
"Are you sure you're okay? You have to duel Mark in a week or so, at the earliest. You shouldn't push yourself too hard."
"I don't know what that bastard Mark was thinking, but it's a second chance nonetheless."
"You shouldn't ruin your condition before it even begins."
"Haha... I appreciate your concern, but it is not as you think. I am fine..."
"I'm saying this because you don't look fine at all."
"Your eyes look completely hollow."
"...Ah! I know."
Rofel pulled back the blanket covering him, gesturing toward the empty space beside him.
"Why don't you get in?"
"...! W-What...!"
"Why? You look exhausted, so I thought you might want to lie down for a bit."
"I'd offer you the whole bed if I could, but my body is still a mess."
"And I'm starting to feel tired too..."
"...Did I say something strange?"
"N-No... It is not that, but..."
Seraphina's crimson eyes took in Rofel's current appearance.
Due to the severe aftereffects of his injuries, he had been confined to this bed for quite some time.
As a result, his only means of washing was weakly wiping himself down with a damp towel.
The space beneath the blanket where he had spent so many hours was naturally saturated with his warmth and scent.
Perhaps because he had sweated while lying there, his skin was faintly visible through his thin white shirt.
On top of that, the way he pulled back the blanket, inviting her into his embrace, felt almost tantalizing.
*Gulp.*
?!
Seraphina was instantly horrified by her own reaction.
Not only had she stared with heated eyes at the man who had risked his life for her—a wounded patient, no less—but she had also, for some inexplicable reason, swallowed hard.
She had suspected it before, but lately, whenever she was around this man, she found herself behaving in ways that were completely unlike her.
In the first place, her foul mood was not due to simple fatigue, but rather the shame of her recent disgraceful actions.
There was absolutely no reason for someone in her position to share a bed with Rofel, let alone lie right beside him.
Besides, the only reason he was suggesting this was likely because the medication was making him drowsy and incoherent.
Reason dictated that she politely decline.
That was undoubtedly what she should do.
"Then, I shall intrude."
!?!?!?
The moment the words left her mouth, she shocked herself once again.
She had fully intended to thank him for his kindness but decline, so how had those words slipped out?
Still, it was not too late.
She had to quickly correct her slip of the tongue—
*Squeeze.*
By the time she snapped back to reality, she was already beneath Rofel's blanket, held tightly in his embrace.
Seraphina had crawled under the covers of her own accord, and Rofel, on the verge of drifting off, had naturally welcomed her into his arms.
Realizing what she had done, she nearly panicked and bolted out of the bed, but the cozy warmth enveloping her body instantly soothed her.
It was not the mere insulation of the blanket, but the unmistakable heat radiating from his body.
Through the thin fabric of his shirt, she could feel the solid, well-toned contours of his physique, forged through relentless training.
At the same time, his scent drifted to her nose, which was practically brushed against his neck. Far from being unpleasant, it felt strangely, intoxicatingly sweet.
"See? It's comfortable, right? Just... take a good rest like this... and clear your head... it'll be... good..."
With those final, slurred words, the medication finally pulled Rofel under, and he fell fast asleep.
Even in his sleep, he kept his arm draped gently over her back, holding her close as if she were a precious doll.
...He was right.
She did not know why, and she loathed to admit it, but just like before, being held in his arms brought an overwhelming sense of peace to both her body and mind, despite the simplicity of the act.
Perhaps it was because she felt something in him... a sense of paternal warmth that she had never truly experienced since childhood.
Looking back, ever since she had taken up the sword under the Serion name, she believed she had discarded all superfluous emotions unrelated to swordsmanship.
Her father had always been strict and cold, but he had once shown affection for his family in his own way.
However, after the tragic accident that took her eldest brother, Richar Serion, he had hardened into the unyielding man he was today.
Under his influence, the warmth that typically bound a family together gradually vanished from the Serion household, ultimately earning Seraphina Serion the moniker of the 'Cold Rose'.
She bore no resentment or dissatisfaction regarding this.
From the moment she shouldered the prestigious name of Serion, she had fully anticipated such a way of life.
Of course, no matter how much she rationalized it to herself, she could not deny the persistent emptiness lingering deep within her.
Yet, that very void was now being filled by this man, whom she had not even known for very long.
Whenever she spoke with him and looked into his eyes, a soft, ticklish sensation bloomed deep inside her chest.
Even during their special training and duels, she had not fully recognized this shift in her emotions.
She had dismissed the way her eyes traced his physique and the sudden racing of her heart as mere physical exertion from their training.
But now, she was forced to realize that this feeling was anything but ordinary. It was something truly special.
Especially when she recalled how he had fought with everything he had against Mark solely for her sake, she felt an indescribable, dizzying rush of euphoria.
Though she wondered about the true nature of this emotion, she did not yet have the courage to face it directly.
For now, she simply wanted to surrender herself to the warmth enveloping her entire body.
Only now did she feel truly alive, her lungs breathing and her heart beating.
She even found herself wishing she could stay like this with him forever.
Yes, just like this, indefinitely...
...
...
Slam! Bang!
"Rofel, are you okay after getting hurt by Mark? I was worried, so I brought some extra blankets and clothes. How are you feeli—?"
"Rofel! M-My homemade potion will definitely be way... way better than whatever medicine they have in the infirmary! It's still an experimental batch, but the one I brought today is actually quite...?"
Lilit and Elisio burst into Rofel's room with excited faces.
Having run into each other on the way, the two were slightly out of breath, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.
But the sight that met their eyes instantly struck them dumb.
Sharing the same bed and tucked under the very same blanket as the sleeping Rofel was a single woman—Seraphina Serion.
In an instant, the icy, piercing glares of the two girls fell heavily upon her.