The End of Winter Is... (2)
"Have you made up your mind?"
"...Yes, I have."
Evangeline had only one demand for the Hero.
That he become her husband.
While one reason was that she found him appealing, the biggest reason was her desire for the seed of a strong man.
What kind of child would be born between her, who had unified the North, and the veteran Hero who had slaughtered demons?
She couldn't contain her anticipation and giggled for a long time.
"I've waited for a year already. How I've longed for you to stand by my side..."
"...Is that so?"
"If you and I are together, and simultaneously, the children born between us are together, then unifying this continent, which is in chaos, wouldn't be impossible."
Unifying the continent. What a beautiful resonance that held.
The chance to accomplish what all her ancestors had failed to do, in her own generation.
Demons and the Demon King were beings she wouldn't feel satisfied even if she tore them to shreds, but for now, she felt she could accept it cheerfully.
Because now, with internal strife erupting in the kingdom that was their greatest enemy, was the perfect time.
"Now, are you ready to become a Trisraum?"
A hand, imbued with the chill of the North, brushed the Hero's cheek.
There was no seduction in that touch, yet it held something more sensual than any other woman's.
You can have the world.
I, and you—no, we.
We can become the masters of the world.
"It doesn't look good to propose again to someone who has already rejected my advances, but that's how much I want you."
The love of the North was a love of plunder.
If they wanted something, they took it by force.
But the Hero was the only thing Evangeline couldn't take by force.
Perhaps that was why.
Her love for what she couldn't reach, what she couldn't possess, grew ever stronger.
They said absence makes the heart grow fonder, but in her case, it was the opposite.
The conqueror's bloodline, passed down through generations, only intensified her longing for what was distant.
First, the unification of the North.
Then, the ambition for continental unification.
And after that, even the Hero.
"Hurry and become mine, Asteria."
Become mine, and let us make the world ours.
Her lips, stained a vivid red, glistened with desire.
Now, there was no turning back.
***
"Do demons feel betrayed too?"
"I don't know what you're suddenly talking about."
At the guard's words, I tilted my head.
Isn't betrayal an emotion that all sentient beings can feel?
It was quite a sudden remark, but it wasn't the first or second time he had spoken to me like this, so I wasn't surprised.
"I heard you have a close relationship with Hero-nim."
It was an absurd statement.
Me, close with the Hero?
Well, yes, we are close.
To the extent that he carried the Demon King, who had been stabbed by a sword, and stubbornly knocked on the North's gates—of course, we're close.
"I heard Hero-nim and the Queen are getting married."
"...Is that so?"
Did I expect it?
My head throbbed, and I pressed my forehead.
I had kept it as one of the possibilities.
The Queen of the North, a woman named Evangeline von Trisraum, was that kind of woman.
Perhaps, as a price for my release, she accepted the marriage the Queen proposed.
"That has nothing to do with me."
Their marriage wouldn't change anything special.
If anything changed, it would be my escape from this frozen underground dungeon.
...Yes, just that much.
"..."
It should be just that much, so why?
"Demon King-nim..."
"How foolish. It should be normal not to expect anything. It should be normal not to feel anything, so why? Why, why on earth..."
It was just obsession, wasn't it?
It wasn't love, was it?
It was just a kind of mental illness, making me think the person who ruined me was special.
But, but why, on earth?
"...Arthur."
You said you loved me.
Was even that a lie?
Haha, I burst out laughing.
No, no.
I'm not laughing because of betrayal.
I'm just laughing because I'm happy.
Finally, I can get rid of that foolish guy.
Half the world is men, so making a child is something I can do anytime.
Still. Still!
"Arthur, Arthur, Arthur... why?"
You could have rejected that woman anytime.
You could have rejected her and pulled me out of this dark, cold place where I'm trapped.
But why did you make that choice?
I wanted to cover my face, but my right arm still wouldn't obey.
In the end, I barely managed to cover half of it, and sobbed uncontrollably on the right side.
"The Hero was bad. I really should have spanked his bottom when I first saw him."
Hallibel stroked my back.
Naturally, I felt nothing at all.
The prison was filled with my cries, but the guard didn't speak to me.
Was he being considerate, or ignoring me?
Either way, it didn't matter anymore.
"Rin..."
I wanted to see the child.
I desperately wanted to see the child.
In the end, that child was the only one who could stay by my side, so why did I make such a foolish mistake?
The chill clinging to my body stung.
Each cell felt as if it were freezing from the cold breath rising up my throat.
'Will I be okay if I just sleep it off?'
It was always like that.
When I wake up, it'll all be a dream.
When I wake up, I'll be okay.
It was all just futile delusion, but foolish me reached out to that faint possibility once again.
When tomorrow comes, what will become of me?
Perhaps, it might be better if I never woke up.
***
How long had I slept?
I tried to wave my frozen arm, which wouldn't move properly, but it still wouldn't obey.
Why did I wake up?
I was sure I would slowly die in the cold.
"...Ah."
The cloak draped over my body carried his scent.
As I opened my eyes past the furry fabric tickling my cheek, his familiar face filled my vision.
You're such a fool, truly.
"Ariel."
"...Mm."
Was what I was seeing real, or a lie?
I wished it were a lie.
If this was the truth, how much more miserable would I have to become?
"I heard you're marrying the Queen."
My voice was terribly cracked and hoarse, but the meaning was clearly conveyed.
I barely managed to sit up as his hand reached out to me.
I knew best that the words I was uttering now were nothing more than childish complaints.
I should have been satisfied with just being pulled out of this damned place, but I wanted more.
"Am I not loved anymore? Just because I don't love you?"
It was like a child's tantrum.
Such childish jealousy, wanting the other person to love me even though I didn't love them.
But if you didn't want me to say such things, you shouldn't have whispered words of love to me.
Because the word 'love' allowed too many things to simply be overlooked.
"Let's go out for now."
"I don't want to."
I weakly pushed away the Hero's hand.
It was a feeble resistance, not even a drop in the ocean compared to his strength, but he obediently let go of my arm.
Was he giving up on me now?
Or was he just being considerate?
Neither pleased me.
For no particular reason, the very existence of the Hero before me began to seem hateful.
"Why didn't you just let me die? You could have married that woman and lived happily ever after, couldn't you?!"
"..."
"If that's the case, you should have died with me! No, you should have killed me!"
I looked utterly ridiculous.
A body that felt like it would die any moment, and a mind that would crumble instantly.
Nothing was intact.
Body, heart, mind—how much more broken did I have to be for this damned life to end?
"I'll take you by force."
"By what right do you—Hmph?!"
I was forcibly lifted into his arms.
I tried to beat his shoulders to get him to let go, but my right arm wouldn't move.
No matter how hard I struggled, it was impossible to escape the Hero's embrace.
And so, held by the Hero, I left the prison.
Passing through the underground and ascending to the surface, warmer air seeped into my skin than below.
"...Look, your hands and feet are completely frozen."
In the faintly warm room, the Hero murmured.
His eyes, gazing at my bluish skin, were filled with sorrow.
"Don't concern yourself."
When I wiggled my finger, it stung as if it had been scraped by sandpaper.
As my frozen nerves melted in the surrounding warmth, the numb sensations returned to me as pain.
I hate being in pain.
I trembled, not just from the pain in my hands and feet, but from the agony throughout my entire body.
'It was better when I was frozen.'
I glared at my unmoving toes, tears welling up, and the Hero brought my hand to his front.
He brought my hand to his front, and then kissed it.
I stared blankly at his lips as they met mine and then parted.
First, the back of my hand.
Then, my arm.
After that, my neck.
My collarbone.
My waist.
My knee.
My shin.
My ankle.
"St-stop, stop it..."
Where the Hero's lips had touched, it burned as if scalded.
My cold, frozen body began to ravenously devour the warmth he emitted.
Finally, as he kissed the top of my foot and my sole, my firmly frozen toes began to wiggle.
Madman.
He's a real madman.
I gasped for breath, about to shout, when I suddenly realized there was a place that hadn't completely thawed.
It was an unconscious action.
I reached out my arm, grabbed Arthur's collar, and pulled him closer.
His green eyes, suddenly close, widened.
And then—
"..."
"..."
—our lips met, and our breaths mingled.
Feeling my heart melt, I curved the corners of my eyes.
It seemed I really was crazy.