At the foot of the snowy mountain, soldiers holding torches and Vika Lamberst were waiting for us.

Even before the carriage came into people’s sight, Vika had already heard its sound and knew the Duke was arriving.

Thus, before the Duke alighted from the carriage, he went out to greet the Duke and his lady.

Even Vika’s usually cold and sarcastic expression today had settled into a rather somber gloom.

“You have arrived, Madam.”

“You must have suffered greatly waiting for us in this cold place.”

“Please come this way. From here on, you must walk. The path is steep—I shall carry the young master up.”

Kian Blake, gazing slowly around the mountain as if the snowy peak he had returned to after so long felt utterly unfamiliar, spoke.

“No. I can climb myself.”

Kian wanted to walk on his own, but Sikar did not permit it, citing the treacherous mountain path.

Thus, Kian ascended the snowy mountain cradled in Vika’s arms, while Yura Blake climbed with Sikar’s support due to the slippery trail.

Vika did not set Kian down until they reached where Durion stood. Kian walked through deep, sinking snow toward the coffin beside Durion.

Inside the open coffin, Valije lay as if asleep.

Seeing his father’s face after such a long time, Kian walked forward in a daze, as though his soul had left his body.

Valije’s body had been found quite far from the hut where Kian had lived. Durion had pitched a temporary tent there and was preserving Valije’s remains.

Thanks to the cruel cold of the snowy mountain, Valije’s appearance was perfectly preserved, just as it had been in life.

Durion had placed snow from the mountain inside the coffin and laid Valije’s body to rest within it.

Only then did Kian realize this was the first time he had ever seen his father’s sleeping face.

His father, who always rose first, spent the entire day caring for his son, and only then sought rest.

The sight of Valije with his eyes closed felt utterly unfamiliar.

Kian walked to Valije’s resting body, knelt beside him, and gently touched his father’s face.

‘Father…’

Though his body was cold and emitted no warmth or breath, Kian still felt the love of a father who had tried until his last moment to protect him.

Before the body of the father who had endured hardship his entire life raising him on this snowy mountain, Kian began to sob uncontrollably.

Tears he had suppressed with all his strength until now burst forth like a flood.

His father, who in this mountain where chickens were hard to find, had gone to great lengths just because Kian liked them, often making him chicken soup.

His father, warm and tender, who built snowmen in the front yard for his lonely son, and hunted white rabbits and white squirrels from the snowy mountain for Kian.

Kian cried out loudly for his father.

“Father… Father…!”

Watching young Kian cry so desperately, Yura could not hold back her own tears.

Sikar gently patted Yura’s shoulder as she wept inconsolably.

Looking at Kian wailing before his father’s body, Sikar recalled his own childhood.

It seemed Kian was retracing the exact same path he himself had walked—too young and weak to protect his family.

Though he himself had become the monster Duke feared by all, he strongly resolved he did not want Kian to grow up the same way.

Sikar slowly approached and firmly pressed Kian’s shoulder. Yura also moved closer, took Kian’s hand, and wept with him.

Until Kian’s crying ceased, no one on the snowy mountain dared to lift their heads.

When Kian, exhausted from crying, finally fell asleep, Sikar carried him to the temporary tent, laid him down, and said to Yura,

“We must leave Valije’s body here for now. If we take it down from the snowy mountain, it will decay. Veronia must also see Valije, and if Kian seizes the throne, we should then move Valije to the royal palace. As a royal consort, he deserves to rest there.”

Yura sniffled, her eyes still damp, and replied,

“Let’s do that. I think so too. Kian will understand.”

“To avoid trouble if Gillian finds out, have Valije buried tonight. That way, when Kian wakes in the morning, he can say farewell at his father’s grave.”

“Thank you. I’ll ask them to do it.”

“So now, you should also get some rest. You haven’t slept a wink today.”

Yura was weary more in spirit than in body. Still, she had many questions.

“I also want to hear—how did you find Lord Valije’s body?”

“Alright. Let’s go together.”

After leaving the tent, Sikar first ordered the soldiers to bury the coffin containing Valije’s body beneath the snow. Watching this, Yura could not hide her heavy heart.

Burying a body in snow was easier than burying it underground, so the task was completed swiftly. Since the snow on the snowy mountain never melted, no one would easily find where Valije was buried.

After finishing, everyone entered the temporary tent where a warm brazier had been lit. Sikar, wishing to hear the full story, went not to the tent where Kian was, but to the one where Vika and Durion were.

“When did you find Valije’s body?”

Vika, warming his hands by the brazier, answered with indifferent eyes.

“I received word from the search party two days ago.”

“I see. Anything else unusual?”

Vika nudged Durion’s foot as if telling him to speak. Durion scratched the back of his head and said,

“Well… it seems the search party also found remnants of the deposed king’s faction.”

Sikar and Yura’s eyes flashed sharply.

Yura knew—from the original story—that years later, Sikar would wage war against the remnants of the deposed king who had driven his parents to their deaths.

But that time had come much earlier than in the original plot.

“Remnants of the deposed king…?”

“They say they found the chancellor, once the deposed king’s loyal servant. The chancellor is reportedly seeking the royal heir born to Princess Veronia, plotting rebellion. The scale is said to be considerable… We may need assistance from His Majesty King Gillian.”

Nonsense. Sikar cut Durion off sharply, his expression stern.

“We need no help from the king. The Blake family will deal with the chancellor.”

“But the size of their forces exceeds what you imagine, my lord.”

“Soldiers can always be increased—don’t trouble yourself with needless worries.”

In truth, Yura had already seen such things in her memories. According to the original plot, finding the chancellor would have happened years later, but clues from her memory had allowed them to find him sooner.

Since the chancellor’s army would only grow larger later, the sooner they struck, the better.

“Then, when do you plan to march?”

They could not delay—but they also could not leave immediately.

Though the king’s approval could be obtained after departure, Kian had only just found Valije’s body and had arrived from the Grand Temple less than a day ago. Sikar needed to remain at the Duke’s estate until Yura and Kian regained stability.

“We must prepare a little more before marching. For now, tending to our unsettled household comes first.”

Durion nodded in understanding.

“Understood. I shall follow your orders, my lord.”

“Vika. Go out and check for nightmare spirits—eliminate any you find.”

Vika, who had been slumped lazily on a cot, sat bolt upright as if startled.

“Again?”

“After what happened today, wouldn’t it be stranger if Kian and my wife didn’t have nightmares? Leave not a speck behind—eliminate them all.”

Of course, since Vika could sense the spirits’ presence, he could find them quickly—but searching for each one individually was grueling. Especially in this freezing snowy mountain, where feet sank deep into the snow—it would not be easy.

Vika sighed, but knew today’s situation left no room for refusal.

So she glared at poor Durion and said,

“Durion, you help too. Your sword can cut spirits, can’t it?”

Durion looked as if asking, “Must I really go with you?” But unable to ignore Vika’s scowling face, he sighed deeply and stood up to follow her.

Knowing Vika never left a task unfinished—and being a perfectionist who always completed what he undertook—Sikar felt reassured and returned with Yura to the tent where Kian was.

Yura knew Sikar would someday march to eliminate the chancellor, but the timing arriving so much earlier left her slightly flustered.

And of all times, it had to be now.

Sikar seemed to understand what Yura was thinking. So even before she asked, he spoke first.

“Thanks to seeing your memories, we were able to find the chancellor sooner.”

“I see… It’s just so sudden…”

In truth, since their marriage had been fake from the start, Yura had no right to object even if Sikar suddenly left like this. She didn’t know how to put her tangled emotions into words.

So she simply blurted out something she didn’t truly feel.

“That’s good. After all, the longer we wait, the more soldiers the chancellor will gather. Striking early was the right move.”

“Hearing you say that eases my heart considerably.”

She ought to understand. She shouldn’t feel resentful. Yet Yura still felt a pang of regret and sorrow.

If only she had known earlier, she could have prepared. The suddenness of his departure left her unable to hide her bewilderment.

‘But this, after all, is a matter of emotion I must resolve on my own.’

Yura reminded herself once more how important this matter was to Sikar.

“Since it’s so important to you, I’ll rest first today—my mind and body are utterly exhausted.”

Only after seeing Yura lie down beside Kian and fall asleep did Sikar himself lie down.

Though Yura was terribly tired today, when she lay down to sleep, slumber refused to come. Today felt like a week compressed into a single day—so much had happened.

Closing her weary eyelids, Yura wished for everything to proceed without incident.

Thanks to Vika eliminating the spirits, both Kian and Yura slept peacefully, undisturbed by nightmares.

The next day, Yura explained to Kian why Valije’s body had to remain buried in the snowy mountain for now.

“Kian. Do you remember my promise to find your birth mother?”

Kian nodded repeatedly without speaking.

“When we find your birth mother, she must also see Lord Valije Tahigon. And there is a separate place prepared where Lord Valije will ultimately rest. Of course, if you insist Valije cannot remain here, we’ll hold a proper funeral—but I’d like to keep him here until the right time comes. What do you think, Kian?”

Yura was the mother Kian trusted completely. The warmth radiating from her was an honesty no falsehood could mimic.

Kian nodded firmly, as if declaring absolute faith.

“Yes, Mother. I will follow your words.”

Yura was endlessly grateful for Kian, who listened to her and believed in her so faithfully.

They could not bring abundant provisions up the snowy mountain, so the only food available in the temporary tent was dried bread, dried meat, and soup—meals as simple as battlefield rations.

Feeling the hard bread would be difficult for Kian to eat, Yura soaked each piece in soup until it softened.

Thanks to this, Kian ate breakfast without any discomfort.

Sikar had left an untraceable mark near the tree where Valije was buried—now, only Sikar knew the location.

Only after finishing the meal and preparing to descend did Kian stand before Valije’s grave to bid his father farewell.

‘Father. I’ll come to see you again. And when I grow a little more, I’ll definitely come back to take you with me. Father, until then—even if you’re lonely, please take care of yourself. Father.’

Then Kian took candy he had prepared from his pocket and buried it in the snow.

‘Father. I’ve planted candy, so bad demons won’t be able to bother you. Rest peacefully. Father.’

Yura, composing herself behind Kian, burst into tears again as she watched him bury the candy in the snow.

She didn’t need Kian to explain—she understood why the child had buried candy in the snow.

It was the best a son could do, worried for his father left alone beneath the snow.

Watching Yura cry, Sikar felt a sharp ache in his chest.

Now that both Valije and the chancellor had been found, the search party would focus solely on finding Veronia.

Once Veronia was found and reunited with Kian, he would exact bloody vengeance. He would never forgive those who made Kian and Yura weep.

Sikar gritted his teeth and wiped away Yura’s tears.