Thanks to Sikar’s drive, we truly arrived at the snowy mountain the next day.

The snowy mountain remained unchanged from before. A place entirely filled with pure white snow. From afar, it looked like a beautiful spectacle, yet endlessly desolate.

Staring blankly at that lonely mountain—where one’s eyes might inexplicably well up with tears—Veronia stood alone, guarding Valije’s grave.

Meeting Veronia, Kian’s birth mother and a princess, naturally made me nervous.

What did Veronia like again? I couldn’t recall anything no matter how hard I thought, so I loaded the baggage cart full of food and brought it along.

Perhaps noticing how tense I was again, Sikar handed me a pill before we met Veronia.

“Take it. It’ll help.”

Having been tricked once, I didn’t trust any medicine Sikar offered. Probably fake again.

“Hmm.”

So I politely gestured and declined the pill Sikar offered.

“It’s fine. It’s just meeting someone. You’re supposed to feel some nerves when meeting people. And this isn’t unpleasant tension—just a little awkward.”

Sikar smiled, tossed the pill up, and caught it again.

“Good thinking.”

At that moment, an arrow suddenly flew toward Kian, and Sikar swiftly struck it down with his sword.

A mother shooting an arrow at her own child. It might seem strange, but knowing how Veronia was raised, I wasn’t surprised.

Still, Kian looked a bit bewildered by such a vigorous greeting. So I explained to him that for Veronia, this was a form of greeting.

Kian nodded understandingly.

“Not exactly a refined greeting.”

True enough.

Veronia trudged through the snowfield toward us.

“Welcome.”

Smiling as she walked out, Veronia wore a thick cloak. Even alone on the snowy mountain, her dignified presence was so breathtakingly beautiful it inspired admiration.

No, it wasn’t just beauty. Veronia… was incredibly impressive. Like a white version of Vika Lamberst. And she was so tall—she truly looked like the protagonist’s mother.

Veronia recognized me at a glance.

“So you’re the Duchess. Thanks to you, the King grew up loved and well.”

“I’m honored.”

“It’s cold—everyone come inside.”

After paying our respects to Valije, we entered the shelter Sikar had built.

Inside the rock cave, aside from being surrounded by stone walls, everything was ordinary.

As soon as we sat down, Sikar immediately got to the point.

“To be honest, we came to see you today, Princess, because we have a request.”

“What could you possibly ask me for?”

“We humbly request that you use your influence to allow us to reside in the palace.”

Veronia glanced at Kian, then looked at us.

“You want to enter the royal palace? Just because you saved me, do you now wish to act like royalty?”

Since thinking that way wasn’t strange at all, I glanced at Sikar.

Sikar stared at Veronia with an indifferent expression. As Sikar was about to speak, Kian grabbed his hand.

Kian didn’t pass the answer to us—he boldly looked at Veronia and stated what he wanted.

“It’s my idea. Since I’ve suddenly been separated from my parents, I want to live together with them in the palace. I ask for your permission, Princess.”

Veronia didn’t answer immediately. She stared silently at Kian for a while, then looked at us and said,

“You’ve raised the King with such overflowing affection. I’m curious about your motives for adopting him.”

Sikar didn’t make excuses. He revealed that he adopted Kian to break his own curse. I worried Kian might be disappointed upon learning this, but surprisingly, Kian seemed unfazed.

Veronia studied Kian intently.

“You look like you already knew.”

“Yes. I knew.”

So he knew everything all along, yet still treated me well? I was surprised, but Sikar wasn’t particularly shocked.

“Didn’t you think we adopted you knowing you were royal?”

“Even if you adopted me knowing I was royal, it doesn’t matter. You still risked so much and staked your life for me.”

Veronia might feel a bit slighted. Or maybe not?

Unfortunately, Veronia’s expression hardened, forcing me to watch her reactions carefully.

But Veronia, who had been silently watching us, quickly smiled.

“I feel slighted, but at the same time, I’m also relieved.”

After saying that briefly, Veronia immediately began scribbling something—a formal document permitting our entry into the palace.

“Show this to the nobles.”

Sikar calmly accepted the document and thanked Veronia, and I joined him in expressing gratitude.

Kian also offered a calm greeting. That bothered me a little.

He was treating Princess Veronia too distantly, like a stranger.

So before leaving the room, I wanted to give Kian and Veronia time to say a proper farewell as mother and son.

After Sikar and Kian both left the room, I—alone with Veronia—made one more request.

“Your Highness. I have one more favor to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“When I first met His Majesty, he was starving and unconscious from the cold.”

Veronia’s eyebrows twitched slightly—perhaps she hadn’t realized Kian had suffered so much.

“When I adopted His Majesty, I promised to find his birth mother. He longed deeply for a mother’s embrace. What His Majesty needs isn’t a mother who will make him king—but a mother who will show love and hold him.”

I knew I was being presumptuous. Veronia, too, looked uncomfortable, as if she thought the same.

“So what do you want from me?”

“Just embrace His Highness once.”

Her widened eyes revealed just how shocked she was.

Holding a fully grown ten-year-old boy—not even a toddler—was unthinkable in the royal court.

Veronia turned her head away as if avoiding my request.

“That’s your opinion. Your heart is admirable, but I can’t treat the King like a child.”

“His Majesty has grown up normally in a noble house, not the palace. For a long time, he lived as an ordinary mountain child on this lonely snowy mountain. Even when he came to us—though we were adoptive parents—he grew up as a beloved young lord.”

“We nearly spoiled him rotten, then.”

“I beg you. Say a proper farewell as parent and child. If you truly love His Majesty, just embrace him once. It will ease your heart, too, Your Highness.”

Lost in thought, Veronia glanced once at Valije’s portrait, then nodded.

“Send him in.”

I’d been nervously wondering if she’d refuse, so her positive answer truly encouraged me.

I wanted to jump for joy but held myself back, stepped outside, and told Kian to go in.

“Just me?”

“Yes. You must say farewell to Her Highness.”

Judging by Kian’s face, he was clearly reluctant.

“Of course it’ll be awkward. But if you don’t properly say goodbye now, it’ll be even more awkward later.”

Kian looked at Sikar as if seeking confirmation, and Sikar nodded.

Kian glanced at me once, then went inside.

“I wonder what they’ll talk about.”

“I’m curious too. Later, can’t you peek into Kian’s memories and tell me…?”

“You’ve forgotten I can’t see royal memories.”

‘Ah. Right.’

As if remembering something, Sikar tightly grasped my hand, opened the door to the storage room right beside Veronia’s chamber, and stepped inside.

“We’ll hear clearly from here.”

Without hesitation, we both pressed our ears against the storage room wall.

Kian stood awkwardly, not even looking at Veronia’s face, as if unsure where to look.

“You called for me?”

“Sadly, this year has already passed your father’s death anniversary. Did you come here on that day?”

“Yes. Mother brought me here faithfully every year.”

“I see. Do you plan to come every anniversary from now on?”

“Of course I do.”

“Good. No matter how busy you are, come……”

An awkward silence fell between them after those words. Veronia broke the silence she’d maintained for a while.

“Your appearance resembles mine, but your personality is just like your father’s.”

At the mention of Valije, Kian’s eyes widened with curiosity.

Veronia smiled sadly as she reminisced about Valije.

“Your father… was always brutally honest, no matter who he spoke to. To me, who’d only lived in that suffocating palace, he was an incredibly admirable man.”

“If palace life was so suffocating, why didn’t you give me any choice?”

“I was in a position where I had no choice—but you’re different.”

Kian looked at Veronia as if asking what she meant.

“Back then, I didn’t have the power you have now. I always had to watch the elders of the royal family. But you won’t need to watch anyone’s reactions. You can now establish absolute monarchy.”

“Is that for me? Or to protect the Recador dynasty…?”

“Both. I had to flee immediately after giving birth to you. If you refuse to become king and another dynasty rises, you might end up like me—abandoning your child and becoming a fugitive. So, for your sake and for our dynasty’s sake, you must secure the throne. Don’t let your father’s sacrifice to save you go to waste.”

Kian finally seemed to understand why everyone had made such sacrifices to place him on the throne.

“You might feel slighted, but I only gave birth to you—I didn’t raise you. So I still don’t fully grasp what maternal love is. But you are royal. You cannot afford to let your heart weaken over mere maternal affection.”

“I understand. I’m still awkward too.”

Veronia felt just as awkward, but she thought—as Yura had said—she needed to break through this awkwardness.

Veronia opened her arms first.

“Still, let’s embrace once.”

Though surprised, Kian soon smiled and tightly embraced Veronia, who had opened her arms.

We stopped listening there and simultaneously pulled away from the wall, stepping outside.

I couldn’t hide my joy—I covered my mouth with both hands.

“Do you think they hugged?”

“Hmm.”

“They must have, right?”

“Probably. Let’s hug too.”

“Huh?”

“If you love someone, just embrace them once.”

That was exactly what I’d just said to Veronia. He’s teasing me.

“Wasn’t that a good line? ‘If you love someone, embrace them once.’”

Smiling, Sikar tried to pull me into a hug. So I nimbly dodged and instead hugged Kian, who was just stepping out.

“Did you say your farewell well?”

“Yes. Mother.”

Kian’s expression looked much lighter than when we arrived here.

Side by side, the three of us walked back down the path we’d come. Six clear footprints remained on the snow we’d passed over.

Though the snowy mountain was still cold after our long absence, the return journey didn’t weigh heavy on my heart like before. Next time we come here, I’m sure my heart will feel even lighter.

On the way, I casually asked Kian,

“By the way, since when did you know why we adopted His Majesty?”

Kian shot Sikar a glare, then tightly gripped my hand and said,

“How could I not know, watching Father—who’s usually so aloof—become docile whenever I melt his frost?”

That made sense.

Sikar looked as if wondering what was so funny, but Kian and I burst into laughter, vividly remembering that moment.

“Right. That’s how it was.”

“Yes. Mother.”

Even amid our laughter, Sikar didn’t blush or change expression at all.

“Consistent inside and out. Heh heh.”

Though we clicked our tongues at his unyielding dignity, we obediently followed behind Sikar, who walked ahead and cleared the path for us.