Chapter 24

Damian had always feared that Estelle might not think of him as her father and come to despise the family she had lost. Even now, though she had called him Dad, he watched Estelle standing far away while holding that fear in his heart.

A soft laugh sounded beside him.

“…It feels like you and my lady are mutually pining for each other.”

“…?”

When Damian looked over, Reina was smiling at him.

“It was my Star’s Birthday gift to my lady. It’s a little late, though.”

“…”

“Reina! Look at this!”

Just as Damian was about to speak, Estelle called out to her. Reina immediately bowed to Damian and headed toward where Estelle and Bonita were.

“Star’s Birthday gift…”

Damian lifted his head as if to murmur words meant for no one else.

White snowflakes drifted down like flower petals. When he stretched out his arm, the flakes melted instantly upon touching his hand.

Then Estelle’s excited voice rang out from over there.

“Really? If a lot of snow piles up, can we make a house too?”

“Of course. It won’t be as big as this estate, but it should be big enough for you and Boni to fit inside.”

“Wow… I hope it snows a lot.”

It was a scene of peace Damian had never once been granted in his life.

“…How strange.”

That snow, which melted the moment it touched warmth, could soon blanket the entire world in white. In that moment, it was impossible to predict.

* * *

Once Star’s Birthday passed, harsh cold followed.

People all over the world believed it was because Bendicion had lost the child and fallen into sorrow.

Still, the cold wasn’t all bad. When pure white snow fell heavily, children were happier than ever.

Watching them run around in the snow brought a gentle spring into the hearts of adults who had just finished preparing for winter.

“It’s snowing so much~.”

Bonita was one of the children delighted by the snowfall.

She dragged a chair close to the window, pressed herself against the glass, and gazed in fascination as large snowflakes fell.

Back when they lived in a shabby house where cold wind whistled through, she used to do the same whenever it snowed. Back then, Bonita had said she wished all the snow falling from the sky were sugar.

‘The reason was cute.’

She said she’d scrape it all up and become rich. It was an adorably sweet thought.

If the whole world were covered in sugar, sugar would be worthless, but Bonita probably hadn’t thought that far.

As Reina smiled fondly, recalling those peaceful days, Bonita muttered.

“I wish everything falling from the sky was flour.”

“Not sugar?”

“Nope.”

Bonita hopped down from the chair and shook her head vigorously.

“You can’t make bread with sugar!”

“Ah.”

“But you can make bread with flour.”

“That’s true. Mom didn’t think that far. Our Boni is so smart.”

When Reina praised her, Bonita’s lips curved up proudly.

“Then should we eat lots of bread for lunch today? If we tell the head chef ahead of time, we can have freshly baked bread.”

“Is that okay?”

“Of course. You know how much the head chef likes you.”

Whether it was the thought of bread or the piles of snow, Bonita was visibly excited. Reina bundled her tightly into her coat.

The expensive coat was thick yet surprisingly light, perfect for getting through winter.

She also slipped a pair of light purple mittens into Bonita’s hands, matching the coat.

“Look, Mom. They’re snowman mittens.”

“Snowman mittens?”

“Yeah. The snowman I saw on the street two years ago was wearing these.”

Reina searched her memory, but no matter how hard she tried, nothing came to mind.

Adults always said children saw and remembered things grownups missed. Reina came to a single conclusion.

‘Boni really is a genius.’

How could her child grow up so smart and upright, even in such circumstances.

Yet as a guardian watching her capable child, Reina’s heart ached. She wondered if she was truly someone her small child could rely on.

Bonita’s startled reaction on Star’s Birthday came to mind. Reina knew the reason. Bonita hadn’t yet overcome the trauma of the kidnapping.

Reina watched Bonita opening and closing her hands with a bright smile, feeling sorry for her.

‘She’s only eight…’

Reina couldn’t ask why Bonita had run off.

She feared it would make the child relive that day. Even adults were deeply hurt when old wounds were reopened, so what about a child.

At times like this, all she could do was naturally and gently…

‘Find out what’s in her heart through play and conversation.’

Even without any embellishment, Bonita was a smart child. She surely understood, at least roughly, what situation she’d been in that day. So Reina just needed to guide her answers carefully.

And today, by chance, was the perfect time to talk while playing.

“Really? If a lot of snow piles up, can we make a house too?”

“Of course. It won’t be as big as this estate, but it should be big enough for you and Boni to fit inside.”

When the first snow had fallen, Reina and the children had talked about snow houses. It had been a conversation among just the three of them, yet somehow the promise spread through the entire estate. Countless knights had reportedly made bets just to join Estelle’s snow house project.

‘Apparently it happened at dawn.’

Reina had slept soundly through all that.

She’d been shocked when Peter came by in the morning looking oddly haggard and told her about it.

The first place winner had even been Damian Winternight, the master of this estate and lord of the land.

“He was her father to begin with, so he didn’t even need to join the game.”

Reina concluded he probably hadn’t thought that far.

For some reason, Damian failed to recognize himself as Estelle’s father and guardian.

He acted as if he’d give her everything, yet froze in shock whenever the child showed even the smallest affection.

Reina took Bonita’s small hand and led her out of the room, then made sure to gather Estelle as well.

Today, Estelle had changed with the help of another maid, Sofia, rather than Reina.

Bonita’s coat was deep purple, while Estelle’s was pale yellow.

Like Bonita, Estelle wore matching mittens in pale yellow.

“They’re complementary colors…”

“What’s complementary colors, Mom?”

“What’s complementary colors, Reina?”

At Reina’s muttered words, the two small children hurried over and asked together.

Looking at their round, curious eyes, Reina answered gently.

“Complementary colors are colors that are completely different from each other.”

“Is yellow totally different from purple?”

“Yes. They’re opposites.”

Estelle frowned slightly, clearly displeased, and glanced back and forth between her clothes and Bonita’s.

“Boni, want to switch mittens with me?”

“Me? Um… yes, okay.”

Though puzzled by Estelle’s sudden suggestion, Bonita nodded obediently.

Soon, Bonita wore pale yellow mittens with her dark purple coat, and Estelle wore dark purple mittens with her pale yellow coat.

“Look. Now don’t they look totally different?”

“…”

Reina struggled to hold back a smile at Estelle’s bright expression.

The other adults nearby did the same. The child had seriously thought it through and reached her own conclusion.

“They do!”

Bonita didn’t deny it and smiled brightly.

Seeing both children smile the same way was both adorable and funny, making the adults suppress their laughter even harder.

As the two children stepped outside holding hands, a group of burly men could be seen gathered in the distance.

‘Wow, I really don’t want to go over there…’

If they’d been strangers, it would have looked downright intimidating.

Among them, Damian stood out the most.

He was dressed entirely in black, matching his hair. One object stood out vividly in his hands. A shovel.

Not a rusty shovel Reina was used to seeing, but a sleek one. It looked less like something for clearing snow and more like something meant to bury a person.

Or rather, it was Damian’s serious expression as he held the shovel that made it look that way.

“Reina?”

When Reina stopped, lost in thought, Estelle looked up at her.

“Oh, sorry.”

Reina slowly moved forward again.

Crunch, crunch. Their three sets of footprints joined the many already pressed into the snow. The snow was so deep their feet sank with every step.

Crunch, crunch.

Thump, thump.

As the sound of trudging through snow reached them, the massive men turned their heads all at once.

“Oh, h-hello?”

Reina smiled awkwardly as countless eyes fixed on her.

The knights, who had looked as if they were facing some great beast, hurried toward Reina, Estelle, and Bonita.

“We’re sorry we didn’t clear the snow!”

“We thought my lady would be happy to see the snow piled up. If it was hard to walk, we should’ve cleared it!”

“What are you doing. Third squad. Clear the snow, now!”

“…What?”

Reina wished they’d speak one at a time, but it was futile.

Everyone shouted and fussed, then started shoveling away the snow in front of the three of them.

The funny thing was that their pace, while shoveling, was faster than the three walking.

“…Wow.”

“…Woooow.”

Estelle exclaimed in amazement, while Bonita gazed at the knights with sparkling eyes.

Reina couldn’t understand why Bonita looked so impressed.

Damian spoke calmly to Estelle.

“Estelle, you may make it as big as you want. Big enough to fill this land.”

“…Can we?”

“Of course. Anything you want is possible.”

‘Is it really possible…?’

Reina glanced around the vast garden. No matter how inhumanly strong the Duke and his knights were, could they really build such a snow house in a single day.

She tilted her head.

Bonita and Estelle copied her, tilting their heads as well.