* * *
“You’re asking if I met you back then?”
Isa repeated the question, looking puzzled.
His round silver eyes wavered slightly.
It seemed he couldn’t understand why Kaindel was bringing this up the moment they reunited after so long.
His expression, filled with doubt, seemed to ask, ‘Why are you suddenly curious about that?’
“…Just because.”
Kaindel trailed off, shifting his gaze.
Winter had arrived, erasing all traces of summer and covering the world in its cold embrace.
Though the snowfall hadn’t been heavy yet, patches of pale, translucent snow had begun to gather in the open fields.
But it wasn’t just the sight that signaled the season’s arrival—the crisp air, chilling his lungs as he inhaled, unmistakably belonged to winter.
The season when he and Isa had become lovers had returned once more.
All this time, he had never once doubted it.
So Isa’s question—why he was suddenly asking now—was completely valid.
Why now, after all this time?
“…Just in case.”
“……”
“The person I met back then said the exact same thing as you.”
It was a sense of déjà vu.
When Isa had spoken those words, the same ones that the man Kaindel had once called a “fairy” had said…
When he had smiled so tenderly at the child, a smile that didn’t feel unfamiliar…
A fragment of thought had struck him, like a spark igniting in his mind.
“I’ve thought about it sometimes.”
“Thought about what?”
“Why I still haven’t been able to find him.”
Kaindel let out a quiet breath.
“I mean, I wasn’t exactly relentless in my search, but… Could it really be that difficult to find a man who speaks the Hadelber Kingdom’s language, someone with such a distinct appearance…?”
“Yeah.”
Eventually, he had given up.
Isa had been by his side, and there was no room in his life for anyone else.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see the man again.
If they ever met, he had so many questions—why he had done what he did, who he really was.
But the man would probably avoid answering, just like before.
He had never been used to talking about himself.
Even if he failed to learn more, Kaindel had always wanted to see him just once more.
Because of that man, the wretched garden party had been bearable.
Because of that man, his suffocating childhood had been given a fleeting moment of light.
He was the only patch of white in a sea of blackened memories.
“…But now, I’m starting to think differently.”
“What do you mean?”
“What if he was already by my side all along? And I was just searching in the wrong place?”
They said the Seriel Lake was home to a beast that could rewind or fast-forward time for those who fell into it.
And there were stories—people who had disappeared for years, only to reappear decades later looking exactly the same.
There was a flaw in this theory, though.
Back then, both he and Isa had been far from where the Seriel Lake was rumored to be.
If Isa had truly fallen into that lake, he would have had to travel an impossible distance.
And that was unlikely—he hadn’t even known how to ride a horse.
It didn’t make sense.
“…Kaindel.”
“I know it might not be true.”
“……”
“That’s why I’m just asking, Isa. Answer however you want.”
But if Isa was that person, then what was he supposed to do?
Kaindel forced a smile, suppressing the rotting, gnawing feeling inside him.
If Isa really was the one he had been searching for all this time…
If he really was that person…
Then what had Kaindel done to him?
A nauseating realization surged up his throat.
A bitter, quiet self-loathing churned within him.
Isa, perhaps noticing his pale complexion, looked up at him, his gaze lingering as if assIsang his condition.
It was the same delicate look he had given the child before.
Kaindel also noticed Isa’s fingers, twitching slightly as if hesitating to reach out.
After a long silence, Isa finally spoke.
His voice was steady, not a hint of hesitation or distress.
If anything, he sounded so eerily calm that it was almost frightening.
“Kaindel, does it matter?”
“…What?”
“Whether I’m that ‘fairy’ or not, does it really change anything between us?”
Isa’s voice was casual, but his crescent-moon smile held something else—something too familiar.
Resignation.
“It’s all in the past, Kaindel.”
“……”
And in that moment, Kaindel understood.
Even without a clear confirmation, he knew.
“…Yeah.”
“Mhmm. More importantly, let’s talk about us right now. Was the trip tiring? When did you get here?”
“The trip wasn’t too bad. But wrapping up things in the capital was a bit overwhelming. I arrived in Luther about… forty minutes ago, I think.”
“That early? You made good time.”
“Why? Do you not like that?”
“No, I don’t mind.”
Kaindel realized it now.
That Isa was the fairy.
That, by some cruel trick of fate, Isa had fallen into the Seriel Lake.
And that, despite everything, Kaindel had treated him horribly—then begged for forgiveness, without even realizing the truth.
“Let’s go. The kids are probably waiting.”
“…Yeah.”
Kaindel forced a smile. He pulled at the corners of his lips, willing himself to look composed.
Even as his stomach churned.
Even as disgust crept up his spine.
Even as helplessness weighed down on him like an invisible force, pressing onto his shoulders.
Like the helpless child he had once been, forced to attend garden parties under his father’s hand.
Suppressing the turmoil inside him, Kaindel watched as Isa took the lead, walking ahead.
His fingers clenched into fists, nails biting into his palm.
The veins on the back of his hands stood out in stark relief.
At last, the puzzle pieces had all fallen into place.
And the feeling that came with it was utterly miserable.
As soon as the door opened, a familiar voice rang out.
“Hey, Kaindel! When did you get here? You should’ve just come a year later!”
“If that happens, Isa would have to leave this place by then, Ruen. Please, think before you speak…”
“Think before I speak?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“How can you say the same thing for years on end? I swear, my ears are going to rot.”
“If that’s all it takes for them to rot… never mind.”
“Ugh.”
It was the sound of Ruen and Owen bickering again.
Those two… I wonder when they’ll ever be honest with each other.
Maybe never.
Kaindel followed Isa inside after he entered first.
The house was well-furnished, clearly meant for multiple people to live in.
It seemed that the companions who had traveled with Isa to Luther were staying with him.
Better than being alone.
With that thought, Kaindel subtly nudged one of Ruen’s belongings out of his way with his foot.
Still as annoying as ever.
It looked like the others had been playing chess while Isa was away.
The companions were seated around a table, the game in progress.
Ruen and Owen sat across from each other, eyes blazing, while Daniel and Sehir sighed in resignation, as if they had long given up on stopping the two from squabbling.
It was a familiar sight.
Finally, it felt like he was home.
Kaindel let himself relax, just a little.
The unpleasant feeling that had been lingering ever since he learned that Isa was a “fairy” slowly began to fade.
“Kaindel arrived just a little while ago. He went straight to Alice’s restaurant first.”
“He should’ve just come here right away. What a waste of time.”
“He went to see Isa.”
“Of course, he did.”
Ruen shook his head and snickered, as if exhausted by Kaindel’s predictability.
Sehir, watching quietly, smiled slightly, his brow furrowing just a little.
“So, everything in the capital was handled?”
* * *
