The night had grown quieter.
Outside the massive Rosenfeld Estate, northern winds continued howling through endless snowfall while silver moonlight covered the ancient fortress-like mansion in cold pale light.
Inside one of the inner chambers—
Warm golden flames flickered softly within crystal lamps attached to dark stone walls carved with ancient dragon patterns.
The room smelled faintly of medicine.
Herbs.
Blood.
And melted snow.
Kel lay resting against the massive blackwood bed while several healers carefully treated the wounds across his chest and shoulder.
Soft green healing light spread slowly through the room.
One healer wrapped enchanted bandages carefully around the deep wound near his ribs while another applied restoration salves over the pierced areas.
Despite the severity of the injuries—
Kel looked strangely calm.
Too calm.
As though this entire situation inconvenienced him more than worried him.
One older healer finally lowered his hands afterward and sighed deeply.
"The wounds are stable now."
Another healer nodded.
"Young master physique is abnormally durable."
A third quietly added:
"If those strikes landed on ordinary knights they would already be dead."
Kel simply closed his eyes briefly hearing that.
Not reacting much.
Meanwhile—
Near the bedside—
His cousin still stood silently.
Straight posture.
Hands folded before her.
Her crimson eyes remained fixed entirely upon Kel.
As though afraid looking away for even a second would worsen his condition somehow.
The silver-black hair falling over her shoulders still looked slightly messy from the battle earlier.
Small traces of frost aura lingered faintly around her sleeves even now.
And despite changing clothes after the spar—
Tiny crimson bloodstains still remained near her cuffs.
His blood.
The healers gradually finished their work afterward and slowly left the chamber one by one.
Soon—
Only silence remained.
The fireplace crackled softly.
Snow tapped lightly against the distant windows.
And inside the quiet room—
Only Kel and his cousin remained.
Kel slowly opened one eye afterward.
Then lazily spoke.
"You don't need to stand there."
His voice sounded calm.
Slightly tired.
But stable.
His cousin immediately replied quietly:
"I'll stay."
Kel exhaled softly afterward.
"…Why?"
She answered without hesitation.
"Your recovery is my priority."
Her fingers tightened slightly against her sleeves afterward.
"Because I caused you harm."
Kel stared toward the ceiling for several seconds.
Then finally—
He sighed.
"It wasn't your fault."
The young woman immediately frowned slightly.
"You accepted all three attacks intentionally."
Kel replied flatly:
"Yes."
"You could've avoided them."
"Yes."
"You could've stopped the battle earlier."
"Yes."
Her expression finally tightened further.
"Then how is it not my fault?"
Kel slowly turned his head toward her afterward.
Moonlight spilling through the distant windows illuminated his crimson eyes softly.
And then—
Unexpectedly—
He asked:
"By the way…"
A pause followed.
"What's your name again?"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
His cousin froze completely.
The question itself struck harder than any sword earlier tonight.
For several seconds—
She genuinely thought she misheard him.
Her crimson eyes widened slowly.
"…What?"
Kel looked completely serious.
"What's your name?"
The young woman stared at him blankly.
Processing.
Trying to understand whether this was a joke.
Or mockery.
Or perhaps—
Some strange punishment.
But Kel's face remained calm.
Blank.
Completely natural.
As though he truly asked an ordinary question.
And somehow—
That made it worse.
Finally—
She answered quietly.
"…Aria."
Her voice sounded slightly hollow now.
"Aria Rosenfeld."
Kel nodded softly.
"I see."
Another silence filled the room afterward.
Then suddenly—
Aria narrowed her eyes slightly.
"…Are you trying to pretend you forgot me?"
Kel blinked once.
Then answered simply:
"No."
That single word immediately destroyed her assumption.
Because his tone carried no teasing.
No humor.
Only honesty.
Kel slowly shifted slightly against the pillows afterward.
The movement caused faint pain to pass through his chest wounds, yet his expression barely changed.
Then calmly—
He explained.
"I genuinely forgot."
Aria stared at him speechlessly.
And slowly—
Something inside her chest tightened strangely.
Because the way he said it felt almost casual.
Like stating weather.
Not cruelty.
Not insult.
Just truth.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly looked toward the flickering fireplace.
Then softly added:
"I haven't really seen you for nearly ten years."
Aria's lips parted slightly.
Kel continued calmly.
"After I became bedridden…"
His eyes lowered slightly afterward.
"…everyone stopped coming eventually."
The room became quiet again.
The fire crackled softly.
Snow drifted endlessly outside.
And for the first time tonight—
Aria realized something she never truly thought about before.
Kel disappeared from their lives long before he physically left the estate.
Back then—
He was merely the cursed heir.
Weak.
Sickly.
Always confined inside dark rooms.
Doctors constantly surrounding him.
Servants carrying medicine.
Bloodstained handkerchiefs hidden poorly.
At first—
Everyone visited him often.
Family members.
Cousins.
Knights.
But slowly—
Years passed.
And visits became fewer.
Then rarer.
Then almost nonexistent.
Not because they hated him.
But because people unconsciously drift away from sadness they cannot fix.
And eventually—
The bedridden cursed heir simply became part of the estate background.
A tragic existence quietly hidden behind closed doors.
Meanwhile—
Aria slowly lowered her gaze.
Because she suddenly realized something painful.
She herself stopped visiting too.
Not intentionally.
But gradually.
Naturally.
Cruelly.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly looked toward her again afterward.
And strangely—
There was no resentment in his eyes.
No bitterness.
Only calm acceptance.
That acceptance itself hurt Aria more than anger would have.
Then quietly—
Kel added:
"When we were children you followed me around often."
A faint smile appeared briefly near his lips.
"You used to challenge me with wooden swords."
Aria blinked slightly.
Because she remembered that.
Vaguely.
Snowy afternoons.
Young Kel laughing while defeating her effortlessly during training.
Back when he was healthy.
Before the curse consumed him.
Back then—
Kel was bright.
Sharp.
Energetic.
Not this calm terrifying person before her now.
Meanwhile—
Kel slowly closed his eyes briefly.
Then softly said:
"But after I got stuck in bed…"
A pause followed.
"…everyone grew older."
The sentence sounded simple.
Yet somehow—
Painfully heavy.
Because he wasn't blaming anyone.
He was merely stating reality.
Time moved forward.
People changed.
And the weak cursed boy left behind became forgettable.
Aria quietly sat down beside the bed afterward.
For the first time since entering the room.
Her movements looked slower now.
More hesitant.
Then softly—
She asked:
"Did it hurt?"
Kel opened one eye slightly.
"The wounds?"
Aria shook her head gently.
"No."
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"…being forgotten."
The room fell silent again.
The fireplace crackled quietly.
And for several moments—
Kel did not answer.
Then finally—
A small faint smile appeared across his face.
Not sad.
Not happy.
Just distant.
"I got used to it."
The answer pierced Aria's chest more deeply than she expected.
Because people only "get used" to loneliness after experiencing it for very long periods.
Meanwhile—
Inside his mind—
Sairen quietly watched the scene unfold.
And softly—
The ancient spirit sighed.
"You really lived like a ghost here before."
Kel answered internally without opening his eyes.
"…Maybe."
Aria silently stared toward him afterward.
At the calm face.
The bandaged wounds.
The terrifying strength.
And suddenly—
She understood something clearly.
The person who returned home after two years…
Was not created solely through battlefields.
He was shaped first—
By isolation.
By abandonment.
By years spent silently watching the world continue without him.
Meanwhile—
Kel slowly looked toward her again afterward.
Then unexpectedly asked:
"So."
A small pause followed.
"Do you still plan on standing there intimidating me all night?"
Aria blinked once.
Then finally—
A small laugh escaped her lips.
Soft.
Weak.
But genuine.
And for the first time since the battle ended—
The heavy atmosphere inside the room lightened slightly beneath the quiet northern night