The ball ended beneath a haze of applause and hollow smiles. Nobles drifted out in murmuring clusters, still buzzing from the evening's shocks.
Winter didn't stay for farewells.
Outside, under torchlight, he mounted his horse in one fluid motion.
Crane caught up, breathless.
Crane: "Winter—wait, where are you going?"
Winter tightened the reins, eyes fixed ahead.
Winter: "I'm going alone."
Crane: "But—"
Too late. Winter spurred his horse and vanished into the night.
No one spoke. Not about the engagement. Not about the ball. Not about Levi. Each carriage window fogged with breath and unspoken words.
At The Verlice Estate
Winter's parents arrived with Crane not long after.
Everret Verlice stood at the doors, arms crossed.
Everret: "Where is Winter?"
Crane (hesitated): "I don't know, my lord. He left without saying much."
Solena Verlice's eyes snapped to the window. The wind pressed cold and sharp against the glass.
Solena (murmured):"I'm worried about him,"
Then, firmer.
"He's out alone in this weather—Crane, go bring him back."
Crane turned without a word.
Everret: "Stop."
Everret's voice cut through the room.
Crane paused.
Everret: "He needs time to process, He's not a boy anymore. Let him breathe."
Solena looked toward her husband, uncertain, but said nothing more.
Crane (nodded reluctantly): "Yes, my lord."
The estate settled into silence. But storm clouds still circled overhead—inside and out.
Adler Estate
The carriages pulled into the Adler estate beneath the low rumble of distant thunder. The rain hadn't begun, but the sky felt heavy—ready to break.
Grand Duke Henry Adler entered first, boots echoing across marble. He didn't wait.
Henry: "You humiliated us in front of the entire Empire."
Levi stepped out of the shadows.
Henry: "The Crown Prince? That scandal? Then standing there, speaking like that before His Majesty—"
His voice lashed like a whip.
"Do you even grasp what you've done?"
Nola Adler stepped between them.
"Henry—please, not tonight. She—"
Nola: "Not tonight?"
His fury flared.
"You still defend her? After this disgrace?"
Levi remained still. No reaction. No defense.
Henry: "You think a few words from the Emperor gives you the right to shame this family? You've always been reckless. Too wild. Unruly."
Nola: "Enough."
Her voice was quiet—but final. Then she turned and walked up the stairs. Shoulders straight. Head high.
Levi's Chambers
The storm moved closer now. Thunder rolled in steady waves. Lightning flickered across the open balcony doors.
Levi sat on the cold marble floor, back to the room. Her legs folded beneath her, gown slipping at the shoulders. The gold trim had dulled in the lamplight.
She stared into the dark. The scent of rain wasn't here yet—but the wind was. She breathed it in like it was the only real thing left.
A knock.
Isa: "Lady Levi?"
No answer.
"Do you need anything?"
Silence.
Isa lingered. Watched the still figure at the center of the storm. Then she quietly shut the door behind her.
Levi's fingers curled into her sleeve. Her thoughts drifted—to the Crown Prince. His hand, reaching for her throat. His voice, slick and smug: Now you're obedient.
She pressed her forehead to her knees.
Thunder cracked again—closer.
She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She just sat there, breathing. Listening.
Letting the storm rage for her. Letting it be angry in her place.
Hidden Forest Lake
The lake lay hidden like a secret, veiled in mist and cradled by towering trees. Overhead, the moon hovered—trying, and failing—to pierce the thick storm clouds coiling across the sky.
The air was alive. The wind didn't blow—it prowled, weaving through branches like breath through clenched teeth. Leaves trembled violently. Thunder cracked—not above, but around.
The storm wasn't natural. It was him.
Winter stood at the water's edge, shoulders tense, eyes locked on the reflection breaking beneath him. The lake should've been still, but it rippled with every flash of lightning. The water flinched as if afraid.
A branch snapped in the distance. He didn't turn. Another pulse of thunder tore through the trees, more violent this time. The forest shuddered.
The storm grew with him—alive, angry, unraveling. Jaw clenched. Fingers curled. His hair clung damp to his skin. The mist tugged at his cloak, pulled by wind that obeyed no season.
Magic. Raw and untempered, bleeding into the night.
He crouched low, eyes fixed on the lake again. The sky roared in reply—an echo of something he couldn't name.
Then—rain. Not a storm. Just a steady fall, soft and unrelenting. He let it come. Didn't stop it.
He only watched the ripples form, one after another…As the illusion he left behind gently warmed the air around Levi's still body.
Then he left.
And the warmth faded.
CLANK. CLANK. A metallic ring echoed behind him. His head turned, golden eyes narrowing.
CRACK. Sharper now—like ice breaking.
He moved silently through the trees, drawn to the sound. Muscles tight. Instincts lit.
Then he saw her.
In a clearing not far from the lake—where moonlight barely filtered through the swaying canopy—Levi Rose Adler stood alone.
Dueling with herself.
Her sword carved sharp arcs through the air. Ice burst with every motion—blooming, cracking, shattering. Reforming. She spun. Struck. Struck again. Each movement harsher than the last.
The wind circled her—not just from the storm. From her.
Winter didn't move. He only watched.
She wasn't training. She was punishing something. Maybe herself.
Her magic flickered—wild, volatile, beautiful. He could see the toll in the way her body strained, her breath dragged. She pushed harder. The ice thickened. So did the silver streaks threading through her dark hair.
His gaze sharpened. She was burning herself to stay composed. And she wouldn't stop.
Even when her foot slipped—when she nearly fell—she forced herself forward. Another arc of ice. A bolt launched skyward, bursting in a flash.
Winter stepped forward—Then stopped again.
There was something in the way she moved. Something in the solitude. She was drowning in silence.
And he… he understood that too well.
Thunder cracked overhead—louder now. He glanced up, then back to her.
She doesn't even know I'm here.
Still, he stayed. Watching. Quiet. And slowly, the storm began to settle. Not gone—but gentler.
Levi collapsed.
The frost-laced ground took her. Her sword slipped from her hand with a dull thud.
She lay there—chest rising in ragged gasps. Steam lifted from her skin as the cold pressed deeper into her bones.
The thunder murmured above. The ice around her still glimmered, pulsing faintly with leftover magic.
Winter stood just beyond the trees. Watching.
She was freezing. He could see it—the trembling limbs, the faint blue brushing her lips.
He didn't move forward.
Instead, he exhaled. Slowly. Raised a hand.
The air shimmered—golden-white threads unfurling like mist.
His illusion magic.
Not fire. Not healing. But enough to trick the senses.
He wove a layer of warmth. Thin, invisible.Just enough to let her body believe it wasn't so cold.
He cast it gently—like a breath—wrapping it around her skin.
The frost dulled. Her shivering eased. Her breathing steadied, slightly.
She wouldn't know why. Or how. Or from where.
And that was enough.
Winter let his hand fall. Stepped back, silently.
Then turned—And made his way toward the lake once more.
The wind followed, softer now. Not angry. Almost… understanding.
At the lake's edge, he looked at his reflection again.
And this time, He saw something different.
Not just the cold. Not just the storm. But something human—And quietly breaking.
But the echo of something he didn't have a name for. Behind him, the first drops of rain began to fall. Not a storm. Just a soft, steady rain. He didn't stop it. He simply watched the ripples on the lake form, one after another, as the illusion he left behind slowly warmed the air around Levi's still figure.
Then he left.
The warmth faded. She didn't notice it leave—only when the cold crawled back. Levi lay still, her back pressed to the earth now soaked beneath her. The rain fell in threads, slicking her face, matting her hair. She didn't move. Didn't flinch. She stared blankly at the sky as it unraveled—drop by drop. Thunder cracked again. Softer this time. As if it, too, was tired of pretending to be strong.
Her body shook. Not from fear. From exhaustion. From magic. From the silence she'd buried in her lungs for too long. Silver strands clung to her cheeks.
And still, she didn't cry. She refused. Not for them. Not for the Crown Prince. Not for the Consort. Not even for herself. Because if she cried—if she allowed it—it wouldn't stop.
A shimmer caught her eye. Butterflies.Invisible to all but her. Fluttering in the rain. Orbiting like ghosts. Flickering light through droplets. One landed on her open palm. It didn't weigh anything. But she felt it—like memory.
Her secret was always watching. Always turning her into her own mirror. She closed her hand. The butterfly vanished.
Tomorrow. She had to think about tomorrow. Her body felt like ice, but her mind wouldn't sleep. Not yet. There would be consequences. The Consort wouldn't let this go. The Emperor had made the announcement. The engagement.
She scoffed—dry and bitter. From one leash to another.
Levi: "I just got rid of one."
Her voice cracked—soft, bitter, swallowed by the storm. Her fingers dug into the soil. Her magic flickered—dim and unstable. She didn't want to be tied to Winter. Not like this.Not because of a staged dance and a public lie.
But how would she break it? How could she undo this knot without snapping the thread that held everything together? She didn't know.
So she stayed there. Let the rain fall. Let the earth chill her bones. Let the butterflies circle her like guilt.
And for now—just for a moment—she let herself be still.