RODH Chapter 35
by Brie35.
A bandage was wrapped around the back of Nevan’s hand.
Perhaps noticing my gaze, he spoke.
“It’ll heal soon.”
But my mind was somewhere else entirely.
I was thinking about the depraved emperor’s past crimes.
‘As long as Ferost is imperial territory, they obey my orders—not the Grand Duke’s. Do you understand, Sir Hubert?’
And for that pathetic reason, he took a child’s parents away at the age of nine?
My teeth clenched on their own.
Perhaps reading the anger in my eyes, Nevan asked,
“Is something wrong?”
I hesitated for a long time.
The records Berkisto left behind were never meant to be known—especially not by the person involved.
Not that I believed it would happen, but if Nevan were to ever turn rebellious, it would play right into the emperor’s ambition.
Still, staying silent left a bitter taste in my mouth. So I told the story as if it were about someone else.
“Because of the greed of someone powerful, a friend of mine lost their parents. That friend still doesn’t know the truth and continues to serve that high-ranking person loyally. I don’t know why, but I’ve been thinking of that friend a lot today.”
“I see.”
“Yes. He’s a friend from the South who loves snow.”
Nevan looked at me for a long moment, then spoke.
“Forgive me if this is presumptuous—but may I say something?”
“Of course.”
“That friend probably already knows the truth.”
“…….”
I froze, as if he had seen right through me.
Does Nevan know?
That the emperor intentionally took his parents from him?
“Then why…”
My voice trembled.
Nevan answered without a change in expression.
“That friend must have someone they need to protect. The one in power likely thinks this: If that friend shows even the slightest disobedience, they’ll destroy everything around him.”
“…I see. I was short-sighted.”
I paused, then added,
“May I ask one more thing?”
“Of course.”
“What can I do… to help that friend?”
I meant it.
Losing one’s parents at the age of nine—how could that not leave a scar?
Yes, Nevan had loyal knights by his side, but that wasn’t the same as family.
To a child, a parent is their entire world.
And Nevan had that world stolen from him.
If there was anything I could do for him, I wanted to do it.
This feeling came from my own experience of losing my entire family in my fourth life.
To that quiet, deep sympathy, Nevan answered:
“Stay by his side.”
“Sorry?”
“If someone as kind as you is there for him, that friend will probably feel much better.”
The warmth in Nevan’s words softened something in my heart.
As the sweetness of that kindness buzzed inside me, Nevan said,
“Lord Ian, your pheromones…”
“Ah—my apologies. That wasn’t intentional. As I said before, this just happens sometimes.”
“I understand.”
“Yes…”
We’d been talking for a while now, and snow had begun to pile lightly on Nevan’s silver hair and shoulders.
I was sure some had gathered on my cloak, too.
And like the snow, the grief that had long buried itself inside me slowly began to melt and flow.
Can staying by someone’s side really ease the pain of losing your entire family?
I couldn’t bring myself to ask that aloud.
Tears had already started falling.
Seeing me cry like someone with a tragic story, sorrow flickered in Nevan’s eyes.
This time, he didn’t tear his sleeve.
Instead, he gently wiped my tears away with the back of his hand.
“Don’t cry. It’s cold.”
Apparently in the North, you’re not supposed to cry when it’s cold.
That made me laugh… and then cry even harder.
Unable to hold back the impulse, I grabbed Nevan’s hand.
His hand—rough from the harsh winds of Ferost and scarred from years of swordsmanship—was warm.
“You said… you haven’t missed a day of training since you were nine?”
I sniffled, barely able to see straight.
I didn’t even know what kind of face Nevan was making now.
I just said whatever came to mind.
“Take a break today. Your ancestors wouldn’t scold you for it. Just for today—please rest.”
“……”
My insistence sounded more like a drunken rant.
Then Nevan reached out and touched my forehead.
“No fever.”
“It’s not a cold. And it’s not heat either.”
“Then why…”
“Because it’s sad.”
Because if not for the emperor… you might’ve had more time with your family.
I swallowed the last part and burst into tears.
Like my sisters used to say, I probably looked awful—my eyes all swollen like a goldfish.
I tried to stop crying, but the tears kept running down both cheeks.
Then Nevan asked,
“What do you think about the One Who Brings Spring?”
At some point, he had let go of my hand and was looking up into the sky.
I followed his gaze and looked up too—only to find him looking right back at me.
“I…”
The One Who Brings Spring is born in spring.
A pure-hearted deer recognizes them first.
They weaken the monsters’ power.
And lastly—they are free from death.
I could never speak of my regression.
But whether he sensed it from my trembling eyes or some deeper intuition, Nevan leaned in slightly, closing the distance.
The falling snow had already stopped.
Ian and Duke Ruben were only able to board the carriage around midday.
Luke, upon seeing Ian’s puffy eyes, fussed as though he’d had a nightmare.
Ian shook his head lightly and replied,
“It’s nothing. Please don’t worry.”
“Here, have this on the way. It’s chocolate made with mint to clear the mind.”
Luke proudly presented it, saying it was a special recipe made by his daughter.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. It’s far too modest a gift for someone like the One Who Brings Spring.”
“I’m not the One Who Brings—”
“Let’s get moving. The sun sets quickly in Ferost.”
Klain abruptly cut in.
Still holding a grudge from yesterday, Luke glared at him but waited until Klain walked off before leaning toward Ian and lowering his voice.
“That one’s a spiteful sort—he can’t stand anyone from the central or southern regions. Pay him no mind.”
“It’s alright. It just shows that he’s loyal to the North.”
“True enough. Still, I love the North just as much as that Klain bastard does.”
“I know.”
Ian gave a small smile.
Nevan, he was told, had left early in the morning to patrol near the mines.
Luke was quick to insist it wasn’t a slight—just a precaution in case of a monster attack.
“Please visit us again. Lord Ruben, and Lord Ian.”
“Send His Grace my regards.”
With Luke and Klain seeing them off, Ian departed alongside his father.
The carriage Ian had arrived in was mana-linked and trailed behind theirs.
By the time the Grand Duke’s estate had shrunk to a mere dot in the distance, Nevan stood atop a ridge, watching the departing carriage.
He’d kept an eye on monster movements just in case, but fortunately, there were no signs of a monster wave.
His thoughts drifted back to the impulsive question he’d asked Ian the night before:
“What do you think about the One Who Brings Spring?”
Luke had insisted that Ian was the One Who Brings Spring—he was born in spring, the deer had responded to him first, and the monsters had weakened just as he arrived. Luke had even sent word to the Elders, and by morning, silver trays were stacked with letters.
Ian hadn’t answered the question.
He’d only hesitated with a guarded look in his eyes, beginning with “I…”—then stopping, clearly holding something back.
It was obvious Ian knew something about the One Who Brings Spring.
But instead of pressing him, Nevan had simply wiped away his tears.
He didn’t even know why he did it.
It was just a pull—an instinct that drowned out all reason, a draw so strong that it overrode even his sense of caution.
And because of that overwhelming pull, Nevan had fled to the mines the next morning.
If he’d seen that gentle face, those vivid red lips again, he didn’t think he could’ve contained himself.
His grip tightened on the reins, the leather creaking under pressure.
A deep green scent, like a pale forest, wrapped around him.
One of the knights nearby spoke up.
“It seems your rut is approaching, Your Grace.”
“So it seems.”
“Is it because of the Omega who left today?”
Nevan glanced at him and said,
“He’s not an Omega.”
“My apologies.”
“Let’s head back.”
“Yes, sir.”
The soft crunch of hooves against snow echoed as they began their slow return across the white-covered field.
Duke Ruben’s Estate.
The moment I returned, I was hit with yet another imperial decree.
This time, it wasn’t a forced summons—it was forced confinement.
It stated that instead of a formal punishment for showing disrespect to the Crown Prince, I would be granted leniency and placed under house arrest for a month, forbidden from leaving the estate.
“What the hell is this, Bain?”
“Uh, well, young master… actually…”
What Bain told me was so ridiculous I could barely believe it.
They got into a fight, and I’m the one getting punished?
And then—Lucian and Seor kissed?! Ugh, even imagining it was horrifying.
“Seor didn’t burn to death, did he?”
“Please don’t say such terrifying things, young master! It was intense enough as it is!”
“Ugh… typical. Alphas fight and the Omega gets caught in the crossfire. Goddamn it.”
I gently set the imperial decree on my desk and threw myself onto the bed.
Bain, eyeing me cautiously, asked,
“Did something happen at the Grand Duke’s estate?”
“Why?”
Surely the puffiness in my eyes had gone down by the time we came back?
“You just seem to be in a good mood, that’s all.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Nothing really hap—”
But then Nevan’s warm breath came rushing back to me, and I sharply inhaled.
Thump!
Bain smacked me in the chest—loud and clear.