When she opened her eyes, she suddenly got a fur coat.
Before she came here, she had never seen such a thing.
The Southern Capital didnât need fur coats because of the springâs warmth.
âDid he hunt?â
Very few animals survived in the winter forest.
As the soldiers passed through the barracks, she once heard them say that the animals living in the forest had fled due to severe cold and the sudden appearance of monsters.
That was why she complained about the lack of meat.
âWhere did you get this?â
She wondered what it had to do with this when Cassian decided to provide her more warmth, but she suddenly became curious.
When she asked Cassian, who entered the tent while holding two mugs, he looked at Yernia, who was tightly wrapped in the animalâs fur.
Cassian smiled slightly, thinking she looked like a human-headed baby beast from afar.
Yernia, who had no idea why he laughed, blinked her round eyes in bewilderment.
âDrink the cocoa.â
âThere is cocoa on the battlefield?â
Cassian approached Yernia and held out the warm mug.
She watched the steam rise.
âThere are marshmallows, too.â
âMarshmallow?â
Yerniaâs hand peeped out of her fur coat and accepted the mug.
The mugâs color was similar to Cassianâs and she felt strange for some reason.
Both mugs appeared like âcouple itemsâ.
Cassian winked as if urging her to peek inside the mug and only did Yernia glance down.
Indeed, marshmallows were floating on the cocoa.
âWhat? Why are there marshmallows in here?â
It wasnât her first time seeing marshmallows floating on cocoa, but this didnât seem like a proper snack on the battlefield.
âPeople live in this place, too. When I donât have work, I go to a nearby village and buy it.â
âAha.â
Indeed, Cassian hadnât been on the battlefield these days to care for Yernia.
Their meeting about battle tactics seemed to go at the minimum.
Their unit must have stayed in the village to rest.
She didnât even think about it since she thought she couldnât get out of the barracks at all just because she wasnât part of the army.
It was possible that the monster hadnât invaded here yet.
âAre you allowed to stay with me and miss the meeting?â
Yernia sipped the cocoa and turned her eyes toward Cassian sitting next to her.
The warmth seemed to spread to her chest and she felt quite good from eating something sweet.
She thought Cassian was drinking cocoa as well but he drank coffee, instead.
âWhy? Do you want me to hurry up and go?â
âNo. Iâm afraid youâre avoiding meetings because of me.â
âItâs alright. Iâm sending other people to do some reconnaissance for me. In addition to that, defeating evil monsters doesnât end that quickly. I have to rest before attacking again so that we only have to deal with minimal casualties.â
She wondered if Cassian said something nice on purpose so that she wouldnât feel uncomfortable.
Yernia was grateful but her heart was still heavy.
At least, his gentle words caused the heaviness to subside a little.
âEveryone in the royal militia likes it. It has been a while since they last took a break. They must have had no time to rest because they kept fighting before we arrived.â
âThatâs a relief, butâââ
âDonât worry too much. Iâll take care of everything so just get well soon.â
Yernia felt so reassured these days because of her husband.
Even if what he said could just be a lie, she always assumed that he would be able to take care of it.
Snow fell outside the tent.
Well, they would be able to do anything once the snow stopped.
Unfortunately, snow had fallen heavily on the following days.
Yernia would be fine if she just rested inside the barracks but the current weather must have made life harder for the soldiers.
It wasnât a bad choice to rest now that the monsters werenât in their midst.
She felt apologetic towards Cassian and the soldiers but she still tried her best to put her burden down even just for a moment.
Despite reflecting on Cassianâs words, she still wouldnât stop noticing these things due to personal discomfort.
As Yernia peeked through the gap of a slightly open tent in the capital, she suddenly asked, âItâs hard to see snow unless itâsâââ
This particular scene suddenly reminded her of Cassianâs birthday.
âYour birthday is in the winter season, right? I hope weâll be in the capital at that time.â
âIf this battle doesnât take long, we will be there.â
âWhat should we do on your birthday?â
Yernia, who was sipping cocoa while constantly looking at him, leaned her head against Cassianâs shoulder.
Her heart pounded.
She planned to utter an excuse that she was feeling sleepy when Cassian was about to whisper something in her ear.
Contrary to her expectations, Cassian didnât say anything.
Well, didnât she often lean on his shoulder since they were childhood friends?
Therefore, Cassian should have no problems with it.
She didnât romantically like Cassian, either, butââ
Her heart ached when he didnât respond, but this shouldnât have anything to do with Cassian.
There wonât be.
There shouldnât be.
Yernia murmured, brainwashing herself.
âMy birthday? Well, is there anything you want to do?â
âWellâ¦â
Cassianâs birthday was spent inside the mansion every single time due to the snow.
Even if Yernia asked to go out on his birthday, Cassian still insisted for some reason.
However, Yernia, who wanted to spend it differently than before, came across a most important fact.
It was something she almost forgot.
Herena.
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