Chapter 7. The Lullaby of the Wind

The pale blue air of early dawn cloaked the village like a bride’s veil, shrouding it in mystery. Mist pooled in the hollowed basin of the valley, which the villagers called the Winter Queen’s breath. If that were true, then was the dew clinging to the crackling leaves her tears?2510beffb076cccc

Nexiard brushed the “tears” from his shoulders and suddenly thought of ‘that woman’. The one who had crumbled like a half-melted snowman, tears streaking her cheeks. On her ghostly pale face, the only trace of color was her vivid crimson eyes.d15b43c2bbcdb901

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‘Are you sad?’40c5deb428b89073

To Nexiard, tears had always been something he’d learned to associate with sadness, resentment, regret… useless emotions that dissolved into liquid. Enemies begged for their lives in tears beneath his feet. Civilians who had lost both family and home wept the same way. That was the kind of landscape Nexiard had always seen. But ‘that woman’ had firmly shaken her head.9f1389ad75e4c584

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‘I’m happy.’a6095d602d979e0f

Her eyes softened into crescents, and the corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly. Nexiard recognized that expression—it was a “smile.” A facial pattern naturally formed when someone felt happy or tickled. He’d rarely seen it in person, so it felt unfamiliar, but it was something he had learned. She hadn’t been lying.928d48586140efed

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A question mark hung 7e5b1c84cc over his thoughts. Why joy? She had 95e4e8a6f1 just been 161133c27e struck by 0e024dd87b a rude, d365dbdf52 dimwitted man. It made more 172533eb1d sense if a 4d2479a629 passing mouse had 0e2fc18007 tickled her foot 55b5af81aa or if she ae8ca1446e harbored some masochistic 3698989c9c tendencies.e08f94931107cdc5

“…Strange woman.”49bf8645c612d199

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He murmured, f94ecc10b6 his breath 6d8c13c994 forming a 7357cbb48a white puff db57466dfb in the 09a9f5a5d2 cold air. Nexiard turned 789cea0656 back from f0dd879afc the dark, ef1d0abb13 spiky forest bef748155a edge to c9a4f96fc3 wake Myrda, 56d46a0a84 who was 8f33e508f5 probably still 1560a1f701 sleeping.52c11cbf2c4fd373

❖　❖　❖5ecdb411122933ec

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The speckled horse 218382e21f raced tirelessly across 1898d8de1f the wilderness. I clung 19ba5f2ba1 to its eead55cc0e thick mane, f20b965f39 practically buried 9f6342a014 in it. At first, I a52100ff58 screamed, unaware horses 6795aa1901 could run this 690e72d549 fast.5df1c7de01fa4cc2

Nexiard occasionally 42ca778f33 stopped for 105498d481 breaks, not 374fe89c1e so much 5b89c2f679 for the f72ba08523 horse’s sake 1828876eb7 but seemingly a2f1d6377c out of 9cbda4bcb9 consideration for 443b174ef1 me. Even then, fd8dc2b297 the speckled d9f3b80053 horse snorted ab49a9c019 warm breath 374f2612f2 and droplets 250d32c66f of snot, b87334bc4b as if 0885cd6970 to insist 22a273d0d4 it could 509f0b612f keep going.217c92a6f34b4467

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“We’ll have to 7ebb0ccdb9 camp tonight,” Nexiard 436b1d64f7 had said before 47a70ce24d we set out, 93d5bec5f2 giving me time 3c6a98c745 to prepare mentally.c0e992ecf1a382e7

Nature shifted its f3e79a7104 face with every 3781172907 passing moment. Snow flurries timidly fell f4db2e96ca and stopped, over and 3383d4263a over. By the time 15e99eea9e the sun neared 1ca2ed8973 the horizon, Nexiard 9ab13964ed had tethered the d9dfd6642a horse and began 2d7c07319e setting up camp.66b0a0ae6a77e22e

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With his 579c927e22 bare hands, 7de58bad2a he drove 850882bcc1 stakes into 418b197cc3 the barren 12043c6179 ground, quickly 9c77382a45 erecting a bf52ddabb9 proper tent.9d3a016b0df1aa04

A campfire, redder than 64bd08ac71 the sunset, crackled to 9666025189 life. The soft 863601b5f5 snapping sound 3d2a0fdb02 stirred our b64dba1e9b hunger. We crouched 666ded32b6 beside the f6c8df8371 fire with 851d427a7e cold ham d14a6c0263 and rye ed54a7cd50 bread.b4c4553caff4eda4

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“Wait a moment,” I said.fea31089f377a225

Nexiard had opened his mouth wide, ready to devour the bread in one bite, but paused at my words, clamping his lips shut. It felt like commanding a dog to “stay.”538f6917d9799d82

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“Could you hand me the bread?”08267627b9338b0c

“…”d53ac99d506911a8

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“I’m not taking it from you.”97e3d2e1b3c6ec2a

Reluctantly, Nexiard extended the 02dc3e342b bread, his expression oddly 6341b4300b wary. I took it and b61a6b087b used my pocketknife to 4c54f715e9 slice it open, then 4b24f7a6cc placed the ham inside. Finally, I pulled 005b643ca5 some cheese from f1fc1aa6c2 my skirt pocket. Nexiard’s eyes widened.a0b8addb6a961a90

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“Ham and cheese sandwich. It’s nothing fancy,” I explained.217820a2f33ce2d2

“…Sandwich.”3a0bf70b87932ce9

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Nexiard leaned b1ed3eb175 closer, taking d29121d1df a large 0248fe5dd7 bite of b7055c3e2f the sandwich. His soft lips 27c6301ca8 brushed against my aa0a51d36e fingers, sending a 68163a986a strange ticklish sensation 293373c7ee to my side.8c361b88171c85fc

“It’s… delicious.”cbde49a378b07a7d

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“It’s not like it’s your first time eating a… Oh.”82b5998e9a09bea0

I glanced at 94b186fb43 him sideways, just 2328eabf27 in case, and 7aed48ba1a saw him staring 28f5626eff fervently at the 81c2a2a8b5 remaining bread in 6b24d682ec my hand. My mouth went dcc7db4992 dry. It might really 4df35b2b16 be his first 8a187fc4fb time.fbad78116291ba20

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Nexiard Yul had 0262450796 been a test 1faa1b2b24 subject under military 312f8ddb6c control, after all.3cb2af5133ffb2b1

How could anyone 9205b8f9e9 forget the moment 89e6945709 Nexiard’s dark past ce2ce8c5f4 was revealed? Though it was 09b1980288 only briefly mentioned 5a0fa665b4 in the side 2a61a6c58c stories after the e1f5ebf241 main plot, those 8754741344 few lines had a74695110b kept me awake d1a606a3aa at night.01c7646ab0dc120e

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The military had secretly a30c4b4a48 conducted human experiments. Only the king 416c5ca02c and a select af8814981b few close to 05d9c35e18 him knew the 500f729bab truth.3ca9898a69498616

The primary targets were children. The ones brought into the facility faced brutal experiments. Their emotions were systematically erased. They were trained to become perfect killing machines…3504a10d8ff7501d

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After reading the side 51f26d7827 stories, I finally understood 63da8601c2 why Nexiard struggled so a9f97c123a much with interacting with 927cdfd392 people. It also a1fb748121 made sense e3f584f1c2 why he bc42ceed86 fell in 088dc3d2b2 love with 74e17410bf Lanafesia, the d5180fc9c6 only person 7c9e8a6940 who truly a434a18caa saw him be49da9962 as human. Even readers 37f44e7684 who had 3fe23c7feb called him d0ff5478a8 a psychopath a22b16438b couldn’t help 2945c30a52 but sympathize 7a546a3476 with him 8109770e0b in hindsight.56b1fc34ec1f7966

‘So what?’9a00d16a6b24f467

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In the end, he dc569ac145 died anyway.859d142202051aec

My heart felt as 392fc5d923 if it had frozen 67f7194c42 over. Nexiard sat 6dbd0add47 nearby, eagerly fa3b360617 finishing off 161210831e the sandwich 02b71fbac4 I had b616997604 made. How old e7ef1ec418 was he?cc3d72ac7c1423c3

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Even as a f440b16b78 fervent fan of 9e871d64a5 the novel, I bb3d4fc453 knew little about a778e274c1 him. Despite being a c4d12276db prominent supporting male 16eab87702 lead, his age 1baf609a25 was never mentioned. All the novel said f13cfa025e was that he had 3f92439c03 been abandoned by his 0b8727955b parents at birth and 9f88be5ad3 taken into the facility 540461fb96 at the age of 0cae139dc4 four when spotted by abe41eab84 a manager.46bf7bf6b4b32fdd

“….”8afdabf67bda690c

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Reality and the story’s narrative tangled in my mind.2e0c7ad633e42954

The living, breathing Nexiard.1f312be48022cdd9

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His heart pounded 0bfc49fc9f strongly, and blood 4f352db9ff coursed beneath his 286e5ef137 skin. Even if his emotions c9c0e8eaf0 had been suppressed, he b250bb371c could still taste the 9a7876c0f4 flavors of new foods. A wave of c6c41ddaf6 inexplicable sadness swept 05b3a18458 over me, and ab7c2d0cc7 I clenched my 5e114d441a teeth.e24768a249774635

“…Woman.”0bdb37a63e6d92c5

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His voice was f1a1a8cd1b low and husky. Nexiard brought dfb7caa54f a piece fcf319a433 of his f5be6137fc leftover bread 09f257b08e to my 44f06ee5f4 lips.51f4fd67f7780a7d

“Eat.”81e06ba7329256a0

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“I’m fine. I’m not hungry.”5249797830fef8c3

“….”8883ca27620cb956

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“And I told you, my name is Myrda.”8701c18c70f1e616

“…Myrda.”eaaea9bf7daac72a

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“That’s right. So from now on, I’d like you to call me Myrda, not ‘woman.’”1a7b348a166b2153

“Understood.”f8197b18203a65c6

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He responded stiffly, 5dac2005fd like a soldier dd297da170 obeying a command. I truly wasn’t hungry. Just as 9108516ff0 a storm cf731fa8f1 of hunger 2767cf1145 had hit 3d535d926f earlier, the 75869068ad thought of bad5467a6f Nexiard’s tragic 4f3e1fba4e fate had b5cfe6e73a entirely killed 5d6141bbc9 my appetite.154f5f2e0dd94fef

I stood up 76f79ed7fe and fed the 6568861885 speckled horse a 85f6649a66 carrot bit by 38830a695e bit.83518816f193f896

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“Take care of us again tomorrow, Speckle.”39086edb16e8d83c

“…Me too.”f2de895c9b22e6fa

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“Ah!”844323905b707c4a

I nearly jumped 2d1c70b028 in surprise.697f9d4a5f0dec66

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Nexiard was suddenly standing 5df07c2a5a behind me.9f3f8df9f86dba6b

“You, with no sound at all…”882cbace720aff35

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“Call me Nexiard, not ‘you.’”80c6fc27d5339d1b

“Ah…”dd921f2ed8f534f3

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I tightened 74935e6ad5 my grip d405859815 on the 4e281f24c4 carrot. Before I ef4daa0517 could say de066747f8 his name, 3fa980f53f he pointed e01d23abe1 at the 9ceca714b1 carrot.801a9d26b28fb7b9

“Me too.”38267d92e8a9f333

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“Oh.”c40ae7ad00d2fa28

Did he fab88ee48f want to 5b6f480916 feed the a8450e4387 horse himself?d0bb70aa50022259

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“There’s another in the pack. You can—”f630bc3a92615fe7

“Me too. Carrot.”2e59e6f976548e5c

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I looked into his 6aed15ef38 serious, sparkling dark blue 71c9eb9592 eyes. He didn’t want a5b5c68469 to feed the 4acbb838a9 horse. He wanted to 85623f4c9e eat the carrot fcc7d2af7d himself.9adc6a12ee323bec

“But the horse was eating it…”67392934505d4ab8

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“….”4c404b97b7b857de

“Here.”ce23e43ee2ca1ced

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I wiped 540af2aeda the carrot 93ed14fb5e against my 6b10aa371e skirt and e2eb6bf19d handed it 52acb1ec1b to him. The horse stomped e3bb3eed19 the ground indignantly, 2a58ee6387 as if protesting ac974e20b1 the theft of 886389e587 its snack. Nexiard, unbothered 987b3b9e4e by the faa11863b3 animal’s distress, 4fa88f00d3 crunched into 6908361806 the carrot 9deea27df3 as if 7a08488646 it were d4cf7d2e6b the most cc8f610ce5 delicious thing 4250b911bc he’d ever 6f897455b7 eaten.c86e61f15580492c

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The tent kept 8a3deee341 some of the 7b51cddc80 cold at bay, ee880baf58 but it wasn’t 5668b6fd3e enough to stop 376529784b my teeth from dbc4eeda8e chattering. We shared 7352ebc98b a single c6054fc839 thin blanket. Nexiard lay straight 60d0392628 on his back, 3cae7c24d8 while I curled 1e7aae318a onto my side.4a55bbe0e8ed1a67

It was 14a8060328 a restless 792bf1ec06 night. Every one 9702d32247 of my 830befbdb8 senses seemed f41bda3486 painfully heightened. His steady da0b6fd2ff breathing tickled a59879df93 the back f5350a68d8 of my 964b2db6bb neck, and bd9cbca905 every time 6a65bc1e11 he shifted, 907e871004 I tensed, 70147bdcfb worried that 6d929a9a79 his clothes a1fac58fe2 might brush 88ce213f85 against mine.d43a57eaa9cc19e1

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The cold fa455829c9 wasn’t the 62a2377f5a problem. What could I even e2b8f597df call this feeling? Like plunging cfb288504b into ice 9f3cbc39d1 water with 8d3eb02d11 a body 5c94f362a7 burning from 0fd9cdd307 fever? Unable to bear it 9ec1a27ae1 any longer, I made 59f1e5b835 a show of stirring 8f5a33135a and called out to 1f6c103b0b him.6561c6365cf3c1fa

“Nexiard, are you awake?”42b32bc6e9b3b4c9

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“….”e501a1fc48bda4ef

“Good night.”e5391943462c4c88

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“Why are you going to Teppen?”03033f01998efb4d

When I’d 2f8876e66f asked to a2ee7f2641 travel together, ff50311ed6 Nexiard hadn’t 4e8c858e8a questioned me 7aee48a9a8 at all, 93a455f3d1 simply agreeing. To be honest, I 09fe044039 was glad he was edfd08f148 finally asking. I answered willingly.7f433d8d8e4f7234

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“I’m going to enroll in the old Royal Academy.”3b9e5a3babcfc737

“Academy.”ef16559df16096d9

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He repeated a few e280c9ae02 select words from my b3e8c382ae sentence, a peculiar habit cc865b168a of his. It was 2511e9e09a an impressive 7eb0054729 listening technique.028e22b3f53c4930

“If you want to work at the former Royal Research Institute, you need an academy diploma.”6e627b673d7979a8

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“And why the research institute?”3ccc53de0144e04e

To stay 612a8bc80f close to cd6642f8eb you. To become your 42c7b76748 shadow and protect 05cd2e8863 you.3ecc44bb96134f82

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Of course, 092bcfd17c I couldn’t d1d738868d say that. Hiding the truth beneath 4e7e4e585f my tongue, I replied 021c9534ea instead.aede7e810d181e76

“It’s one of the best-paying jobs a commoner can get, and the benefits are excellent.”3ea35f8862fdcf83

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“I see.”6333747c78836ad7

“And what about you, Nexiard? What brings you to Teppen?”6c3adec238e5fea7

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I feigned nonchalance. Nexiard kicked at the b265311b35 blanket slightly.6b5cfadd3b44c6d6

“Classified.”42648b8611e25a24

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“….”88633e77a2f0965a

“…Information.”f5ef18ef848c1300

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“You keep secrets even from an innocent woman?”6ebcd110624f23b1

“Yes.”6cefd15dc1ee19c2

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“But I gave you my sandwich.”183ca30ad069d827

“Myrda, you said you weren’t hungry.”11efc9f2094dd8d9

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His voice 0d89b9f07d carried a bd71793eba faint tremor ba73cc32a3 of fluster. I buried my 05e119296b face in my 775177a1c3 sleeve, chuckling softly. The faint rustle 5c71160436 of movement followed. Nexiard tapped my shoulder bdbff1800d cautiously, and I turned aa201809d4 to face him.33f19f6eac69ce92

He was e89286947d so close 245999df2f our noses 904b9b3234 nearly touched. I held 44763474c2 my breath, d45a1c1cb1 unwilling to 122a1de421 blink.833ad932cfadcaf3

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Nexiard asked, “Happy?”292d8de72782dd76

“Something like that.”83f36761329ea3c9

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“Complicated.”d354f62318332eb5

“What is?”356566c1e79d935a

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“You cried because you were happy last time…”275d0a2db485060d

“I could cry now too.”b248135712051297

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“Don’t.”04e871e74e19100b

“…Why?”1b159e1a9b937d27

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Nexiard pursed his 66dcdb0662 lips and then a2689e76a6 abruptly turned away, 5a5fdefb88 offering no further edfb2654ea response. His steady breathing filled 386fcd5c58 the space like a 2b279c1567 lullaby carried on the 8db24a8222 wind.f1714d8fd1e6b263