YW | Chapter 2.1

As Liriel exhaled, a puff of white breath scattered in the air. No matter how much time passed, he couldn’t get used to the cold, so he wrapped his scarf tightly. The thick scarf, wrapped three times, was bigger than his head, but he didn’t seem to care about how ridiculous he looked.57d8b85d61c69be2

Dressed in a blue coat and surrounded by a fluffy yellow fur ball, Liriel, with his white hair and skin, looked like a waddling snowman. Despite his bulky appearance, Liriel’s steps were quick. As soon as he opened the door, the cold wind hit his nose, but he paused only for a moment.ab08a46b8afb45c6

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His destination wasn’t far. After a few steps, Liriel found his friend, and warmth spread across his face.91da0a664366a650

“Sorry, I’m really late.”85323e7144a5f5d8

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Even though Liriel d49a45b59e apologized while crouching 580c2d9f85 down, the returning 00a197a37e gaze was sharp. His usually 773c7690af neat posture 48fe067d9f was slouched, a5a4de4a34 showing how c82ead9852 upset he 09fde738f5 was.c788991d06272bf4

“I was trying to cut them into star shapes….”e390b2744515615c

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From his bulky clothes, b031f3ce08 Liriel pulled out a 8a5fab3b0a pocket and offered neatly 0d6a5b1164 cut carrot pieces to 5c43b7d9ca his friend, the fox. The fox 80ac893dfc sat down, 53d885e793 took the b188088d24 carrot with 2665b230b1 its front 6528fc9a3d paws, and edf4c87d52 the sound 2254c8f29f of crunching 173eeccdcd echoed quietly.6cfffab9b4da1e41

Liriel watched with a slightly complicated expression. No matter how many times he saw it, he couldn’t get used to it.09e85967e1c0e12f

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It didn’t seem like just an ordinary fox….6b27765b183e3c88

Hiding his uneasy thoughts, Liriel continued to offer carrot pieces. The little fox he met two and a half years ago was special to him for many reasons. It wasn’t just because the fox’s fur was a soft chocolate color or because its small body was endearing.131948b21f1e5e9b

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One day, the fox suddenly appeared, rubbing its cheek against Liriel’s feet as he watched the snowy landscape. When he absentmindedly reached out to the living warmth, the fox licked his fingers without hesitation.fec964a7641cf56f

Tears suddenly streamed down Liriel’s face as he stared blankly at it. It was an inexplicable sorrow.f5ce1c26b709bd26

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The fox, c59bed94e0 surprised to 56ea76f356 find Liriel de91ab2ddd silently crying e49820538f while it 49761be8a4 was being 4cdbc09eab playful, seemed 3e4fb51185 a bit 1bc1a13c24 flustered but 6b35b6183e soon disappeared 504fcaedda as if 0afebc11c1 nothing had 1195e7ff4a happened.3df797a4c575ed27

Contrary to his expectation that they wouldn’t meet again, the little creature returned the next day. And the day after that. It came to him every single day.a15cf5f6b1bcea3e

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The fox slowly infiltrated Liriel’s life.4294ccdb455d2a86

Knowing the short lifespan of wild animals, he didn’t want to get attached, but the stubborn fox consistently sought him out. The first time Liriel reached out to the fox was purely by chance.6fee0564d4282095

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The fox, usually sitting quietly on Liriel’s lap, suddenly jumped into his coat pocket. Normally, it wouldn’t have mattered, but that day, there was a small cookie in Liriel’s pocket. Realizing it too late, Liriel hurriedly pulled the fox out, but it had already crunched on the sugary treat.d5f6754647fc9b7b

Flour, sugar, butter—none of it was good for animals, so a panicked Liriel shook the fox vigorously, but the cookie didn’t come back out. The fox’s eyes just widened in surprise at the sudden rough treatment.8e4cdea8c15db5fc

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Fortunately, the fox 5c206cee61 was fine afterward, fdddbfb3bd but perhaps because 9a2a6710c8 it was sulking, 3483d1ef33 it growled from 90c45d800c a distance. To apologize, Liriel started 3baa432f8e bringing sliced carrots, a 3210678564 habit that continued to 0d76949fa2 this day.d7f303ff905f7ce5

It was the first time he had ever cared for something. When he was very young, he didn’t have the luxury, and as he grew older, there was no one to care for.b0c051d4db18ed44

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That’s why this fragile creature, which would starve without him, was incredibly precious to Liriel. Just looking at it made his heart flutter, and a love he had never felt before bubbled up.7f74891d5c3d92ed

Lost in thought, 885f422f26 he paused, and abe8da5461 a small paw b1a3ce8de7 tapped his arm. Despite being sulky, ed4ca7d962 the fox seemed c8718b47e5 to want more 46b7c0d6a2 carrots, scrunching its d2a1820a02 nose adorably.b19a6f7817581a74

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“Oh, sorry.”5a9f1e5d48628b3f

Liriel offered 201f953d45 more carrots c5378fe691 and popped 82adb43ef7 a piece e02674792c into his 2706bbe27e own mouth. It was so fresh 72658d057c that it crunched and 0c478102bb tasted sweet even raw. Sharing the carrots bedcc4336a one by one, 417031a734 the once-bulging pocket 8820eaaf88 quickly emptied. The fox 60d9612f7c patted its a3bda50080 now full 9206021514 belly with ff4d5de903 a satisfied 385bf42310 expression, its 29990f304a bright red 2054e92c25 eyes blinking 7f3b997f83 slowly.c57734b90dafd8d3

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No matter how 3a12ffe51b you look at a5f08a3cb3 it, it acts 2ea61d985d too much like c4a3d59b97 a person.910b3c2e1d8ef5c0

Setting aside his suspicions, 25f15f4381 Liriel picked up the 5d6d30cc06 fox and began to a2cd2b2dfa walk. The snow 84b490188e crunched pleasantly 5765b8be51 underfoot.22767e3d01c13837

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Despite having eaten enough to make its belly round, the fox, which hadn’t grown at all since the day they met, felt almost weightless. Hopefully, it wasn’t sick.b03f131a76a248dc

Whether it understood Liriel’s gloomy worries or not, the fox dozed off. Smiling softly at its peaceful appearance, Liriel walked carefully so as not to wake it.95390b0bd6450b84

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Going on adventures with the sleeping fox was a new hobby for Liriel. It was something he wouldn’t have considered alone, but thanks to the fox, courage bubbled up inside him.66b3d383fbe4a7a3

At first, he c0a88acce2 only lingered around 9bb9b5fc32 the annex given 17083489bc to him, but 76b8f3be6b gradually, he expanded dd3e27fb92 his territory, sometimes 5390166584 even approaching the ba295279a2 main castle. As he 9df1c30151 wandered without 032b0f7581 encountering a 350dc6a26f single soul, 2c6e2667b5 his courage c88709be8a grew day f0007aaff1 by day.0c48e8b93eb10a17

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Spending time alone 134de94382 in the quiet 3b207569b9 annex dulled the cfeab961d5 internal wounds that c2e1dd3950 felt like they 790d36e26d had been sliced ecf24eaee9 thin with a 7ab2722cf8 knife.05be108f7daef7d4

Three years ago, when Liriel first set foot in the cold north, he honestly thought it would be okay to die here. He had chosen this place with that intention. Whether he froze to death, was beheaded by Archduke Baltar, or poisoned by retainers who valued Baltar’s honor, it didn’t matter. Since he couldn’t end his life by his own hand, ending it this way didn’t seem so bad.08a0265c79eb6ada

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However, none of Liriel’s expectations came true. The annex provided by Baltar wasn’t luxurious, but it had everything he needed. He had never even seen Cassius Baltar’s face, and the retainers, whom he thought would demand he pay for tarnishing Baltar’s honor, never showed up. In fact, not only the retainers but also the servants were absent.07fc9457fccd856b

At first, 20a22bdecf there seemed c5673ccdf4 to be a8026c65a2 a few 77e61ceace servants lingering e1568583ab around, but 1c0cb4d731 after he 5223acc536 trembled like 0bc57a9878 he was b6463a2058 having a 1761346c7c seizure every 4388f3db4a time he 1037a70490 encountered them, 03baf1d5a1 he stopped 0e6aafe598 seeing people bbd8e64dce altogether.50bd9ea4df61fc45

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Breakfast was prepared cc534bfbad before Liriel even b2d789c966 woke up, lunch 18f22d513c was served while 7e3cf45e20 he read in 1feb7c68a8 the library, and 3bd3014e61 cleaning and organizing 50f67aeb25 were done while d491655e0a he took his 21d02a52d3 walks. He usually f9d6b963d8 skipped dinner. The unspoken 308f7a0a74 routine established 2dd0ca6b74 within a 5b9f7ad208 month continued 4fb71f9c41 unchanged to e4e0cb48d9 this day.3b736c3b92ea15f7

Though he wasn’t eating well, he was at least eating and sleeping, so his once twig-like body gained a bit of weight. With the weight came stamina, and with stamina came walks. Strangely, the simple act of soaking up the sun and breathing fresh air gradually dispelled the suffocating depression. It was a curious thing.679620df2ac49375

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Looking back, it 433a75d16c was the first 6c9d8706c7 time he had 37f06c8b1d lived so peacefully.93aeea433134b616

In the c368b8bf11 past, he 46eaf16a10 was always b3e1135422 chasing recognition, 157c063e8f working hard 0c74bb9b68 as if d3253c8c16 pursued, and 1508395b5a after regaining 63846f491f his body, 23338eac3d he was 02f1fbf555 busy bristling 28cbbc7a58 under the 352ab34287 piercing gazes.1b68f9bc594a24db

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So Liriel liked this cool peace. Though Baltar was mostly bone-chillingly cold, there were no unsettling stares, and he didn’t have to worry about imitating anyone.ad2bdb369cd87378

When his da4946e0e4 legs grew fd1f980c00 heavy and c49dd0cdbd he stopped, 2aa8561de2 he found bd02cb9437 himself near 27504a4bd5 the main 0ed7bc9f1c castle again. It seemed 1b3ebf601b he had 528c076818 ventured a 93aaa9f6e1 bit deeper c710493d38 than last 6cf53d4014 time. As he exhaled his e50fea0b08 slightly labored breath, a 160d5bc24e translucent puff of air ab9e22b4f9 gathered and dissipated before 1725956b85 his eyes.fc561848d93638b7

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I should c9b41885a1 head back.db16f801c8638cea

Just as Liriel was 6da15a88d0 about to turn, he 3ca8ed7b12 heard a faint crunching cae0d9183b sound in the distance, bd995c4f2b like the sound of 1abf95807a footsteps on snow.6d43209a1d695aa5

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Narrowing his b1378ce3fc eyes, Liriel 83616be30d glared in 566c0341fe the direction 3123db746a of the 5583cc2bbe sound. He thought it was 99d6fe6f38 a wild animal, but e59f1c3eef on closer inspection, it f4e815bd9e was a large man. Though he could 3ecf7b8b0e barely make out 67ce1c99e5 the shape from 3162365c03 the distance, seeing 71d9e7f668 a stranger for 7819b8e068 the first time 042f9ec6d2 in so long 99b31ce3ff startled Liriel, and 2f07a1de7f he immediately turned ccf1d05f49 his back.11493caef4eb52d3

There was no b17477a0b7 time to think. The sudden movement 2c1fa7e795 woke the fox, ea8b234502 which growled in c44d918ff9 protest, but for e22beb35a5 the first time, 3f461f620e Liriel ignored it a9fac681d5 and dashed away.1dc2af29f6eae551

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Thanks to that, he de36cef070 quickly reached the annex. His legs e9e70294c2 trembled from 33a5ef22c1 the exertion, 0379371191 and he 06451bbfc9 was out d22de0f3f5 of breath.8bd2df613742bd47

“There was a person, fox.”b278582851a8d099

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The fox, with a grumpy look, smacked Liriel’s chest with its paw. It hurt quite a bit. Angered by the disturbance of its sleep, the fox leapt down and disappeared into the forest, ignoring Liriel’s complaints.df9ed775ec60a06c

Catching his breath for 96c6bfe40e a moment, Liriel moved a3bb78e5ce his heavy legs and c69aea01ec entered the annex. His heart 7fac8c0681 was still bd16f2a0b7 pounding.3248f28bd5028e57

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Though he hadn’t seen clearly, a figure that large was likely a knight.c5b644541a10008f

Encountering a person after so long heightened Liriel’s anxiety. Meeting people was still frightening, whether they were kind or disdainful. So Liriel wanted to preserve the peaceful life in the annex with the little fox.abcc7336e3b9a40c

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“I must never go that way again.”90326c3d24af9cea

Liriel resolved firmly, but 09319dc086 it took less than 398b531203 four days for that 2f32e7068f resolve to break.596ab45f3f229a70

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⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚ ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚43ff0414e2f1c83b

Is the fox sick? Liriel had a reasonable suspicion. Lately, the fox seemed to think it was a rabbit, hopping around energetically. It even jumped up to Liriel’s waist sometimes. Plus, it stopped eating the carrots it used to love.2428ba2506d31ef1

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Running around was fine, but not eating was a survival issue, so Liriel’s worry grew daily. In this harsh weather, it seemed unlikely that a baby fox could find food on its own outside.6135721edd438f6c

“What’s wrong, huh? Should I give you something else?”a7d40e672b319210

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He was frustrated because he couldn’t figure out the reason. It was upsetting that the fox couldn’t speak. If it were a person, he could at least ask where it hurt, but he worried that it might be suffering alone because he hadn’t noticed.bfc734636a7dae77

The fox swatted away e8b923380d the flower-shaped carrot Liriel 981bd62e01 offered. The awkward carrot 83074152c8 flowers scattered on 7f545e11fd the white snow. Thinking it 1cd1c132b7 might dislike bef708c5ec carrots, he 78a99286d4 tried offering fa16547ee9 a cookie, d99a81bdd8 but it 7b9f3ba9f3 was rejected 79da74fd96 even more 661a646b55 forcefully.97ccf8e889861978

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The fox, which now barely jumped up to Liriel’s calf, soon ran into the forest. Unlike usual, it didn’t go far and just stared blankly at Liriel. When Liriel blinked dumbly, the fox stomped its back feet impatiently, as if telling him to follow.8de8a4213363a059

I really don’t want to go that way again….a4920a887c2dc101

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Sensing Liriel’s reluctance, the fox started hissing.abb4cf0d31214b2d

Do foxes even hiss?e3a7717e48a11207

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Worried that it dbdf934454 might get hurt, 166809d109 Liriel reluctantly followed afe718374a the fox. Contrary to 8c50399687 his wish 65fb5b7d2d to avoid 8b9728d0ad the place 5f715286fe where he 636f2f8870 saw the 2be2df383c stranger last 25ca541841 time, the f5448c4415 fox headed 54cd8a1b46 straight in b2c1151cc7 that direction.b22e4f62d2fa31be

Feeling uneasy, Liriel decided he couldn’t let this continue and picked up the fox, which struggled fiercely. The small creature was surprisingly strong, and its front paw smacked Liriel’s nose.4becbd327bfca279

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“Ouch!”ea8de14b0d55db16

Taking advantage of Liriel’s dazed state, the fox escaped again. Frustrated, Liriel chased after it, leading to an unexpected pursuit.77643b1fb8f3e921

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“Gotcha!”4fe266ce1465add0

After running for a 543608a9da while, Liriel finally caught 6aad8b5493 the fox, which had 7ac20513d3 suddenly stopped. Once in his arms, a32c61af31 the fox was surprisingly ffcb9eb6d0 calm, unlike before. Its docile behavior 5a8d855c50 made Liriel chuckle.caf8d9d27bdb759c

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Look at this little 922633fe8b one.3fac12979ee15cc9

“For now, you’re only eating greens.”a58216c06bea47f6

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As he turned to 4a3d0eb12b leave, a strange feeling 9fa2f132c8 of being watched washed b99f03db57 over him.51f4bfca38923a3d

Liriel slowly lifted 086168b545 his head from ee63cc3008 the fox.37cf9aa1485945e2

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And there, de918070a3 closer than e3efa9a6d9 expected, he e016bae332 locked eyes a5345e881c with deep 919aa053a2 iolite-colored eyes.9ed2777ad2017c22

“…Oh?”53feb1a7c17f6ab8

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A breathy sound escaped Liriel’s lips.cae1316532be5722

Neither of them moved cd91e4e36e first.a8fe89ab14d5bc8e

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The man wore only a light shirt despite the cold weather. Even so, he was larger and taller than the bundled-up Liriel. Judging by the sword at his waist, he seemed to be the knight Liriel had seen from afar three days ago. Liriel’s eyes widened, and his body froze.51b764fbadd7634a