Winter Wolf - Chapter 15. Part 4

Chapter 15. Part 4

She had always been the one worrying and feeling anxious, but now the roles had reversed. And she realized there was something quite sweet about this shift in their dynamic. She could finally understand why he had struggled to let go of control.

“I’ve owed my aunt a lot while you were gone. You know, the Countess of Spencer, who’s now my adoptive mother.”

“…I know. So?”

“If I just disappear now, it’ll cause her a lot of trouble. So… give me some time to wrap things up.”

“How long?”

“One day should be enough.”

Ian let out a low, reluctant hum. It was clear that he didn’t want to wait even a day, but he forced himself to be patient.

“Fine, do as you wish. But if you take any longer, I’ll come and get you myself. Don’t think I won’t,” he said, his voice holding a gentle warning.

The image of him storming into the Spencer mansion, something she had once only imagined, flashed vividly in her mind. Lysithea took a deep breath, realizing that her wildest thoughts were now about to become reality. No, this was beyond anything she had ever imagined.

When she nodded, Ian finally released the grip he had on her shoulders. Like two dancers at the end of a performance, they stood still, their breaths unsteady as they quietly observed one another. Ian was the first to reach for the door handle.

“Come to Pier 3 by midnight tomorrow. I’ll wait for you until sunrise. If you can’t make it…”

“I’ll be there,”

Lysithea interrupted, gently placing her hand over his on the door handle.

“We’ll go together this time. I promise.”

Every word she had spoken had been sincere. Ian looked at her warmly before planting a soft kiss on her forehead. Lysithea closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, the door had quietly opened and closed, and Ian was gone.

*Let this not be a dream,* she silently prayed, opening the door herself. As she walked down the empty corridor, she realized she was no longer Lady Spencer.

***

There were many witnesses to the scandal caused by Lysithea Spencer, the fiancée of the Grand Duke of Noxar.

The Countess of Spencer, unable to contain her frustration, scolded her harshly.

“What were you thinking?! How could you bring such shame upon yourself, upon our family, at a time like this! What will the Grand Duke think of you now? What will people say?!”

The Countess’s finger trembled as it pointed accusingly at Lysithea, who stood quietly with her head lowered, her expression unreadable.

“You of all people, with a wedding on the way, how could you act so recklessly? What do you think the Grand Duke will think of you now? What will everyone say?”

The Countess’ sharp nails seemed to almost graze Lysithea’s eyes as she pointed at her in frustration.

Lysithea bowed her head with a solemn expression.

“I’m sorry, Mother. I won’t drink any alcohol before the wedding.”

“Of course not! Imagine, getting drunk and falling into the fountain! Is that how a lady behaves?”

The scandal was that Lysithea had drunkenly fallen into the fountain in the garden during the masquerade. Her hair and clothes were soaked, and she was shivering from the icy winter water.

With the help of the marquis’s household, Lysithea had managed to change out of her soaked clothes before returning to the Spencer estate. That was the extent of the scandal.

“Oh, I can’t live like this! You’re skipping the Hopkins party today. We’ll go without you. I can’t bear the shame of showing you off like this!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Rest in your room!”

The door slammed shut, and as the Countess’ footsteps faded down the hall, Lysithea breathed a sigh of relief. She walked over to her bedside table and opened the drawer.

As Lysithea removed the jewelry box from the drawer, a folded piece of paper slipped out from underneath. It was the letter she had written earlier that morning, immediately upon returning from the masquerade.

The short letter, beginning with “I’m sorry,” was Lysithea Spencer’s suicide note.

*This should be enough,* she thought.

She reread her hastily written letter. It was her way out, a means to get everything she needed. If Lysithea Spencer, burdened by the trauma of the revolution, were to take her own life, the Spencer family could escape the fallout of her broken engagement to the Grand Duke without suffering significant loss. It was an exit strategy for her and her family.

Having already made a spectacle of herself by falling into the fountain, people would be more inclined to believe her death was a tragic suicide rather than a mysterious disappearance. This way, there would be no search parties or pursuits to worry about.

*In a way, I’m starting to resemble him,*

Lysithea thought with a faint smile.

She placed the letter in a white envelope and left it on her bedside table, positioned to be found in the morning.

At around ten pm, as night fell, Lysithea packed her pendant and a portable lantern, donned her outer garments, and slipped quietly out of the Spencer mansion. With the master and mistress of the house away, the sounds of servants amusing themselves in the cellar echoed faintly through the quiet halls. Outside, the snow continued to fall as it had the night before.

***

Standing at Pier 3, Lysithea listened to the rhythmic crash of the cold waves against the shore.

The waters of the principality never froze, and she was ready to leave. All that was left was for him to arrive.

She looked at the bell tower in the distance, its silhouette still in the night. She had heard the chime marking eleven o’clock, but the passage of time had become unclear, and she had no sense of how long it was until midnight. Perhaps she had arrived too early.

The cold began to set in, and after some hesitation, Lysithea lit her lantern. She crouched under the large sign with the number “3” on it, the snow falling thicker by the moment, with only the soft glow of the flame and the snowflakes swirling around her to keep her company.

The sound of footsteps crunching through the snow reached her ears, familiar and comforting. It was the sound of someone coming to rescue her.

Ian stood over her, looking down with a soft smile. He was dressed similarly to the day before, in a sharp, tailored suit.

“Have you been waiting long?” he asked.

“Yes, about a year or so,” she replied with a playful smile.

“Really?” he teased back, surprised by her sudden lightheartedness.

Lysithea stood up, brushing the snow off her skirt as the lantern beside her flickered. Looking at his polished appearance, she couldn’t help but ask,

“Why are you so dressed up? It’s not like we’re going to a party.”

“Are you planning to leave dressed like that? We’re not going to a ball.”

“You said it suited me yesterday.”

“So, you do everything just because I like it?”

“Yeah.”

Lysithea’s eyes widened in surprise. His firm, straightforward answer was unexpected, but what caught her off guard was his tone—so soft and almost… endearing. She hadn’t realized he could sound so cute and familiar.

As she hesitated, Ian turned his eyes to the sea and spoke again.

“Where do you want to go, Lysithea? Is there anywhere you’ve always wanted to see?” Ian asked, his eyes still fixed on the sea.

“I’m not sure… somewhere warm, maybe?”

“A warm place… That would mean a long journey,” he replied with a smile.

The idea of a long journey, one that could go on forever, was something both of them desired.

Lysithea followed his gaze to the distant ocean. The dark, rolling waves reminded her of the nightmares she once had, but now, they no longer frightened her. Not with him by her side.

They would face everything together.

“Anywhere will do. I’m good at surviving no matter where I end up,” Lysithea said cheerfully, smiling.

Ian, standing close beside her, gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leaned in. Their lips met softly and lingered for a few brief kisses. When they parted, their eyes remained locked, a silent promise of the new routine their life together would bring.

As Lysithea stared into Ian’s eyes, a thought suddenly struck her. She bent down quickly.

“Wait a moment,” she said, picking up the lantern from the ground.

She brought it closer to his face, the warm light illuminating his features. He watched her curiously as she examined him, her expression focused.

“What is it, Lysithea?” he asked, his voice soft, as the golden light flickered in his amber eyes.

“Lysithea?” Ian’s soft voice broke through her focus.

Lysithea studied his golden eyes carefully, the light from the lantern reflecting off them just as she expected—like warm embers glowing in the night.

“What is it?” he asked again, his tone gentle and curious.

She smiled to herself, appreciating the warmth in his voice and expression. As she looked at him, she realized how much she still didn’t know about him. She wanted to know everything: his age, his birthday, his likes and dislikes, his dreams, and all the things he wanted to do with her.

There was so much she wanted to discover, and she found herself eager to learn it all.

Lowering the lamp, Lysithea answered softly,

“I just like them… your eyes.”

As she shyly mumbled the words, Ian leaned in and whispered gently,

“I love you, Lysithea.”

His voice, quiet but full of sincerity, left her breathless. She had waited so long to hear those words. It was no longer a dream.

In the distance, the bells chimed for midnight. The snowflakes grew heavier, falling in thick clusters, but the wind remained calm. It was the perfect night for a ship to set sail.

“Shall we go now?”

Ian said as the ship approached, taking her hand in his.

Their footsteps left faint marks in the snow as they walked together, side by side, only for the tracks to be quickly erased by the falling snow. The dark sea, rippling gently, parted as the ship cut through the water, leaving no trace of the passage behind.

Together, they boarded the vessel, leaving behind the frozen winter and sailing toward the unknown, beyond the heavy snowfall.