The Empire's vast territory spanned such extres that the northern and southern regions experienced drastically different climates.
Even in the height of sumr, the northern lands felt like early autumn, making them a popular retreat for nobles. In contrast, the southern regions remained so mild that they rarely saw snow, even in the dead of winter.
“I never thought I’d live to see snow…”
The residents of Sorset, a region in the Empire’s south, had only ever heard of snow through stories. They had never witnessed it firsthand—until now.
As white snowflakes fell from the sky, the townspeople poured out of their hos, unable to contain their excitent.
“It’s cold! Real snow is cold!”
“Look at this! It sticks together!”
“How is it even possible for snow to fall in our land?”
Both children and adults were filled with wonder, marveling at the snow, tasting it, and gathering it into balls to throw—completely lost in childlike joy.
“I’m glad it worked out as planned.”
“Thank you for granting such an unreasonable request, Lord Yustaf.”
“My dear apprentice begged so earnestly that I couldn’t refuse.”
Yustaf spoke as he gazed out at the snow-covered estate, causing Zinnia to shoot him a subtle glare.
“Many people have asked to make it rain before, but this was the first ti soone requested snow. I couldn’t guarantee it would work.”
One of the primary roles of mages was summoning rain for farmlands during sumr.
It was common for lords in drought-stricken areas to hire mages to bring rain, and Yustaf himself had plenty of experience doing so in his younger days.
However, Rupert’s request for Sorset was not for rain but for snow, which required a slight modification to the spell.
Transforming the standard rain spell involved the additional task of lowering the temperature across the entire region using a magic circle—a complicated and costly process.
Yustaf had worried about the expenses needed to bring snow to life.
‘I want to help Lord Rupert this ti!’
He couldn’t stand to see his apprentice, Zinnia, feel overshadowed by Iolin, who had royal backing, or Alia, who ca from the Bluewell Duchy.
Determined to support her, Yustaf decided to use his prized magical materials to make the plan succeed.
Of course—
‘I’ll cover all the costs myself.’
Rupert’s willingness to pay for all the materials used to summon the snow had allowed Yustaf to focus solely on the magic itself.
“Rupert, your sister must be proud to have a brother like you.”
“I’d like to think so. But it’s not just Ada—everyone in the estate deserves to experience snow at least once in their lives.”
Yustaf comnted as Rupert casually dismissed the significant expense, having spent it simply because his younger sister wished for snow.
As the two n conversed, they noticed a girl in a red outfit exiting the estate on a splendid sled.
It was none other than Ada—the one responsible for this entire event—leaving the mansion.
“Let’s go, Raschu!”
“Woof!”
Raschu, now grown to the size of a small calf, pulled the sled with powerful strides across the snowy path.
Despite the sled’s considerable speed, Ada stood confidently at its helm.
Behind her, the sled was loaded with gifts she had prepared for the children in town.
‘So that’s why she was saving up money so diligently?’
Only now did Rupert realize the purpose behind Ada’s recent efforts to save money. Touched by her thoughtfulness, he had added toys and rchandise from Sorset’s workshop to the pile of gifts.
“Wow! The leader is flying!”
“She’s not the leader—she’s Santa Ada!”
Ada and Raschu arrived in the village in no ti.
The sled dashed through the snow so swiftly that it almost looked like they were flying.
Everyone who had co outside to see the snow stood in awe, unable to take their eyes off the spectacle.
“Henry, you can’t get into fights next year!”
“Yes, Captain!”
“Jefferson, next year you have to carve and Raschu into statues for the square!”
“I promise I’ll make them!”
Ada traveled throughout the village, handing out gifts to the children.
And the children who received them felt like adventurers uncovering treasure.
“rry Christmas!”
“What does rry Christmas an, Captain?”
“My brother said it’s sothing good!”
“Then rry Christmas to you too!!”
After delivering gifts to all the village children, Ada headed straight for the church.
“Miss Ada, what brings you here…?”
The church mbers, who had also co outside to marvel at the unexpected snowfall, were caught off guard by her arrival.
“rry Christmas!”
Ada handed over all the remaining gifts in her sled to the priest, Michael, and the children gathered at the church.
“Wow! It’s candy!”
“There are toys here too!”
“I saw this in Sorset’s goods store!”
The children squealed with excitent as they examined the assortnt of treats and toys.
“This one’s for you, sir!”
“You an Lord Rupert sent this?”
Michael opened the small box Ada handed him.
Inside was a necklace—not lavish but intricately carved with an image of the goddess Gaia.
—Thank you, Brother Michael, for helping make the estate a better place. May the goddess’s blessing always be with you.
“Lord Rupert…”
Michael clutched the necklace tightly, gazing at Ada and the children playing in the snow.
Following Rupert’s vision of ensuring no children in Sorset remained holess, Michael had taken in orphans to care for them at the church.
This thoughtful gift was Rupert’s way of acknowledging his efforts.
Though the snowfall had co as a surprise, Michael couldn’t help but feel a warm glow inside.
*****
“This could have been a disaster without Lady Zinnia’s help.”
“No, all I did was ask my master for assistance….”
Zinnia felt embarrassed by Rupert’s gratitude.
Her specialty was fire magic.
But Rupert’s request to make it snow across the entire territory was far beyond her capabilities.
If he had asked her to burn down a den of beasts, she could have done that without hesitation.
Because of this, Zinnia had no choice but to rely on her master, Yustaf, and she couldn’t help but feel disappointed that she hadn’t been able to assist directly.
‘I could’ve shown him sothing impressive this ti….’
Although she had a new golem in developnt, missing this opportunity still left her frustrated.
“Would you like to take a walk with ?”
“Yes, of course.”
Despite her regrets, she considered it a stroke of luck to have ti alone with Rupert.
Thanks to Yustaf’s tactful departure, they were left by themselves, strolling through Sorset Manor’s garden.
Crunch.
The snow, already thickly piled, made a soft, crunching sound with every step they took.
“The people here are so excited. It’s their first ti seeing snow.”
“The Empire really is vast. The village I grew up in had plenty of snow.”
In the garden, it wasn’t just Rupert and Zinnia enjoying the snowfall. Maids and workshop staff were also outside, playing in the snow like children.
“Is that so? Then, do you like snow?”
“…No. Actually, I don’t like winter at all.”
“May I ask why?”
Rupert’s question made Zinnia hesitate.
Her dislike of winter was tied to an unhappy past—sothing she’d rather not share, especially with Rupert.
But,
“I lost my parents when I was young and grew up in my uncle’s house.”
Zinnia had decided to embrace herself as she was. She wanted Rupert to know her whole story.
“I handled all the household chores. It was fine in sumr, but in winter, washing clothes was the hardest.”
Zinnia’s first use of fire magic had been during a harsh winter, trying to warm her frozen hands at a stream.
Dipping her hands into the icy water had felt like being stabbed with needles, and sotis, she’d even wished she could cut her hands off just to stop the pain.
That was why she hated winter.
She had always slept farthest from the fireplace, near the drafty windows.
When it snowed, her cousins would run outside to play while she endured the cold, working alone.
“Does it sound too pitiful?”
“…Not at all.”
Zinnia worried that soone as noble as Rupert might look down on her after hearing such a bleak story.
To soone as princely as Rupert, her life might seem pathetic.
But his expression wasn’t one of disgust.
Instead, Rupert looked as though he genuinely understood.
Seeing this, Zinnia let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Lady Zinnia, would you co this way for a mont?”
“Yes.”
After a brief silence, Rupert led her to the back of the mansion.
There, a massive tree stood tall, as grand as the manor itself.
“This tree was planted by the first Sorset ancestor when he arrived in this land.”
“It’s enormous.”
“Isn’t it? In spring, it blooms beautifully.”
Zinnia looked up at the towering tree and imagined it covered in blossoms.
She thought it would be romantic to stand under those flowers with Rupert, and suddenly, the fact that it was winter felt disappointing.
“I’m not a mage like you, but I can show you a little trick.”
“What?”
“Close your eyes for just a mont.”
Not sure what he was up to, Zinnia followed his instructions and closed her eyes.
“You might hear a popping sound, but don’t be alard.”
“Okay.”
Pop!
As soon as she responded, the sound echoed through the air.
“You can open your eyes now.”
When Zinnia opened her eyes slowly, her breath caught.
“This is….”
“Doesn’t it feel like spring?”
Zinnia couldn’t speak.
Before her was a breathtaking sight—snow falling from the sky, dyed in shades of pink.
“It looks like the tree is in bloom….”
“Even if you dislike winter and snow now, maybe soday you’ll grow to like them if you have good mories.”
The pink snowflakes piled on the branches, making the tree look like it was covered in cherry blossoms.
Zinnia stared at the scene in wonder before finally answering Rupert.
“I think…winter might not be so bad if I’m with you.”
Then, she kissed Rupert lightly on the cheek before quickly stepping away.
For the first ti, Zinnia thought that when winter ca, she wouldn’t be reminded of her painful past.
Instead, she’d rember this mont.
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