Inside a quiet room decorated in a clean European style, several silver lamps shone brightly, giving off a pure white glow.
A faint lavender fragrance drifted through the room, and a soft plush carpet covered the marble floor.
Gwen had finished training. After quickly washing away her sweat, she changed into a loose white robe and tied up her long silver hair.
Her face was expressionless. With tense hands, she held a clear crystal glass.
Kafra stood beside her, lifted the teapot, and filled the empty cup on the table.
"Thank you."
A cold voice came from the other side of the coffee table.
Kafra smiled and put away the teapot before turning to leave.
Though there was a trace of displeasure in that smile.
Viktor picked up the cup and took a sip.
Warmth flowed down his throat into his stomach, making it feel as if his whole body was wrapped in heat.
Only then did he slowly raise his head and look at the expressionless Gwen sitting nearby.
Kafra, after putting away the teapot, returned and leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed, looking at Viktor.
"Go on, brother-in-law."
"What exactly happened?"
When she first met Viktor and heard that he wanted her to pass along a message, Kafra agreed.
But when Viktor asked her to tell Gwen "I'm sorry," she was completely stunned.
Could it be... that Viktor had done something outside that wronged Gwen?
Because of that, she had been carrying a bit of anger in her heart when Viktor came in.
But when her gaze landed on Gwen, she sighed.
Even after hearing those messages earlier, Gwen still remained expressionless.
In those somewhat empty eyes, there was still only Viktor.
A feeling of pity rose in Kafra's heart.
Her younger sister seemed a little too pitiful.
At that moment, Viktor put down his cup, straightened up, and seriously looked into Gwen's vacant gaze.
"First of all, Gwen, I need to apologize to you."
Kafra frowned and rolled her eyes from the side.
'Yeah, yeah, Viktor.'
'We know you've wronged Gwen. Get to the important part already.'
However, Viktor suddenly stood up and looked seriously at Kafra as well.
Those obsidian-like eyes left her somewhat at a loss.
"And you too, Miss Kafra."
"I owe you an apology as well."
Viktor bowed to Kafra.
Even the one-eyed black crow on his shoulder followed its master, placing a wing over its chest and giving a slight bow.
As if expressing its apology.
Now Kafra was even more confused.
She stretched her neck slightly, left her mouth hanging open, blinked, and stared blankly at Viktor.
'Huh? What? Wait...'
'Hold on?'
'What do you have to apologize to me for!?'
Suddenly, a chill ran up her spine. A sense of danger, like being watched by a hunting beast, surged up.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and carefully glanced toward Gwen.
Sure enough, a trace of coldness had appeared in Gwen's empty gaze.
Like an icy wind freezing everything for miles around, Kafra felt a bone-chilling sense of danger.
She hurriedly explained, "No, Gwen, listen to me. There is absolutely nothing between Viktor and me..."
The next second, a flash of magic suddenly appeared before her eyes.
Kafra's voice stopped, and she couldn't help looking toward Viktor.
Viktor waved a hand, and a blue magic circle suddenly appeared in the air.
With a loud crash, a set of silver-white armor fell heavily onto the floor.
The tremendous impact made the entire mansion tremble slightly.
Kafra stood there dumbfounded, staring at the silver armor.
'Uh, why does this thing look familiar?'
Gwen's eyes were locked firmly on the armor as well, not moving at all, as if completely stuck to it.
Finally, Kafra's expression gradually became serious.
"This... could it be..."
Viktor calmly sat down again and nodded.
"That's right.", His voice was low and solemn.
"This is Uncle Angus's Snow Mastiff Armor."
As those words fell, the warm atmosphere in the mansion seemed to drop several degrees.
Both Kafra and Gwen fell silent.
Kafra slowly raised her head and stared blankly at the bright silver lamps. The expression on her face became difficult to control.
This Snow Mastiff Armor had belonged to her and Gwen's father, Angus Delin.
This armor had followed their father through countless snowstorms and hundreds upon hundreds of battles.
The powerful cold aura contained within it could even awaken a person's berserk bloodline and grant strength beyond ordinary people.
However, it could only display its greatest power during winter.
A large part of why Angus was known as the Snow Mastiff Knight was because of this armor.
After Angus died, this armor was buried with him in his tomb.
Burying the armor he had cherished for half his life alongside him was considered a fitting funeral.
Even though his actions had not completely matched the standards of knightly justice.
After all, he had watched many Northern residents fall into danger without caring.
But no matter what, Angus had still been a great knight who protected the North.
For Gwen and Kafra, no matter what happened, he was still their father.
And now Viktor had taken this armor out, placed it in front of them, and apologized several times.
'What did that mean?'
The answer spoke for itself.
Kafra raised her head, suppressed her emotions, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself.
After a long while, she lowered her head and looked at Viktor. Her trembling eyes were full of disbelief.
"So, you went and dug up my family's grave, right?"
Viktor looked at her in silence.
After thinking for a while, he slowly nodded.
Kafra, "..."
She took a deep breath, trying to ease her dizziness.
Rubbing her temples, she asked Viktor in a doubtful tone, "No, my father's grave is in the North. How did you even get there and come back?"
"I'm a mage. I can teleport."
"Is that really the important part!?"
Kafra was starting to break down.
Kafra was starting to break down. No matter how controversial Angus's actions had been during his lifetime, he was still her and Gwen's father.
Without saying a word, Viktor had gone and secretly dug up the grave.
How was she, as his daughter, supposed to accept that?
Well, not completely without saying a word.
At least he came back and apologized.
But that didn't erase what Viktor had done.
Holding her head, Kafra said dizzily, "So when you said you wanted to apologize to Gwen and me, this is what you meant?"
Viktor nodded again.
Kafra took a sharp breath and leaned against the wall.
"I thought your apology to Gwen was about something romantic."
Looking at it now, it would have been better if Viktor had actually done something to wrong Gwen.
Even if he really had done that, Gwen might have accepted it.
As long as the reason was reasonable, there might still have been a chance of forgiveness.
But digging up her father's grave... how was anyone supposed to forgive that?
The more Kafra thought about it, the more unreal the day felt. Everything before her eyes seemed to become blurry.
No, no, this had to be a dream.
She shook her head, trying to find an excuse that would let her accept what was happening.
But before Kafra could speak, a cold voice suddenly came from in front of her.
"I forgive you."
Kafra, "Huh?"
'No, how did he suddenly get forgiven?'
'Sister, I admit you hold a lot of resentment toward Father, but can we at least wait a bit before forgiving him...'
Leaning against the wall, Kafra stared blankly ahead, her face full of confusion.
'Just like that?'
'Without any explanation, he was forgiven?'
'What about the motive? The reason?'
'Why exactly did Viktor dig up their our grave?'
Upon hearing Gwen's forgiveness, Viktor leaned back slightly, as if he had expected this answer all along.
But then Gwen's gaze climbed to Viktor's face.
"Besides this, have you done anything else that wronged me?"
Kafra, standing nearby, looked extremely surprised.
Because she suddenly realized something.
This was the first time since Gwen's drastic personality change that she had actively asked someone a question.
Even though that person was Viktor.
Hearing Gwen's question, Viktor raised his head.
His eyes met hers.
He could clearly feel how pure Gwen's gaze was.
As if it could see through the soul itself, like a beam of brilliant light piercing through dark clouds.
A long time passed, yet Viktor's eyes did not waver in the slightest.
After taking a deep breath, he spoke firmly, "No."
"I can swear it to you."
The room instantly fell silent. Everything around them seemed wrapped in stillness. Even the howling winter wind outside the window seemed to have stopped.
Only the sound of their breathing gradually settled, while their heartbeats sounded especially loud in the silence.
Gwen stared into Viktor's deep obsidian eyes.
It felt as though her soul had seen a gem-like light within that profound darkness.
Suddenly, as if she had realized something.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly, and a faint curve appeared on her face.
At that moment, Kafra's eyes widened.
'Wait...'
'Gwen... smiled!?'
'She's recovered?'
Kafra said nothing. She covered her mouth, unable to believe what she was seeing.
She didn't dare disturb them. In that moment, the silence around them almost felt excessive.
Inside the vast room, only the breathing of the two seemed to rise and fall in rhythm together.
After a while, Gwen's slightly gentler voice finally sounded beside Viktor's ear.
Like two rivers winding together and slowly merging.
"I believe you."
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