A week had passed since the demon incident.
Seven days since the Academy bled.
And now—
We had a one-month holiday.
Which, frankly, was the most shocking part of the entire disaster.
The Academy never closed. Not for storms. Not for political assassinations. Not even when a third-year once accidentally summoned a minor void fissure in the cafeteria.
But demons tearing open the sky and almost collapsing reality?
Apparently, that qualified.
"They're probably in council meetings with the Five SS-Rankers," Edwin had said yesterday, biting into an apple like he wasn't discussing the fate of nations.
And he was probably right.
If the most prestigious academy in the world couldn't protect its own students from internal infiltration, then what exactly was it protecting? Its reputation? Its pride?
Politics would follow.
Accusations would follow.
But right now—
I didn't care.
Because right now—
I was standing on a beach.
Warm sunlight touched the water, turning the vast sea into shifting sheets of silver and blue. Waves rolled lazily toward the shore, collapsing into soft foam against golden sand. The salty breeze tugged gently at my shirt, cool against skin that had known too much heat and blood lately.
A temporary peace.
Edwin and Sarah were already knee-deep in the water.
"HEY—! THAT WAS A LOW BLOW!" Edwin shouted as Sarah kicked water at him.
"It's called strategy!" she yelled back, splashing him again with alarming accuracy.
He retaliated immediately.
A wave rose behind her—not naturally.
"Oh no you don't—!"
Too late.
She shrieked as the water crashed over her head.
I watched them with mild approval.
Yes.
This was healthy.
Violence—but recreational.
My gaze shifted.
Alisia sat a few meters away from the shoreline on a neatly laid beach mat. A wide sun hat rested lightly over her silver hair, shielding her eyes from direct sunlight. She wore a simple white summer dress—nothing extravagant, nothing noble. Just light fabric flowing gently with the breeze.
Elegant.
Effortlessly.
I stood a few meters away from her.
Looking at her leg—
Ahem.
No.
I meant the sea.
Yes. The sea.
Very blue. Very vast. Very distracting.
I cleared my throat and extended my hand toward the waves.
A simple spell.
Nothing dramatic.
Water stirred.
A thin stream lifted from the ocean surface, twisting gently in the air like a ribbon pulled by invisible fingers. I shaped it carefully—petal by petal—forming the delicate outline of a rose.
Then—
A whisper of frost.
The water crystallized instantly, turning into translucent blue ice. Light passed through it beautifully, scattering tiny rainbows across the sand.
A cold rose.
Simple.
Elegant.
Appropriate.
I walked toward her.
She didn't look up.
"Here," I said casually, holding it out. "A cold flower for the beautiful Ice Queen."
She turned her head slowly.
Her silver eyes moved from the rose—
To me.
Expression unreadable. As always.
She accepted the flower.
Looked at it for exactly three seconds.
Then looked away.
…
That was it.
No blush.
No faint smile.
No "thank you."
Just silence.
I blinked.
"…That's it?"
She remained still.
Wind moved her hair slightly.
My pride suffered minor structural damage.
But my shamelessness?
Untouched.
I walked over and sat beside her without invitation.
She did not move.
Not even slightly.
We sat like that for a moment.
Waves in the distance.
Edwin shouting something about revenge.
Sarah laughing like a menace.
"…You're very quiet," I said lightly.
No response.
"Are you contemplating the philosophical implications of frozen botanical art?"
Nothing.
I leaned slightly closer.
"Or are you mad?"
Her fingers tightened slightly around the rose.
Ah.
There it was.
She finally spoke.
"I am not angry."
That tone.
Flat.
Dangerously flat.
"I see," I nodded. "So this is your peaceful face."
Silence.
"Good to know."
She turned her head slowly.
"You were surrounded again yesterday."
There it is.
Direct hit.
I scratched my cheek. "Ah. That."
"Yes. That."
"It wasn't my fault," I defended immediately. "They just… appear."
"You encourage them."
"I do not."
"You smile."
"…I smile at everyone."
"That is the problem."
I stared at her.
She stared at the ocean.
"…So what you're saying," I said slowly, "is that my personality is too likable."
Her eyes narrowed faintly.
"I am saying," she replied calmly, "that you lack awareness."
I placed a hand over my chest. "I am extremely aware."
"You were leaning very close to that girl in the library."
"I was explaining a diagram."
"You leaned closer than necessary."
"…There was glare."
"There was not."
This interrogation felt unfair.
"You're exaggerating," I muttered.
She finally turned to look at me fully.
Her gaze was cool. Controlled.
"But you left when I arrived."
…
That was true.
"…Yes."
"Why?"
Because I value my life.
"Because," I said carefully, "I sensed… atmospheric instability."
Her eyes sharpened.
"…Instability."
"Yes. Like a sudden drop in temperature."
A faint breeze passed between us.
Sand near her feet crystallized slightly.
Ah.
There it was again.
Subtle frost.
She looked away.
"I do not care who speaks to you."
Oh?
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Truly?"
"Yes."
"Completely?"
She turned sharply. "Alden."
"…Yes?"
"Do not test me."
I grinned.
There it is.
Finally, a reaction.
I leaned back on my hands, looking at the sky.
"You know," I said casually, "if you really didn't care, you wouldn't be monitoring my library posture."
Silence.
Then—
"You were smiling at her."
"I smile at you."
"That is different."
"How?"
She paused.
"…Because I allow it."
I stared at her.
That was—
Not what I expected.
"Oh?"
She adjusted her hat slightly, still not looking at me directly.
"You belong where you choose to stand," she said quietly. "But do not forget where you are already expected."
That was dangerously close to romantic.
I shifted slightly closer.
"Expected by whom?"
She did not answer.
So I tried something reckless.
I leaned in slightly and lowered my voice.
"By you?"
Her breath hitched.
Just slightly.
Barely noticeable.
But I noticed.
Silver eyes flicked toward me.
And for one brief moment—
There was no ice.
Just warmth she didn't know how to show.
"…Perhaps," she said softly.
And then she immediately looked away.
I smiled.
Victory.
Minor.
But satisfying.
From the water—
"HEY! STOP FLIRTING AND GET IN HERE!" Edwin shouted.
Sarah cackled. "Yeah, Alden! Or are you scared of saltwater?"
I sighed dramatically.
"They lack subtlety," I muttered.
Alisia's lips twitched slightly.
Barely.
But I saw it.
"You should go," she said calmly.
"You want me to?"
"I did not say that."
"So you don't want me to."
She looked at me with that expression again.
That unreadable, dignified, perfectly composed look.
"…If you go," she said slowly, "I will freeze the water around you."
I blinked.
"…That sounds like you do want me to go."
"It would be amusing."
"That's attempted murder."
"It would be shallow."
"That's still cold."
She tilted her head slightly.
"You resist cold."
"Emotionally or physically?"
She did not dignify that with a response.
I stood up.
"Fine," I said. "I'll join them."
I took three steps toward the shoreline.
Then paused.
Turned back.
She looked up slightly.
"Yes?"
I walked back.
Sat beside her again.
"I changed my mind."
Her eyebrow lifted faintly.
"Oh?"
"Yes. I decided your company is statistically safer."
"…Safer."
"Yes. Edwin is violent. Sarah is unpredictable. You are merely threatening."
She looked at the frozen rose in her hands.
Then—
Very subtly—
She leaned slightly closer to me.
"Good," she said quietly.
"…Good?"
"Yes."
Wind brushed against us again.
The sea glittered endlessly.
Edwin slipped in the water and fell flat.
Sarah laughed so hard she lost balance too.
I watched the chaos from a safe distance.
"…You know," I said softly, "when things get loud like that… I prefer this."
She didn't ask what I meant.
She knew.
"This is quiet," I continued. "Simple. No politics. No demons. No councils."
She looked at the horizon.
"It will not stay this way."
"I know."
Silence.
But comfortable.
Not heavy.
Not tense.
Just two people sharing sunlight.
After a moment, she placed the frozen rose carefully on the sand beside her.
Then—
Very lightly—
Her hand moved.
And rested against mine.
Not gripping.
Not holding tightly.
Just there.
A simple contact.
Warm.
Real.
I didn't move.
Didn't tease.
Didn't comment.
For once.
Because some moments didn't need commentary.
"…Alden," she said quietly.
"Yes?"
"If the world turns again… and things become uncertain…"
"They will," I said calmly.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"Then do not disappear ahead of me."
I looked at her.
Really looked.
Not at the Ice Queen.
Not at the noble daughter.
But at the girl who stood on battlefields beside me.
"I won't," I said.
She searched my face for exaggeration.
Found none.
"…Good."
From the water—
"ARE YOU TWO HOLDING HANDS?!" Edwin yelled.
I immediately pulled my hand back.
She did not.
"…Ignore him," she said smoothly.
I coughed. "Yes. Ignore him."
Sarah's voice carried over the waves. "Aww, that's cute!"
Alisia stood gracefully.
The temperature around the shoreline dropped three degrees.
Edwin froze mid-laugh.
"…I regret speaking," he muttered.
I stood beside her.
She glanced at me sideways.
"…Walk with me."
Not a request.
I smiled.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
She lightly elbowed me.
We walked along the shore together, sand soft beneath our feet, the sea whispering beside us.
Behind us—
Two idiots resumed their water war.
Ahead of us—
A horizon that would not remain peaceful for long.
But for now—
There was sunlight.
Salt.
And the quiet warmth beneath the frost.