Andreas woke up early the next morning thanks to habit—not that Elias bothered hunting with him anymore. His father gradually found less things he liked about Andreas the older he got, it seemed; at this point, Elias seemed more proud in Amanda, but a part of that could be her unwillingness to marry. Meanwhile, Andreas had his love right next to him.

He tried to move carefully, as always, so he didn’t disturb Miya. At first, she would always wake up with him—now she still slept, or at least went back to sleep, after he got out of bed. He didn’t feel as guilty about waking up so early when she feigned sleep.

Andreas got dressed and ready for the day, and went out to get something to eat. Amanda and Lizette were both awake and in the main room—his sister offered some of her food to him, but he shook his head.

“I can get my own,” Andreas said. He looked at Lizette. “Did Father leave already?”

“He said he wanted to hunt,” Lizette replied. “One would think it’s too cold, but…no, apparently not. He’s just ready to be out of here, I think.”

Andreas sighed, continuing the conversation even when he went into another room. “He wants to leave but he doesn’t want me in charge. Will he ever make up his mind?”

“To be fair,” Amanda noted, “It’s not like you want to be grand chief, either.”

“I don’t think Father cares enough to consider my feelings. He just doesn’t trust that I’ll make good decisions. Considering his attitude these past few months, I assume he thinks marrying Miya is one of the worst decisions I could ever make.”

Andreas came back out to the main room and sat down to eat whatever they had available for breakfast. Lizette was quick to try to reassure him.

“Well, I think Miya’s wonderful,” Lizette said. “She’s so helpful! Compared to Sólstaðuric women her age”—she specifically gave a short glare towards Amanda, who shrugged it off—“she’s respectful and kind, as well.”

“But you’re also a romantic who regrets marrying Father,” Andreas reasoned with a frown, “So I’m not sure if your opinions can exactly count as valid, Mother.”

Lizette frowned, albeit with some joking intent. “On second thought, Miya’s more respectful and kind than the men as well.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

They fell into silence for a little while until Andreas was finished eating. “I’m going to head out and make sure Father’s not frozen over,” he decided.

“If he’s visiting a friend, just leave him,” Lizette replied firmly. She put on a kinder expression and smiled. “Oh, and we’re running a bit low on liquor. Specifically the strong kind that your father doesn’t like.”

“I can get more while I’m out,” Andreas offered.

Lizette nodded her thanks, and Andreas prepared to leave. That’s about when Miya came out of their room, wearing one of the outfits Kuro put together to account for the cold but still hold the same cultural charm as the clothes worn in the kingdom itself.

Andreas tried not to frown, knowing well enough what the difference in outfits meant. Miya spoke before he could, however.

“Are you going out?” It was nothing more than a simple, curious question. She continued after Andreas nodded. “Could you wait a minute, and I can come with you?”

“I’m not in any rush,” Andreas replied.

She gave him a grateful smile, and went to get her own small breakfast. As soon as she finished eating, she joined him near the door and put on an extra coat. Andreas led the way outside, and they chatted while they walked through the snow.

“I need to find Elias first,” Andreas said, glancing at Miya for a moment. “Then Lizette put me on the task of getting more things for her to drink.”

“I don’t mind,” Miya replied kindly.

“There’s something you need done, I’m assuming?” Andreas asked, looking back ahead of him.

“…I wanted to speak with some Kuro soldiers and see if I could go back to pay my respects to Nari. I might congratulate Shunji and thank Yanami Sukaru while I’m there.”

“I thought as much, honestly. This will sound awful, but I can’t talk you out of it, can I?”

“It’s only fair that I see them, Andreas—and that’s assuming they remember me at all. I’m sure Elias can’t be much more mad at you if you came with me.”

“As much as I’d love to just to know you’re safe, I don’t think Kuro appreciate me being there. It’s easier to pretend this relationship doesn’t have political undertones when your family isn’t aware it exists.”

“Stop sounding like I married you just for some odd reason like politics.” Miya playfully whacked him and chuckled, holding no genuine feelings against him. Still, she paused for a moment. “But…you think I’d be in danger if I went back?”

Andreas reconsidered his earlier words for a moment, and rephrased it. “Well, I…don’t exactly trust they’ll keep you safe, if that’s any better. They have a new king and your mother’s dead, so there’s no reason for them to keep you alive.”

“Kuro won’t kill me,” Miya pointed out, her earlier cheerfulness fading for a moment. “If anything, they’ll disown me—just as they would if they heard I was married to Sólstaður’s next grand chief. In that case, I’ll just come back here; it might take a bit longer, but I’m not staying in Kuro forever.”

He was a bit reluctant to agree, but by then they had made it near the edges of the forest surrounding a part of the village. Forced to accept it—for now, at least—Andreas murmured some agreement and quietly asked her to stay put. Miya obeyed, and he went to look for Elias. His father wasn’t in the immediate area, so Andreas decided to put all other tasks first and look more for him later; Andreas eventually saw him when they went to buy alcohol for Lizette. As per usual, Elias didn’t give him any sign that he was noticed.