Dawn came quietly over the smallholding,the morning air if late autumn was sharp with cold. Pale light stretching across the fields as though the land itself had yet to wake.
Eiran arrived just as the sky began to soften.
He pushed open the gate, expecting the usual stillness—the quiet yard, the faint scent of earth, the house resting in its familiar calm.
Instead, he stopped.
Someone stood in the yard.
Not far from the door.
Eiran's eyes narrowed for a moment before recognition struck him.
"Sir Darius?"
Darius stood not far from the door, exactly where one would stand to knock ..yet he hadn't. His posture was straight, almost rigid, as though he had rooted himself there.
He stepped forward quickly, confusion already rising. "What are you doing here? Why are you just standing there and not coming in?"
There was no answer.
Eiran reached out, grabbing his arm to pull him toward the house.
But Darius did not move.
It was not only resistance but also as if his body simply refused.
Eiran frowned and tightened his grip, then froze.
"…You're cold."
Not just cool from the morning air.
Cold.
The kind that sank beneath the skin.
Eiran's expression changed at once.
"…Don't tell me," he said slowly, dread creeping into his voice, "you've been standing here since last night?"
Darius said nothing yet he did not deny it.
Eiran stared at him for a moment longer, then cursed softly under his breath before turning and rushing toward the house.
"Young master!" he called out as he pushed the door open. "Young master!"
Sion stirred at the noise.
He had not slept well. That much was clear even before he opened his eyes.
"…Eiran?" His voice was still heavy with drowsiness. "You're back early."
Eiran did not bother with pleasantries.
"Forget about me," he said, breath slightly uneven. "What is Sir Darius doing outside?"
Sion blinked.
"…Outside?"
He sat up, confusion flickering across his face, then turned toward the window.
Eiran followed his gaze. "He's been standing there for a long time. His body is cold."
Sion looked....
And there he was.
Exactly where Eiran had found him.
Still standing where he had been.Like he hadn't moved at all.
Something shifted in Sion's expression, but it passed too quickly to name.
"…It's nothing," he said at last, turning away. "Just…"
He then explained briefly.
When he finished, Eiran was left staring at him.
"…I leave for two days," he muttered, almost to himself, "and everything turns into this."
Then he looked at Sion more closely.
"No wonder you look like you haven't slept."
Sion said nothing.
Eiran sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Shouldn't you at least be glad? The land is yours now. No conditions. You can even earn more from the processed goods."
Sion's gaze lowered slightly.
"…That's exactly the problem."
Eiran paused, then let out a small breath.
"…Right. Knowing you."
A moment passed before he added, more carefully this time, "Are you really not going to let him in? It's cold outside because of the wind of the late autumn."
Sion's expression did not change.
"Let him be," he said. "It's his choice to stay."
There was a pause.
"If I let him in," he continued quietly, "he'll think I've already forgiven him."
With that, he stood and turned away.
"I'll rest a bit more."
Eiran watched him go, then let out a quiet sigh.
"…You're really heartless sometimes," he muttered.
But when he stepped back outside, his gaze shifted to Darius.
And there was no mockery in it now.
Only pity.
Later that morning, the two of them prepared to head to the smallholding.
When they stepped out, Darius was still there.Exactly as before.
"Sion—" Darius called, his voice rough.
Sion did not stop.
He walked past him as if he had heard nothing.
Eiran lingered for a moment.
"At least go home for a while," he said, lowering his voice. "Get some rest. Eat something. He won't listen to you like this."
Darius shook his head.
"I'll wait."
Eiran frowned. "You'll collapse at this rate."
"It doesn't matter."
There was no hesitation in it.
No doubt.
Eiran stared at him, then exhaled sharply. "…You're both impossible."
From ahead, Sion's voice called out, edged with impatience. "Eiran. What's taking so long?"
"Coming," Eiran replied, casting Darius one last look before turning away.
They worked in silence for a time.
The rhythm of labor usually brought ease.
Today, it did not.
Eiran eventually spoke. "Don't you think you're being a bit too harsh?"
Sion did not look up. "And you worry too much about him."
Eiran smirked faintly. "What, are you jealous?"
Sion shot him a glance. "Don't be ridiculous."
Eiran only chuckled under his breath.
By afternoon, Sion prepared to leave for the orphanage.
The sky had softened again, the air carrying that quiet chill that lingered before evening.
As he stepped outside...
"Sion."
Darius's voice stopped him.
He turned slightly.
Darius stepped forward and caught his wrist.
"Please," he said, his voice low, strained. "Don't ignore me."
Sion pulled his hand free.
"I have somewhere to be."
He turned—
And then..
Darius swayed.
For a brief second, it looked as though he might steady himself.
Unfortunately,he didn't.His body gave out and he collapsed.
"Sion—"
The name did not fully leave his lips.
Sion froze.
Then turned sharply.
"…Darius?"
He rushed forward, catching him before he could hit the ground fully.
He then felt Darius body.Its hot.
Sion's expression changed at once.
"Darius!"
No response.
"Eiran!" Sion called, his voice sharper now. "Eiran, come here!"
Eiran came running at once.
One look was enough.
"…Damn it."
"Help me bring him inside," Sion said without hesitation.