Nature relentlessly dominated the area surrounding the Scarlett household. Mornings were cold, and the evenings even colder. The fields were coated by a thin layer of frost, and the bare forest nearby quivered helplessly in the howling winter winds. Not even the house’s barriers could offer complete protection; the closed doors and windows weren’t enough to entirely prevent the cold from sneaking into the bedroom. Despite the chilly air infiltrating their space, however, life was moving forward under the gentle lamplight.
“Look, Marie! It’s beautiful outside!”
“Wooow! Issall white!”
“And look, the snow’s still coming down!”
“I wanna touss it!”
Myuke and Marie snuggled up together at the windowsill. Awestruck, their white breath clouded the glass as they watched the pure-white snow, twinkling in the moonlight, flutter down onto the ground.
“Are you cold?” asked Anima, a white-haired, crimson-eyed young man. The girls were dressed in warm clothes, but with the chilly wind raging outside, it had to have been cold so close to the window. They could easily catch a cold.
“You’re such a worrywart—it’s not even that cold. Besides, I wanna see the first snowfall of the year!”
Myuke’s excitement showed on her face, with her cheeks slowly taking on the same red as her hair. Her excitement even infected Marie, prompting her to confidently turn around.
“Y’know, y’know, snow’s cold!” she announced, her groundbreaking revelation leaving Anima agape.
“Is it now? Goodness, you’re so smart, Marie. Now I want to go touch it so I can see just how cold it is.”
Ecstatic from being praised by her daddy, she continued to present her mind-boggling facts with a beaming smile.
“But, but, it dis’pears when you touss it!”
“Oh, then I’ll have to be careful so it doesn’t melt. Regardless, you girls seem to be really excited. Do you like the snow that much?”
“You don’t get it, Daddy! It never snows here, especially not this much! And from the looks of it, this is gonna stick!”
“‘Sdick’?” Marie asked with twinkling eyes.
According to Myuke, snowfall was a rather rare occurrence at their house, so it wouldn’t have been strange if Marie had never seen snow on the ground. That meant only one thing: even at the risk of catching a cold, they couldn’t afford not to spend a day playing in the snow. It was sure to be a completely unforgettable experience for them.
“It’s amazing when it doesn’t melt! Everything you look at is covered in white!”
“I love white!”
Their excitement was starting to rub off on Anima.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself, Anima.”
A gentle voice called his name as he gazed out the window, picturing the fun times they were going to have tomorrow. He turned around to see a beautiful, blue-haired woman with warm azure eyes: his wife, Luina. She was sitting on the bed, wearing a fluffy coat that Anima had bought for her not long ago. It was meant to be worn outside, but as the weather got colder, she began to take a liking to wearing it inside as well.
“Are you cold?” he asked, sitting down next to her.
“No, not at all,” she answered, turning to him with a smile. “This coat is very warm.”
“I’m glad to hear that, but we can’t be too careful. Why don’t you put on one more layer under that coat?”
“Please, I’ll suffocate if I put anything else on,” she joked, but Anima’s suggestion was entirely serious.
Luina was pregnant. She was only in her second month, so she wasn’t showing yet, but there was undoubtedly a life growing within her. The mere possibility of something happening to her made him want to vomit.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m sure. Actually, I should be asking you that question. You look pale.”
“I’m fine; I’m just worried about you. Are you a hundred percent sure you’re not cold?”
“You worry too much. I appreciate your concern, but I’m completely fine. Ah, but...”
“What do you need?! Just say the word and I’ll make it happen!”
“My hands are a bit cold,” she said with a warm smile.
He immediately took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers.
“Is this better?”
“Yes. Much better.”
A sweet, gentle fragrance filled Anima’s nostrils as Luina leaned against his shoulder, washing away all of his worries. It was the sort of quiet moment when his love burned the brightest. He swore to himself to eliminate any and all threats to Luina’s health to make sure she had a comfortable life and safe childbirth.
“Warm me up too, m’kay?”
That demand had come from a high-pitched voice behind them. They turned to look at it, and found a mysterious lump on the bed creeping closer to them.
“Come on out of there; you’ll breathe in all the dust trapped in the blanket.”
“But it’s cold out, m’kay?”
Luina let out an exaggerated sigh.
“Well, that certainly is a shame.”
“What is? Tell me, m’kay?”
“I can’t see your adorable face like this.”
“Aww, jeez. Only ’cause you asked so nicely though, m’kay?”
Bram, Anima’s middle daughter, stuck her head out of the blanket. Her thick, silver hair, perfectly contrasting with her dark skin, flowed down onto the bed. Having been born in a warm country, she struggled to cope with Garaat’s biting-cold winter. Following its arrival, most of her days were spent sitting right in front of the fireplace, and she made sure to snuggle up under the blanket every night.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’m really happy I got to see your beautiful face.”
“I’m really happy too,” Anima added.
“You’re making me blush, m’kay?” she told them as her cheeks got increasingly more flushed.
“Ah, Bram! Now that you’re out of your little fortress, look outside! It’s snowing!”
“Iss pitty! White!”
“Whoa! Look how much is piled up over there! It’s gonna look amazing tomorrow!”
“Cool. I’ll be spending the day next to the fireplace, m’kay?”
“Are you out of your mind?! That’d be a total waste! We barely ever get this much snow!”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. Now tell it to take this cold weather and get lost, m’kay?”
Myuke sighed at Bram’s insistence on staying cooped up in the blanket.
“You really hate cold, huh? Guess you won’t be playing with us in the snow.”
“Playing in the snow... Brrr, just thinking about it’s making me shiver, m’kay?”
“It won’t be cold, trust me. You’ll warm up in no time from all the running!”
“You’re really pumped up about this, m’kay? Is playing in the snow that much fun?”
“Oh man, you have no idea! The snowball fights are awesome, but the best part is definitely building snowmen! We’ll see who can build the cutest one!”
“We see! I make cute snowman! Brum, you make snowman too!”
“Yeah, play with us! You seriously don’t know what you’re missing! Skipping out on this is like skipping out on going to the river on a hot summer day!”
“That would be a waste, m’kay?”
Marie’s invitation and Myuke’s pestering were finally starting to take hold of Bram.
“I’m happy you girls are looking forward to tomorrow, but shouldn’t we get to bed soon?” Anima asked. Bram ran the biggest risk of catching a cold, but he was worried for the others’ health as well. They would probably be fine as long as they took a warm milk break every so often, though, so he didn’t think too much of it.
“Good idea. The snow might melt by the time you wake up if you don’t go to bed early.”
Myuke and Marie panicked. They whipped around and scurried to bed, cuddling up with Bram. With Anima and Luina lying next to them, the bed was cramped, and the blanket was a bit small for the family of five—it didn’t cover Anima’s back.
“Aren’t you cold, Anima? You could snuggle closer.”
“I don’t want to accidentally hurt you.”
He wanted to fall asleep cuddling with his wife, but he feared that putting extra pressure on her stomach would hurt their baby.
“It’ll be okay. My stomach getting cold would be a much bigger issue.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I want to feel your warmth.”
Bewitched by Luina’s enchanting whispers, Anima wrapped his arms around his wife from behind. Enveloped by the warmth of one another, the Scarlett family slowly but surely drifted to sleep.