>>Hael (14-16 Years Old)

I winced slightly as I limped toward the back of the estate, the sharp sting of scraped knees throbbing with each step as I walked through the garden that was in full bloom in summer.

The ladder had been yanked out from under me—someone's prank, no doubt—but there wasn't time to dwell on it. I'd tend to myself, like always. Find a bandage, maybe, and carry on. The pain was just another thing to push through.

"Hael!"

The sound of her voice stopped me in my tracks.

I turned and saw the little lady running toward me, a box cradled in her arms.

She was moving faster than I'd ever seen her, her dress catching on the breeze, hair slightly out of place from her rush.

"My Lady?" I asked, trying to straighten up despite the ache in my legs.

Before I could say anything else, she was in front of me, her cheeks slightly flushed from the effort of running. Without a word, she knelt down in front of me, putting the box on the ground. Her hands reached for my knees, and instinctively I pulled back, shaking my head.

"You don't have to, My Lady," I said quickly. "I can take care of it."

She glanced up at me, her eyes sharp yet soft, almost daring me to refuse. "Sit down."

I hesitated, looking down at her delicate hands as they hovered near my knees. She was so much smaller than me, younger too, what was she going to do?

Reluctantly, I sank down onto a nearby stone bench, trying not to wince as I sat. Corvina didn't waste any time. She opened the box, revealing bandages, ointments, and other supplies.

When did she see me injured? I got hurt and immediately started making my way out.

I watched her

She's fast...

She began by wiping the dirt and grit from my knees, her touch was careful.

...

I expected her to fumble, to hesitate. She was the little lady after all, not someone who should be bandaging up scraped knees. But she worked with surprising skill, her movements precise, as if she'd done this a hundred times before.

I couldn't help but watch her, curious. Her brow furrowed in concentration, her lower lip caught between her teeth as she applied the ointment to the raw skin. There was something calming about it, the way she worked with such focus on me, as if this task was the most important thing in the world to her right now.

"..."

She glanced up briefly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I've had practice," she replied simply, returning to her task.

Her fingers were steady as she wrapped the bandages around my knees, careful not to pull too tight. The pain had dulled to a faint throb, but the warmth of her hands lingered. I'd never expected her to do this—not for me, not like this. There was something in the way she moved, something so... tender.

When she finished, she sat back on her heels, her gaze lifting to meet mine. "There," she said, satisfied, "All done," She looked at me, giving me the brightest smile I had ever seen on someone which made me feel weird.

But along with it was something else.

I could see it in her eyes but I wasn't sure what she wanted back from me.

"Okay," I replied, standing up, "I have to go now."

"Oh..." She looked disappointed but I didn't know what to do, so I left.

***

It was a bitter night, the kind of cold that settled deep in your bones, refusing to let go. My room offered no protection from the chill; the wind seemed to slip right through the open spaces in the room.

I sat huddled on my narrow bed, trying to wrap myself tighter in the thin sheet they'd given me. It wasn't enough—not even close. I thought since winter was here and it snowed today, they'd give me something thicker...

I couldn't help but wonder if it was intentional.

If someone had made sure I was left with this scrap of a blanket, knowing it wouldn't keep the cold out. I'd learned not to expect much from the servants' quarters, but still...

I exhaled, watching my breath form a cloud in the dim light. Sleep was a distant thought. I could barely feel my fingers, much less imagine closing my eyes.

Maybe all of my life is going to be like this...

Then, there was a noise.

???!

A soft shuffle, almost imperceptible, but in the stillness of the night, it caught my attention. Before I could move, the door creaked open.

Hmm?

I stared at the door, "My Lady?" It wasn't hard to recognize her.

Corvina was wrapped head to toe in what looked like a massive fur blanket, struggling to carry it through the doorway.

???

She was barely visible beneath the heavy covering, trying to keep her balance.

"My Lady?" I whispered, sitting up straighter, more from surprise than anything else. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to give you a blanket!" Her voice was muffled because the fur was covering her mouth.

I looked at the blanket she brought over, "Isn't that your blanket?"

She managed to get her face out, "Shh!" She pressed a finger to her lips as if we were sharing some secret. "I have another one. You can use this."

...

I simply blinked at her in confusion.

She shuffled over to my bed. I could only stare, completely at a loss for words as she carefully unwrapped herself from the blanket. In the dim light, her face was flushed from the effort, her eyes bright with determination.

"You didn't have to—" I started, but she cut me off.

"Stop talking." There was a firmness in her voice that made me close my mouth. She threw the fur blanket over me, its weight settling over my shoulders, cocooning me in instant warmth. It was like being enveloped in a cloud, soft and thick, chasing away the bitter chill that had been biting at me for hours.

Oh...

Then, she did something that caught me completely off guard.

She tucked me in.

????

Carefully, she adjusted the edges of the blanket around me, making sure every part of me was covered, her hands moving with a tenderness that was foreign to me. I couldn't comprehend her actions.

"There," She whispered, standing back to admire her work. Her breath fogged in the cold air, and for a moment, neither of us said anything.

I didn't know what to say. The warmth of the fur was immediate and soothing, but it wasn't just the blanket that left me feeling different. There was something about the way she'd come to me in the dead of night, sneaking into my room to give me this, that settled a deeper warmth inside my chest.

"...Why?" I finally managed, my voice quieter than I intended.

She shrugged, looking down as if it was no big deal. But I could see the faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I didn't want you to freeze."

I looked at myself

She must have noticed at some point that I wasn't sleeping right because of the cold.

"..." I looked at her, "I-Thank you," I had no idea what else I could say or do but this.

Corvina glanced at me once more, then started to back toward the door, her movements quiet and careful. Before she left, she paused, casting one last look my way. Her eyes softened, and for a brief second,

"Goodnight, Hael," she whispered, her voice barely a breath.

"Goodnight, My Lady," I replied, watching her disappear into the shadows of the hall.

The warmth of the fur wrapped around me, but it was the warmth in my chest that lingered long after she was gone.

Her actions were something I wasn't sure what to decipher as, maybe it was because she had taken a liking to me, but she made me feel warm.

***

The morning light filtered weakly through the cracks in the shutters, casting pale, golden streaks across the wooden floor.

Autumn was here once again.

My body felt leaden, my limbs too heavy to move, and every breath was a struggle. A dull ache spread from my head to my chest, each cough sending fresh waves of pain rippling through me.

Yesterday, I knew something was wrong. The aches had started then, creeping slowly, but no one paid any attention. They should have seen it, I was dizzy throughout the day but some people just asked, checked my temperature, then didn't bother to come back to me.

No one came.

I'd been left alone, as usual.

I tried to push myself up, but the effort was futile. My vision blurred, and the room seemed to tilt and sway around me. I collapsed back onto the thin mattress, shivering despite the damp warmth of fever spreading through me.

I hadn't gotten sick like this in years. The cold that came with the changing seasons must have hit me hard, and autumn had arrived in full force, painting the world outside in reds and golds while I lay here in the dim shadows of my room.

And time passed like that, bringing noon.

That's when it happened.

The sound of the door creaking open was so soft I almost missed it.

I blinked, half-delirious, expecting it to be a dream.

???

But there she was, standing in the doorway, looking at me with a mixture of concern and quiet determination.

"My Lady...?" My voice was hoarse, barely audible, and I couldn't understand why she was here yet again. At another state of crisis.

She didn't say anything at first, just moved toward me with that same quiet purpose I had come to recognize. In her hands, she carried a tray with a bowl and a cloth draped over her arm.

"You're sick," She said simply, as if that explained everything.

I opened my mouth to say something, but another coughing fit seized me, doubling me over. She was at my side in an instant, her small hand resting on my forehead, testing the heat there. I couldn't remember the last time someone had checked on me like this.

It reminded me of a faint image of my Mom. From a time that had started to become blurry.

"You're burning up," She murmured, her voice soft. She didn't wait for me to say anything. Instead, she set the tray down on the small table by my bed and dipped the cloth into a basin of cool water. Without a word, she wrung it out and gently pressed it against my forehead. The relief was immediate, the coolness cutting through the fog of fever.

Ah~

I closed my eyes, too exhausted to argue. I wasn't used to this, to someone tending to me.

It felt strange, but... I didn't have the strength to protest.

She stayed by my side, wiping my face, adjusting the thin blanket that barely covered me. After a while I finally felt a little better, so I managed to ask her something.

"Why are you here?" I finally managed, my voice cracking. "Won't... won't the master get angry if he sees this?" I had already noticed that the master wasn't much interested in the little lady, nor was Master Hubert but still, I don't think they would like it if they knew a lady was serving a slave.

Her hand stilled for a moment, but she didn't look at me right away. When she did, there was something sad in her eyes, something that made her look far older than she was.

"No," She whispered, her voice thick with something unspoken. "Daddy or brother won't care..."

Her words hung heavy in the air, but in that moment, I understood.

We were more alike than I had thought—both of us overlooked, both of us left alone when it mattered most.

She kept tending to me throughout the day, bringing me cool water to drink and a bowl of thin broth that she coaxed me to swallow. I drifted in and out of sleep, every now and then catching glimpses of her sitting by the window, watching the world outside as if it was as distant to her as it was to me.

Sometimes, I felt her hand on my forehead again, or the soft press of the cool cloth against my neck.

As the hours passed, the fever began to break, leaving me weak but more aware. I watched her as she sat quietly by my side, the afternoon light casting a soft glow around her. There was something peaceful about her presence, something I hadn't expected.

As the day wore on, and the light outside faded into the warm hues of evening, I felt sleep tugging at me again. I fought it for a moment, wanting to stay awake but my body was too weak, too tired.

But as I slipped into sleep, that warmth stayed with me

***

And just like that was daily life.

You would come see me every day and I was getting used to it. You had a lot of positive energy to offer as a kid.

You emitted a warmth for me, that I was liking way more than I realized. When everything and everyone else in the world had betrayed me, I found some solace in you.

Like, when you came to me when I hurt my head, you placed my head in your lap and tended to my injury. And when I was busy working with the staff at the banquet, you secretly saved cake for me which I found on my bed when I returned to my room late at night.

That time I sprained my wrist while carrying firewood, you found a bandage and wrapped it tightly, even though you weren't supposed to be near the servants' quarters.

When I dropped the vase in the hall, you took the blame without hesitation, knowing I would be punished if they found out it was me.

When my hands were raw from scrubbing floors, you quietly left a jar of ointment on the windowsill where I could find it, making it seem like an accident.

When you saw me dozing off in the garden after a long day, you placed a flower in my hair while I slept, grinning when I woke up confused and found it.

When I was kept outside for hours in the rain, you waited until no one was watching and brought me a dry towel

When my shoes were worn through and winter was coming, you left an old pair of your brother's boots at my door

You had always been watching me, trying to help where you could and you were an anchor for me

But I never got to express it.

I didn't know how, and that was my biggest flaw.

But Somewhere in between all that affection you showered me with, I ended up giving you my heart without realizing it

Author Note

Just to clarify, Hael is eighteen when Corvina came back in time. They're 2-1/2 years apart.