Chapter 4: The Rose and the Strawberries

The castle felt heavier than usual.

Sora walked through the halls like a shadow, the echo of frost still clinging to the corners of his mind. His thoughts swirled, the image of Hyōga’s blush and voice—“You’re mine”—still haunting him.

He hadn’t told anyone.

Not yet.

But he had to know.

He burst into his mother’s private chamber without knocking.

 “Why won’t you let me go outside?”

“Why was the garden frozen?”

“Why are you hiding him from me?!”

His mother didn’t flinch. She sat calmly at her desk, a glass teacup in her hands, steam curling through the air.

 “Lower your voice,” she said.

“You are not a child anymore.”

“Then stop treating me like one!”

Sora’s voice cracked.

“Tell me the truth, Mother. Is Hyōga really back?”

Her eyes flicked up at him.

A silence stretched long and cold between them.

“That boy is dangerous,” she said flatly.

“He should have never touched you. You were supposed to forget him.”

Sora's stomach twisted.

 “Forget…?” he echoed. “You knew—?”

“Enough.”

She stood, her magic blooming softly around her like petals. But her words were sharp.

“You are confined to your chambers until the season changes. That’s final.”

 “You can’t just lock me away—!”

 “I can. And I will.”

With a flick of her wrist, spring vines bloomed around Sora’s ankles, gently pulling him back. The next thing he knew, the door of his room slammed behind him.

He stood alone. Fuming. Trembling. Hurt.

He turned toward his bed—and stopped.

 “…What?”

There, resting on the edge of his sheets, was a basket of bright strawberries.

And beside it…

A single rose.

Red. Dewy. Soft as velvet.

Sora blinked.

He stepped closer.

Not a single sign of frost. No cold aura. No wintery energy. It was warm—the kind of warmth that felt like a sunrise.

He touched the petals carefully.

Still warm.

 “Did… Hyōga send this?” he whispered.

“No. No, it can’t be. He—he uses ice. He freezes everything. This…”

He picked up the rose and stared at it. His reflection shimmered faintly in its dew.

 “This doesn’t feel like him at all.”

But if it wasn’t Hyōga…

Then who brought it to him without being seen?

And how…?

Sora sat slowly on the bed, staring at the strawberries like they might speak.

 “Someone got in here.”

“Someone who knew what I liked.”

“Someone who wants me to think it’s him…”

He touched the stem again.

Still warm.

And the soft scent of wild roses began to fill the room.

Sora sat on the edge of his bed, staring down at the small woven basket.

The strawberries inside looked perfect. Ripe, red, and glistening like dew-kissed jewels. Their sweetness floated in the air, warm and gentle, like a reminder of spring mornings.

Still…

“It can’t be from Hyōga,” he whispered. “There’s no frost. No ice. Just warmth.”

His fingers hovered over the fruit, hesitating.

What if they were poisoned? What if this was some trap?

But the scent pulled at his senses, soft and innocent, nothing like the biting cold Hyōga left behind. His stomach grumbled quietly—he hadn’t eaten all day.

He reached down and picked one up.

Soft. Slightly warm. Almost too perfect.

He bit into it.

Sweet. Tart. Familiar.

He exhaled slowly, the taste comforting in a way he didn’t expect.

“Okay…” he murmured. “Maybe just one more.”

He reached into the basket again—

And paused.

His fingers brushed something hard. Cold. Smooth.

He pushed the other berries aside until he uncovered it.

“...What is this?”

Sitting in the center of the basket, nestled among the fruit—

Was a crystal.

Shaped like a strawberry.

Clear as ice.

Delicately carved with tiny vine patterns swirling across its surface.

It shimmered in the candlelight like it was alive.

“It’s… beautiful.”

He lifted it gently, cradling it in both hands.

It wasn’t cold like he expected.

It was warm. Almost pulsing.

“This isn’t just decoration,” he whispered. “This… this has magic in it.”

He could feel it faintly, like someone’s memory sealed inside.

“This wasn’t left by accident.”

He stared at the rose. Then the crystal. Then the empty window.

“Hyōga…?”

“What are you trying to tell me?”

To be continued

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***