She stepped out of the cabin and into the forest. She was heading to pick fresh fruit for the day.

"Hey, guys. Good morning. What? There are a lot of wild strawberries over there? Alright. Thanks."

Lumia greeted the wild animals in the forest, such as rabbits, squirrels, and deer, and ventured deeper into the woods.

As an elf, the forest had always been a warm and comfortable place for her. But today, it felt a bit different.

In the direction her feet were heading, there was a subtle shift. A dark, damp energy and an unpleasant smell of blood faintly seeped from a direction she had just slightly veered away from.

‘For some reason... I feel like I need to go that way.’

Though the smell of blood disgusted her, the impulse was strong.

This pull felt like a duty carved into her soul.

‘What is this? This fateful feeling... It's something I can't even explain in words...’

To explain it for her: it was a terrible sense of obligation, as if she had to take care of some incompetent, unlikeable male student from another world—feeding, clothing, and sheltering him like a fool.

This feeling was being manifested in Lumia by the world’s inevitable force.

Just then...

"Don't go."

"......!"

A voice stopped Lumia in her tracks as she was about to walk into hell.

Startled, she instinctively turned around, immediately on guard.

But as soon as she saw the person, all her suspicions faded.

“Ah...”

There was no longer any suspicion toward the stranger.

Because she wasn’t a stranger at all.

"It's dangerous over there. Don't go."

"......."

The man who had appeared in her dreams every day, spreading his smile, now stood before her in reality.

But it was different from how he had appeared in her dreams.

In the dream world, the man had been smiling brightly, but now, the man in front of her looked at her with watery eyes, showing a tender expression.

It wasn’t the look one would show a stranger. And the man's next words confirmed her thoughts.

"I'll go and check it out, so Lumia, just do what you were doing."

"Wait a second."

"Huh?"

"How do you know my name?"

"Ah! Uh... Well... That's..."

The man was flustered. Lumia deliberately shot him a sharp look.

"You look like a mercenary. Did you get hired to follow me?"

"N-no! Absolutely not!"

"Then please answer me so I can feel at ease. How did you know my name is Lumia? If you don't tell me, I'll have no choice but to be suspicious of you."

"D-don't be suspicious! I'm not a shady or dangerous person. I-I’ll tell you."

The man seemed to be trying to explain himself, but he stuttered. Lumia waited for him to clarify and introduce himself leisurely, thinking he didn’t seem threatening, despite being a bit slow. But then...

"Uh... Well... I... How do I know your name...?"

"......."

"I... I... how... could I... not know...?"

"......."

"How... could I... not know... Huh?"

Soon, the man’s voice began to crack with the sound of him trying to hold back tears.

Lumia was taken aback by his sudden reaction.

‘No! Why is he crying all of a sudden?!’

But that wasn’t the end of her confusion.

"...?"

When she snapped back to reality, she noticed that tears were now falling from her own blue eyes. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Why?

Why was she crying?

And when she became conscious of it, tears began to pour out like a burst dam. She had no control over it.

Her body was beyond her control. Lumia let the tears flow, without bothering to wipe them, and focused on understanding the situation.

"Please answer honestly."

"......."

"Do you know me?"

The man struggled to hold back his tears, unable to speak, and answered with a gesture.

He nodded.

"Then, did you come here to meet me?"

He nodded again.

It was a simple question with a simple answer. But her next question was different, so Lumia hesitated for a moment.

After her lips fluttered silently a few times, she finally asked the third question.

"Then... is your name...?"

"......."

"Is your name... Austin?"

This time, the man answered not with his voice but with something else.

His face twisted painfully, holding back silent sobs.

Unable to hold it in anymore, he buried his face in his hands, his broad back trembling violently.

It took quite a long time for him to calm down. However, Lumia didn’t rush him, quietly waiting.

Finally, she heard the answer from the man.

He lifted his head and, with all his might, smiled broadly as he summarized their conversation so far.

"Nice to meet you, Lumia. I'm Austin... I came here, to this timeline, to meet you."

"......Ah."

In that moment, Lumia realized.

Her soul had been yearning, unknowingly, all this time. And just a moment ago, that yearning had ended.

It was a fateful reunion that was beyond destiny.

Tesilid had just finished his confession and was carrying out the penance given by Father Radhin.

For the past four days, he had been diligently doing housework.

He had swept and cleaned every corner of the house, washed all the bedding, and hung it to dry. He had also taken out all the kitchenware and reorganized it.

Whenever he noticed any damage to the cabin’s fence, roof, or walls, he repaired and painted it.

He had eagerly looked for housework to do, making the four days quite fulfilling.

Now, Tesilid was hanging freshly laundered towels and dishcloths on the clothesline.

It was at that moment he noticed five baby kittens rolling around on the ground.

Their sea-green eyes were sparkling with curiosity.

‘Should I give them a bath...?’

As if reading his thoughts, the kittens scampered away.

With a sigh, Tesilid went back inside the house and headed for the kitchen.

He put on an apron, lined up some glass jars, and took out various fresh fruits and vegetables.

He was planning to make long-lasting food to store away.

After washing the fruits and vegetables, he boiled them in a pot, simmered them with sugar, strained them, and sealed them in jars.

After working for half a day, there were dozens of jars stacked on the table, filled with jam, marmalade, and pickles.

Orange, yellow, green, red... the natural colors of the fruits and vegetables shone brightly inside the glass jars.

It was such a beautiful sight that Tesilid couldn't help but admire his own work.

‘I want to show this to the child.’

When he saw something beautiful, the first person he wanted to share it with was naturally Ayleth Rodeline.

He had worked from dawn until almost sunset, so Tesilid was feeling a bit tired.

He sat down at the table and rested his chin on his hand.

His posture was as disheveled as his drowsy mind. His already half-open eyes began to droop with exhaustion.

Just as he was about to doze off...

Click.

"......!"

The sound of the door opening snapped him awake.

His heart responded wildly, and a sense of anticipation surged up. He immediately looked toward the door.

But...

"......It’s you guys."

Meow, miaow, meow, mew, mew.

The kittens proudly entered the house and began making a racket. It was clear what they wanted.

"Wait. I’ll get you a snack."

Tesilid stood up and rummaged through the cupboard. He was thinking of giving them the dried smelt he had just prepared.

Click.

"......!"

Again, the door opened, testing Tesilid.

He reflexively turned to the door. And was disappointed.

There was no one there. The door creaked slowly by itself. It seemed to be the mischievous winter wind’s doing.

‘I need to fix the hinges and lock.’

Disappointed, Tesilid turned back to the task at hand.

He took the dried smelt out of the jar to give to the kittens.

Well, he tried to.

But...

Thud.

His hand slipped, and the dried smelt fell all over the floor.

It couldn’t be helped. Two arms had reached around from behind him and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I’m back."

"......"

The voice he had been yearning for echoed in his ears, and Tesilid realized.

The cold winter wind hadn’t come through the open door.

It was the spring breeze.

"Did you wait a lot? I was starving, and now I’m about to fix a meal... oh, it’s for the cats."

"......"

"Hmm. Anyway, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) I missed you. Did you manage well without me?"

"......"

"Tesri?"

When he didn’t answer, her voice carried a trace of confusion.

Tesilid silently removed her arms from around his waist and turned to face her. Their eyes met.

Her trembling hands gently cupped her face, as if to confirm her existence. Her palms, as hot as his heart, traced her face from her cheeks to her shoulders, lingering.

After feeling her with his hands enough, he didn’t hesitate to pull her into an embrace and press his lips to hers.

It was a kiss so desperate it almost felt urgent.

After some time, when he finally pulled away slightly...

"......I think I can breathe now."

His voice sounded like someone who had just emerged from water. The kiss had been as necessary as breathing.

Now, more stable and relaxed, he rubbed his nose against her cheek and said,

"Child."

"Yes."

"I did the housework and waited patiently."

"You did well, Tesri."

That praise wasn’t enough for him. Tesilid moved closer to her.

His perfectly shaped lips brushed near her ear.

"Give me a reward."

"How?"

"It’s obvious."

He gently pushed her back. After taking a few steps, her body rested against the table.

"I’ll do whatever I want, as much as I want."

Her reply to his provocative words was predictable.

"As much as you want."

She was always someone who allowed him more than he expected. She eagerly embraced him, pulling him into the warmth of their union.

It was winter, but it felt warm. They were newlyweds.

End of Extra Chapter 1.