Glacia’s bucket list contained three dreams in total.
The first—a debutante ball.
A coming-of-age ceremony where noblewomen were formally introduced to high society.
Even for a knightly household, nobility was nobility.
A woman bearing a family name would, at least once, dream of meeting her destined partner at such an event.
But Glacia never got the chance to fulfill that dream.
‘Because she inherited her family before she even became an adult.’
Before she could formally announce her debut into high society, Glacia had already taken on the role of head of the household, forced to engage with countless people as a leader rather than as a young woman.
After all, a debutante ball was meant to be a stage where noblewomen presented themselves.
A place to highlight their strengths and forge connections with better families.
But by the time Glacia could have had one, there was no one left to celebrate it.
So, she had only been able to dream of it.
“I wonder if that was enough to satisfy her…”
Si-woo hadn’t been able to give her a proper debutante ball.
But he had seen her look content.
It wasn’t certain, but if he had met the conditions, then it was time for the next goal.
“I want to experience romance with a handsome, cool man.”
She wanted to spend time with the man she met at her debutante ball.
To go on dates like other women.
To share meals together, stroll through the city at night.
And whisper words of love in bed.
It was the ideal romance she had written in her diary, the dream she longed to experience.
Si-woo quietly organized her wishes in his mind as he slowly stood up from the bath.
And then, he recalled the final goal.
The one written in small letters at the corner of the last page.
<If you have granted the two wishes above,>
<Please, kill me.>
Leaving behind the now-cold bathwater, Si-woo stepped out.
“Hmph, you’re so mean, Hero…”
“But Lady Glacia, you enjoyed it too, didn’t you?”
“That’s… true, but still…”
Having left the bath first, Glacia puffed up her cheeks as she sat in a chair, sulking.
Si-woo simply responded with a smile, carrying over a bowl of warm soup.
There was no way something like this could have been made here.
Even if one wanted to gather ingredients, the world beyond this gate was an unforgiving wasteland.
A place where neither animals nor plants could survive.
And yet, the castle’s kitchen held everything necessary.
As if the world itself was telling him to make this soup.
“Open your mouth. It’s hot, so be careful.”
“I’m not a child, you know?”
“Yes, yes, I understand.”
“Ugh, you don’t sound like you believe that at all…”
Despite her complaints, Glacia carefully accepted the spoonful of soup.
She hesitated slightly before each bite, ensuring it wasn’t too hot.
Si-woo watched her with an amused smile before casually asking a question.
“Lady Glacia, is there anything else you’d like to do?”
“Something else I’d like to do…?”
Glacia swallowed the remaining soup and gazed up at the ceiling.
She had already spent more happiness than she could ever deserve.
This was the first time in her life she had experienced such warmth.
It felt as though she had been swept into a dream.
“Like seeing flowers, or maybe going camping together? Just tell me what you’d like to do. We have all the time in the world.”
“All the time in the world…”
Her eyes trembled faintly at those words.
But soon, with a soft smile, she gave her answer.
“Tonight… will you put me to sleep?”
It wasn’t a request to sleep together.
It was a request to be put to sleep.
Si-woo’s smile wavered.
But Glacia only looked up at the ceiling with a tranquil expression.
Beyond it—her room.
The room where the person she once was had lived.
She looked toward it one last time before repeating her words.
“You can sleep beside me if you’d like. But once I fall asleep… no matter what happens, I won’t wake up again.”
She silently steeled herself.
Darkness began to consume the room.
Even within the gate, time moved forward.
Day had come to an end, and night had fallen.
Glacia had fallen asleep.
Even within the blizzard-ravaged world of the gate, the inside of this castle felt warm.
Si-woo had lost track of time.
But by now, enough must have passed for her to be in a deep sleep.
The moment when even the world beyond the gate was bathed in soft moonlight.
Si-woo drew a small kitchen knife he had brought with him.
He hadn’t brought his usual sword.
That blade was meant for battle, not for assassination.
A longsword designed for wide swings would only be a hindrance in a moment that required precision and silence.
Carefully, he slipped out from under the blanket, making sure not to wake her.
In the darkness, his brown eyes flickered open.
With his preparations complete, Si-woo steadied his breathing.
He wasn’t strong enough to kill Glacia.
Compared to other cadets and Hunters, he had always considered himself powerful.
But before Glacia, his abilities were nothing more than a child’s plaything.
Even if he fought with everything he had, if she wished, she could have ended his life in an instant.
And yet, she hadn’t.
Despite having countless chances.
Despite having all the time in the world.
She had waited for this moment.
Si-woo raised the knife, aiming for her heart.
His gaze, devoid of emotion, looked down at the monster named Glacia.
He recalled the words written in her diary.
Having fulfilled her dreams, Glacia had asked for death.
Then, as the hero she envisioned, the kindest thing he could offer her.
The only thing that would truly respect her wishes.
Was a merciful end.
The only sound in the room was her faint breathing.
Aside from that, she remained completely still, as if already dead.
Si-woo’s eyes drifted down to her hands.
A barely noticeable tremor.
So subtle that even with his heightened senses, he wouldn’t have caught it if he hadn’t been looking closely.
Glacia’s hands were trembling.
She was afraid.
Afraid of death.
And in that moment, Si-woo made his decision.
“Glacia.”
There was no need to act anymore.
He had believed there was only one actor in this space.
But he was wrong.
Just as Si-woo had been playing the part of the hero.
Glacia, too, had been acting.
Acting as the “Glacia” written in her diary.
“I’ll ask you one last question.”
“……”
Glacia answered with silence.
“Do you want to die?”
“….No.”
A small, fragile voice echoed through the room.
Even though Si-woo had heard her answer, he asked again.
Not for himself.
But so that Glacia could be sure of her own feelings.
“Would you truly be satisfied with a life that ends here?”
“No…”
She buried her face into the pillow as she spoke.
That was all he needed to hear.
Without a single moment of hesitation.
As if he had been waiting for this very answer.
Si-woo grabbed the knife and threw it out the window.
“That’s good enough for me.”
He watched as the blade plummeted into the darkness outside, then turned to Glacia with a smile.
“Glacia, you just said it yourself—you want to live.”
“And if I’m the one who’s supposed to fulfill your fantasies… then isn’t it my duty to make that dream come true as well?”
“…What are you saying?”
“It’s simple.”
“Why don’t you stop hiding and come out now?”
This was a gamble.
But it was one with incredibly high odds.
After all.
In the very last moment, Glacia had chosen life over death.
‘Even if a person’s heart is as fickle as a reed, some things change, while others remain constant.’
Glacia’s resolve leaned toward the latter.
Even without her memories, the current Glacia still carried traces of the one in the diary.
Small actions, subconscious behaviors.
Things that couldn’t possibly be replicated through mere acting.
And as someone who had played a role before, Si-woo could see the difference.
Everything written in that diary.
It was all real.
“Haah… should I have just torn that diary to shreds?”
But that truth.
It wasn’t Glacia’s true feelings.
“Demons don’t grant wishes. They only lie to make people their playthings.”
That part.
That was the problem.
Everything else didn’t matter.
But back then.
She had been too excited.
She had given herself away.
The golden glow in her eyes faded.
A girl in a simple black dress.
Glacia.
Even without her memories, traces of the Glacia from the diary had begun to surface in her actions.
These weren’t things that could be imitated through mere acting.
And as someone who had played many roles before, Si-woo could tell the difference.
Everything written in that diary.
It was all real.
“Haah… should I have just torn that diary to shreds?”
But even if the diary contained the truth, it did not contain her truth.
“Demons don’t grant wishes. They only lie to make people their playthings.”
“Yeah, that part was the problem. Everything else didn’t matter, but back then, I was having too much fun and ended up revealing it outright.”
The golden light in Glacia’s eyes faded.
A girl in a plain black dress.
She knew everything.
The demon raised its power.
Seeing this, Si-woo smiled—as if relieved.
“That’s a relief. You’re much weaker than I expected.”
“I can’t help it. Since I didn’t come in my true form, I have to draw power from the fragments I passed on. But if the soul is resisting, I can’t use them properly.”
“So unfortunately… you’ll have to be satisfied with this.”
Cracks formed in the space around them.
At the demon’s summons, three followers appeared.
“Bweeeeek…”
“Zzzegegegegek…!!”
“Three mid-bosses and one weakened final boss, huh?”
“I guess that’s enough to make someone despair.”
“Who knows? Guess we’ll have to find out.”
Si-woo raised his left hand.
Blue foxfire flickered to life.
