WINTER'S SWEET EMBRACE

Meanwhile, Vincent was completely unaware of the cosmic disaster that had just occurred.

He was currently hurtling at breakneck speeds through a blinding, endless white void. He gently kept his eyes squeezed shut as the residual tears from his departure fell from his cheeks.

Suddenly, the sensation of falling vanished and his boots came into contact with a solid surface.

Feeling the familiar gravity of the ground beneath him, Vincent let out a joyful sigh of relief. He slowly opened his still-tearing eyes and threw his arms out wide in a welcoming gesture as a triumphant smile broke across his face.

"Dad! Katherine! I’m finally home–!"

With his arms frozen in the air, his voice came to an abrupt stop.

Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.

The familiar scent of his living room, the sound of the TV, and the sight of his father’s worn-out couch were missing. Instead, Vincent found himself standing at the front of what looks to be a cathedral.

The architecture was towering, with vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows that depicted strange, mythical beasts rather than religious figures.

And that wasn’t all.

Filling the sprawling pews of the cathedral were hundreds upon hundreds of teenagers and young adults, all dressed in identical, black-and-crimson academic uniforms.

As Vincent took a closer look at the crowd, his heart skipped a beat. Mixed in among the human-students were races out of a fictional book – some had long, pointed elf ears, others possessed furry cat tails that twitched nervously, and some even had small, polished horns protruding from their foreheads.

Still standing with his arms wide open in a ridiculous hug gesture, a cold sweat broke out down Vincent’s spine.

"Uh... huh? Who... who are all of you people? Where the hell am I? Is this a cosplay event?"

The moment his words left his mouth, a collective gasp rippled through the entire cathedral. The hundreds of students leaned forward in their seats as their faces twisted into expressions of utter shock and bewilderment.

"...Did... did he just speak?"

"... Oh no... I thought I was seeing things but–"

"... Isn’t he just a regular human?!"

"... You’re telling me the damned Princess actually summoned a common human?!"

"... Is this slavery?"

Vincent slowly lowered his arms as the murmurs washed over him. Sensing a presence standing directly beside him, he turned his head to look to his right.

His eyes locked onto a girl who looked to be around his age. She possessed vivid purple eyes and long, snow-white hair. She wore a sleeveless, form-fitting black doublet over a tight, crimson bodysuit that accentuated her slender figure, a black-and-red cape that draped over her shoulders, and polished black leather boots that ran all the way up her thighs.

Her open hand, which she was holding out toward Vincent, was fading with a golden magic circle as she stared at him with a mixture of shock and horror.

He looked at the white-haired girl, raised a hesitant hand, and let out a confused chuckle.

"Haha... Umm... hi?"

"...."

The white-haired girl didn’t answer him.

Her hand remained extended in the air as she simply continued to stare at him with paralyzing bewilderment.

’Hey. Why are you looking at me like that, Snow white? Like I’m... wrong somehow.’

The silence stretched out between them until it became too awkward to bear. He lowered his hand and cleared his throat, trying to offer a friendly smile despite the tears still fresh on his cheeks.

"Uh... excuse me. Do you perhaps know where I am? I mean, judging by the cathedral... I’m guessing I’m in Italy? Maybe the UK?" He watched her face for any sign of recognition, but her expression remained completely blank.

"No? Then... Russia? I’m really just spitballing here, to be honest... Ah! I know. This is France, isn’t it!"

The girl’s lips parted slightly. "W-What...?"

"Ha! Look, Your Highness! This proves it!" A shrill voice echoed through the tension.

"The summoning ritual is a failure! This proves that she is not worthy to stand by your side, let alone inherit a royal title!"

At the sound of the shout, the hundreds of students filling the pews turned their heads in unison. Vincent followed their gaze until his eyes landed on a girl standing a few rows down.

She had vibrant red hair styled into tight, bouncing pigtail curls that framed a smug face. Like the girl in front of him, she wore the same style of uniform. In fact, looking around the room, Vincent realized that everyone was dressed in variations of the exact same outfit.

The pigtail-curled girl was standing in front of a remarkably handsome, blonde-haired male student. The boy possessed a gentle face that radiated an aura of total harmlessness. He looked deeply troubled as he anxiously looked between Vincent, the white-haired girl, and the shouting pigtail girl.

The blonde boy closed his eyes for a brief moment, placing a slender, manicured hand over his chest. Then, as if he had just arrived at a decisive decision, he opened his eyes, squared his shoulders, and began to walk toward them.

As he walked, the sea of students blocking his path parted flawlessly, bowing their heads in deep respect.

Finally, he came to a stop a few feet away, standing in front of Vincent and the white-haired girl. He ignored Vincent at first, focusing solely on the girl beside him.

"Maelle," he spoke in a soft voice. "Is it safe for the academy to assume that... this is the magical being that you have summoned? Is this your familiar?"

The girl, Maelle, slowly looked down at her palm before turning back to Vincent, then, toward the blonde young man again.

"Yes, Prince– Your Highness... He is."

Instantly, a wave of disgusted whispering erupted from the pews.

"... Wow... as expected from someone of her cursed bloodline."

"... To summon a mere mortal as a familiar... how incredibly cruel."

"... She couldn’t even bind a low-grade beast. What a joke."

Vincent watched the crowd, but his attention was quickly pulled back to the blonde prince. He noticed a fleeting flash of pure disgust cross the boy’s handsome face as he looked at her. It vanished so quickly that anyone else would have missed it, replaced by an expression of tragic pity.

’The hell? What was that look about? This guy is acting like a saint, but his eyes are totally fake.’

The blonde prince let out a soft sigh as he shook his head and looked at Maelle.

"I am afraid, Maelle... that under these circumstances, I cannot continue with our engagement. As the Crown Prince, I cannot have a future queen whose magical aptitude is this severely deficient. I am cancelling our betrothal. I will speak with my father the King on the matter immediately upon my return home."

Maelle’s face remained blank, showing almost no outward emotion, but her voice carried a subtle, desperation.

"But... Your Highness. The whole reason I am attending this academy is because of my engagement to you. Both of our kingdoms were in agreement. If this engagement breaks... so does our alliance."

The pigtail girl, who had eagerly followed the prince, stepped forward and let out a mocking scoff. "The Great Kingdom of Solara will be absolutely fine without a decaying domain like Ebonspire leeching off its back! We don’t need your kind!"

’Solara? Ebonspire? Why do those names sound so familiar? Did I read them in one of mama’s books or something...?’

Maelle took a small step forward. "Quinton, Your Highness–"

"DON’T YOU DARE CALL HIM BY HIS FIRST NAME!" The pigtail girl stamped her leather boot against the stone floor as she glared at Maelle with venomous hatred.

"You are a disgusting, wretched person! You didn’t just fail the ritual – you actually dared to summon a helpless mortal as your familiar! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?! You robbed him of his future! You ripped him away from his home, his friends, and his loving family, forcing him to forever be tied as a slave to your filthy, cursed bloodline!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a second." Vincent inserted himself between Maelle and the shouting girl.

"Look, I may not know what the hell is going on here, but that’s a bit uncalled for, don’t you think? You’re being way too aggressive. Also... what do you mean by that last statement you just made? What do you mean ’ripped away from my family’?"

The pigtail girl didn’t answer his question. Instead, like the prince, she looked at Vincent with an expression of pity.

Her eyes suddenly welled with dramatic tears, and she let out a tragic whimper, spinning around to hide her face against Quinton’s arm.

"Oh, Your Highness... it’s just too cruel! Look at the poor, ignorant mortal... he doesn’t even realise his life is over!"

’Wow. What a total drama queen. Her acting is worse than a daytime soap opera.’

Quinton gently patted the crying girl’s shoulder, his expression turning cold as he looked past Vincent to address Maelle.

"It is finished, Maelle. There is nothing left to discuss. You should leave the cathedral immediately; you are currently holding up the rest of the students’ summons with this display."

Maelle stood still with her hands clenching tightly at her sides.

"Regarding the Ebonspire and Solara alliance," Quinton continued. "I will speak with my father. But I highly doubt he will take your kingdom’s side on this matter after such a public disgrace. However... I suppose the best-case scenario for your people is that I will probably choose to marry one of your other, more capable sisters instead."

For the first time since the encounter began, Maelle’s blank face showed a hint of genuine worry. Her purple eyes widened slightly. "Your Highness, please–"

"Didn’t you hear Quin?!" the pigtail girl popped her head out from his arm to glare at her. "Leave! You are not welcome here! Get out!"

Maelle looked around the cathedral. Everywhere she turned, the eyes of her peers were locked onto her, filled with disgust, mockery, and satisfaction. The weight of the public humiliation seemed to settle over her shoulders, but within seconds, her face smoothed back down into that same emotionless mask.

"Understood."

She turned her body toward Vincent. And without a single word of warning, she raised her right hand, pointing her open palm directly at his chest. Her fingers began to glow with a swirling golden energy.

"Huh? Wait a second... What are you doing with your hand? Isn’t that divine–"

"Maelle, stop it!" Quinton screamed out in panic when he saw what she was doing. "Don’t treat him as something less than human! Let him return home–!"

But it was already too late.

She uttered a single, authoritative command:

"Return."

bzzzt—SHEEEN!

Before Vincent could even blink, a swirling vortex of sparkling golden light engulfed his body. He felt his physical form instantly dissolve into weightless energy, tearing him away from the stone cathedral and disappearing entirely.

FLASH!

......

Vincent’s eyes snapped open. The towering stained-glass windows, the hundreds of whispering students, and the white-haired girl were all completely gone.

Instead, he felt the cloudy ground of the Divine Realm beneath his feet. He was standing right back in the center of the blue teleportation circle, right in front of the grand golden gates.

"Hahaha! And then I told the guy, that’s not a witch, that’s my wife! Ahahaha! Chug it down, buddy!"

As Vincent turned his head toward the podium, there, sitting comfortably on the clouds, was the Way Guide. The old man was thoroughly hammered, laughing boisterously as he clinked a golden chalice against the glass of transparent soul who was casually sitting cross-legged beside him.

Vincent’s brain attempted to process the chaotic sequence of events that had just occurred over the last thirty minutes – from the heartbreaking goodbye with his mother and friends, to being forcefully summoned into an unknown place, getting caught in a royal engagement breakup, being called a ’slave’ by a girl with pigtails, and then instantly being deported back to the Divine Realm.

His left eye twitched.

"What... the actual... fuc–"