A Kiss in the Snow

Weekend, morning.

Dugu Qing, dressed in white casual clothes, carrying a shopping basket, and accompanied by Frieren, headed to the nearest library to buy cooking tutorials.

Frieren bought a home-style cookbook, happily went into the kitchen, and followed the instructions to make a table full of delicious food.

"Tasty."

Dugu Qing took a bite and was greatly surprised, suddenly recalling the scene of his first encounter with Frieren many years ago...

"If you like it, I can keep making it for you."

Frieren took a napkin and wiped Dugu Qing's mouth.

"That won't do. I... I can't bear to have a world-renowned legendary mage cook for me every day."

Dugu Qing paused slightly, suppressing the strange feeling of stepping out of his comfort zone, and wrapped the feelings he had not yet realized in grand words.

Frieren's lips curled slightly as she lifted the juice and poured it into a water glass with a clatter.

A month later, winter arrived.

Frieren left early for the library to return the borrowed storybooks.

Dugu Qing, dressed in a single garment, her white hair flowing, sat on a swing in the courtyard, gazing at the sky.

A cold, strong wind, carrying fluffy white snowflakes, rustled and scattered, covering the earth.

Dugu Qing's heart tightened, and he stopped moving, suddenly feeling very worried about Frieren.

I worried she'd slip on the snow, that she'd catch a cold, that she'd be bullied by rude passersby, that she'd have an accident, or that she'd suffer injustice...

A feeling he had never experienced before filled Dugu Qing's heart.

He scratched the back of his head, trying to forget this strange feeling, but he couldn't stop thinking about Frieren, over and over again.

"When did I start liking Frieren?"

Dugu Qing rested his chin on his hand, Meditation.

Suddenly, I remembered when I was a teenager, Frieren traveled across mountains and seas, wandering the world, until she arrived outside her castle.

From that moment on, he silently envied Frieren and sincerely longed for her...

Later, at the invitation of Frieren Fern, Dugu Qing embarked on an adventure, gradually becoming moved by Frieren's gentleness and loveliness, and unknowingly...

As a child, Dugu Qing thought it was pure friendship, but now it seems... she was wrong again.

"Frieren, I've come to find you!"

With a look of excited joy in his eyes, Dugu Qing entered the room, put on his trench coat, took out a white lace parasol, and strode towards the library.

The reading room on the second floor of the Alexandria Library.

Frieren lay slumped over the table, her snow-white hair cascading over her shoulders, her eyes closed, her mouth slightly open, fast asleep.

Dugu Qing pushed open the door and saw that Frieren was asleep. His heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, instantly softened.

He quietly closed the door, took off his trench coat, and gently draped it over Frieren's shoulders without making a sound.

Frieren let out a soft moan, rested her cheek on the fabric, and slept even more soundly and sweetly.

Dugu Qing walked to the French windows and looked at the snowflakes swirling outside, feeling a warm and happy feeling in her heart.

As night deepened, the library was about to close.

Dugu Qing glanced down at the still-sleeping Frieren, bent down and carried her on his back, slowly walking downstairs.

"Sough!"

On the deserted street, snow fell softly, making a light, gentle sound.

Frieren slowly woke up, and when she saw Dugu Qing carrying her on his back, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she instinctively tightened her arms around his neck.

"You're awake?"

"Yes! I've had a good night's sleep."

Frieren leaped off his back, her shoes scraping against the snow-covered ground.

The soreness and numbness from lying curled up for so long made her legs feel numb, and her petite body staggered backward due to inertia.

"Careful."

Dugu Qing reacted quickly, reaching out to firmly embrace Frieren.

But it happened so suddenly. He was so concerned about Frieren that his movements were too abrupt, and his cheek almost touched Frieren's lips as he looked down.

An atmosphere of ambiguity arises uninvited.

Their hair was intertwined, their breaths were close, and they patted each other's cheeks.

Dugu Qing gazed at Frieren's beautiful and captivating face, his heart stirred, and even his breathing slowed slightly.

Frieren gazed at the stunningly beautiful Dugu Qing, a slight smile playing on her lips, before finally closing her eyes.

Time and space seemed to stand still, as if the pause button had been pressed.

Dugu Qing hesitated, wondering whether he should take things further with Frieren at this moment.

The next moment, his long-suppressed emotions broke free of their restraints and erupted. He grabbed Frieren's chin and gently kissed her.

Frieren's face was flushed, her limbs weak, and her fingertips pressed weakly against Dugu Qing's chest, a mixture of resistance and attraction.

The snow fell even heavier, pounding the earth in dense flakes, turning the streets and alleys white.

Dugu Qing and Frieren's relationship has taken a crucial step forward.

A kiss in the snow sealed their love.

The two lived together from then on, without the need for a grand declaration of love, beautiful flowers, a sacred and solemn ceremony, or the presence of family and friends.

Only through unspoken understanding, the electric current of intertwined hearts, enduring affection, and near-infinite emotions.

Supporting them through endless years of vicissitudes, they joined hands and bravely moved forward.

Fifteen years Feishi Era, in Auwest, at the vegetable market.

Dugu Qing and Frieren held hands, carrying shopping baskets, strolling through the bustling street, selecting ingredients for cooking.

"Are you Mr. and Mrs. Dugu?"

"You're so beautiful!"

"They haven't changed at all in all these years! It's amazing!"

The middle-aged women on the street, who knew each other well, looked at Dugu Qing and Frieren and whispered enviously.

Dugu Qing disliked being pointed at and having his rhythm disrupted. He turned to Frieren and spoke softly.

"Frieren, let's find a chance to move to the forest!"

"Great! I also miss the carefree days in the forest!"

Frieren had wanted to leave for a while, so she readily agreed, her tone full of longing.

When the two returned home, they were surprised to find a letter in the mailbox by the door.

Dugu Qing took the ingredients and entered the kitchen, using her vegetable-cutting magic to chop the vegetables and prepare the food.

Frieren sat on the sofa, looking down as she flipped through the letters, her expression gradually darkening.

"Dugu Qing, Sein has died, and the church has invited us to the funeral."

How did he die?

Dugu Qing felt a pang of sadness as she thought that one less person in the world knew her.

The letter said he died suddenly after drinking alcohol.

Frieren lowered her eyes, her tone tinged with a sigh.

"That's quite a perfect ending! Sein lived a carefree life, lived to be over ninety, and didn't have to suffer from illness or unexpected pain. He's much more remarkable than the average person."

Dugu Qing nodded slightly, thinking that Sein had lived a carefree life and died a clean death, which was quite good.

"Are we going to a funeral?"

"Go ahead! It's a good opportunity to see Stark; he's getting old, and if we don't see him soon, I'm afraid..."

The following day, Frieren and Dugu Qing packed all their belongings into suitcases, returned the apartment, bid farewell to the landlord, and boarded Flying Boat heading north.