On November 15th, Toussaint saw its first snowfall of the year.
Toussaint lay at the southernmost edge of the Shining Plains, so snow always came especially late here. In the North, snowfall began as early as the end of October. This snow was light and did not last long—only about as long as a dinner.
As a result, there was barely any accumulation on the ground. The moment the snow fell, it melted into the mud, greatly irritating those traveling along the dirt roads. The cold mud clung to their shoes, making every step laborious while stealing away the last trace of warmth from their feet.
No one liked being outside in weather like this.
And that was indeed the case. There were few people outside Beauclair, and even within the city, where every street was paved with stone, there were hardly any people. It made Beauclair seem exceptionally deserted.
In truth, Beauclair had indeed become much quieter. Nearly more than a fifth of the city's population had perished in last month's disaster, leaving almost every household in mourning. When the weather had been fine, people still came and went through the streets, but in such cold, bleak weather, the city appeared especially desolate.
Unfortunately, Yetana had chosen today as the day to bury her elder sister, Princess Xianna. Perhaps it was fate—Xianna had been at odds with this country from birth, and even on the day of her burial, she had to encounter such a cold and lonely day.
There were not many people to see Xianna off. Only Yetana, several royal attendants, and Isabella were present. Not a single other noble came. As for the commoners... although they were willing to use Xianna's identity to lash out at the nobles, that did not mean they had truly forgiven