On November 15th, Toussaint saw its first snow of the year.
Toussaint lay at the southernmost edge of the Shining Plains, so snow came especially late here. In the North, it had begun snowing at the end of October. This snowfall was light and brief, lasting only as long as a dinner.
There was hardly any accumulation on the ground. As soon as the snow fell, it melted into the mud, greatly irritating those traveling along the dirt roads. The cold muck clung to their shoes, making every step laborious while stealing away the last traces of warmth from their feet.
No one liked being outdoors in weather like this.
And that was indeed the case. There was hardly anyone outside Beauclair, and even within Beauclair itself, where the streets were entirely paved with stone, there were few people to be seen. It made the city seem particularly deserted.
In truth, Beauclair had indeed become much quieter. Nearly more than a fifth of the city's population had died in last month's disaster, leaving almost every household in mourning. It had not been so noticeable when the weather was good and people still came and went, but under such bleak and oppressive skies, the city appeared especially desolate.
Unfortunately, Yetana had chosen this very day for the burial of 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, lonely day.
There were not many people to see Xianna off: only Yetana, several royal attendants, and Isabella. Not a single other noble attended. As for the commoners... they might have been willing to use Xianna's status to throw barbs at the nobles, but that did not mean