Chapter 441: A Well Spent Christmas Day
<.Back to the present, at Moonville Village.>
On Christmas day, Lariette and Ruediger woke up around seven in the morning. They lazed around under the soft blanket before finally dragging themselves out of bed.
The snow had stopped falling, leaving a yard covered in unblemished white.
While having breakfast, the Ruediger and Lariette excitedly talked about Nathaniel and Elsie’s engagement. They couldn’t wait to attend the newly engaged pair’s beautiful attending.
After breakfast, Ruediger and Lariette went to the graveyard. Then, they had fun playing while shoveling the driveway, leaving the rest of the yard to fate.
"Hey! No fighting!" she cried when he suddenly tossed a dense ball of snow at her.
Laughing out loud, he shamelessly provoked her, "Snowball fight is a must! Show me what you got!"
Ruediger’s provocation ignited Lariette’s fighting spirit. Without wasting time, she threw the shovel aside and started packing the snow into balls. The man did the same.
A snowball fight commenced on Christmas morning, witnessed by the bright sun hanging in the sky.
Their laughter echoed as they played, carrying their utmost joy. Whenever the breeze blew past the frozen, iced skeletal twigs, a beautiful, chiming melody resonated in the area.
"No... no more," Ruediger’s chest heaved up and down as he lay on the snowy yard, "Lettie, we’re not done shoveling yet."
As she crouched beside him, Lariette eyed Ruediger with disdain, "Who told you to start it? Hurry! As you said, we’re not done yet."
"Haa..."
He let her pull him up from the ground. Then, they resumed clearing the driveway.
Once everything was finally done, Lariette and Ruediger rested in the cottage to recharge their energy. They planned to head to the Campbells’ home before noon.
Even though Paul and Melissa told the pair to come around one, Lariette and Ruediger wished to contribute to the celebration. A few of the Campbells’ relatives and neighbors would also join them for lunch.
Throughout the Christmas celebration at the Campbells, neither Lariette nor Ruediger felt out of place. The crimson-haired man had even entertained the crowd by singing while plucking a guitar.
By eight, everyone was exhausted but equally happy. Some stayed while a few had left.
After helping with the cleaning up, Lariette and Ruediger headed back to their cottage. Both of them enjoyed the warm hospitality offered by the Campbells and how easily everyone socialized with one another.
Even though it was still early, the pair washed up as soon as they got home before retreating to bed. Ruediger chuckled when Lariette nuzzled her face on his chest. He responded by pulling her even closer, their legs tangling under the blanket.
"Ready for tomorrow?" he breathed, voice lower than usual as he ran his fingers through her silky locks.
She hummed, eyes closed. Without answering him, she asked, "How about you?"
"I’m ready," he whispered, "And I’ll be with you."
As planned, the pair would go to Amberwood Village tomorrow. He had already gone there a few years back, while her last visit was close to twenty years ago.
Lariette said nothing. She simply tightened her grasp on Ruediger’s pajamas, her fingertips grazing the skin under the soft fabric. Then, she drifted to sleep.
The morning after Christmas was quiet and white.
Frost glazed the windowpanes, courtesy of the below zero temperature. The world outside the cottage shimmered under the pale northern sun.
After breakfast, Ruediger stepped out, heading to the Campbells’ house. Yesterday, he had already asked Paul about borrowing the latter’s truck. The middle-aged man quickly agreed.
"Just return it whenever you want," said Paul after handing the key to Ruediger. The entire house was still asleep at this hour.
"Thank you, Uncle Paul," Ruediger accepted with gratitude. He exhaled a cloud of steam before getting into the truck and driving it to the cottage.
After a few minutes of arriving, Lariette came out through the front entrance. Ruediger chuckled upon seeing she was wrapped in a long beige coat and a scarf of pale pink, including a pair of gloves and a hat.
"Are you that cold?" he asked teasingly while opening the front passenger seat’s door.
"It’s colder than yesterday," she murmured while approaching the truck, "I think my cold tolerance has lessened."
"Can’t help it. The city isn’t as cold as here," he reached for her heart, adjusting its position to cover her ears, "So, still wanna go?"
Lariette nodded, "We said we would, didn’t we? I don’t know when else we’ll go there once we return to the city."
"Then let’s go before you change your mind," Ruediger smiled as he helped her climb into the truck. After closing the door, he circled to the driver’s seat.
The tires crunched through the snow as Ruediger drove away from the cottage. He headed down the long, white stretch of countryside road that led toward Amberwood.
Because Ruediger didn’t remember the exact way, he made use of the digital map on his phone. Lariette’s memory was also vague, thanks to the past decades spent not visiting the village at all.
For a while, a soft and thoughtful silence filled the truck as neither spoke. It was broken only by the occasional creak of ice or the hum of the heater.
The morning snow had stopped. The countryside roads were wide and vacant, but slippery from the melted ice. From time to time, they came across other vehicles.
Lariette leaned her head against the window. Her gaze followed the snowy hills that rolled past. She whispered, but audible enough for Ruediger, "It’s been almost twenty years, huh? It feels like another lifetime. You’re that boy."
Ruediger drifted his gaze toward her, "And you were just a little girl back then."
"Hehe, of course, I’m younger than you," she reminded him, a smile tugging on her lips, "Though... I didn’t know your name was Ruediger. Well, to be honest, I barely remember what I called you before."
"It’s fine, and you couldn’t have known," he replied with a small chuckle, "Back then, I wasn’t sure about sharing my real identity."
Upon listening to how easily Ruediger talked about one of the most traumatic moments of his childhood, Lariette’s heart ached. She reached for his arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze.
This time, he should fear nothing with her by his side.