Hours had passed, and the sun now dominated the village, expelling any lingering shadows that still clung to it.
At that moment, Dante was taking a bath before going to train. Fortunately, that day his routine was much simpler.
The work related to refining had been suspended due to the lack of resources caused by the period of intense snowfall. Since Dante was not one of the main refiners, he had naturally been dismissed from those duties.
The village could not—and would not—bear the cost of training everyone. Even though Dante was the next leader, there were priorities, and at that moment only the Fifth Elder had permission to produce spiritual artifacts.
To be honest, Dante did not mind this much. On the contrary, it meant he could spend even more time with Viviane, something that was very pleasant to him.
With the water cascading over his body, the minutes passed quickly, and soon it was time to leave.
Dante stepped out of the bathroom already changed and fully dressed. He wore heavy clothes, the ones he usually used for training, and soon he saw Viviane.
She was preparing breakfast for the two of them, a smile on her face. Dante approached and gently wrapped his arms around her.
"Good morning."
His greeting was returned with a warm kiss from Viviane.
"What has you so excited today?" Dante asked, noticing that Viviane seemed sweeter than usual.
Viviane then began to explain gently.
"While you were taking a bath, a soldier came here on my father's orders. You're free from training today—he had to take care of some matters."
"So the day is completely ours to enjoy," Viviane said cheerfully, hugging Dante.
Hearing that, Dante smiled.
"A day off doesn't sound bad at all."
"You should've told me before I got dressed," Dante said, gently kissing Viviane's cheek, enjoying the morning moment.
"Alright. Go on and take off those heavy clothes so we can have a nice breakfast. After that, we can go back to sleep together," Viviane finished.
Dante followed her advice, changed into light, casual clothes, and soon returned to have breakfast with Viviane—a truly pleasant moment.
As they ate, Dante and Viviane chatted calmly, until Viviane broke the mood, speaking honestly about what she was thinking.
"Dante… lately, you've been different," she said while taking a piece of bread. "It feels like you want to tell me something, but you don't have the courage."
Dante looked at her in surprise. She knew him better than he had imagined.
What a cunning little woman, he thought, laughing inwardly.
"It's nothing," he said. "I've just been very focused on training and on everything I need to do to improve my strength. Maybe… our time together will end up decreasing."
It was a lie. It still wasn't time to talk about returning to hunting, and he knew it. Every time he had gone hunting, problems had followed.
"Do you really think I'd fall for your lies?" Viviane asked, raising an eyebrow as she stared at him. "We've lived together long enough. When you stay completely calm, that's exactly when you're hiding something. And most of the time, it's something that would worry me."
Silence followed her words, lasting only a few seconds before Dante broke it.
"There's no need to worry. I truly want to talk to you about something serious… just not today. It's a conversation that needs to be postponed," he said, his voice slightly uncertain, yet firm.
Viviane looked at him with some suspicion, but her heart told her to trust Dante. Their relationship was no longer a coincidence; there was deep trust and love between them.
Without saying another word, she rested her head on Dante's shoulder as a silent sign of that trust. Words were no longer necessary.
"Viviane… how about we go enjoy the day? Maybe take a walk, see the village… or just wander around," Dante suggested, offering something different from usual.
Viviane's eyes lit up. How could she not like the idea of spending the day with Dante?
Naturally, she accepted.
So they finished breakfast in peace, and soon after went back to sleep for a while longer. Coming from a routine of waking at sunrise, taking advantage of extra rest was always welcome.
And so, the hours passed. When the sun reached its peak, marking midday, Dante and Viviane set out to enjoy their day together.