Chapter 1

According to our village's betrothal custom, unmarried men and women exchanged carved wooden tokens on Midsummer Eve. If the two tokens made a matching pair, it meant they had pledged their hearts to each other and could set a date to marry.

Kat Michielsen and I had agreed to exchange rose carvings.

But right before Midsummer Eve, when I went to find Kat to confirm our plans, I happened to overhear her talking with her grandmother, Sarah Michielsen.

"Are you really going to swap your rose carving for a wild rose one and marry Jason? What about Nick? He's waited for you for seventeen years. Aren't you afraid he'll lose heart and end up matched with some other woman?"

Kat ran her fingers over the piece of wild-rose wood in her hand, the corners of her lips curling into a faint smile.

"He won't. The whole village knows we're in love. Nobody would dare exchange tokens with him.

"Marrying me has been his obsession since we were kids. He's waited this long. Even if he finds out I lied to him, he won't leave.

"Besides, I'm choosing Jason to comfort my sister's spirit. Once this year is over, I'll make Nick my husband."

All of a sudden, the rose carving in my hand felt like it was covered in thorns.

So her late sister's widower mattered more than me. My seventeen years of waiting had only made me the backup she'd settled on after weighing her options.

In that case, there was no point in our union. I snapped the rose carving in two.

And without a second thought, I accepted the century-old Stag and Swan Seal.

Chapter 1

On Midsummer Eve, twice as many people as usual had crowded into the village.

Over a hundred young men and women clutched their tokens as they waited for the ceremony to begin.

I was the only one bundled up in a long cloth coat, covered from head to toe without a single gap.

"Nick!"

Henry Ritter, the guy next door who had always been like a big brother to me, walked up, sounding surprised.

"Why are you dressed like that? The whole village is saying today's the day you and Kat make your match official. Why aren't you wearing the wedding jacket your Grandma Agnes sewed for you by hand?"

I didn't want him to know I was allergic to rosewood, so I made up an excuse. "The long coat hides my token. I don't want anyone else to see it."

"Stubborn kid! Wait till you see Kat. Let's see if you can keep it hidden then!"

He dragged me to the front row.

The crowd was buzzing.

Kat spotted me right away, but she didn't walk toward me. Instead, she stopped right in front of Jason Bates.

The two of them ran into each other every single day, yet the moment their eyes met now, they both blushed at the same time.

"Kat, do you want to see my token?" Jason asked. He was dressed in a bright red wedding jacket and gazed at Kat with deep affection. "Or... or I could look at yours. That works too."

Everyone in the village froze in place, every head turning toward Kat.

Anyone could look at a token, of course.

But an open invitation like this meant, nine times out of ten, that someone was about to declare their feelings in front of everyone.

"Sure! In fact, I'll show you mine first!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Kat opened her hand to reveal the token in her palm.

Everyone present held their breath.

By the understanding we'd reached years ago, Kat should have come to me first.

Ever since we were little, the whole village had taken it for granted that we were a match made in heaven.

But now she'd gone straight to Jason, which meant the match she wanted today wasn't with me.

"It's a wild rose carving! Kat and Jason have matching carvings! Their hearts are one, and they may set a date to marry!"

Elder Dennis Statham, the clan elder in charge of verifying the tokens, stroked his white beard as he made the announcement loud and clear.

The entire crowd stared, dumbfounded.

Henry was the first to bristle. "Kat! How could you show Jason your token? You and Nick had an agreement. Where does this leave him?"

Only then did Kat spare me a backward glance. "Aren't tokens meant to be shown to people? Am I supposed to hide mine away and try to guess who my match is?"

"But you and Nick grew up together. Everyone in the village has seen what you two have. Even if you wanted to show someone, it should have been him first!"

Jason, who had been standing quietly off to the side, spoke up timidly, "Henry's right. Kat, maybe you should just forget about me.

"In my situation, I don't deserve to be matched with anyone. I just thought the ceremony looked fun. I'm sorry..."

With that, he deliberately forced a strained, lonely smile.

Henry's eyes instantly went red with anger. "Jason, quit the act! You're Kat's brother-in-law, and ever since her sister died, you've been clinging to her.

"You get a headache, you go to Kat. Your clothes rip, you go to Kat. Even for the tiniest household chores, you go to Kat. Any idiot can see what you're scheming!"

"Enough!"

Kat snapped at Henry and stepped in front of Jason. "Matching tokens are fate. Jason's already had it hard enough living alone in this village. You're both men. Why give him such a hard time?"

"You!"

Henry started forward again, but I grabbed him.

"Kat's right. Whose token matches whose is up to fate. Jason lost his wife, but that doesn't mean he's lost the right to look for love."

"But you..."

I signaled for Henry to stop.

My unusual calm stunned everyone.

Especially Kat.

She knew I was madly in love with her.

Once, while hunting for wild mushrooms for her, I'd nearly been eaten by a starving wolf.

The bite it left on my calf was still a scar to this day.

Henry thought I'd be heartbroken, too.

But I wasn't.

"Nick!"

I turned to go find my own match, but Kat called after me.

Gripping a rose carving identical to mine, she gritted her teeth and jabbed it hard into the back of her hand.

Chapter 2

Blood spread across Kat's skin.

"I know I broke our promise, but I only wanted to give Jason a place to belong.

"Wait for me one more year. Next Midsummer Eve, I swear I'll pledge myself to you with a rose carving."

She thought a few sweet words would win me back, the way they always had.

But I stepped back, out of reach of her outstretched hand, and gave the slight nod that village custom called for. "You must be joking, Kat. Fate decides these things. Since we weren't meant to be, why talk about the future?"

"Nick..." Kat tried to step closer.

Jason hurried over, untied the sash at his waist, and bandaged Kat's hand, his face full of worry. "Nick, don't be mad at Kat. She's just like that. She takes everything I say to heart.

"Don't worry. I'll go explain everything to the elders in a bit. Even if I have to go join a monastery, I'll never come between the two of you."

Everyone in the village knew the rule.

If one party backed out of a match sealed with tokens, that person would be punished and sent off to a monastery, never allowed to marry for the rest of their life.

Kat's face darkened at once, and she stepped in front of Jason. "Absolutely not! I promised my sister I'd take care of you for the rest of your life. How could I let you suffer like that?"

A barely noticeable flicker of glee crossed Jason's eyes. In the next instant, he pretended to be looking out for me.

"But we can't do Nick wrong either. He'll be humiliated in front of the whole village. Why don't... why don't we let him draw lots in front of everyone to pick a match? That way it's still up to fate."

I looked up at Kat. She hesitated, then finally nodded. "Fine."

The last shred of hope I'd held onto shattered.

"No need," I said flatly.

Most of the names in the matchmaking lot jar belonged to older, divorced villagers, at least ten years older than me, some twenty or thirty.

Besides, I already had the century-old Stag and Swan Seal in my hand.

When I refused so firmly, a flash of smugness crossed Kat's eyes. She was convinced I wouldn't choose anyone else because I was determined to wait for her.

So she let out a magnanimous sigh. "Forget it. Let him do what he wants. Forcing it would only make things ugly."

Jason wasn't satisfied, but with everyone watching, he had no choice but to swallow his feelings and give a reluctant nod.

Since everyone assumed I was too hung up on Kat to accept losing her, no one suggested I show my token.

Instead, they swarmed around Kat and Jason, urging them to head up the mountain behind the village as soon as possible.

According to village rules, a newly betrothed couple had to spend three days in the cabin on the mountain, eating and living together while they fasted and prayed for blessings.

Only then would the heaven-sent match be officially accepted.

Before she left, Kat looked back at me for a long moment, her tone calm, as if she were trying to reassure me. "Rules are rules, and there are no exceptions. Nick, don't worry. For these three days, I'll keep to my place and stay faithful to you."

A man and a woman alone together behind a closed door. The idea of her staying faithful was laughable.

I watched the crowd escort Kat and Jason up the mountain.

The fireworks were deafening.

Henry clapped me on the shoulder. "Without Kat, there are still plenty of other girls out there. Don't wear yourself out over someone who isn't worth it."

But who said I was going to wear myself out?

I headed straight to the clan hall to find the elder.

I showed him the Stag and Swan Seal, then pulled a letter from my sleeve. "She and I love each other. I hope you'll give us your blessing, Elder Statham."

Elder Statham looked startled. He was about to say something, but I raised a hand to hush him before the words could leave his mouth.

"We agreed that I wouldn't announce anything until she comes back. I don't want any trouble."

The elder weighed it for a moment, then readily agreed. "Very well! When she returns, I'll personally take the two of you to receive your blessing."

By the time I walked out of the clan hall, my social media feed was flooded with posts about Kat and Jason.

The mountain path was steep, and the gravel trail was the hardest on the feet.

Kat slipped the cloth shoes she'd stitched overnight onto Jason's feet herself. Then she took his arm, and the two of them walked side by side, even though her hand was injured.

My heart turned colder, inch by inch.

Whenever we used to go up the mountain to pick mushrooms, she'd worried about my feet the same way, putting the cloth shoes she'd made onto my feet herself.

Then she'd hold my hand.

No matter how steep the path ahead was, she never let go.

She'd even said, "Nick, I love holding your hand like this. Let's never be apart for the rest of our lives."

I'd naively believed her love would belong to me forever.

But now...

"I accept your vow. Morning and night, I'll be by your side. For the rest of our lives, in life and in death, we'll never part."

She and Jason knelt before the altar, praying for blessings just as every newlywed couple did. They spoke the same heartfelt words every devoted couple in the world said to each other.

Our seventeen years had been buried for good in the fireworks of Midsummer Eve.

"Nick... how about I go with you to visit Grandma Agnes?"

Henry looked at me, his eyes full of sympathy.

Three years ago today, I'd promised Grandma Agnes I would marry no one but Kat. Kat had promised her, too, that she would marry no one but me.

Together, we'd watched Grandma Agnes make that red wedding jacket for me.

And together, we'd laid her to rest.

Afterward, Kat had promised me that every year on this day, she would come with me to visit Grandma Agnes.

"I'd rather not. I didn't keep my promise to her. I don't want to break the old woman's heart."

On the third day, the period of prayer came to an end.

When Kat came down the mountain, she didn't go anywhere else. She came straight to my place.

She was as casual as ever. The moment she walked in, she shrugged off her outer jacket.

A bright red mark was faintly visible on her chest.

I saw it clearly.

Someone's mouth had left it there.

Chapter 3

Kat hurried to explain. "Don't get the wrong idea. There are a lot of mosquitoes on the mountain. It's a mosquito bite."

I smirked. I could still tell the difference between a bite from a person and a bite from a mosquito.

"Okay, enough."

As if remembering that today was the anniversary of Grandma Agnes's death, Kat softened her tone.

"Fog rolled in on the mountain during the day, and we couldn't make it down. That's why I'm so late. I'll go with you to visit Grandma Agnes some other time when I'm free."

She casually wrapped her arms around me from behind, expecting me to answer with a kiss the way I used to.

But I got up and moved away. "I see."

She'd just wanted to spend more time with Jason, so she hadn't wanted to come down.

"Nick, I switched to wild-rose wood at the last minute, and you're going to hold that against me forever? I already told you, I just wanted to give Jason a place to belong. There's nothing going on between us. What are you being so petty about?"

Me, petty?

"I'm not being petty. I'm not being petty now, and I won't be in the future.

"I'll even give you my blessing. May you grow old together, live happily ever after, stay united forever, and be blessed with children soon."

Kat froze for a moment. She didn't notice how serious I was and even put on a knowing smile. "You won't. You love me too much."

Yes, I had loved her that much...

But that was in the past, and only in the past.

Early the next morning, the betrothal party showed up at my door.

They said that, on Kat's instructions, I was to represent the village's unmarried men and personally escort Jason to her house to complete the betrothal ritual.

By old custom, a couple betrothed by tokens did need an unmarried man to lead and escort them for everything to be done properly.

But I never imagined Kat would give that job to me.

At the gate of the Michielsen house, Kat's mother stood on one side of the stone steps. Her father stood guard on the other.

Like a pair of bodyguards, they escorted Jason into the courtyard.

Kat's grandmother was even more lavish. In front of the whole clan, she personally handed Jason a solid gold horseshoe charm.

She even said that their wish had finally come true, and Jason was still the Michielsens' rightful son-in-law.

It felt like a thorn had lodged itself in my heart.

When I first came to the Michielsen house all those years ago, Kat's grandmother had only given me a sachet embroidered with a good-luck charm.

She'd said it was the thought that counted, just a little something to bring me luck.

Later, after Kat and I made our relationship official, her parents had barely managed to hand me an envelope with twenty dollars in it.

They said that no matter what, I was the one Kat had chosen, and they didn't want people talking.

I could hear the reluctance and displeasure in her mother's words.

To win their favor, and so Kat wouldn't be caught between her family and me, I'd bent over backward for years, going along with everything and working hard to become their ideal future son-in-law.

But in the end... I still couldn't compare to Jason, a widower.

"Nick, don't take it to heart."

Jason seemed to catch my disappointment and flashed me a half smile. "I've always been part of the Michielsen family. It's only natural that everyone treats me well. Don't let it get to you."

The moment he said that, Mrs. Michielsen shot me a sharp look. "Some things are worth more than others, and so are some people. Jason has done this family a great service, so of course we treat him well."

Chapter 4

My chest suddenly felt tight.

Jason had married into the Michielsen family, but less than a year later, Kat's sister, Leah Michielsen, died. The two of them hadn't even left behind a child.

Meanwhile, back when Kat got food poisoning, I was the one who risked my life to get her through a snowstorm to the hospital.

She owed me a real debt for that, yet I didn't even deserve to be called someone who'd done the family a service.

"My mom doesn't mean anything by it."

Kat walked over. "She just wants Jason to have a proper place in the Michielsen family. The ceremony was kept simple. Can't you see that?"

I looked around the courtyard. "Wedding decorations hanging high, silk ribbons flying everywhere, even the wedding hearts on the windows are stamped in gold foil. This is what you call keeping it simple?"

Kat's face stiffened for a moment. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"Nick, you've gone too far."

She rubbed her temples. "It's always like this with you. Every single time, you go looking for something to nitpick. My mom feels sorry for Jason and wants to help settle Leah's affairs, and you can't stand any of it."

"Right. I'm the one being nosy, I'm the one in the wrong. So, Kat, let's end it here."

She panicked. "What do you mean?"

Before I could answer, a little girl with her hair tied up in a tiny topknot came running over.

She called out to Kat, "Mommy, Mommy marry Daddy!"

My heart skipped a beat.

Jason followed right behind her, holding out his arms. "Haven, don't run off. Daddy's right here."

My mind felt like it had been struck by lightning. Every obsession I'd ever held collapsed in that instant.

"Haven..." That was the name Kat and I had once chosen for our future child.

It meant two islands leaning on each other, a safe harbor, peace year after year.

My heart ached as if a knife had sliced it open.

My seventeen years of waiting had been nothing but a complete and utter joke.

My stomach churned. I clamped a hand over my mouth and ran out of the Michielsen house.

Kat's footsteps followed behind me. "Nick, let me explain..."

But I didn't want to hear it.

More than unbearable heartache, what I felt was total release.

I threw away every memory from our seventeen years and deleted every photo of us from my phone.

With every photo I deleted, I cut away another piece of the past.

Seventeen years of moments.

They captured our years passing, the seasons and scenery changing.

And all those years we'd believed our love ran so deep.

"Nick, you're really something!

"Your bride-to-be has prepared two mansions plus a three-hundred-thousand-dollar bride price, and she came all this way to take you up the mountain with her."

A message from Henry popped up on my phone. I pushed my feelings aside and headed for the clan hall.

Meanwhile, in the Michielsens' courtyard, everyone was chatting about the happy betrothal.

Suddenly, in the distance, fireworks went off for a blessing on the mountain.

As everyone wondered what was going on, someone burst through the front gate.

"Kat, something's wrong! Nick went up the mountain with some woman!

"The elder said... he said the token Nick was holding that day wasn't a rose carving... It was the Stag and Swan Seal!"