Chapter: 16
“So you said you were going to your house, why are you going to the Imperial Palace?”
After that, they gathered with the imperial physicians, sat together, wrote reports, and discussed tomorrow’s schedule, and before long the sun had set.
The northern region was quiet and had little entertainment.
Because of that, the dispatched imperial physicians all went back to their lodging early.
Dana and Edwin were the same.
“Senior, there’s a thick blanket in my room. Should I bring it for you?”
“Are you worried I’m cold? I’m fine.”
“If you ever get bored, feel free to come find me anytime.”
“Do you think I’m a child?”
Dana let out a small laugh.
Edwin felt a bit disappointed at how lightly Dana took his words.
It seemed he was the only one desperate to stay together.
“Rest well. See you tomorrow.”
Dana waved her hand and slipped into her room.
Edwin looked at her door for a moment, then went downstairs.
He passed through the empty lobby and opened the lodging door, revealing the dark sky outside.
In the North, where days were short, darkness fell quickly.
Edwin headed toward the knight order’s lodging.
He knew that by this time, training would be over and everyone would be relaxing.
“Commander, you’re here?”
Heriot, today’s night guard, greeted the commander with surprised eyes.
Edwin gestured silently toward the lodging, and Heriot quickly guided him inside.
Inside, knights were gathered in groups, playing card games or talking.
BANG!!
Once again, the door burst open as if it might break.
Perhaps because of what happened at the dining hall earlier, the knights quickly stood up.
“Commander!”
“Please… no more talk about games…!”
In front of the noisy group, Edwin spoke.
“Good work.”
“……”
“Keep pretending you don’t know.”
“……Yes, sir!”
Edwin slowly walked around the lodging, looking inside.
Then he approached Max.
“Next week, supplies are coming from the capital, right?”
“Yes, sir!”
“At that time, send someone who can treat Merida.”
“R-really?”
Max’s eyes lit up.
Edwin continued asking his subordinates questions.
He was checking whether anything was lacking while he had been away.
For a while, even consultation-like questions followed.
“It feels like other people’s food portions are bigger than mine.”
“Then pull your bread with both hands. It’ll get bigger.”
“Commander is amazing!”
Lastly, the deputy commander Dante approached.
“Tomorrow at dawn, we have to hunt the Fraken… could you come with us?”
At that, the other knights shouted.
“Exactly! Without the commander, we can’t do it!”
Fraken was a high-grade monster.
It was huge and violent, difficult for even seasoned knights to handle.
Edwin answered indifferently.
“It’s troublesome. It’s not a hard job.”
“It is though…”
“Just step on its face and pierce the core in its forehead.”
“No, stepping on its face is already impossible.”
Useless bunch. Edwin clicked his tongue.
“What time are you leaving?”
At his words, everyone cheered.
Regardless, Edwin checked the time and prepared to leave the lodging.
The knights also yawned and headed to their rooms.
“I’m not going to see you off, it’s cold.”
“You never did anyway.”
As Edwin stepped outside, Heriot asked.
“Are you dating the lady you were with?”
“Do I look like I am?”
Edwin seemed unusually pleased as he answered.
“You looked genuinely happy when you smiled, sir.”
“I’m always sincere.”
“Seems fake though…”
Heriot swallowed his words and returned to his post.
At that moment, snowflakes landed on Edwin’s shoulder.
It seemed it would snow tonight.
Meanwhile, after finishing her shower, Dana entered her room and immediately felt a chill.
“What’s this? It was warm just a moment ago…”
She checked the magical temperature control device on the wall.
No matter how many times she pressed the button, there was no response.
Even after checking repeatedly, the device remained dead.
Outside the window, snowflakes were being blown by the wind.
Somehow, it felt even colder.
“……”
Dana lowered her gaze with a bitter expression.
The dark sky and snowstorm… this situation brought back memories from the past.
Her parents, the viscount couple, had been extravagant for a very long time.
Along with that, their debts had piled up like snow.
One day, young Dana and her family fled overnight to escape debt collectors.
The villa lent by a distant relative was shabby and cold.
Jamie frowned at the cobwebs on the ceiling.
‘How are we supposed to live in a place like this!’
‘My poor son, just endure a little longer. Mom is sorry.’
After soothing her son, the viscountess spoke coldly to Dana.
‘You sleep in the basement.’
Following her mother’s words, Dana slept in a storage-like room.
In the middle of the night, she woke up shivering from the cold.
Standing on tiptoe, she checked the magical temperature device—and it was broken as expected.
Even the hallway was cold, so the entire villa seemed broken.
She wrapped her arms around herself and went upstairs.
What she saw there was…
‘Jamie, come here. Mom will hold you.’
‘Are you cold, my son?’
A family leaning on each other in front of a fireplace.
All three, except her, were wrapped in thick blankets, worrying about each other.
Sharing each other’s warmth.
‘……’
Dana realized it.
There was no place for her to belong.
Young Dana silently returned to the basement.
She sat on the floor and hugged her knees.
The scene she had just seen kept replaying in her mind.
The warm fireplace, the cheerful family…
Dana lowered her head and moved her lips slightly.
A whisper slipped out, directed at herself.
‘Dana, are you cold?’
It’s okay. She comforted herself.
Even now, she didn’t know what she was trying to reassure.
Whether it was the cold or loneliness.
Remembering the past, Dana let out a self-mocking smile.
What’s the point of remembering old things?
Now she was a grown adult.
Someone who had to take care of herself.
In any case, finding the lodging manager and getting warm clothes was the priority.
Because of her wet hair, the cold felt even worse than before.
She tightened her bathrobe and took clothes from her luggage.
That was when she heard a knock.
Knock, knock—
It was an unsettling knock.
When Dana didn’t respond, the door was knocked again.
“…Who is it?”
“It’s me, senior.”
At that moment, Dana held her breath.
She blinked blankly.
“I came because I was worried.”
Dana slowly walked to the door and turned the handle.
The moment the door opened felt like it slowed down.
Edwin’s figure gradually appeared.
Bright blonde hair, red eyes, and even his slightly breathless breathing…
Edwin wrapped a thick blanket around her.
The soft blanket covered her shoulders in an instant.
“…You’re shaking.”
He said with an unusually stiff expression.
It seemed she had been trembling from the cold without realizing it.
“I heard from the manager in the lobby. Some rooms have broken temperature devices.”
Dana looked up at him blankly.
His eyes, filled with concern, were entirely focused on her.
Even the way he tightened the blanket to protect her from the cold.
It felt strange.
Like a frozen tree sprouting new buds.
Like flower petals falling onto a calm lake.
Something warm was blooming inside her chest.
Edwin, meeting her eyes, quickly adjusted his stiff expression.
Then he smiled gently.
“Were you very cold?”
“……”
Long-buried childhood memories resurfaced.
Along with the loneliness that occasionally poked at her.
Edwin carefully cupped her cheek with his hand.
Then his gentle voice reached her.
“It’s okay now.”
At those words…
Dana felt like she was going to cry.
“So you said you were going to your house, why are you going to the Imperial Palace?”
After that, they gathered with the imperial physicians, sat together, wrote reports, and discussed tomorrow’s schedule, and before long the sun had set.
The northern region was quiet and had little entertainment.
Because of that, the dispatched imperial physicians all went back to their lodging early.
Dana and Edwin were the same.
“Senior, there’s a thick blanket in my room. Should I bring it for you?”
“Are you worried I’m cold? I’m fine.”
“If you ever get bored, feel free to come find me anytime.”
“Do you think I’m a child?”
Dana let out a small laugh.
Edwin felt a bit disappointed at how lightly Dana took his words.
It seemed he was the only one desperate to stay together.
“Rest well. See you tomorrow.”
Dana waved her hand and slipped into her room.
Edwin looked at her door for a moment, then went downstairs.
He passed through the empty lobby and opened the lodging door, revealing the dark sky outside.
In the North, where days were short, darkness fell quickly.
Edwin headed toward the knight order’s lodging.
He knew that by this time, training would be over and everyone would be relaxing.
“Commander, you’re here?”
Heriot, today’s night guard, greeted the commander with surprised eyes.
Edwin gestured silently toward the lodging, and Heriot quickly guided him inside.
Inside, knights were gathered in groups, playing card games or talking.
BANG!!
Once again, the door burst open as if it might break.
Perhaps because of what happened at the dining hall earlier, the knights quickly stood up.
“Commander!”
“Please… no more talk about games…!”
In front of the noisy group, Edwin spoke.
“Good work.”
“……”
“Keep pretending you don’t know.”
“……Yes, sir!”
Edwin slowly walked around the lodging, looking inside.
Then he approached Max.
“Next week, supplies are coming from the capital, right?”
“Yes, sir!”
“At that time, send someone who can treat Merida.”
“R-really?”
Max’s eyes lit up.
Edwin continued asking his subordinates questions.
He was checking whether anything was lacking while he had been away.
For a while, even consultation-like questions followed.
“It feels like other people’s food portions are bigger than mine.”
“Then pull your bread with both hands. It’ll get bigger.”
“Commander is amazing!”
Lastly, the deputy commander Dante approached.
“Tomorrow at dawn, we have to hunt the Fraken… could you come with us?”
At that, the other knights shouted.
“Exactly! Without the commander, we can’t do it!”
Fraken was a high-grade monster.
It was huge and violent, difficult for even seasoned knights to handle.
Edwin answered indifferently.
“It’s troublesome. It’s not a hard job.”
“It is though…”
“Just step on its face and pierce the core in its forehead.”
“No, stepping on its face is already impossible.”
Useless bunch. Edwin clicked his tongue.
“What time are you leaving?”
At his words, everyone cheered.
Regardless, Edwin checked the time and prepared to leave the lodging.
The knights also yawned and headed to their rooms.
“I’m not going to see you off, it’s cold.”
“You never did anyway.”
As Edwin stepped outside, Heriot asked.
“Are you dating the lady you were with?”
“Do I look like I am?”
Edwin seemed unusually pleased as he answered.
“You looked genuinely happy when you smiled, sir.”
“I’m always sincere.”
“Seems fake though…”
Heriot swallowed his words and returned to his post.
At that moment, snowflakes landed on Edwin’s shoulder.
It seemed it would snow tonight.
Meanwhile, after finishing her shower, Dana entered her room and immediately felt a chill.
“What’s this? It was warm just a moment ago…”
She checked the magical temperature control device on the wall.
No matter how many times she pressed the button, there was no response.
Even after checking repeatedly, the device remained dead.
Outside the window, snowflakes were being blown by the wind.
Somehow, it felt even colder.
“……”
Dana lowered her gaze with a bitter expression.
The dark sky and snowstorm… this situation brought back memories from the past.
Her parents, the viscount couple, had been extravagant for a very long time.
Along with that, their debts had piled up like snow.
One day, young Dana and her family fled overnight to escape debt collectors.
The villa lent by a distant relative was shabby and cold.
Jamie frowned at the cobwebs on the ceiling.
‘How are we supposed to live in a place like this!’
‘My poor son, just endure a little longer. Mom is sorry.’
After soothing her son, the viscountess spoke coldly to Dana.
‘You sleep in the basement.’
Following her mother’s words, Dana slept in a storage-like room.
In the middle of the night, she woke up shivering from the cold.
Standing on tiptoe, she checked the magical temperature device—and it was broken as expected.
Even the hallway was cold, so the entire villa seemed broken.
She wrapped her arms around herself and went upstairs.
What she saw there was…
‘Jamie, come here. Mom will hold you.’
‘Are you cold, my son?’
A family leaning on each other in front of a fireplace.
All three, except her, were wrapped in thick blankets, worrying about each other.
Sharing each other’s warmth.
‘……’
Dana realized it.
There was no place for her to belong.
Young Dana silently returned to the basement.
She sat on the floor and hugged her knees.
The scene she had just seen kept replaying in her mind.
The warm fireplace, the cheerful family…
Dana lowered her head and moved her lips slightly.
A whisper slipped out, directed at herself.
‘Dana, are you cold?’
It’s okay. She comforted herself.
Even now, she didn’t know what she was trying to reassure.
Whether it was the cold or loneliness.
Remembering the past, Dana let out a self-mocking smile.
What’s the point of remembering old things?
Now she was a grown adult.
Someone who had to take care of herself.
In any case, finding the lodging manager and getting warm clothes was the priority.
Because of her wet hair, the cold felt even worse than before.
She tightened her bathrobe and took clothes from her luggage.
That was when she heard a knock.
Knock, knock—
It was an unsettling knock.
When Dana didn’t respond, the door was knocked again.
“…Who is it?”
“It’s me, senior.”
At that moment, Dana held her breath.
She blinked blankly.
“I came because I was worried.”
Dana slowly walked to the door and turned the handle.
The moment the door opened felt like it slowed down.
Edwin’s figure gradually appeared.
Bright blonde hair, red eyes, and even his slightly breathless breathing…
Edwin wrapped a thick blanket around her.
The soft blanket covered her shoulders in an instant.
“…You’re shaking.”
He said with an unusually stiff expression.
It seemed she had been trembling from the cold without realizing it.
“I heard from the manager in the lobby. Some rooms have broken temperature devices.”
Dana looked up at him blankly.
His eyes, filled with concern, were entirely focused on her.
Even the way he tightened the blanket to protect her from the cold.
It felt strange.
Like a frozen tree sprouting new buds.
Like flower petals falling onto a calm lake.
Something warm was blooming inside her chest.
Edwin, meeting her eyes, quickly adjusted his stiff expression.
Then he smiled gently.
“Were you very cold?”
“……”
Long-buried childhood memories resurfaced.
Along with the loneliness that occasionally poked at her.
Edwin carefully cupped her cheek with his hand.
Then his gentle voice reached her.
“It’s okay now.”
At those words…
Dana felt like she was going to cry.
