Chapter 22
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#22.
Contrary to my expectations that a single day would suffice, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess found themselves stranded near Frozen Mountain.
A blizzard had begun to fall, making it impossible for the carriage to move at all.
It was an unprecedented snowstorm. The blizzard that began in the vicinity of Frozen Mountain soon spread across the entire Hadelus Territory.
The weather, which had been pleasant until the Flower Festival, turned capricious and cold, confining us all to the castle.
With so much snow falling, everyone was in emergency mode just to clear the roads. The sudden snowfall made it difficult to respond immediately.
Suddenly isolated within Hadelus Castle, I seemed destined to become a master of indoor entertainment.
"Does it usually snow this heavily around this time?"
I asked while gazing at the snow-laden landscape beyond the window, and Hannah replied while folding a towel.
"No. Usually this is when the dry season begins, so it rarely rains. It was dry last year too."
"So that's why everyone keeps calling it unprecedented."
Even in my previous life, sudden downpours would occasionally strike in the middle of summer, briefly cooling the oppressive heat.
Unlike me, accustomed to such capricious weather, everyone seemed quite startled by this blizzard.
With the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess away from the castle, decision-making authority naturally fell to Arkid, the heir.
Since carrier pigeons had their communication limitations, urgent decisions arising within the castle were delegated to Arkid.
Of course, thanks to the Retainers fulfilling their respective roles well, there had been few occasions requiring Arkid's decision-making authority thus far.
The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess said they would return as quickly as possible, so it seemed time would pass without incident. Then Shuri spoke.
"Snow was rare at Count April's Estate, but here it seems to fall as a matter of course."
"Indeed."
"The spirits must truly be temperamental."
I let out a soft laugh watching Vivian mutter about the spirits' doing.
Hearing such remarks made me acutely aware that this place was from within a novel. Unlike where I had lived, this world was one where spirits and magic coexisted.
"If the spirits are going to be temperamental anyway, I wish they'd bestow a blessing instead."
Then I could earn a fortune!
I was entertaining such thoughts when a knock sounded, and Arkid spoke from beyond the door.
"Rhoena, may I come in?"
"Yes!"
Everything is always open to you, Arkid!
I sprang up like a dog wagging its tail upon hearing its master's footsteps, and opened the door myself.
Then I noticed Arkid was dressed in outdoor attire and looked at him questioningly. It seemed he had come to inform me of his departure.
"Where are you going?"
"Ah, something has come up at the Eastern Coal Mine, so I need to go verify it."
"Right now?"
"Yes. Fortunately, the road to the coal mine has been cleared of snow, so I should be able to make the trip."
"I see."
Still, it must be difficult for the carriage to travel on snowy roads.
I was about to thank him for letting me know before his departure when Arkid spoke.
"Would you like to come along if you don't mind?"
"Me as well?"
"Yes. You haven't been able to go out because of the snow. I thought you might be feeling cooped up."
"Ah."
How is it that Arkid possesses such depth of thought?
At merely fourteen years old, yet already so perfectly formed in character.
Of course, in the original story he fell to darkness and became the hidden mastermind, but that was the original timeline—and here, there wasn't even a hint of such ambitions yet.
Truth be told, I had been growing restless from boredom, so his suggestion to go out was most welcome.
"Of course, if you'd rather not...."
"No! I'd love to. I've been feeling so cooped up lately."
"I'm relieved to hear it. Then please prepare yourself and meet me in the Lobby. I'll be waiting."
Once Arkid departed, Hannah, Shuri, and Vivian immediately set about helping me prepare for the outing.
I finished my preparations in a flash and set off toward the Ebis Coal Mine, utterly unaware of what awaited me there.
* * *
Meanwhile, Elena and Demian found themselves facing an unexpected predicament.
The sudden blizzard and volcanic eruption had stranded them, leaving only a single hotel room available.
Even the suite had an open-concept layout connecting the living area and bedroom, leaving no semblance of private space.
With other guests equally trapped, they couldn't even request separate rooms.
Since their first night together had been merely ceremonial and they hadn't shared a room since, Elena felt somewhat tense in the bedroom on this first day.
But when Demian refused to even enter the hotel room, she found herself quietly irritated.
"So he hates being in the same space as me."
He melts like butter for his lover, yet remains so cold toward his wife.
It would be scandalous if others knew, but Elena merely scoffed.
'If he won't come in, it's only his loss.'
She was angry at first, but honestly, she'd grown accustomed to having the spacious room to herself.
No doubt Demian was occupying some cramped temporary barracks or an aide's narrow quarters, causing nothing but trouble.
So really, her concern should be directed not toward her philandering husband, but toward the young couple left to manage the castle.
Elena didn't express it outwardly, but the fact that only Rhoena and Arkid remained at the castle weighed heavily on her mind.
A year ago, such a thing wouldn't have troubled her at all.
Perhaps because she'd been conversing with Rhoena more recently, that soft auburn hair kept catching her eye.
'Surely she's not causing trouble in my absence?'
It was then that a letter arrived from Rhoena.
[Dear Mother and Father, I hope you are in good health. We are managing well here.
I am so worried about you both, suddenly stranded as you are, that I pray every night....]
Elena paused mid-letter and let out a soft laugh.
"Good health"—such formal language.
She never would have expected such an excessively respectful phrase from Rhoena's lips.
"Her vocabulary has grown."
Yet it didn't displease her; a smile lingered on Elena's face.
[Various matters have arisen at the castle, but Arkid has been managing everything splendidly.
Last time, the snow caused the stable to collapse, but he and the attendants recovered all the escaped horses.
And that's not all—he's been handling the duties Father entrusted to him with such skill that the Retainers speak highly of him.
How can someone barely fourteen be so dependable? He's truly remarkable, isn't he?
It's certain that God bestowed all of Arkid's abilities upon him.]
"Ha, did she write this letter just to brag about her husband?"
Elena was exasperated that half the letter was devoted to Arkid's virtues.
She had never quite adjusted to this daughter-in-law who used to shriek incessantly about her dislike, yet transformed overnight.
Still, it was far better that they got along than for her to cause trouble.
Arkid, who had seemed unnaturally mature and somewhat unsettling, now behaved like a boy his age whenever he was around Rhoena.
Elena had been particularly incensed when she heard about the teacher who had abused Arkid.
Had Rhoena not raised such a fuss, Elena might have castrated Marquis Lorke herself—a man like that deserved nothing but ruin for his offspring.
She was deep in reading Rhoena's letter when it happened.
Bang—!
The door, which had never once been opened, suddenly burst wide. Elena gazed at the doorway with indifference.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Must I ask permission to enter my own room?"
"You never set foot in here, so I assumed it was mine."
Elena snorted, and Demian flinched. But as if nothing had happened, he smiled slowly and approached her.
"No matter how I think about it, I feel wronged."
"And what grievance brings you barging in without so much as a knock?"
As Elena replied coolly, wrinkles formed at the corners of Demian's eyes.
"Surely you should ask at least once—whether it's difficult being outside, whether you're suffering in the cold, whether you'd prefer to come to a warm room instead?"
In truth, it was the Grand Duke himself who had deliberately stayed away. But he never imagined Elena would simply stretch out her legs and sleep so comfortably.
How could she not worry about her husband sleeping in the cold hall? No matter how much of a business arrangement their marriage was.
Demian resented his wife's indifference, but Elena had plenty to say as well.
"Is it not unreasonable to expect me to seek out someone who left of their own volition, saying they disliked me?"
She had inquired about him—asking his aide, who reported he was doing quite well, so she had let the matter rest.
But she had no desire to explain these trivial details to Demian in tedious detail.
The truth was, they were never on such terms, and she had long since stopped expecting such things.
"How heartless of you."
"Heartless?"
Elena's suppressed emotions ignited like a switch at his words, and she immediately confronted him.
"If anything, isn't it you who lacks consideration—not visiting my room without regard for what others might think?"
"...."
"Why don't you just advertise it? That the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Hadelus are actually worse than strangers, and have never even properly fulfilled their duties as a married couple."
"I only left because I thought it would be uncomfortable for the Grand Duchess."
"Uncomfortable?"
Elena laughed softly and seized Demian's necktie, pulling him close to her face.
Their lips were nearly touching; Demian held his breath. Seeing this, Elena smirked.
"It's you who finds it uncomfortable."
"...."
"You're the one who left that night and abandoned me. Who would know that the Grand Duchess was slighted on her very first day?"
Who would know that the libertine before her becomes ice in his wife's presence and flees.
"So stop blaming yourself, Demian."
"...."
"Or prove it to me right now, if you dare."
It's not as though we'd need to go far, is it?
At Elena's whisper near his ear, accompanied by a fleeting glance toward the bed, Demian flinched and trembled, stumbling backward.
Soon after, Demian's face flushed crimson as he stammered incoherently and fled the room. Elena smirked coldly at his retreat.
"There. I knew you were uncomfortable with it."
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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