Chapter 22

Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi

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Chapter 22

Celine was worried that the new escort maid, Danny, would be reluctant to make a sudden trip, but she was wrong. Danny smiled confidently, carrying a few more daggers in her arms.

“What’s with the Imperial Capital, the stage where I can show my skills has gotten bigger.”

“Danny is very trustworthy.”

She never forgot the day she first met Danny, a week ago. As soon as she met Celine, she proudly declared, “Lute Celine, I have heard everything. From now on, if Lute Celine dies even once, I will hit myself in the head!”

Celine, Natasha, and the three escorts were startled and told her condition in more detail, though Danny was impatient, saying, “Don’t worry, now that I am here.”

And, two days later, she slipped and died while running down the hallway, which had been over-waxed…

Danny was really about to put a dagger in her neck. If the Grand Duchess hadn’t declared this with a cold wind blowing briskly.

“I’ll not let you die. However, you will be remembered as a sinner who did not obey the orders of the Grand Duchy.”

Fortunately, she did not commit suicide, and Danny followed Celine more relentlessly, saving her from near-death crisis several times.

…At the risk of her own death.

Each time, Celine would laugh at her, saying she had no need to do that because she would live again, although Danny said she had nine lives too.

“I have nine lives, thanks to the protection of the cat star. I just used one, so now there are still lives left.”

In the end, she had no choice but to raise both her hands and both feet to avoid putting herself in a dangerous situation so that Danny didn’t do anything reckless.

“That’s everything.”

Danny lifted two large suitcases without calling a servant or maid.

Celine’s belongings were few, and she had everything she could afford, so her luggage was simple because she would be in the Imperial Capital.

Leonhard was also alone with no attendants.

Since he had to leave for the Imperial Capital as quickly as possible, there were only three carriages in total. From the carriage, Celine and Leonhard rode on—to the carriage for the rest of the crew, to the carriage loaded with goods for the Crown Prince.

“The situation will be different once you get to the Imperial Capital. I promise.”

She watched with a little weary eye at the luxuries the servants put into the carriages one by one.

“It’s a good enough situation.”

“Then, that’s a relief.”

Celine felt a strange feeling at Leonhard’s kind voice, and her body trembled.

Leonhard treated herself as usual, though she didn’t know why all of a sudden her heart starts to beat today. Eventually, she concluded that it was because of what she had to do with him tomorrow and got into the carriage.

After half a day.

The sun hid over the ridge. The carriages all stopped, and all the servants got off the carriages and made a bonfire.

Then, it started to snow.

Leonhard’s face hardened immediately. He thought that it would not snow because the sky was clear today. It was the weather that made their departure hastily. However, while the three carriages were moving, it was pouring snow.

Even if it was all right to camp one night tonight, if the wheels froze the next day…

“Everyone, get up. Let’s go right now!”

“Leonhard?”

Turning her head, Celine was glancing at him with her puzzled face.

“The sun has set, and it even snows. Do you want to keep going?”

“If we stay here, the wheels will all freeze.”

He thought Celine would have understood his own words right away, although she grabbed his arm.

“Let them rest. The horses and the people.”

“Celine, this is…”

“I’ll melt it.”

Celine’s trembling voice was far from certain. Anxiety was even peeking.

Leonhard shook his head slowly.

“Aren’t you still not good at controlling your power? You can thaw frozen wheels overnight and you can damage the carriage.”

“I can keep it warm all night long. It won’t freeze in the first place.”

At her words, he looked down at her with questionable eyes. It was common knowledge that they have to be awake to use magic.

Celine knew what Leonhard’s gaze meant as he looked at her own complexion tenaciously.

She wet her dry lips with her tongue. Maybe, she was just being stubborn for no reason. Nonetheless, she would ask Leonhard a big favor tomorrow. Before that, she wanted to do something a little bit helpful.

Even to relieve her of her own guilt.

“I can sleep in the morning. As you know, not getting a good night’s sleep doesn’t mean I will die.”

Leonhard did not stop her anymore.

“Dawn.”

“Yes?”

“We leave at dawn. Until then, please.”

When Celine nodded her head, Leonhard immediately issued the departure order.

The servants seemed a little grumpy, but they unpacked their belongings and skillfully started preparing for the camp.

Celine closed her eyes and focused her mind. After a while, all the carriages and horses were enveloped in a warm warmth. When she opened her eyes, Danny was standing in front of her.

“Lute Celine, have dinner.”

Dinner was warm potato stew, soft white bread and bacon.

Even though it was a rather shabby dinner compared to the food she ate at the castle, she ate the stew with a frenzy and ate slices of bread and bacon. It was not unusual for her to use a significant amount of magic on a one-time basis. Still, maintaining it was quite tiring.

“Are you okay?”

Leonhard asked worriedly.

“What?”

Celine blinked her eyes as if she didn’t understand him, but he knew she was struggling.

As soon as she cast a spell on the horses and carriage, she instantly had a cold nose, cold tears, and a body trembling with cold.

“You look cold, so go inside the carriage.”

“It’s okay.”

“You can also use magic inside.”

“It’s cramped. I think I might fall asleep. Oh, by all means, if I fall asleep, you have to wake me up!”

White snowflakes formed on her eyelashes, and she trembled. Leonhard was silent for a moment, and then he spoke as if he had suddenly remembered.

“I’ll show you something interesting.”

“….?”

He pointed to the comfortable carriage.

“Can you enjoy such luxury when you follow a warlock? When we chase a warlock in the snow, we have to build a house.”

Then, he started walking in stride and she followed him without question. The place where he stopped was a mound covered with snow without a single footstep. The snow that had fallen over the past month seemed to have piled up without melting.

Suddenly, he pulled out Rashir of its scabbard. Celine was tense. She didn’t even know there were monsters around here. But, instead of slashing the invisible monster, Rashir cut off the snow.

Celine’s eyes widened.

Leonhard cut the snow with Rashir and started making bricks. And, the way they are stacked on the ground was like…

“…Igloo.”

“What did you say?”

“It’s nothing.”

Celine shook her head.

Fortunately, he did not notice the reddened eyes and concentrated on his work again. The finished thing, no matter how she looked at it, was a small igloo.

Leonhard wiped the sweat from his forehead with a proud expression on his face.

“It’s a snow house. I learned it from the people of the Principality of Tamtbo. Until I knew this, I hugged Rashir and just slept in the snow.”

Although his voice was plain, it wasn’t about bringing back good memories.

Celine’s throat choked a little.

“That’s a relief.”

She crawled a little and entered the igloo. Something too warm to be cold yet insufficient for warmth, enveloped her. After a while, Leonhard came in. He frowned as he inadvertently hit his head against the ceiling.

“…I didn’t think much.”

She immediately noticed why and grinned. The igloo was big enough for just one person, so it was too narrow for two people.

Leonhard carefully sat down next to her, and both of them couldn’t even move.

Celine’s face flushed slightly. Leonhard was too close…

She thought she had gotten used to his handsome face, though when she glanced right from the side, he was so unrealistically sculpted that her heart seemed to skip a beat.

“….”

Neither of them said a word.

No, they couldn’t.

Leonhard cursed his stupid judgment for the fifth time. Why the hell did he build a snow house the size of which he could barely sleep on his own? He felt Celine’s face and breath so close!

Even more difficult, he did not want to move at all from where he was now. What should he call this if it’s not unscrupulous? Leonhard let out a small sigh.

“It’s too small. I’d better go out.”

“No.”

“….?”

Leonhard’s heart began to beat uncontrollably.

“Here, it’s nice. It’s amazing to see the roof like this…”

“Isn’t it cramped…?”

“I must have been cramped because I was tired of the carriage. It’s fresh here. This… It’s my first time at a snow house.”

“Is it?”

Actually, it was a snow house he made to refresh Celine’s mood. Leonhard stayed still, because if she liked it, he probably liked it, too.

Silence fell again.

As he was motionless and concentrating on her breathing, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder.

“…Celine?”

Celine lay, resting her head on him, sleeping.

Leonhard was conflicted.

‘Should I wake her up and make her use magic, or…’

Her face was so calm as she was breathing heavily and she fell asleep. To the extent that it felt like a sin to break her state. However, Celine’s words, asking him to wake her up, echoed in his ears.

After a conflict that felt long but didn’t really take long, he woke Celine.

“Celine!”

In an instant, the big eyes flashed open.

“Gasp…!”

Leonhard’s heart sank down at her eyes, tired yet with shock and worry.

“I woke you up as soon as you fell asleep. Don’t worry. It wouldn’t have been frozen yet.”

“Th, thank you…”

Celine mumbles a muffled thank you and runs out of the snow house. The snow, which she thought had stopped for a while, was falling again.

“Haah, haah—”

Celine’s heart pounded.

If everything freezes in the meantime…!

Unsurprisingly, the horses were weeping and tumbling as their feet were cold.

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

She felt Lou’s wriggling on her wrist. It seemed that her own magical power had already run out. She focused and sucked the magic from Lou.

“…Phew.”

The magic power ran through her body.

Celine once again covered the horse and carriage with warmth, concentrating her mind. Since they may have already been frozen, she consumed the magical powers as much as possible, creating a warmth that felt like a breeze.

“Ack…!”

Suddenly, her head turned and Celine staggered on the spot.

‘No, no, no.’

It was a symptom that appeared when she used excessive magic. She crouched down on the floor of the snow. The last time she felt these symptoms, she died instantly. No one could help her, as she had no Carl, no Leonhard, and only Danny by her side.

‘I don’t want to die! Please, please.’

Celine was not supposed to die.

When she dies…

…Leonhard suffers all night long.

With that thought, Celine bit her lips so tightly that they turned white. It was not the first time she had gone through it, so she could stand it.

No, she had to endure it.

“…Celine.”

She felt the magic of others.

Her magical power, which Celine knew all too well, was cold and passionate at the same time. She gently opened her eyes, which she had been unable to open for a while. Her body was lifted over the snow, and her back was half rested on the body of a trustworthy man.

The blue flash of Rashir calmed her.

“Leonhard.”

Celine gasped and called the master of the sword.

“Leonhard, Leonhard…”

Finally, she got the answer she wanted.

“Celine.”

She wrapped her arms around Leonhard’s neck.

“I’m not dead, am I?”

“Not at all.”

In the dark darkness, Leonhard made his way through the pouring snow to the carriage waiting for warmth.

Standing tall, he was holding Celine.

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