I opened my eyes to cool air brushing against my face.
The first thing I saw was Callius looking down at me, his expression calm and watchful.
"Are you all right?"
"...!"
I sat up quickly, disoriented.
Why was I lying across this man's lap?
Seeing my bewildered expression, Callius explained calmly, as if it were nothing unusual.
"You fell into a brief sleep when the magic circle activated. It's a common occurrence for many first-time travelers. There's no need to worry."
"Oh... I see. I'm sorry. That was rude of me."
"Don't worry about it."
For a cannibal, he's surprisingly kind.
Although I hadn't spent much time with him yet, that was the impression I'd formed so far.
Callius opened the carriage curtain and looked outside.
"We've arrived at Abene."
For a moment, I was speechless.
A pure white world spread out before my eyes.
I pressed myself against the window, taking in the scenery with wide, astonished eyes.
Wherever I looked, everything was covered in pristine white snow.
"Ah..."
I had seen snow in the capital before.
But the snow that fell in Arrental was like a light drizzle—delicate, fleeting. Even that was rare, something you only witnessed if you were lucky during the coldest weeks of winter.
There were many years when it didn't snow at all. And when it did, it lasted only a day or two before melting away.
This was the first time in my life I'd seen snow piled on the ground like this.
Callius noticed my captivated expression.
"Would you like to step outside and take a look?"
"Is that all right?"
He ordered the coachman to stop the carriage.
"You'd better fasten your clothing tightly."
I tried to adjust my cloak with my mitten-wrapped hands, fumbling awkwardly with the strings.
Callius watched me struggle for a moment, then reached out without a word.
"I'll help you."
He tied the cloak strings snugly and pulled the hood up over my head, adjusting it carefully so it wouldn't slip.
As expected of a cannibal... he seems remarkably kind.
They say you can know the depth of ten feet of water, but not the heart of a one-foot person.
Who would think a person like this could be a cannibal?
If he hadn't promised me directly that he wouldn't eat me, I wouldn't have believed the rumors at all.
I shook my head, trying to dispel the mental image of him devouring people.
Unaware of my morbid thoughts, Callius smiled and extended his hand.
"Shall we?"
I took his hand, and he opened the carriage door.
In an instant, freezing air slammed into my face.
"Oh!"
I recoiled instinctively.
The air that entered my lungs was so cold it felt like ice stabbing my throat. I couldn't breathe properly.
I froze, stunned by the sensation I'd never experienced before.
Seeing me paralyzed, Callius quickly closed the door.
"Are you all right?"
"I... I..."
I couldn't bring myself to say I was fine.
Chloe. You can do this. You can't lose to the cold.
How had I gotten here?
I couldn't go back. I would have to live in this snow-covered land from now on.
To steel my determination, I thought of Viscount Pelsus.
If I go back, I'll have to marry him.
The thought made my body tremble—not from cold, but from revulsion.
I would rather freeze to death than marry Viscount Pelsus.
Callius was watching me with concern.
I opened my eyes wide and spoke as firmly as I could.
"It was my first time experiencing the northern wind. I was a little surprised, that's all. I'm fine. I want to get off and look around."
Callius didn't try to stop me.
He knew as well as I did: if I couldn't adapt to the winds here, there was no other choice but to return south.
Instead of discouraging me, he offered reassurance.
"You'll get used to it quickly."
"Yes. I will."
This time, I opened the carriage door myself.
Wind filled with icy air rushed past, scraping against my cheek like claws.
Fortunately, the bitter wind didn't penetrate the nyak leather.
I'm glad I didn't refuse to wear these clothes just because they were embarrassing.
Callius's judgment had been correct.
If I'd been wearing the delicate gowns I wore in the palace, I wouldn't have lasted a minute in this northern wind.
"Be careful—the ground may be slippery."
As I moved to step out of the carriage, Callius stopped me with a warning.
I carefully lowered myself onto the ground covered in soft snow.
But the snow was much deeper than I'd expected. I stumbled helplessly.
"Ugh!"
If Callius hadn't caught me, I would have fallen forward and been buried headfirst in the snowdrift.
I was practically hanging from his arm.
"Are you all right?"
How many times has he asked me that now?
I nodded and made sure my feet were firmly planted on the ground before fully stepping down.
The snow came almost up to my knees.
"I didn't know snow could pile up like this..."
Callius seemed amused by my muttering.
"Abene, comparatively speaking, is the region in the North that receives the least snow. That's why the teleportation circle was installed here. Other places are far worse."
I opened my eyes wide.
"You're saying the snow piles even higher in other places?"
"There are places where it accumulates as high as a person's height."
The "person" he was referencing would be northern standards—meaning the snow piled much higher than I was tall.
"It must be terribly inconvenient to move around."
"It gave Ronheim a distinct advantage in defense against enemies."
Now I understood why Arrental had struggled so much to conquer the North.
Though of course, it wasn't just because of the snow.
I looked around, feeling the cold wind against my face.
It was a completely white world of snow.
On the leaves. On the rooftops. On the walls. Everywhere.
"Why do my cheeks feel hot when the wind is so cold?"
"The temperature difference between inside and outside the carriage is so extreme that your skin reacts with heat."
Judging by the casual way he spoke, it didn't seem to be anything serious.
I nodded and tried to take a step forward.
But Callius stopped me.
"Would you like to see more?"
"Don't we have time?"
"I didn't mean it that way. But if you're going to explore further, I think you should wear sulphee."
"Sulphee?"
Callius reached under the carriage seat and pulled something out.
"This will make walking much easier."
I stared at the flat, perforated object in his hands with curiosity.
Brentian, who had been riding on horseback, quickly dismounted and approached.
"I'll do it, my lord."
But Callius refused quietly.
"No."
Then he lowered himself and placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Hold onto me here."
He knelt on one knee, lifting my feet one at a time to rest on his other knee as he fastened the snowshoes—called sulphee—to each foot.
Looking down at the top of his head, I gripped his shoulder with my free hand.
Are shoulders normally this... solid?
He wore thick leather and a fur cloak, yet his shoulders felt impossibly broad beneath my grasp.
I'm wearing leather and fur too, but my hand can't even close around his shoulder.
Did he have padding sewn into his clothes?
While I was having these idle thoughts, Callius finished fastening the snowshoes securely and stood.
"Try walking."
Following his instruction, I carefully stepped onto the snow.
Then something truly amazing happened.
"...!"
I stood firmly on top of the snow without sinking.
I turned back to Callius with wide eyes, holding tightly to his hand because I felt like I would sink if I let go.
"What a wonderful magical device!"
Callius chuckled softly.
"It's not magic. But yes—you'll find walking much easier now."
It wasn't magic. That was surprising in itself. But it was also astonishing that, just as he'd said, walking became infinitely easier.
I moved forward step by step.
I could feel my entire retinue watching me from behind, but I ignored them and kept walking forward. Forward.
The clothing I wore was so heavy that my shoulders and back ached. But the excitement of seeing this new landscape outweighed the discomfort, and I was able to endure it.
Crunch. Crunch.
Every time I stepped on the snow, it made a satisfying sound. It was pleasant to hear.
I quickly grew short of breath and opened my mouth to gulp air—but the cold felt like it was freezing my throat from the inside.
Moreover, though the nyak leather blocked the wind, it wasn't enchanted with warming magic. The cold gradually seeped through to my bones.
My body trembled. My eyes stung, tears blurring my vision.
For me—someone who already felt cold even in Arrental's late summer winds—this cold was almost painful.
I feel like I'm going to die.
I wasn't exaggerating. I truly felt like I might freeze to death.
But I didn't stop walking.
Soon, I stood at the edge of the cliff I'd been gazing at since I stepped out of the carriage.
"The wind is strong here."
Callius held my hand tightly, as if worried I might be blown away.
I didn't respond.
I couldn't.
I was utterly captivated by the beautiful snowy landscape unfolding below the steep cliffs.
My breath caught in my chest.
My heart pounded.
Tears welled in my eyes—not from the cold this time, but from something else entirely.
As I gazed at the pure white world spread out before me, I was certain:
I cannot help but love this frozen land.
The cold bit deep.
The wind howled fierce.
But in this land of ice and snow—she had found home.
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