Chapter 36

The first day when Kyle turns 18 and I turn 24.

Despite the cold weather of January, we were spending an ordinary day as usual.

Kyle was having his lesson with Louise, and Elin and I, after a small tea time, were slowly walking through the corridors of the castle.

“Emergency!!!!”

“Everyone gather at the entrance!!!”

“Hurry!!”

“?”

Suddenly, servants were running down the corridor, shouting loudly.

Normally they never run no matter how urgent things are, so what could be happening?

Elin, who was walking beside me, also seemed not to have grasped the situation, as she was exchanging glances with me.

“What is it?”

“I… don’t know…?”

“Should we go too?”

“Yes.”

Whatever the situation was, the atmosphere suggested we should go, so we also headed toward the castle entrance.

When we arrived, the servants were lined up in a row.

And on the opposite side, the family’s knights were lined up as well.

“….”

“….”

Elin and I walked to our respective sides without exchanging any words.

I made eye contact with Elin in front of me, sharing our bewilderment.

What on earth could be happening that the family’s servants and knights were lined up like this?

Six years.

That’s how long I’ve stayed at Eristirol.

During that time, nothing like this had ever happened, so I had even less of an idea what was going on.

Then the head butler stepped forward from the front of the line.

It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve seen that man.

I don’t often encounter him while taking care of Kyle, and I didn’t particularly want to.

“There is one reason we have gathered like this. A letter just arrived saying that the head of the family is returning.”

The head of the family is returning.

This was the first time I’d heard this.

He’s someone I’ve never seen since I started working at Eristirol Castle.

Adela and Kyle didn’t talk much about the head of the family either.

There wasn’t really any occasion for that topic to come up.

Just facts like he enjoys hunting, or that he has a bit of wanderlust, that sort of thing.

Though it’s said there’s no problem with teaching and raising Kyle, the absence of his father, who could be considered the most important member of Kyle’s family, was a bit of an issue.

Fortunately, Kyle grew up splendidly, but honestly, I didn’t have particularly good feelings about the head of the family.

“Given the master’s personality, it’s obvious he sent the letter late again. He will probably arrive soon, so please wait a moment.”

At the butler’s words, especially the knights responded loudly.

Though he had been absent for years, they were people with high loyalty to their lord.

And their skills would match their loyalty.

“….”

But… more than that, there was a bigger problem.

Unlike most people in the castle who were born in the north, I was born in the central region.

The area where I was born and lived mostly had warm weather.

Though winter was cold, it wasn’t comparable to the north.

For someone like me, going outside in the north was something I rarely did.

But… now it’s awkward to go back inside the castle.

The head of the family is coming, and a mere servant says she’s cold and goes in?

I’d obviously be marked.

“H-Huuuh…”

And now it’s January.

Essentially the time when Eristirol’s cold is at its worst.

Even now, pure white snow was falling from the sky above, and a biting wind was blowing.

In simple terms, it was fucking cold.

“Hmm… hmm….”

I always lived in the warm castle, so I wore a normal formal suit.

Without any thermal clothing inside, I just had underwear, a shirt, and a blazer.

My pants were in an even worse situation than my top.

Just panties and pants, which couldn’t possibly be warm.

“Uuu…”

“Sofia.”

“Young Master..?”

As I was shivering with both hands tucked under my armpits, Kyle called me from behind.

I turned my body toward Kyle.

Why is Kyle here…

Ah, of course he has to come out since his father is arriving…

“You’re cold, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yes…”

I could barely speak because of the cold.

It would be nice if I could at least wear some kind of additional clothing on top.

Like those fluffy fur clothes worn by hunters that I had seen through the castle window before.

That’s what I needed.

“Just a moment, I’m sorry.”

“Uhh..”

Kyle suddenly hugged me.

The height difference between Kyle and me is very large.

What I had been concerned about became reality; Kyle had grown to about 185 cm.

The difference was roughly two heads.

As a result, I was pressed against Kyle’s chest when embraced in his arms.

“Young Master..?”

“Stay like this for a moment. You’ll be warm soon.”

Come to think of it, Kyle was using the coat he was wearing to block the wind coming toward me.

He must have done this first after seeing me cold.

This guy’s skill at charming women is extraordinary.

If it were other women instead of me, they would probably have heart-shaped eyes by now and wouldn’t even be able to make eye contact with Kyle.

“Thank you.”

Well, it doesn’t matter for me though.

Anyway, I was grateful.

And a little amazed.

At the fact that the kid who used to be smaller than me had now become a splendid man who could embrace me and keep me warm.

“Hehe..”

Wouldn’t this be considered raising him well?

I felt like I had done a good job raising the once-fearful 12-year-old into such a handsome man.

“Thank you, Young Master.”

This little one who followed me well and grew up well also did a good job.

I’m slightly curious about what would have happened if he hadn’t listened to me and had gone astray, but I didn’t imagine it.

After all, he has grown up so well.

“But you shouldn’t do this kind of help to young ladies you’ve just met. Women are creatures who are easily deceived.”

“…Yes.”

It would probably be better to just normally offer a coat to other women instead of doing this.

Kyle is a northerner with a higher body temperature than most people, and even among northerners, his body temperature is high.

If he embraces a woman shivering from the cold with this body, it’s obvious she would fall for him immediately.

Of course, although I’m no longer cold thanks to Kyle’s body temperature touching mine, if he did this to just anyone, it’s obvious he would be criticized, even if he is a young lord.

They would say he’s a man who flirts with any woman.

“By the way, Young Master, the clothes you’re wearing now. They’re very stylish.”

He was wearing a black shirt inside, and the coat on top was a black coat with pure white fur that made it warm.

Good fashion sense too.

“…Thank you.”

By the way, as I stood so close to Kyle, looking up at him, my neck hurt terribly.

The height difference was too great.

“The head of the family is entering!!!”

After being in Kyle’s embrace for a few minutes, the head butler shouted loudly.

And the castle gate opened.

“Oh.”

I watched the castle gate open while still in Kyle’s embrace.

Perhaps because the gate was so large, just its opening was tremendously grand.

And through the opening gate, one large man could be seen.

It was blurry because of the snow, but it was certain.

That person is William Eristirol, the head of the Eristirol family and Kyle’s father.

He looked like a Viking I had heard about in my past life.

His hair was white like Kyle’s.

But he was even taller than Kyle, probably about 2 meters.

And his body was also incredibly muscular.

It was very visible because he only had the skin of some animal, perhaps a wolf or a bear, covering his upper body.

“Wow…”

It was an even more impressive body than the Knight Commander I had seen before.

It would be more fitting to call him the Knight Commander instead.

With his long hair and beard, he really looked like a Viking.

“Everyone, salute the head of the family!!”

At the head butler’s single command, all castle personnel, including knights and servants, simultaneously bowed.

I also turned my body with that greeting.

And I made a 90-degree bow, looking forward.

Kyle just ended with a casual greeting and didn’t bend his waist.

It would probably have been very heavy if he had bowed properly.

Fortunately.

I wouldn’t have been able to bear Kyle’s weight.

“…?”

By the way, I felt something from behind.

Something very hard.

Kyle must have put something in his pants pocket.

“That’s enough. Go back to your duties.”

The deep, low voice of the head of the family.

With that one word, the servants and knights returned to their duties.

“…?”

To gather in this cold just for this one thing.

Yes, this was better.

There was no need to stay outside unnecessarily in the cold.

“Young Master, I’ll go inside now. Since the head of the family has returned, please enjoy your time… Uh..?”

I tried to leave Kyle’s embrace and enter the castle, but Kyle suddenly wrapped his arm around my waist, preventing me from going.

“Young Master..?”

“I need to introduce you to my father, so please wait.”

“What..?”

Introduce me?

To that Viking?

No, calling him a Viking might be too much.

Anyway, suddenly introducing me to the head of the family.

Why introduce a mere servant?

“You’re a tutor, after all.”

“Ah.”

Although recently I haven’t been teaching Kyle much, I was still a tutor.

I had forgotten because I’ve had so little to do.

“And you’re my personal servant, so you have to come.”

“Yes..”

I remained in Kyle’s embrace for now.

The head of the family was still talking with the Knight Commander and the head butler.

And beside him, Adela had already arrived.

“What’s this, brother? Why are you with Sofia like that?”

“Ah, Sofia gets very cold, so it can’t be helped.”

“Aha… So that’s your intention?”

“..?”