episode_0128

It was almost evening when we left from the center of the empire, but when we woke up, the morning sun had risen and we had arrived at the Frost Territory.

While traveling in the automatic carriage, we looked at the outside scenery and talked to each other, but I couldn’t resist the drowsiness that came over me and fell asleep.

But… there was something a little strange. This is because when I wake up briefly from sleep, the position I was lying in has changed slightly.

And I felt an unknown warmth and gaze… but I think it was just my mood when I saw it.

“Everyone, get off. This is our territory, Frost territory.”

At the sound of the Grand Duke of the North’s voice coming from outside the carriage, we hurriedly got out of the automatic carriage.

The Frost territory seen from the high-lying Frost Fortress had changed more than expected.

About the fact that there were a lot more people than the last time I saw it, and that I saw things similar to machines I had never seen before?

They say that in recent years, great technological advancements have been made thanks to the research of numerous scholars and the work of workshops. When you look at those images, they seem real.

Whiiing-

“Ugh…Ugh… Hitch!”

Rattling…

And at that moment, as soon as the crazy wind blew, I felt so cold that my whole body felt like it was freezing.

My body automatically trembled and I felt like I could turn into an ice statue at any moment…!

“Da…Captain! Are you cold? Come to me!”

“No, come to me! I’ll keep you warm!”

As I was shivering from the cold, Seris and Kali approached me with their eyes shining sharply.

Normally, I would have run away, but it’s so cold now… Is there nothing I can do?

Taaaak-!

“Uh…huh? It’s not cold anymore…!”

“I cast a spell. It’ll be okay now.”

And at that time, as soon as Ariel snapped her fingers, the crazy cold disappeared in an instant, and warmth came back to my body.

I said thank you to Ariel, and she smiled back.

Kali and Seris glared at Ariel as if she were going to kill her… but I don’t know much about it.

“This is Frost Fortress… This is my first time actually coming here.”

“Wow. Is this your home? It’s so big…!”

“…It’s been a while. This place too.”

Following the Northern Grand Duke into the Frost Fortress, the women, except Ariel, exclaimed in admiration at the beautiful and large appearance of the Frost Fortress.

Well… I was surprised too. I thought I’d gotten used to it because I’d seen it so many times, but seeing it for the first time in a while made it feel new and grand.

“Venice. I’m back…”

“Yes, yes… it’s been a while.”

“…Really. I thought it was a situation that could never be achieved again.”

Ariel’s eyes filled with water. Perhaps because she was remembering her past with me, she couldn’t hold back her tears.

As soon as I comforted Ariel, she wipes away her tears and smiles. He said he was no longer sad because he forgot the painful past and thought about the future ahead.

-It’s Ariel…! It’s been a few days, right?

-Uh…Mr. Ariel. Are you smiling now…?

-Am I dreaming?

-Next to him… who is it? cute…

As soon as you enter the magnificent Frost Castle, you can see the butlers and maids holding their breath and making expressions that make no sense.

…The maids I knew were almost nowhere to be seen. I knew some of them, and as soon as they saw my face, I could see them rubbing their eyes as if they had seen a ghost, but most of them were people I was seeing for the first time.

“…After you left then. Many maids were disappointed in us and left. That’s why.”

“Well…there was no reason for that…it was all up to me-”

“Sure… even if you don’t?”

“Yes…”

Ariel’s expression hardened and she spoke firmly, so there was no need to continue speaking.

It was something like that. These people… didn’t do anything wrong. I felt a little sorry, wondering if it was my fault.

“…This is a restaurant. Please wait a moment.”

“Do you remember? Here… we were always together.”

“Yes, yes… I remember.”

“This is a restaurant? Your house looks like it really has a lot of money.”

“Stop it, Carly. It looks cheap.”

“What?”

There was some commotion for a moment. Anyway, we sat down at the restaurant on Frost Street.

It’s been a long time here too. Unlike Frost Territory, which has changed a lot, nothing seems to have changed here.

After waiting for a while, the maids served us some snacks, cookies, and tea.

The sweets and cookies were delicious, but to be honest, tea wasn’t my cup of tea… so I substituted it with milk. Drinking tea seems classy, but I just can’t get enough of it.

Om nyom nyom.

“Eat more. Now.”

“To..”

Maybe it’s because it’s been so long since these snacks and cookies tasted even better.

Kwaang-!

“Eh, Ariel-!”

“Little brother!!”

And just as I was immersed in sweet dessert time, the closed door of the restaurant was smashed open and someone came in.

“…Brothers?”

I looked at someone and it turned out to be Jake Frost and Kyle Frost. Ariel’s older brothers came in.

“Push… Cluck, Cluck!”

“D…I’ll give you a pat on the back!”

“….I guess he’s really my son. How are their actions the same?”

“Hehe… That’s the mystery of genes.”

“What is that?”

Of course, I was so shocked that I squirted out milk, and my eyes welled up with tears.

“Eriel-! Where on earth have you been?”

“….tell me and leave…”

“Brothers. I… I’m okay now.”

“”…….!””

As soon as the Frost brothers saw Ariel’s smile, they froze like statues and even denied reality by slapping themselves on the spot.

The brothers, who seemed cold and psychopathic, soon held Ariel’s hands with tears in their eyes.

“…This is my butler. Don’t you remember?”

“What? That means…”

“…………”

“Ah…hello?”

There was a long silence. As soon as they saw me, they must have thought it was a dream, so Ariel had to use magic to stop them from trying to break her fingers.

As soon as I heard the situation explained, I was once again exhausted from trying to stop them as they knelt down and apologized to me.

“…Wait a minute, vice-captain Se-se Se-seseris?!”

“Loss…I’m a fan! Please sign…!”

And it was very funny to see them jumping up and down like a child and asking for an autograph as soon as they saw Seris, who was sitting next to me and quietly drinking tea.

***

“Ke, Kale. Fria…! You are beautiful today too!”

“Thank you.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Well, that’s why. Our family takes this opportunity…”

When lunch time arrived, Cale and Pria greeted the cadets who were coming in like waves again with smiles on their faces.

Although many cadets dropped out and were executed due to the ‘Warlock Incident’, the number was still large, so fatigue was inevitable.

They laughed and laughed again. Wearing a false mask that no one will notice.

No one has ever faced what Ariel has faced. And I didn’t know about what Cale and Fria went through.

This is partly because the Empire stepped in to silence the incident, but also because it was an incident that was difficult to even know about in the first place.

and. Who would have imagined? The girls, who had smiling faces and acting no different from usual, were rotten and rotten inside.

After finishing their morning classes as usual, they quietly shook off the followers and returned to their dorm room.

If it had been the same, Ariel and her ‘little brother’ would have gone to a garden where no one knew. I haven’t been to that garden since that day.

Squeak…thud.

“”…….””

As soon as the dormitory room door closed, the false masks disappeared and the smiles on their faces disappeared, leaving only blank expressions.

The two sat quietly on the bedside without saying anything, just staring into space.

Since that day. They are broken.

Not only did they rescue their most precious friend, Ariel, but their ‘little brother’, who saved countless lives, left. They never really laughed.

Even calling him my younger brother now would be an embarrassment to him, who has already left. I had to apologize, but I would never be able to receive that apology.

Ariel never came to the Academy or left the house after that day.

I was very anxious because Ariel had recently suddenly left home without saying a word and I still haven’t heard anything from her, but I had to live with it nonetheless.

They were princesses of the empire, and daughters of the empire’s largest merchant. It shouldn’t have collapsed.

If they fall, the future will be bleak for this empire and the world. I had to live, even if I suffered from crazy pain, despair, and grief every day.

Therefore, I wore a false mask in front of people. I forced a smile and acted normally.

I acted as usual every day, and as soon as my eyes on them disappeared, I despaired and regretted it.

They were sinners. This is because, without knowing the hero’s intentions and actions, they unilaterally criticized him based on fragmentary circumstances and contributed to causing the hero’s death.

I thought about dying every day, but I couldn’t. Because I had to remember him without ever dying.

“Black…Ugh…”

“Kk…Ugh..”

They all ended up in the same situation. We sobbed quietly because we knew each other’s feelings better than anyone else.

Today again… remembering you. Because now and in the future, we must never forget. Because I have to move on, holding on to my heart that feels like it has already been pierced.

Shedding tears of grief and screams that not even their parents knew about. Today again, I swallow my tears through my cold heart.

Knock knock-

After a while, the tears stopped and only an empty heart remained. Someone knocked on the door of their room.

I looked in the mirror for a moment and checked my condition. I had to become a perfect woman in front of other people’s eyes.

Sigh-

“Who are you..”

“This is the dormitory director. Because the person who went to Frost called the ladies.”

When someone opened the door, it turned out to be a woman who had been designated as the next dormitory director after the one who had suddenly left.

“…Let’s go.”

“Yes…. let’s go.”

I don’t know if it’s anyone else. If you’re Frost’s vassal… you’ll have to go.

They left the academy wearing false masks again, trying to read the stories of countless cadets.

***

The automatic carriage that had been running for a while led them to a familiar space, a space where their sense of guilt resided.

“…Ariel is back.”

“I’m really glad… I was worried.”

According to the retainer, Ariel has returned. Their most precious friend.

The news that their friend who had left without saying a word had returned safely was the first good news they had heard in a long time.

Although Ariel is in danger, it is safe to say that the entire empire is in danger… Still, Ariel was their friend.

Because there was no need to wear a mask here. I headed to the restaurant with an expressionless expression that left only emptiness.

Sigh..

“….You’re here.”

As soon as they opened the door to the restaurant, what caught their eyes was Ariel.

They were relieved that their precious friend had returned safely, and the fact that she, who had been damaged by a much stronger shock than them, was smiling made them unable to believe that it was reality.

That may not be the only reason why they have their mouths wide open and unstoppable tears flowing from their eyes that are shaking randomly.

“”Dong….live?””

Obviously, it was very different from what it was back then. Let’s look at the person with black hair and red eyes who took the seat next to Ariel.

They collapsed into their seats, bursting into tears that they had been trying so hard to hold back.