Chapter 23
I filled my stomach while watching the snow-covered world pass by outside the window. Mountains, fields, trees, rivers—everything shone white.
A bite of bread, a look at the scenery, a spoonful of soup, then back to the window. I ate slowly.
The train stopped at two small stations along the way, but the breaks were less than five minutes each.
Even after finishing my meal and wandering around the hallway for a while, we still had more than an hour left before arrival.
I had finished the book I brought. Sitting for so long in a tight space made my neck and back stiff. As I twisted my body to stretch, the train began slowing down.
“We’re stopping at the last station before ours. It’ll stay here for about thirty minutes. If you’re feeling cramped, you can get off for a bit.”
He really was amazing.
Except when I was asleep, Kaylen stayed in the exact same posture reading documents the entire time.
What kind of paperwork absorbed him that much?
As I slid my arms into my thick coat, I stole a glance. The word “Winterford” appeared faintly on one of the pages.
Maybe it was some document about Winterford. Pretending to fix the other sleeve, I tried looking from a different angle—but Kaylen lifted his head.
“What are you doing?”
“N-Nothing…”
Oops.
I quickly avoided his eyes and fastened the buttons of my coat.
“I was just… wondering if you weren’t going to get off.”
Relaxing the frown between his brows, Kaylen shook his head. He waved a hand for me to go alone, so I stepped off the train. Cold air instantly stabbed into my chest.
Ha…
My breath met the freezing air and vanished as white fog. This station was slightly larger than the one we briefly stopped at earlier.
Compared to the capital’s station, it was tiny. It reminded me of the Totleu station. Maybe because it was the last stop before the final Winterford line, there were more people boarding and leaving here than I expected.
This area bordered the Winterford territory. There was at least some movement of people—three-story buildings stood scattered around.
If only Winterford itself were at least like this…
I blew warm breath into my stiff hands as I looked around. Mia jumped down from the train and ran towards me.
“Miss, why are you out here in the cold?”
“I just wanted some fresh air.”
“If you wanted to come out, you should’ve worn something warmer.”
Says the girl wearing only a thin coat.
I refused when she tried to give me her shawl and headed back to the train. It was cold, and there wasn’t much else to see anyway.
“Good idea—let’s get inside quickly,” Mia said, hurrying behind me.
As I stepped onto the stairs leading back to the first-class car, I suddenly turned.
“Mia.”
“Yes?”
Her nose had already turned red from the cold as she blinked at me.
“Do I snore?”
“Why do you suddenly…?”
She tilted her head.
“Just tell me honestly.”
Mia hesitated, probably wondering why her mistress was asking such a thing. Then, seeing my serious face, she answered carefully.
“…Only when you’re very tired. A little bit.”
So it was true.
“Miss! Are you alright?”
She grabbed me as I swayed. I sighed and looked up at the sky, which looked ready to spill snow at any moment.
“So embarrassing…”
Mia had wished it wouldn’t snow since we had so much luggage. Her wish didn’t come true. Snowflakes began falling from the sky.
Winterford—the land Kaylen received from the emperor upon marrying.
Winterford lived up to its name.
A vast territory at the northernmost point of the empire, known as the coldest land in all of Livriden. The path there was not easy.
After getting off the train, we traveled by carriage for several hours. The farther north we went, the colder it became, but thankfully the inside of the carriage stayed warm.
The temperature difference fogged up the windows. I drew hearts and flowers on the glass as we traveled, but even after playing around for quite a while, we still hadn’t arrived.
The knights riding horses outside had to stop often to light fires and warm up to avoid frostbite.
Once, one of the wagons carrying luggage broke a wheel, wasting even more time. If we delayed any longer, the horses might not endure the cold. My nerves and boredom mixed together until I let out a weary sigh.
“How much longer?”
I wiped the foggy window with my sleeve.
“About one more hour.”
In Winterford, the sun set before five in the afternoon during winter. Even with sunlight it was cold, but once the sun disappeared below the horizon, the temperature dropped brutally.
As the sun sank beyond the snowy horizon, uneasiness crept in.
Earlier on the train, I told Kaylen confidently that Winterford was still a place where people lived—so I’d be fine. But now that I was feeling the biting cold myself, I was… a little scared.
Thankfully, the snow stopped and the clouds cleared. Moonlight illuminated the road. If it had kept snowing, we might not have arrived today at all.
I wiped the window again; the glass had fogged up immediately.
Fortunately, the schedule didn’t fall behind any further. After an hour, just as Kaylen said, the carriage began slowing.
We entered a narrow road surrounded by tall, dense coniferous forest. The moonlight pouring over the trees created a strange, mystical scene.
“This forest protects the residence from the cold and snowstorms.”
The trees were thick and tall—clearly having stood there for many years. Just as Kaylen said, they looked like a sturdy wall blocking harsh winds.
“Wow…”
At last, when we passed through the forest, the sight before me made me gasp like a child.
The first thing I saw was a lake—frozen solid from the cold, shimmering beneath settled snowflakes.
In the center of the lake was an island, and on that island stood a castle.
Not a mansion—a castle, towering proudly. The only path to it was a drawbridge connecting the road to the island. It looked like something from a painting.
As the carriage crossed the bridge, the majestic structure filled my entire view. We passed through its open gates and entered the grounds.
“You said mansion…”
“It is a mansion. The Gallemore royal family that ruled here died out when Livriden conquered them. So this is no longer Gallemore Castle—it’s the Livriden Winterford Residence.”
It had taken fourteen hours to get here. Such a long journey—but this was the place I would live from now on.
Just as Kaylen finished explaining, the coachman outside called out that we had arrived safely.
Kaylen put on the gloves he had taken off and prepared to step out. When he opened the carriage door, icy wind rushed in mercilessly.
I hurried to tie the scarf Mia gave me and step out with him, but Kaylen blocked me.
“The scarf—do it properly.”
“We’re going straight inside anyway, aren’t we?”
“And if you catch a cold, who will take responsibility?”
“Fine, I’ll redo it.”
I wasn’t the one sitting in a comfortable carriage alone. Mia and the other servants had traveled much more uncomfortably. And the knights rode horses in this freezing weather. I had been enduring it quietly, but now that we’d arrived, all my patience evaporated.
I tried tying the scarf quickly, but it didn’t look as neat as when Mia tied it for me.
“This is good enough…”
As I tried to step out again, Kaylen stopped me once more.
I looked up to ask what was wrong—his hand reached for my scarf.
“I—I can do it…”
Kaylen untied my messy knot and redid it slowly, carefully. His expression annoyed, but his hands surprisingly gentle.
“To the people of Winterford Castle, this is the first time they’re meeting their new mistress.”
Only then did I notice the people standing behind him—heads bowed, waiting to greet their new lord and lady.
“Ahem… hm.”
I felt embarrassed, realizing how eager I’d been to explore the grand castle behind them.
When I looked up, Kaylen’s lips were curved slightly—almost a laugh. I quickly looked away…but of all places, my eyes landed on his hands.
His long white fingers, slightly reddened by the cold, moved as he tied the scarf neatly.
He had pretty hands.
Neat nails, long knuckles—my chest tingled weirdly. My toes curled in my shoes.
“All done.”
Kaylen looked satisfied with the neat knot and held his hand out to me.
“What are you waiting for?”
I blinked at his hand until his urging tone snapped me back to reality.
“O-Oh. Right.”
I took his arm and stepped out of the carriage.
And that was how I set foot in Winterford for the first time.
