Chapter 63
Meteo’s furrowed brow deepened.
My pink eyes also sank into a gloomy darkness.
No one had ever thought about marriage, so why was Adrian the only one drinking kimchi soup by himself?
Besides, houses like the Duke of Pluto’s never married into other families.
And to think of Meteo having a bride…
My chance of becoming his daughter-in-law was basically zero compared to the likelihood of being his granddaughter.
It was then that Meteo let out a shallow sigh and asked me,
“Crescent, you still haven’t thrown Pinky at Adrian?”
“Huh? Ah, Pinky.”
Oh, right.
When I was agonizing over how to get rid of Adrian, Meteo had written back telling me to throw Pinky at him.
‘Can’t you just seriously try to kill him? Try throwing Pinky.’
It had been such a ridiculous letter that I had carefully stored it in my desk drawer.
Glancing at Adrian, I called out,
“I just ‘happened’ to run into Adrian. Want to taste my fist first?”
I raised a clenched fist toward him.
Realizing his mistake, he hunched his shoulders. Honestly, all the noble ladies of the realm needed to see what a frivolous man Adrian was!
That’s when Aluin, who had been quiet, finally spoke.
“But Meteo. What were you two doing here? Now that you’re siblings, are you taking a nice, cozy stroll?”
“Brothers and sisters don’t take cozy strolls! It’s already lucky if they don’t beat each other up!”
Edgar suddenly cut in, yelling.
He must really hold a grudge against his sister.
After briefly staring at him, I quickly corrected Aluin’s words.
“Not cozy, and not a stroll. We were just searching around. We had time before heading back to the Grand Hall, so we thought we’d hunt for some demonic energy.”
“I see. Meteo, you’ve just returned from special training, you could use some rest, but how admirable. Then, since it’s been a while, you can join us for a bit.”
At those words, I looked at Meteo.
Meteo happened to meet my eyes before nodding to Aluin.
“Understood. On the road we came from, there wasn’t any demonic ene—”
Suddenly, his words trailed off.
The world turned dark.
It felt like both my ears and eyes had stopped working at once.
In less than a second, I knew exactly what was happening. If I didn’t, I’d have to start my paladin training all over again.
“Damn it…”
Along with someone’s curse, vision returned. It was Edgar’s voice.
But I just blinked calmly.
“What kind of demon will it be this time?”
Deep down, I hoped it was the Demon King.
Because then I could see my father for the first time in six years.
But no, it was too soon to face the Demon King.
Meteo muttered like it was nothing more than stepping into the next neighborhood.
“See? The moment you say there isn’t any demonic energy, one always shows up.”
“Sorry…”
“No, I said that just now.”
“Huh?”
Oh, that’s right. Just before we were dragged in, Meteo had been saying there wasn’t any demonic energy on our path.
He never finished that sentence before we got pulled straight into the Demon Realm.
“Meteo, you should spit three times for luck.”
“No need for that.”
Yeah. I knew he’d say that.
This was our fate.
If it came, it came.
By now, being dragged into the Demon Realm barely fazed me. But that didn’t change the fact that each time, our lives hung in the balance.
Would we all survive and make it back this time?
Just then, a chill seeped under my clothes, and my surroundings came into focus.
It was so bright I squinted hard.
What kind of dungeon was this?
Ding!
[You have entered the Demon Realm Dungeon — ‘Duke Nevren Wintery’s Winter Territory’!]
No wonder my eyes stung!
All around us stretched a vast field of white snow.
The sky was bright though no sun was visible, and the snow reflected the light so strongly I could barely open my eyes.
And now, the cold truly hit.
The refreshing sensation vanished instantly, replaced by the stabbing pain of knives piercing every inch of my body.
“Isn’t it freezing?”
The moment I said it, someone coughed. Lucas.
Creak.
Then Aluin stepped forward, surveying the area. Besides snow-covered hills, mountains, and plains, there was nothing.
“Could this be the Winter Territory? I think I read about it while studying the Demon Realm.”
Evan answered him.
“Seems like it. But its master hasn’t shown their face yet.”
“Ugh…”
Cold.
Of all things, I had come dressed only in a simple outing dress to this Winter Territory.
I hugged my arms tightly to myself.
Then, something heavy landed on my shoulders. Startled, I turned to see Adrian smiling tenderly at me.
“Here, wear this, Crescent.”
“What?”
I looked between him and what was draped over my shoulders.
Adrian was in just his shirt. He had given me the outer jacket from his training uniform.
He had taken it off for me!
“N-no, it’s fine. I’m okay. You’ll be colder like this, Adrian.”
“I’m fine. A lady comes first.”
“I’m not a lady, I’m a knight!”
“Either way, you’re wearing only a thin dress. No knight would dress like that.”
“…”
I opened and closed my mouth, speechless.
If it were anyone else, maybe I’d accept it. But Adrian’s clothes? I really didn’t want to.
If I took it, it would almost look like I was accepting his feelings.
Not that he’d be delusional enough to think that… right?
I firmly took the jacket off my shoulders and handed it back.
“I’ll take care of myself. Among knights, this kind of kindness is too much. If I were a man, even half-naked, no one would’ve given me a jacket.”
“But Crescent…”
Adrian’s voice trembled.
“To be honest, I held back from taking off my shirt too—”
“Enough! Just put your jacket back on, Adrian.”
Aluin suddenly scolded him.
Adrian pursed his lips, took the jacket back from me, and put it on again. He looked a little pitiful as he dressed.
I quickly called out, not wanting to seem ungrateful.
“But thank you anyway!”
“!”
Adrian’s face lit up again. I turned my head away at once.
This was the Demon Realm.
We had no time for bickering over jackets.
Besides, Edgar and Lucas were glaring at us with sour looks, as if to say, what kind of romance is this place for?
Evan shook his head.
“Ah, young love…”
No! That’s not it at all!
Just then, a fierce whoosh ripped through the air.
It was a knife-like wind that cut straight through skin.
I hugged myself, genuinely feeling like I’d been sliced open.
Snow whipped violently in the gusts.
The once-bright world dimmed, filled with swirling snowflakes.
“Damn. Now it’s snowing… so cold.”
“Ugh.”
Edgar and Lucas shivered uncontrollably.
Aluin, unfazed as though the cold didn’t touch him, said,
“Come. Let’s move. Anywhere is better than standing still. Follow me.”
“Yes.”
I forced my voice out and trudged forward. Each step felt unbearably heavy.
I had never in my life experienced cold like this.
As expected of the Demon Realm’s Winter Territory—the chill itself was devilish.
We had barely walked a few steps when suddenly something crashed from the sky into the ground.
Boom!
“!”
Startled, the knights all drew back.
Through the snow, a large wooden sign was visible.
“What… what is that?”
Aluin and Evan approached first. I followed quickly.
Words were written across the sign.
[How to leave Duke Wintery’s Winter Territory]
Form pairs of two.
Each pair must scatter and search for the hidden “Snow-Eyed Aurora Orbs” in the territory.
If even one orb is found, everyone escapes!
It was a simple set of four lines.
But somehow, I had the strong feeling the spaces between those lines hid many obstacles.
