Candice looked shocked, as if she couldn't believe it.
It was an emotion so obvious that she, who was always dull in this kind of way, could sense it, but she couldn't understand why Roderick didn't grab Ophelia.
“I don’t know, me either. Let’s just get to work.”
Ophelia, responding to her friend's irritating reaction, changed the subject. She also wanted to focus fully on her work and shake off distracting thoughts.
And a few hours later.
“Hey, aren’t you two going down? The sun is starting to set.”
Barton, the excavation site manager, announced that it was time to leave. The workers had already left, leaving only a few people at the site.
“Oh, we should probably go too.”
As Candice looked around and got up from her seat, Ophelia checked the time with a dark face.
“Already? If I go now... It’s a bit like that.”
It was winter, so the days were shorter, but it wasn't that late yet. If she returned to the mansion now, she'd definitely have to face an uncomfortable meal.
Even after the incident in the mansion garden the previous time, Byron continued to court her. No, calling it courtship would be an insult to the word itself. Byron acted as if she were already his lover.
Even if those around him tried to dissuade him, it was no use. He was never one to listen to others in the first place.
“Oh, that’s right. Then I’ll come a little later... Chi.”
Candice, who was about to sit back down out of concern for her friend, suddenly sneezed loudly.
"Are you okay?"
“Yeah, it’s okay, Puechee!”
Despite her claims of being fine, she didn't seem to be doing so well. Once she started sneezing, it wouldn't stop, and her nose had already turned a bloodshot red.
“...It’s so cold outside, you seem to have caught a cold. Go inside and rest first.”
“No, I, too, will be there with you...”
Candice insisted on staying by her friend's side out of loyalty, but unfortunately, she couldn't finish her sentence. Every word she said caused her to sneeze.
“Look at this. Before it gets any worse, go wash yourself with warm water and take some medicine.”
Ophelia smiled blandly and held out a handkerchief. Candice took it, wiped her nose, and muttered an apology.
“Then I’m sorry, but I’ll go first.”
“What’s the point of being sorry? It’s not like I’m going to get anything for work anyway.”
"Still...."
A woman has a sense of duty...! Candice left the ruins with a gloomy expression.
This would have been a hassle, as the coachman would have to come back to fetch Ophelia, but the coachman himself seemed to be okay with it. The fact that Byron was harassing her was already well-known to everyone in the castle.
And that night, Roderick received an urgent report.
“What does that mean?”
“Lady Ophelia is still at the ruins, but she says she can’t climb the mountain path because of the heavy snow.”
The snow that had been falling since the day before became increasingly severe, and eventually, a blizzard so strong that it was impossible to see even an inch ahead began to blow.
Even for Roderick, a native born and raised here, the snow wasn't something he could easily stop. In severe cases, it could leave him isolated for days.
“What should we do, Your Excellency?”
Lester asked in an anxious voice. The weather was unbearable even for the cold-hardy northerners.
“I will go.”
"Yes?"
"Isn't Ophelia waiting alone, unaware of the situation? Someone needs to go and tell her what's happening."
Roderick jumped to his feet and prepared. He packed a large backpack with several days' worth of food, blankets, and a sleeping bag.
“Oh, Your Excellency. Wouldn’t it be better to send someone else?”
"Who would you send on this dangerous path? I, the strongest of all, should go."
The butler tried to dissuade him with a flustered voice, but Roderick simply replied, "It wasn't a mistake." Lester could only stare at his master's back as he hurriedly disappeared into the snow.
Meanwhile, Candice, who skipped dinner, took her medicine and went to bed early, woke up to a loud noise.
“What’s wrong?”
She yawned heavily and came out of the room, asking the first maid she saw about the situation.
“Ah, Miss Candice! What should I do...! Miss Ophelia...!”
When she heard her friend's name, she was startled and quickly came to her senses and asked urgently.
“Why, why? What’s wrong with Ophelia?”
"That is..."
The maid explained the situation in a worried voice. It had snowed heavily, leaving Ophelia stranded in the ruins, and Roderick had gone to rescue her.
“Oh my goodness... how many days will she have to be alone? She must be so bored...”
Candice expressed her concern for her friend with a gloomy expression. Of course, to the maid, her words sounded terribly out of place.
“It’s not that she's bored. It’s so cold outside right now...!”
“So what? There’s a fireplace in the ruins, and Ophelia knows how to use magic.”
She scratched the bridge of her nose as if nothing was a big deal. It was Ophelia, not someone else, who was trapped, and her words came from the firm belief that nothing would happen.
“But, but...! There are many ferocious beasts and monsters in the mountains...!”
"Don't worry. My friend is really, really strong. It's not Ophelia you should be afraid of, it's the beasts and monsters."
She put her hand on the maid's shoulder and told her to trust her.
“If Miss Candice says so... it’s okay, right?”
And the maid, overcome by her force, found herself answering like this. Candice nodded, as if pleased with the answer, but then a thought suddenly occurred to her, causing her eyes to widen.
"No, wait a minute. What did you just say? Did you say His Excellency the Duke went to rescue Ophelia?"
“Yes, that’s right.”
When the maid nodded, Candice lowered her head and let out a wicked, villainous laugh.
“Why, why are you doing that?”
"No."
Hehe. Candice waved her hand as if she liked it and headed back to her room.
Two frustrated couples, who clearly like each other but don't express it, are stranded in a blizzard. Perhaps it was a calculation that this could be a significant step forward in their relationship.
"If you miss this opportunity, Roderick Weishaffen, you're a loser. Well, well. This is your last chance, so don't miss it, young Duke."
Candice chuckled and mentally cheered Roderick on.
'I can see my breath even though I'm indoors.'
Ophelia chuckled, watching her breath freeze to a white sliver. Perhaps the cold had set in as the night deepened. Even inside the cabin used as the field office, it was still quite cold.
She took a hand warmer out of her pocket and held it in her hand. It was the hand warmer Isidore had made for her.
The magic her brother had already infused into her had all been consumed and disappeared, and the warmth that was warming her hand now was her own newly recharged magic.
'Still, I'm glad I have this hand warmer my brother made for me. It feels like my brother is always with me.'
Ophelia sighed deeply without realizing it at the sudden situation she found herself in.
When the groom, who was supposed to pick her up, didn't arrive for quite some time, she went outside for a moment to look around. Then she checked the weather and was shocked.
In the blizzard, with the weather so bad that you can't see anything in front of you, Ophelia recalled her conversation with her coachman earlier in the day. He had said that it was impossible to climb the mountain path in this kind of weather.
It seemed she would have to be trapped alone in this mountain until the snow stopped.
She wasn't afraid. If she were cold, she could just use magic to light a fire, and if she were thirsty, she could melt snow and drink it.
Barton kept snacks scattered throughout the office for the workers who did the hard physical work, so even if it wasn't a full meal, it was enough to fill them up.
Even so, being trapped alone in this snow wasn't a very pleasant feeling.
Ophelia couldn't figure out where the feeling of being down came from. It took a moment to focus on her own feelings before she realized.
This was loneliness.
Isolated in a blizzard that covers the black sky in pure white, along with traces of ancient people who have long since departed this world.
The loneliness of being left alone in the world left her feeling lonely, even though only a few hours had passed since she'd left everyone else.
'Was I really this prone to loneliness?'
She pouted and hugged her knees.
That was when.
Outside the cabin, something rustled, and the snow was clear.
'What?'
Ophelia jumped to her feet and looked out the window. But the snow piled thickly on the windowsill, making it difficult to see outside.
She pondered for a moment. Could it be a rabbit or a deer, seeking warmth from the cold? But listening to the sound, it wasn't such a small animal.
What if a monster the size of a house appeared? She had to chase it away before it ruined the excavation site.
Ophelia hesitated and finally threw the door open. Perhaps a significant amount of snow had piled up in front of the doorway, making it difficult to open.
“Who are you!”
She, who had been shouting excitedly, froze for a moment at the sight of a figure before her. It was a snowman, its entire body covered in pure white.
And the Yeti muttered a reply. It was a voice she had heard many times.
“...Your Excellency, Duke?”
"Yes."
Roderick shook off the snow that had accumulated on his body and took off the mask that was covering his nose and mouth, revealing his bare face.
"Hey, how did you get here? Is the carriage ready to go yet?"
Ophelia asked, her face stunned and dumbfounded. But no matter how much she looked behind Roderick, she couldn't see anything like a carriage.
“I walked here.”
"... Yes?"
Ophelia couldn't believe her ears at Roderick's answer and asked again. The wind was so strong that she must have misheard. "You walked all the way here? And in this weather?"
It was an emotion so obvious that she, who was always dull in this kind of way, could sense it, but she couldn't understand why Roderick didn't grab Ophelia.
“I don’t know, me either. Let’s just get to work.”
Ophelia, responding to her friend's irritating reaction, changed the subject. She also wanted to focus fully on her work and shake off distracting thoughts.
And a few hours later.
“Hey, aren’t you two going down? The sun is starting to set.”
Barton, the excavation site manager, announced that it was time to leave. The workers had already left, leaving only a few people at the site.
“Oh, we should probably go too.”
As Candice looked around and got up from her seat, Ophelia checked the time with a dark face.
“Already? If I go now... It’s a bit like that.”
It was winter, so the days were shorter, but it wasn't that late yet. If she returned to the mansion now, she'd definitely have to face an uncomfortable meal.
Even after the incident in the mansion garden the previous time, Byron continued to court her. No, calling it courtship would be an insult to the word itself. Byron acted as if she were already his lover.
Even if those around him tried to dissuade him, it was no use. He was never one to listen to others in the first place.
“Oh, that’s right. Then I’ll come a little later... Chi.”
Candice, who was about to sit back down out of concern for her friend, suddenly sneezed loudly.
"Are you okay?"
“Yeah, it’s okay, Puechee!”
Despite her claims of being fine, she didn't seem to be doing so well. Once she started sneezing, it wouldn't stop, and her nose had already turned a bloodshot red.
“...It’s so cold outside, you seem to have caught a cold. Go inside and rest first.”
“No, I, too, will be there with you...”
Candice insisted on staying by her friend's side out of loyalty, but unfortunately, she couldn't finish her sentence. Every word she said caused her to sneeze.
“Look at this. Before it gets any worse, go wash yourself with warm water and take some medicine.”
Ophelia smiled blandly and held out a handkerchief. Candice took it, wiped her nose, and muttered an apology.
“Then I’m sorry, but I’ll go first.”
“What’s the point of being sorry? It’s not like I’m going to get anything for work anyway.”
"Still...."
A woman has a sense of duty...! Candice left the ruins with a gloomy expression.
This would have been a hassle, as the coachman would have to come back to fetch Ophelia, but the coachman himself seemed to be okay with it. The fact that Byron was harassing her was already well-known to everyone in the castle.
And that night, Roderick received an urgent report.
“What does that mean?”
“Lady Ophelia is still at the ruins, but she says she can’t climb the mountain path because of the heavy snow.”
The snow that had been falling since the day before became increasingly severe, and eventually, a blizzard so strong that it was impossible to see even an inch ahead began to blow.
Even for Roderick, a native born and raised here, the snow wasn't something he could easily stop. In severe cases, it could leave him isolated for days.
“What should we do, Your Excellency?”
Lester asked in an anxious voice. The weather was unbearable even for the cold-hardy northerners.
“I will go.”
"Yes?"
"Isn't Ophelia waiting alone, unaware of the situation? Someone needs to go and tell her what's happening."
Roderick jumped to his feet and prepared. He packed a large backpack with several days' worth of food, blankets, and a sleeping bag.
“Oh, Your Excellency. Wouldn’t it be better to send someone else?”
"Who would you send on this dangerous path? I, the strongest of all, should go."
The butler tried to dissuade him with a flustered voice, but Roderick simply replied, "It wasn't a mistake." Lester could only stare at his master's back as he hurriedly disappeared into the snow.
Meanwhile, Candice, who skipped dinner, took her medicine and went to bed early, woke up to a loud noise.
“What’s wrong?”
She yawned heavily and came out of the room, asking the first maid she saw about the situation.
“Ah, Miss Candice! What should I do...! Miss Ophelia...!”
When she heard her friend's name, she was startled and quickly came to her senses and asked urgently.
“Why, why? What’s wrong with Ophelia?”
"That is..."
The maid explained the situation in a worried voice. It had snowed heavily, leaving Ophelia stranded in the ruins, and Roderick had gone to rescue her.
“Oh my goodness... how many days will she have to be alone? She must be so bored...”
Candice expressed her concern for her friend with a gloomy expression. Of course, to the maid, her words sounded terribly out of place.
“It’s not that she's bored. It’s so cold outside right now...!”
“So what? There’s a fireplace in the ruins, and Ophelia knows how to use magic.”
She scratched the bridge of her nose as if nothing was a big deal. It was Ophelia, not someone else, who was trapped, and her words came from the firm belief that nothing would happen.
“But, but...! There are many ferocious beasts and monsters in the mountains...!”
"Don't worry. My friend is really, really strong. It's not Ophelia you should be afraid of, it's the beasts and monsters."
She put her hand on the maid's shoulder and told her to trust her.
“If Miss Candice says so... it’s okay, right?”
And the maid, overcome by her force, found herself answering like this. Candice nodded, as if pleased with the answer, but then a thought suddenly occurred to her, causing her eyes to widen.
"No, wait a minute. What did you just say? Did you say His Excellency the Duke went to rescue Ophelia?"
“Yes, that’s right.”
When the maid nodded, Candice lowered her head and let out a wicked, villainous laugh.
“Why, why are you doing that?”
"No."
Hehe. Candice waved her hand as if she liked it and headed back to her room.
Two frustrated couples, who clearly like each other but don't express it, are stranded in a blizzard. Perhaps it was a calculation that this could be a significant step forward in their relationship.
"If you miss this opportunity, Roderick Weishaffen, you're a loser. Well, well. This is your last chance, so don't miss it, young Duke."
Candice chuckled and mentally cheered Roderick on.
***
'I can see my breath even though I'm indoors.'
Ophelia chuckled, watching her breath freeze to a white sliver. Perhaps the cold had set in as the night deepened. Even inside the cabin used as the field office, it was still quite cold.
She took a hand warmer out of her pocket and held it in her hand. It was the hand warmer Isidore had made for her.
The magic her brother had already infused into her had all been consumed and disappeared, and the warmth that was warming her hand now was her own newly recharged magic.
'Still, I'm glad I have this hand warmer my brother made for me. It feels like my brother is always with me.'
Ophelia sighed deeply without realizing it at the sudden situation she found herself in.
When the groom, who was supposed to pick her up, didn't arrive for quite some time, she went outside for a moment to look around. Then she checked the weather and was shocked.
In the blizzard, with the weather so bad that you can't see anything in front of you, Ophelia recalled her conversation with her coachman earlier in the day. He had said that it was impossible to climb the mountain path in this kind of weather.
It seemed she would have to be trapped alone in this mountain until the snow stopped.
She wasn't afraid. If she were cold, she could just use magic to light a fire, and if she were thirsty, she could melt snow and drink it.
Barton kept snacks scattered throughout the office for the workers who did the hard physical work, so even if it wasn't a full meal, it was enough to fill them up.
Even so, being trapped alone in this snow wasn't a very pleasant feeling.
Ophelia couldn't figure out where the feeling of being down came from. It took a moment to focus on her own feelings before she realized.
This was loneliness.
Isolated in a blizzard that covers the black sky in pure white, along with traces of ancient people who have long since departed this world.
The loneliness of being left alone in the world left her feeling lonely, even though only a few hours had passed since she'd left everyone else.
'Was I really this prone to loneliness?'
She pouted and hugged her knees.
That was when.
Outside the cabin, something rustled, and the snow was clear.
'What?'
Ophelia jumped to her feet and looked out the window. But the snow piled thickly on the windowsill, making it difficult to see outside.
She pondered for a moment. Could it be a rabbit or a deer, seeking warmth from the cold? But listening to the sound, it wasn't such a small animal.
What if a monster the size of a house appeared? She had to chase it away before it ruined the excavation site.
Ophelia hesitated and finally threw the door open. Perhaps a significant amount of snow had piled up in front of the doorway, making it difficult to open.
“Who are you!”
She, who had been shouting excitedly, froze for a moment at the sight of a figure before her. It was a snowman, its entire body covered in pure white.
And the Yeti muttered a reply. It was a voice she had heard many times.
“...Your Excellency, Duke?”
"Yes."
Roderick shook off the snow that had accumulated on his body and took off the mask that was covering his nose and mouth, revealing his bare face.
"Hey, how did you get here? Is the carriage ready to go yet?"
Ophelia asked, her face stunned and dumbfounded. But no matter how much she looked behind Roderick, she couldn't see anything like a carriage.
“I walked here.”
"... Yes?"
Ophelia couldn't believe her ears at Roderick's answer and asked again. The wind was so strong that she must have misheard. "You walked all the way here? And in this weather?"
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