IACGD 02

Chapter 02

“Ugh?”

A strange ceiling.

The muffled crackle of a fireplace pierced Clémen’s ears.

Her hazy gaze slowly drifted as she recalled what had happened before losing consciousness.

She had certainly been climbing the mountain to avoid the rock, then lost her way.

With all her food gone and starving, she had tried to find the path, only to misstep and tumble down the steep slope.

‘Is my breath short because of the injury?’

As she lifted her head while lying down, an unexpected sight unfolded.

Two children were clinging to her chest and stomach.

Instantly alert, Clémen checked the children. Had her heat surged while she was unconscious and hurt them? Their clothes and the blankets offered some protection, but could they have been burned by her body temperature?

Then her eyes met those of the girl staring directly at her.

Curiosity and some inexplicable fondness gleamed in them.

‘Seems like they’re okay.’

Clémen let out a sigh of relief and raised her lips in a gentle smile.

“Hello?”

She awkwardly spoke in the imperial language she had self-taught. At the same time, the children sprang up and ran off.

“Mommy! The fireplace is talking!”

Watching the children run off muttering strange words, Clémen scratched her cheek.

‘Fireplace… what word could it have been confused with?’

It didn’t take long for her to realize she hadn’t misheard.

“It seems your body is hot, and the children were just playing. Sorry about that, Laura.”

The girl’s mother approached with an embarrassed smile, offering an apology. Laura puffed up her cheeks.

“Because you’re a fireplace, isn’t my face burned?”
“Hey! She’s just from another region!”
“No! Fireplace! It’s Laura’s!”

Laura climbed onto the bed with effort and pressed herself against Clémen’s side.

Her twin brother, Ruo, sucking his fingers, smiled and laid across Clémen’s legs.

“Hey, these kids! They’re clinging to someone who just woke up—”
“It’s okay. I like it.”
“Eh?”

The mother stared in surprise. Clémen offered a harmless smile.

“You saved me. Thank you.”
“Ah, no… I’m just glad you’re okay.”

After that, silence fell. The mother tended to her children while sneaking glances at Clémen, clearly curious.

‘No wonder.’

Even among the fair-skinned people of the empire, those living in the north were especially pale.

Their pale hair was also different from Clémen’s.

Bright crimson hair, lightly tanned skin—she looked like an outsider.

And clearly someone from the southern deserts.

Even just seeing her words, it was obvious—she was from the opposite end of the empire, far from the north, where even traveling to the capital was difficult.

Curiosity was natural. Setting aside her unusual condition, she was just so different.

“I’m Clémen. Twenty-one. I like cold places, so I came here.”
“Ah… okay. I’m Ruby.”

Ruby hesitated but didn’t take her eyes off Clémen.

She could never forget the first time she saw Clémen.

Despite the snowstorm outside, Clémen’s surroundings were entirely free of white, and it was so warm she could hardly see her own breath.

For someone born and raised in the north, such a sight was unimaginable.

Snow fell from the sky, yet the air around Clémen was warm enough to turn snow into water.

It was Clémen’s strangeness—human in form, yet somehow not quite human.

‘Yes… like a fire spirit from the founding legends.’

The fire spirit that had joined the first emperor to defeat the evil dragon.

A fire spirit, whose presence warms the world and purifies evil.

And the greatest evil in the north? Endless snow!

A person who melts that snow… it was no wonder a northerner likened her to a fire spirit.

‘But a fire spirit lying on the ground? That makes no sense.’

So, who was this person? Gentle and warm, yet human emotions can’t be read at a glance. And asking would be rude.

As Ruby’s confusion grew, Clémen called out with a bright smile.

“Ruby… may I call you Ruby?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Then, Ruby, will you show me the village head’s house?”
“Why…?”
“This is my first village! I want to live here.”

Ruby blinked.

“You… want to live here?”
“Yes! Is that… a problem?”
“Not exactly…”

She worried about how the villagers, including the head, would react. They could either worship her as a fire spirit or reject her as something non-human.

“It’s fine if I live outside the village too. If they don’t want to meet me, I won’t.”

What kind of life had this person led that she could speak so naturally?

Ruby closed her eyes and sighed.

“I’ll let you meet the village head. Don’t expect me to convince them.”
“Great, thank you!”

Clémen simply smiled with joy. Seeing her happy face made Ruby’s feelings even more complicated.

“My fireplace! Mine! Can’t give it away!”
“Fireplace… warm.”

Watching Laura and Ruo cling to her, stubborn as ever, was fascinating. The twins were normally shy.

‘Maybe I should ask Lady Rosia…’

Rosia managed the duchy’s affairs while the duke secluded himself and the grand duchess lay ill.

‘If recommended by the housekeeper… even if the mansion freezes, Clémen would probably melt it immediately.’

Cleaning ice was harder than wiping water. Ruby shook her head, realizing she was overstepping. Considering the ducal family’s affairs, not just anyone could be admitted.

“Heehee! Haha!”

The twins laughed so hard they were out of breath. Clémen, still flushed and slightly flustered, gently petted the children, making Ruby’s heart ache.

‘Just… talk a bit first.’

With that resolve, a sense of relief washed over her.

“Children, stop and come here. You need to rest.”
“Ah, we’re fine!”

Clémen waved, noticing a strange sleeve.

Unlike the loose, flowing desert clothes, this northern garment had tight, neatly finished sleeves.

“I helped you change clothes. Too dirty. Should dry in two days, maybe…”

Ruby stopped mid-sentence. Clémen had grabbed her hand in sheer delight. Warm—no, scorching!

“I love it! I feel like a northerner! I want to go outside like this!”
“No! That’s pajamas!”

Ruby had to shout. Clémen looked ready to open the door and run out.

“These are pajamas? They’re thick!”
“You’d freeze to death going out like that.”

Clémen was taller. The pajamas, which would wrap Ruby entirely, only reached above Clémen’s calves, leaving her wrists exposed.

“It’s okay! I’m hot! Cold doesn’t matter!”

She darted onto the snow. Barefoot, the snow was cool and soft.

It melted instantly, but that was fine. White joy continued to pour from the sky.

“Fireplace! Be careful, you’ll burn out!”
“Broken….”

Laura and Ruo, now wearing coats, ran up with arms outstretched.

‘…First time.’

No one had ever approached her first. Too hot, too dangerous. Even the fortune-teller grandmother who raised her had hugged her only once.

‘I’m so happy.’

Unable to contain her joy, she spread her arms. The twins crawled eagerly into her embrace.

“Wow, so warm.”
“Hot….”

They nuzzled her neck, and Clémen couldn’t stop smiling. Her scorching body was helping them.

‘They even like it.’

She was happy. It felt like she was allowed to be here.

If she could talk with the village head and stay in the village, it would be perfect.

‘Fireplace? I’ll be one forever if you want!’

She snorted, thinking:

‘Maybe… for the first time, I can make friends.’

Here, she might live the normal, happy life she had longed for.

…That was the thought the day before.

“Deliver this to Your Grace! I believe the Fire Spirit can do it!”

Meeting knights with serious eyes and slightly crazed expressions, Clémen was drawn to meet the master of the territory.

Even in the room, the man was bundled head to toe in fur and leather.

The moment their eyes met, the fierce heat that had tormented her softened.