ASDM 36

Chapter 36

They say this:

Better a monster you don’t know when will appear, than in-laws living under the same roof.

And who said that? Why, Asha—the most adorable creature under the sun.

“…Unbelievable. Franz Bastion.”

How long is he planning to keep folding and throwing those paper airplanes?

With that kind of persistence, he could grow up to be something big.
The only concern is if he becomes obsessively persistent in a bad way.

“Is he that bored?”
“You mean the young master?”

Betty, who was tidying my bed behind me as I looked out the window before bed, answered.

“Well, he only ever sees the head maid in his room these days.”
“Really?”

So during his “reflection time,” he only meets with Eva.

Which means Levi’s allowing her visits specifically.

I rested my chin on the window sill.

“Franz seems close to Eva. Levi too, actually.”
“I’m not sure about the elder young master… but the younger was practically raised by the head maid, ever since Madam passed away.”
“Ah.”

Katrin died six years ago. Levi had been five at the time; Franz, only three—too young to even remember her.

It’s true then—Eva must feel more like a mother to Franz than Katrin ever did.

“You should come in now, my lady. It’s cold.”
“Yes, yes.”

Just as I began to pull my upper body back in from the open window at Betty’s nagging—

Huh?

It didn’t seem possible, but… something white and cold fell from the dark night sky.

“…Snow?”

Surely I was mistaken.

I reached out a hand with a baffled laugh. Was my vision so good I’d started hallucinating?

But no—snow was really falling. I startled and shouted,

“Holy crap! It’s snowing!”
“My goodness!”

Betty clapped her hands over her mouth and exclaimed too—

“My lady! Where did you learn that kind of language?!”

Was that really important right now? And besides, that was already the toned-down version.

“No, Betty. Look! It’s actually snowing right now!”
“So it is. We’d better be extra careful with the embers tonight.”

Recently, Betty had become an absolute stove fanatic—she grabbed the poker and stabbed enthusiastically at the firewood.

…What kind of reaction was that? Was I the only one shocked senseless?

“Does snow normally fall in Bastion in midsummer?”
“Mm, it’s a bit earlier than average. The first snow usually comes around… maybe the week after next?”

Even that is weird! It’s way too early!

Sure, Bastion is in the far north, separate from the Empire’s main lands, but that’s beyond just a temperature difference—it’s like the seasons are reversed.

But… if I started nitpicking, there was that one Bastion peculiarity.

The only territory bordering a monster habitat.

Right, if mysterious tar blobs can pop up here, then midsummer snow… my initial excitement fizzled fast.

Better to just sleep. It’d stop soon enough anyway.

Like Betty predicted, it’d probably just be a short-lived, early first snow.

But the next morning, when I woke up, all I could do was let out a dry laugh.

“Holy crap… this is insane…”
“My lady!”

Sorry, Betty—there’s no other way to say it.

Because—

“It’s piled up.”

Everything outside the window was blanketed in white.

This time, even Betty didn’t look pleased.

“This is serious. Lapidem hasn’t sent your fine winter clothes yet.”

Seriously? That’s your concern?

Betty, who’d been grumbling for days about my lack of winter-appropriate clothes, flat-out forbade me to go out today.

“Today, layering or wrapping up in a blanket won’t be enough. You’ll want to play in the snow, won’t you?”
“I told you, I don’t get colds. And when it snows, you have to roll around in it—it’s tradition.”
“But you don’t even have winter shoes or gloves…”

Knock, knock.

I thought Levi had come to fetch me, but outside the door stood two maids from the main house—

Both carrying thick coats, boots, and other winter goods.

“They’re clothes the young master has outgrown. If you don’t mind, he’s sent them for you to use.”
“…Franz—that brat—sent these?”

For me? So I wouldn’t be cold? Why?

The maids added in low voices, as if to clarify:

“Well… the head maid suggested it, I believe.”
“Ah, Eva?”

“Suggested” was putting it nicely—it was probably “grabbed him by the collar and made him do it” under the pretense of teaching him to reflect.

Still, it was unexpectedly thoughtful.

Ever since the incident with Franz, Eva had been politely distant—neither cold nor warm. I’d figured she’d always side with him like a son, and we’d never get close.

I touched the fur boots they handed over. Soft… warm.

Smiling unexpectedly, I said,

“Tell him thanks. And what are your names?”

By the time I’d learned all about Sua and Nina’s upbringings—and even their taste in men—Levi arrived.

Social time over.

As expected, Sua and Nina instantly grew stiff and slipped out at the sight of him.

Instead of stopping them, I waved cheerfully at their backs.

“Bye! Sua, have a lovely romance with Charlie!”
“Oh, my lady…!”

So shy. Adorable.

I was still chuckling when I felt Levi’s gaze on me.

“Oh, about that maid Sua—she’s been dating Charlie from the kitchen for two weeks now. Isn’t that sweet?”
“Mm.”

A soulless reply.

Apparently, he didn’t care about my maid gossip—his attention was on something else.

“That outfit.”
“This? Oh, this?”

I spun once in front of him.

The clothes I’d changed into while chatting with the maids were as warm as they looked. A bit big and heavy, but fine.

“They’re Franz’s, right?”
“Yep. Borrowed them ‘cause it’s cold.”
“…And mine.”
“…What?”

Levi muttered something too quiet for me to hear, then looked away.

…And there it is—pouting again.

I muttered under my breath, tugged on my hat and gloves, and firmly pulled on the fur boots up to my calves.

Ohhh, a bit big, but so warm. Perfect. I was ready.

“Alright, Levi?”
“Mm.”
“Wanna build a snowman?”

Of course, you don’t get a choice.

Before he could answer, I grabbed him and ran outside.

Betty shouted something about being careful, but honestly, I barely heard it.

A midsummer snowstorm.

Absurd, but… also romantic. Like I’d stepped into a magical fantasy film.

“Wow…”

I raced down to the first floor and stepped carefully into the white garden.

Crunch.

The satisfaction of leaving the first footprints in a pristine snowfield.

A puff of frosty breath swirled from my lips.

Snowy Bastion was freezing…

“Pretty.”

I even laughed at myself for saying it.

Humans are fickle—back when I lived in a basement or a rickety shack, snow and rain were just trash. Now, in a nicer place, it looked beautiful.

Though to Wolfgang and Casador right now, it’s probably nothing less than divine crap.

The thought worried me again, but I shook it off.

They said it’d be fine. No use worrying alone.

Besides, I had a more immediate concern than monsters.

“…Are those snow piles, or paper airplanes?”

Both were white, so they blended together.

Even with snow falling, those planes kept coming—one corner of the garden looked like it had suffered an avalanche.

I wondered if they were blank paper. Or did they have insults about me written on them?

I started toward them, curious, but stopped—

Because I saw a shadow moving in the upstairs window.

If a nine-year-old sees all this snow, of course he’ll want to play.

If I hovered around there, he might think I was teasing him. That’d just make the rift worse.

So I pulled Levi toward a more secluded spot far from the manor.

And honestly—it was the perfect open field for a snowman.

If Franz couldn’t play, that was his own fault. I was going to have fun.

“Alright. Let’s begin.”

Smiling, I tightened my loose gloves.

We were going to build a snowman big enough to match this grand castle.

There was plenty of snow, and I had Levi.

“I’ll make the body, you make the head. Roll it as big as you can! Go!”

I formed a round ball, then rolled it across the deep snow.

Ta-da! Look—went from the size of a fist to a basketball in no time.

Proudly, I glanced at Levi—

…What the heck? Mine was basketball-sized, his was basketball-hoop-sized. And perfectly smooth.

“Levi, have you… built snowmen before?”
“Mm.”
“Really? When? Where? How many? With who? Which woman?”

People always hide the real question at the end.

I narrowed my eyes, and Levi answered without resistance.

“Every time it snowed, until I was five. Here. With my mother.”
“Oh… what a good son…”

Guess I was the only trash here.

Quietly rolling my snowball again, I asked cautiously,

“Hey… do you remember her face?”
“Mm.”
“…Do you miss her a lot?”
“Not really.”

Not really?

Levi, usually quick to speak his mind, took a moment this time—like he was turning something over inside.

Then he looked at me and said,

“I’m okay now.”

A short sentence, but it carried so many layers that I had to stand there a while, turning it over myself.

Then, on impulse, I declared,

“I’m going to live a long, long time.”
“…”
“At the very least, I won’t die before you.”

I held out my pinky.

Snow clung thick to the gloves, and they hung loose on my fingers, but neither of us cared.

Just before our fingers hooked—

“Ow.”
“What?”
“Something…”

It felt like a prick—maybe not?

Levi, sharp-eyed as ever, noticed my discomfort immediately.

“Your leg hurts?”
“No, it’s just been a bit damp for a while.”

Well, of course—playing in snow makes your shoes wet.

Especially fur boots.

But apparently, it was a bigger problem than I thought.

“Take it off.”
“What? Wait—”

Levi’s expression hardened. He knelt and pulled off the damp boot.

Balancing on one foot with my hand on his shoulder, I looked down—

“Huh?”

The small metal clasp of my garter belt was pressed flush against my calf.

At the time, I didn’t realize—how dangerous cold metal against wet skin could be.

“…Huh?”

And then—swoop—Levi lifted me into his arms.