IMLC 23

Chapter 23

As I filled my stomach, I gazed out the window at the snow-covered world. The mountains, fields, trees, rivers—everything shimmered in brilliant white.

A bite of bread, a glance at the scenery, a spoonful of soup, then another look outside.

I ate at a leisurely pace.

The train stopped briefly at two small stations along the way, but each stop lasted less than five minutes.

After finishing my meal, I wandered around the corridor for a while, yet there was still more than an hour left before we reached our destination.

I had already finished the book I brought with me. After sitting in the cramped compartment for so long, my neck and back had become stiff. As I stretched and twisted my body, the train gradually began to slow down.

“This is the last station before the one where we’ll get off. The train will stop here for about thirty minutes, so if you’re feeling cramped, you can go outside for a bit.”

He really was an incredible person.

Aside from the time I slept, Kylen had remained in exactly the same position, doing nothing but reading documents.

Just what kind of papers was he so absorbed in?

As I slipped one arm into my thick coat, I stole a glance. I could vaguely make out the word Winterford.

Was it some document related to Winterford?

Pretending to put my other arm into the coat, I shifted my angle to get a better look, but Kylen suddenly looked up.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

Oops.

I quickly avoided his gaze and buttoned up my coat.

“I-I was just wondering if you weren’t going outside.”

Kylen relaxed the frown between his brows and shook his head. Gesturing for me to go by myself, he returned to his paperwork.

Leaving him behind, I stepped off the train. The icy air rushed straight into my lungs.

“Haa…”

My sigh turned into white mist before disappearing into the cold.

This station was a little larger than the one we’d briefly stopped at earlier.

Compared to the capital’s station, it was tiny. It reminded me of Totle Station. Perhaps because it was the last stop before the northernmost station, there were quite a few passengers getting on and off.

This area, located along the border of the Winterford territory, seemed to have a fair amount of traffic. Looking around, I noticed several three-story buildings.

It would be nice if Winterford were at least this developed…

Blowing warm breath into my stiff hands, I wandered around the station when Mia hurried off the train and ran toward me.

“It’s freezing! Why are you out here?”

“I just wanted some fresh air.”

“If you’re coming outside, you should at least bundle up properly.”

She said that while wearing nothing but a thin coat herself.

I shook my head when Mia tried to drape a shawl over my shoulders and headed back toward the train.

It was too cold anyway, and there wasn’t much left to see.

Nodding in approval that I had come to my senses, Mia urged me to get back on the train and followed behind me.

As I placed a foot on the steps leading to the carriage with the first-class compartments, I suddenly turned around.

“Mia.”

“Yes?”

Mia’s nose had already turned red from the cold as she blinked rapidly.

“Do I snore?”

“…What brought that on all of a sudden?”

She tilted her head in confusion.

“Just… tell me honestly.”

For a moment, Mia looked like she couldn’t understand why her mistress was asking such a question. Seeing the seriousness on my face, she cautiously answered,

“Only when you’re really tired… a little.”

So it was true.

“Miss! Are you alright?”

Mia quickly caught me as I staggered.

With a long sigh, I looked up at the gray sky, which looked ready to shower us with snowflakes.

“How embarrassing…”

Mia had been hoping it wouldn’t snow since we had so much luggage.

Her wish wasn’t granted.

Snowflakes began to drift down from the sky.

The land Kylen had received from the Emperor after their marriage—Winterford.

It truly lived up to its name.

A vast territory at the northernmost edge of Livriden, it was the coldest land in the Empire.

The journey there was anything but easy.

After getting off the train, we traveled by carriage for several hours. The farther north we went, the colder it became, though thankfully the inside of the carriage remained warm.

The temperature difference fogged up the windows. I passed the time drawing hearts and flowers in the condensation with my finger, but even after all that, we still hadn’t reached our destination.

Because of the snow-covered roads and the knights riding alongside us on horseback, we had to stop from time to time to light campfires and warm ourselves to avoid frostbite.

At one point, the wheel of one of the luggage wagons broke, costing us even more time. If we were delayed any longer, the horses might not be able to endure it.

A mixture of anxiety and boredom escaped me in the form of a sigh.

“How much farther?”

Wiping away the condensation on the window with my sleeve, I asked Kylen.

“About one more hour.”

In Winterford, during winter, the sun set before five in the afternoon.

It was freezing even during daylight, but once the sun disappeared, the cold became even harsher.

As the sun sank beyond the horizon, I began to grow uneasy.

Back on the train, I had confidently declared that people lived here, so it couldn’t be that bad.

But now that I was experiencing the bone-chilling cold firsthand, I was honestly a little frightened.

Fortunately, the snow stopped, and as the dark clouds drifted away, moonlight illuminated the road ahead.

If it had continued snowing, we might not have arrived today at all.

Once again, the window fogged over, blocking the view. I wiped it clean with the hem of my clothes.

Thankfully, we encountered no more delays.

Just as Kylen had said, after another hour, the carriage gradually slowed.

We entered a narrow road surrounded by tall, densely packed evergreen trees. Bathed in moonlight, the forest had an almost mystical atmosphere.

“This forest protects the manor from the cold and the snowstorms.”

The trees, which looked as though they had stood there for centuries, were thick and towering.

Just as Kylen said, they formed a sturdy wall against the bitter northern winds.

“Wow…”

As we finally emerged from the forest, the sight before me made me gasp like an excited child.

The first thing I saw was a lake.

Frozen solid by the cold, its surface sparkled beneath a blanket of white snow crystals.

In the middle of the lake stood an island.

And on that island rose a castle.

Calling it a mansion felt almost inappropriate—it was truly a castle. A single drawbridge connected it to the mainland, the only path leading inside.

It looked like something out of a painting.

As our carriage crossed the bridge, the magnificent castle loomed before us.

We passed through the wide-open castle gates and entered the grounds.

“You said it was a manor…”

“It is. The royal family of Gallermore, who once ruled this place, was wiped out by the Livriden Empire. So this is no longer Gallermore Castle. It is now the Winterford Manor of Livriden.”

It had taken fourteen hours to get here.

A very long journey.

And so, I finally arrived at Winterford Manor—the place that would become my home.

No sooner had Kylen finished explaining than the coachman’s voice came from outside, announcing that we had arrived safely.

Kylen put on the gloves he had taken off earlier and prepared to get out. The moment he opened the carriage door, freezing wind mercilessly rushed inside.

Eager to get out as well, I hastily wrapped the scarf Mia had packed for me instead of the shawl and started to climb down, but Kylen stopped me.

“Your scarf. Fix it properly.”

“We’re going straight inside anyway, aren’t we?”

“And if you catch a cold? Who’s responsible then?”

“Alright, alright. I’ll tie it again.”

Kylen got to ride in a large, comfortable carriage.

Meanwhile, Mia and the other servants had endured a much more uncomfortable journey, and the escort knights had ridden horseback through the freezing weather the entire way.

I’d been patiently enduring the discomfort myself, but now that we’d finally reached our destination, all my patience had vanished.

I hurriedly tried to fix the scarf, but no matter what I did, it didn’t look nearly as neat as when Mia tied it.

“Ah, this is good enough.”

Satisfied that at least no wind could get in, I was about to step down when Kylen blocked my path once again.

“What now?”

Looking up at him in confusion, I watched as his hand reached toward my scarf.

“I-I can do it myself…”

Kylen untied the mess I had made and carefully began tying it again.

Despite the annoyance written on his face, his movements were surprisingly gentle.

“The people of Winterford Castle are meeting the lady they’ll be serving from now on.”

Only then did I notice the rows of people standing behind Kylen, their heads respectfully bowed as they welcomed their new lord and lady.

“Ahem… right.”

Embarrassment flooded over me.

I’d been so eager to explore the grand castle that I’d completely lost my composure.

A soft chuckle escaped him.

I looked up to see the faint smile tugging at the corners of Kylen’s lips.

Without thinking, I quickly looked away.

Unfortunately, my gaze landed on his hands instead.

His long, elegant fingers carefully adjusted my scarf so it wouldn’t come loose. They were slightly red from the cold.

His hands are pretty too.

His neatly trimmed nails, his long fingers, the strong joints—

For some reason, the pit of my stomach tingled.

I unconsciously curled my toes inside my boots.

“There.”

Kylen looked satisfied with the neatly tied scarf and held out his hand to me.

“What are you waiting for?”

I stared blankly at the hand he offered until his impatient voice snapped me back to reality.

“Oh… right.”

I took his hand, accepting his escort as I stepped down from the carriage.

And with that, I set foot in Winterford for the very first time.