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Chapter : 17
Cedric was in a snowfield.
His subconscious knew this was a dream, but as always, the clash between the magic and divine power within him muddied his awareness.
“No. No….”
But in dreams, unlike reality, he could speak his thoughts out loud.
Cedric stared at his father and mother, kneeling in the snow, and muttered. Despite the faint voice, the archduke raised his head.
Snow brushed past those red eyes. A pure white frozen flake covered his father’s face.
Even so, Cedric could clearly see the strained smile his father forced onto his lips just to reassure him.
“Ah…”
Cedric knew what would come next. He had dreamed this so many times he couldn’t even count.
Soon his father and mother’s heads would be severed, and blood would splatter across the snowfield.
And once again, he would be powerless—forced to watch the horror without being able to do anything.
Cedric wished he could close his eyes instead. No, he wished he could die with them.
Then, a miracle happened.
“…Cedric!”
A voice, strange yet familiar, pulled his eyes open. Tears pooled between his lashes spilled down his cheeks.
Ah.
Even through his blurred vision, the silver hair and lake-blue eyes he had come to accept—somehow—warmly into his heart were unmistakable.
His mind, incapable of coherent thought, drifted, warm with the presence of this person.
Fog rose through his consciousness. Cedric opened his lips. He wanted to call the name of the one brushing his hair aside.
“Uu…”
But what came out was only an indistinct murmur—no word, no sentence.
“Mm, Cedric. It’s all right. Looks like you had a nightmare.”
Marianne let out a relieved breath. Then she wiped Cedric’s eyes and forehead with a warm cloth.
Whatever terrible dream he’d had, the sweat that soaked not only his brow but even his neck cooled quickly in the air.
“Your Highness, allow us to handle it. And forgive us for bringing you so abruptly. I believe His Lordship became more distressed than before… his judgment seemed blurred.”
“No, it’s fine. I hadn’t even put the fire out yet, and if I’d slept through it unaware, tomorrow would’ve been miserable.”
Marianne shook her head and stepped back. Amelia and Julia could manage better than she could with clumsy hands.
But seeing Cedric’s pale face and the way his eyes kept flicking toward her made her uneasy.
“Amelia. Julia. Do you mind if I sit here?”
“Yes, of course. Julia, bring a chair.”
“Please sit here, Your Highness.”
They even fetched her a chair; it felt embarrassing, but Marianne sat by Cedric’s bedside, careful not to get in their way.
His red eyes drifted before returning to her, and she smiled as brightly as she could.
Then she glanced at Amelia wiping Cedric’s hands.
Was this common every winter? Amelia worked with practiced ease, wiping sweat from fingers, palms, even up his thin arm hidden under loose sleeves.
Marianne watched Cedric’s faintly twitching fingers, then asked cautiously:
“Amelia, may I hold his hand?”
“…Ah. Thank you, Your Highness.”
Amelia blinked, clearly having not considered it, then nodded.
Even if it’s to help Cedric, she’s still a noble of high rank—Amelia probably can’t just grab his hand casually.
Earlier Marianne had praised the class system, but now her stomach twisted. She took Cedric’s hand and held it tight.
The room was warm from the fire piled high with logs, yet Cedric’s small, thin fingers were cold—as if he had just come in from outside.
His fingers were still stained dark, like ink; Marianne clasped both her hands around them and gently rubbed.
“Aah, auu.”
Cedric whimpered softly and flinched, apparently ticklish—but he didn’t pull away.
“All done. Thank you for bearing with it, Cedric.”
She stopped only once his hands felt mildly warm. Then she patted his head in praise.
“Uu.”
He murmured faintly, the tone tinged with complaint, making Marianne chuckle.
“But you’re not as cold anymore, right?”
She whispered and tucked his hand beneath the blanket. Cedric squirmed, uncomfortable, but soon his eyes began to flutter shut.
He had just woken; of course he’d still be sleepy—especially after such a dream.
“Sleep, sleep.”
Marianne pulled the blanket to Cedric’s shoulders and softly tapped his belly in rhythm, humming the lullaby she heard so often as a child. Cedric drifted into sleep.
Only his peaceful breathing filled the room. Marianne let out a silent breath of relief.
“So Cedric… has nightmares often around this time of year?”
Amelia’s face darkened as she nodded.
“Yes. Winter is nearly upon us… Thank you for helping, Your Highness.”
Marianne thought to warn her about the brutal winter coming, but she swallowed the words. A northerner wouldn’t be swayed by someone from the capital.
Instead, she asked something she’d been pondering for a while.
“Amelia, is there a well-known herbalist nearby?”
“Yes. There’s one who has worked in the North for many years. Are you seeking a herb?”
“Yes.”
Marianne stared at the door, then nodded. She hesitated, then continued.
“Frost lily—or frost tear blossom. Do you know it?”
“…I’ve heard of it.”
The air chilled. Amelia looked at Marianne with unreadable eyes. Marianne understood well. Frost lily wasn’t a herb—it was a poison.
That’s why it took Cedric so long to take it in the original story.
Everyone in the household had opposed it. Amelia most fiercely of all.
Of course—who would let someone knowingly ingest poison? Marianne herself would have called the person insane.
But Cedric needed it. If he started young, he might avoid the terrible side effects he suffered in the novel.
If only I had accepted His Lordship’s words sooner, he wouldn’t have suffered so much…
Marianne even remembered Amelia’s regret-filled lines.
“Forgive me, but may I ask why you seek the frost lily?”
Her voice was calm but rigid. Unlike in print, the suppressed anger and suspicion pricked at Marianne’s skin.
I’m still someone sent from the Imperial family. Of course she doubts me.
Marianne briefly considered lying.
If she claimed she needed it for something other than Cedric, things would go more smoothly—for now.
But the truth would surface. And even if she would leave eventually, she didn’t want awkwardness with the kind people here.
She wanted them to trust her.
So she was honest.
“Cedric needs it.”
“…Frost lily is poisonous, Your Highness.”
“But I’ve heard it can be medicine under special circumstances. It will help him. If you can’t trust me, call the herbalist. I’ll ask him myself.”
Amelia’s brows knit tight. Usually unreadable, she was openly displeased now.
Marianne could feel the goodwill she’d built dropping in real time. She clenched her fist—but said nothing more.
She simply waited.
“…Understood. I will summon the herbalist. But I recall frost lily is very hard to find. If it grows only beyond the walls, we may not obtain it.”
Marianne nodded slowly. Her fingertips tingled—whether from the cold hallway or tension, she didn’t know.
“If the herbalist refuses, I’ll give up. And… I’m sorry, Amelia. For troubling you. I’ll go back.”
She whispered her apology and turned away. The hall felt icy. Wind battered the window like it was mocking her rashness.
But Marianne did not regret it. She had done what she needed to do.
“G-greetings, Your Highness. I-it is an honor to meet a noble such as yourself. My name is Alain.”
The herbalist was an elderly man. His hair and beard were snowy white; if not for the black hat, one wouldn’t know he had walked through the snow.
Seeing him bow so deeply he nearly touched the floor made Marianne uneasy.
“Nice to meet you. I’ll get straight to the point…”
Asking him to relax would do nothing, so she went on:
“I have a question. Do you know frost lily?”
Having to speak informally to the elderly man made her want to cry a little.
Better finish quickly and send him home.
“Yes, yes! Whether by frost lily or frost tear blossom, I know of it, Your Highness.”
“I want to know if it can be used as medicine.”
Alain raised his eyes slightly, startled, but lowered them again when he met hers. His arms and legs trembled as he stammered:
“Well, i-it is poisonous, but if you store it with stone moss for a w-week, the poison disappears. A-and once the toxin is gone, it cleanses the body.”
Amelia inhaled sharply behind her. Marianne was just as shocked. She confirmed:
“You’re certain?”
“Yes! Yes! How could I lie before You? The knowledge has passed down since my grandfather’s grandfather!”
Alain nodded furiously. Marianne fell silent in thought.
With the brutal winter coming, Alain might not survive long—meaning this knowledge might never reach the grown Cedric.
Cedric may have taken frost lily without removing the poison. That’s entirely possible.
She felt justified, and relieved, for bringing it up now.
“Your Highness…”
“Yes?”
“There is one problem. Because it’s known as a poison, whenever people spot it, they pull it out. So inside the walls… it’s nearly impossible to find.”
Exactly as Amelia had said.
Marianne smiled brightly.
Now she had one more crucial reason to leave the walls.
