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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Unexpected Snowstorm
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Unlike what they'd expected would only take a day, the Grand Duke and Duchess found themselves stuck near Frozen Mountain.
It had started snowing heavily, making it utterly impossible for the carriage to move.
This was an unprecedented blizzard. Starting near Frozen Mountain, it soon blanketed the entire Hadellus territory.
The weather had been pleasant up until the Flower Festival, but it turned bitterly cold on a whim, trapping everyone inside the castle.
With so much snow piling up, even clearing the roads had everyone on high alert. The sudden onslaught made it hard to respond right away.
Stranded in Hadellus Castle out of the blue, I felt like I was on track to become a master of lounging around the house.
"Did it usually snow this much at this time?"
I asked, staring out the window at the snow piling up in drifts. Hanna replied as she folded a towel.
"No. This is normally when the dry season starts, and it hardly rains. Last year was dry too, remember?"
"That's why everyone's calling it unusual."
Come to think of it, even in my previous life, sudden downpours would hit in the middle of sweltering summer, cooling things off for a bit.
I was used to fickle weather, but everyone else seemed pretty shocked by this blizzard.
With the Grand Duke and Duchess away from the castle, authority naturally fell to the heir, Akid.
They'd sent messenger pigeons, but that had its limits for communication, so they'd entrusted him with any urgent decisions at the castle.
Of course, the retainers were handling their roles competently, so there hadn't been much need for Akid's direct involvement yet.
The couple had said they'd return as soon as possible, so things would probably pass smoothly like this. That's when Shuri spoke up.
"You hardly ever see snow in April Castle, but here it's like an everyday thing."
"Yeah."
"It's like the spirits are throwing a tantrum or something."
I chuckled at Vivian muttering that it was the spirits' doing.
Hearing talk like that really drove home that this was a world from a novel. Unlike where I'd lived, spirits and magic coexisted here.
"If they're gonna throw a tantrum anyway, I wish they'd bless us instead."
Then I could make a fortune!
I was lost in that thought when there was a knock, and Akid's voice came from outside the door.
"Roena, may I come in?"
"Yes!"
You're always welcome, Akid!
Like a puppy perking up at its owner's footsteps, I jumped to my feet and opened the door myself.
Then I blinked in surprise at seeing him dressed for an outing. He must have come to let me know he was heading out.
"Where are you going?"
"Ah, there's an issue at the eastern mine, so I need to go check it out."
"Right now?"
"Yeah. Luckily, they've cleared the road to the mine, so I should be able to make it there and back."
"I see."
Still, with all that snow, carriages wouldn't have an easy time.
I was about to thank him for telling me before leaving when Akid said,
"Would you like to come with me, if you're not too busy?"
"Me too?"
"Yeah. You haven't been able to go out because of the snow. I figured you'd be bored."
"Ah."
How thoughtful could Akid be?
At just fourteen, he already had such a perfect personality.
Of course, in the original story, he turned dark and became the villain, but that was the original—this version showed no signs of that yet.
Truth be told, I was getting restless from the boredom, so his invitation was a welcome surprise.
"Of course, if you'd rather not..."
"No! I'd love to. I've been feeling so cooped up."
"Great. Get ready and meet me in the lobby. I'll wait there."
As Akid left, Hanna, Shuri, and Vivian bustled about behind me, helping me prepare for the outing.
In no time at all, I was ready and heading to Ebisu Mine—completely unaware of what awaited us there.
Meanwhile, Elena and Damian had run into an unexpected snag.
The blizzard and volcanic eruption had halted everything suddenly, leaving only one hotel room available.
Even though it was a suite, with its open living room and bedroom, there was no real privacy.
To make matters worse, the other guests were also snowed in, so they couldn't even request separate rooms.
They hadn't shared a bed since their formal wedding night, so on the first night, Elena had been a bit tense in the bedroom.
But when Damian didn't even enter the hotel room, she started getting quietly annoyed.
"Does he hate even being in the same space as me?"
He melted for his lovers but was ice-cold to his wife.
Others might criticize her for it, but Elena just snorted.
'If he doesn't come in, it's his loss.'
She'd been angry at first, but honestly, she'd grown used to having the spacious room to herself.
No doubt Damian was hunkered down in some temporary barracks or his adjutant's cramped quarters, being a nuisance as usual.
If anything, she should be worried about her son and daughter-in-law holding down the fort at the castle—not her playboy husband.
Elena didn't show it, but she was deeply concerned about Roena and Akid being the only ones left at the castle.
Last year, it wouldn't have bothered her at all.
Maybe because she'd recently had some real conversations with Roena, that fluffy red hair kept lingering in her mind.
'They're not stirring up trouble while I'm gone, are they?'
That's when a letter arrived from Roena.
[Mother, Father. I hope this finds you in good health. We're doing well here.
I'm so worried about you two being suddenly stranded that I've been offering prayers every night...]
Elena chuckled midway through reading the letter.
"Your health and well-being." What a formal phrase.
She never imagined it coming from Roena's mouth.
"She's really stepping up her flattery."
Still, a smile lingered on Elena's lips—she didn't hate it.
[There have been some issues at the castle, but Lord Akid is handling everything splendidly.
Last time, the snow caused the stables to collapse, but he rounded up all the spooked horses with the servants.
And that's not all— he's tackling the tasks you assigned without a hitch, earning praise from all the retainers.
Can you believe it? At just fourteen, he's so reliable. Truly impressive, isn't he?
It must be that the gods poured all their blessings into him.]
"Hah, she wrote this just to brag about her husband."
Elena was exasperated that half the letter was filled with Akid's praises.
Her daughter-in-law, who used to scream and complain about hating him every day, had changed overnight, and it still felt off.
But good relations were better than causing trouble.
Akid, who sometimes seemed too mature for his age in a disconcerting way, acted like a normal boy his age around Roena.
Elena had been furious when she heard about the tutor abusing Akid.
If Roena hadn't intervened, she might have castrated Baron Rork herself. A scum like that deserved no heirs but bastards.
She was deep into reading Roena's letter when—
Bang—!
The door, which had never opened once, flew open. Elena glanced indifferently at the doorway.
"What brings you here?"
"Do I need permission to enter my own room?"
"You haven't set foot in here once, so I thought it was mine."
Elena snorted, and Damian flinched. But he smiled lazily as if nothing had happened and approached slowly.
"I've been thinking, and I just can't let this go—it's too unfair."
"What could be so unfair that you barge in without knocking?"
As Elena replied indifferently, wrinkles formed around Damian's eyes.
"Shouldn't you at least ask once? If I'm struggling out there, or tell me not to suffer in the cold and come to the warm room?"
He had deliberately avoided her, sure. But he hadn't expected her to just sprawl out comfortably and sleep without a care.
Didn't she worry about her husband freezing outside? Business marriage or not.
Damian resented his indifferent wife, but Elena had plenty to say too.
"Isn't it unreasonable to expect me to come looking for the man who walked out on his own?"
She hadn't ignored him entirely—she'd asked his adjutant, who said he was fine, so she'd let it go.
But she had no desire to explain every little detail to Damian.
They weren't close enough for that, and she hadn't expected otherwise in ages.
"How heartless."
"Heartless?"
Elena's suppressed emotions ignited at Damian's words, and she shot back immediately.
"If we're assigning blame, aren't you the inconsiderate one for not coming to my room, regardless of what others think?"
"......"
"Why not just announce it? That the Grand Duke and Duchess are worse than strangers, and they haven't even fulfilled their marital duties properly."
"I just thought you'd be uncomfortable, so I left."
"Uncomfortable?"
Elena sneered, grabbing Damian's cravat and yanking him close to her face.
At a distance where their lips nearly brushed, Damian held his breath. Seeing this, Elena taunted him.
"You're the uncomfortable one."
"......"
"You were the one who left me that night. Who knows? Maybe the Grand Duchess was eager from day one."
Who would believe that the playboy before her turned to ice and fled from his wife?
"So stop blaming me, Damian."
"......"
"Or prove it right now."
No need to go far, right?
Elena whispered in his ear while glancing at the bed. Damian shuddered and backed away.
His face flushed beet red as he stammered excuses and fled the room. Elena sneered coldly.
"See? You are uncomfortable."
