Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Lullaby in the Ancestral Room
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Nailus's eerie eyes, a bizarre blend of green and violet, tracked my every move.
He seemed utterly convinced that I was tangled up in the whole affair.
But there was no evidence anywhere proving the ice was my handiwork.
The Winterguard family's power to freeze things over was, surprisingly, not known to the wider world.
I gazed at Nailus with eyes stripped of all emotion.
"Do I need to know about that? Or... are you suspecting me?"
Nailus waved his hand dismissively.
"No, nothing like that. It's just that this form of ice has never been seen anywhere in the northern regions before. I was asking if Your Highness might know something about it."
Then, flashing a light smile, he added,
"If that blue ice is truly unknown even to Your Highness... it could be a discovery for the ages."
"Why?"
"Because it bears an uncanny resemblance to the power of spirits—powers that have long since vanished from the world."
"..."
Spirits.
In Until the Ice Flower Melts, spirits came up often.
After all, the heroine Yelena had the ability to commune with them.
But aside from her, no one else in the original story ever crossed paths with a spirit.
'...The Winterguard power was never revealed either.'
Yet Nailus had just said it was similar to a spirit's power...
'Could the Winterguard family's power be tied to spirits somehow?'
It was likely some direct contract with them, or at least indirect support of their strength.
I needed to dig deeper into this.
"And even if it isn't a spirit—if Your Highness orchestrated something yourself... I couldn't care less."
"Why?"
"Because that would mean Your Highness cleaned out the association's trash on my behalf."
As expected of a lead-level character—his capabilities were clearly a cut above that simpleton Gordon.
"Besides, unlike those losers, I can shatter that ice without burning through much mana at all. No humiliation from some frozen trinket for me. I'm a genius, after all!"
"Ha."
Nailus's brazen self-worship drew an involuntary chuckle from me.
Grinning slyly, he rose to his feet. The report was done—it was time to go.
"In any case, please know that our association is eager to keep good relations with Grand Duke."
"Noted."
With that, Nailus departed the mansion.
For a fleeting moment, I wondered what might happen if he ran into Yelena right then, but thankfully, it didn't come to pass.
'...Come to think of it, in the original story, she only took an interest after a specific incident anyway... so it probably would've been fine.'
"...Hoo."
"Well done, Master."
Alf approached with a cup of steaming tea.
I took a sip.
Was it the tea, or the relief of wrapping up that pressing matter?
Either way, strength drained from my body in an instant, heavy fatigue settling in alongside a bone-deep weariness that tugged at my eyelids.
"...I'll turn in right away tonight."
"Understood."
On any other day, I might have pushed through more work before bed...
But my body felt chilled to the core, like the onset of a cold.
I even had a maid light the long-unused fireplace in my room, tossing in fresh logs for good measure.
Was it by Cassius's deliberate choice? His own bedroom lacked one entirely, forcing me to relocate to the previous family head's quarters.
Ever since possessing this body, I'd barely slept at all.
As I entered the late family head couple's room, Alf's eyes inexplicably reddened.
The fireplace's warmth failed to reach the bed, so with no other choice, I dragged my blanket to the sofa right in front of it and lay down.
Soon after settling into the room, I plunged straight into sleep.
Rattle.
Thud. Thud!
Screech...
Creak...
"Oh dear, why did Ulpi suddenly vanish off this way...? What's so special about this room anyway... Huh?"
Lately, Yelena's days had been remarkably fulfilling.
It wasn't just because Cassius had arranged for larger portions at meals.
'It's... the way the servants look at me...'
There was a subtle warmth in their gazes, brimming with kindness.
It had all started right after Cassius gifted her that leather hide, which made her worry they might be laboring under some strange misunderstanding.
But it wasn't a bad thing by any means.
This life was far better than scraping by in her debt-ridden family home. Little by little, Yelena was growing accustomed to it, savoring more happiness than before.
Her recent interests were few and focused.
She hadn't brought much luggage when arriving at the Winterguard estate, so it was somewhat inevitable.
Those interests boiled down to two: her new friend Ulpi, and the mansion's master, Cassius.
Spending days with Ulpi had made one thing clear—he was utterly unlike other spirits she'd known.
The previous ones resembled fully grown animals, moving with deliberate slowness and embodying a serene existence amid their forests, streams, or the earth itself.
Ulpi was different.
Like a newborn pup, he was constantly scampering about.
He'd even bare his teeth and growl at the servants—or Yelena herself—like a bold little puppy oblivious to the terror of a Winter Tiger monster.
Not that anyone else could even see him, of course.
His wildly different demeanor had Yelena treating him like a baby animal in need of rearing, a far cry from her past experiences.
So when Ulpi vanished once more, a worried Yelena roamed the mansion in search of his trail.
'...And then there's Cassius.'
Cassius was a slightly different story.
Rather than seeking him out herself, she naturally picked up news of him simply by staying in the mansion.
Mainly through the servants' chatter.
[Today, the master was desperately looking for Miss Yelena.]
[Eh?! M-Me?! Why, why?!]
[Just teasing. Hehe.]
[...Lucia!!]
There was one particularly wicked maid who loved dishing out gossip, but anyway.
Thanks to that, Yelena stayed informed on Cassius's activities, even though they rarely crossed paths.
'He nearly got scammed by the Mage Association, but ended up getting paid extra and free ice-making services.'
Hearing the sequence of events, it was hard to imagine the madness-afflicted Cassius pulling it off.
Yet everyone—especially Alf, who'd been right there through it all—confirmed it as fact.
Cassius was changing.
The servants felt it too, and talk of him buzzed more than ever before.
"..."
Lost in those thoughts, a certain rumor bubbled up unbidden in Yelena's mind.
The one claiming she had cured Cassius's madness.
She couldn't deny it played a part in the servants' newfound kindness.
"...I didn't do anything."
Far from helping him, she'd only been guarded and hostile.
Yet he'd showered her with extra food, gifted her fine leather, and even instructed the staff to accommodate her.
She pitched in to help the servants in return, but it never felt like she was aiding him directly.
'It sits wrong with me.'
But what could she possibly offer by way of help?
This wasn't some minor viscount heir or ordinary noble—it was the Grand Duke ruling the entire north.
She'd only ever managed her family's finances and debts, excelling at household chores as the daughter of a viscount house.
What use could someone like her be to a Grand Duke?
Her shoulders slumped under the weight of those negative thoughts.
Just then, as she passed down the corridor, a sparkle of blue powder snow caught Yelena's eye.
'...Ulpi!'
Such traces were all but impossible in the mansion's sealed hallways.
Especially with the servants' constant upkeep...
This had to be Ulpi's doing.
Yelena followed the blue powder snow down the hall. She passed a few servants along the way, but as expected, they greeted her without noticing a thing.
After skirting several rooms, she arrived before a door on the third floor.
A faint red glow seeped through the crack—the only light piercing the dim corridor—hinting at a lit fireplace within.
Creak...
"Ulpi... are you... in here...?"
Yelena slipped inside and whispered, glancing around at the opulent interior.
This was no guest room.
"Oh dear, why did Ulpi suddenly vanish off this way...? What's so special about this room anyway... Huh?"
Her eyes landed on a portrait.
It depicted a teenage Cassius alongside a couple.
This was the room once used by Cassius's parents.
"Eek."
Only then did Yelena grasp the room's significance.
Fearing she'd be caught trespassing yet again, she turned to flee.
But she spotted the blue powder snow trailing toward the sofa by the fireplace.
I've got to grab Ulpi and get out fast.
As she pivoted toward the sofa—
"...Huh?"
There lay Cassius.
Ulpi was nestled snugly between the blanket and Cassius's chest, fast asleep—blissfully unaware that Yelena had come searching for him.
'But why is Cassius here...?'
Of course, she knew exactly where his room was.
Lucia and the other servants had drilled it into her.
That's why she'd let her guard down and entered so carelessly...
...never dreaming he'd be sleeping here.
'...Now that I think about it, they said the previous family head couple died in an accident...'
Was that why he was here?
Missing his parents...?
Just then, the sleeping Cassius twitched.
Yelena jolted, thinking he'd woken—but then she caught his murmur and froze.
"Mom... Dad..."
"..."
His face twisted in evident anguish.
In that moment, an inexplicable pang of sympathy washed over Yelena.
And without realizing it...
She reached out.
"Sleep... sleep..."
Her hand rested gently on his cool forehead as she whispered the lullaby her own parents had sung to her in childhood.
Bit by bit, Cassius's expression softened into peace.
Yawn.
Ulpi yawned in sync, and Yelena found herself yawning too.
'...So warm.'
Was it the fireplace, or the thick, plush leather rug beneath her feet?
Yelena felt her eyes growing heavy.
Before she could even register that she needed to leave the room, sleep claimed her softly.