The First Snow
In the Emperor's private office within the imperial palace of the Imperial Capital, the golden-haired ruler sat upon his throne, a urgent missive from the gateway to the North clutched in his hand.
"Hoo."
The corner of the Emperor's mouth curled upward as he read through the letter. "As expected, blood will tell. True to his lowly lineage, that rotten nature of his refuses to freeze solid even in the North."
At the Emperor's murmur, the Imperial Chancellor standing nearby carefully bowed his head. "What troubles you, Your Majesty?"
"It's that bastard Kael. Only a few days since he arrived in the North, and he's already drained the Grand Duchy’s entire budget."
The Emperor tossed the letter toward his chancellor. It detailed how the eighth prince had extorted the North’s finances and ordered a staggering one hundred thousand gold worth of the South’s finest luxury goods and wine.
The chancellor’s eyes widened. "One hundred thousand gold? Such an astronomical sum..."
"And to think he’s pulling this nonsense while food supplies have been completely cut off, leaving them isolated. No doubt that proud Grand Duchess has shed tears of blood and emptied her personal coffers to pay for it."
The Emperor let out a delighted laugh. "Hahaha! Excellent. Precisely as I anticipated."
"But Your Majesty, our imperial knights currently control every road leading to the North. If those wagons contain military supplies or food disguised as luxury items, we should conduct a thorough search..."
"Foolish words!" The Emperor cut him off sharply. "Do you honestly believe that imbecile Kael possesses the wit for such sophisticated deception? He is nothing more than a rutting dog, too busy chasing his own desires."
"However..."
"If we were to stop or seize those luxury wagons, we would be the ones throwing away the chance for him to squander the North’s budget. Send word immediately to the captain of the guard at the northern gateway. The carriages carrying the eighth prince’s belongings are to pass without inspection. Not a single box is to be touched."
The Emperor rested his chin on his hand, sneering as he imagined the frozen North. "The people starving to death in the snow, while a wastrel rolls among every luxury imaginable. What a splendid picture. I’m quite eager to see how long the Grand Duchess can endure without killing that bastard."
- Back in the North. The night before the carriages were due to arrive at the Grand Ducal Castle.
I pulled my robe over my head once more and made my way to the slums on the outskirts of the territory. After giving the now-familiar password and descending into the tavern basement, the familiar scent of incense welcomed me.
"You’re here?"
Viola lay stretched across the sofa, smoking her pipe. Her usual languid demeanor remained, but faint dark circles had settled beneath her eyes—a clear sign of how relentlessly she had worked these past seven days.
I removed my hood and took a seat at the table. "Tomorrow is the promised day. I assume everything is perfectly prepared?"
"Oh my, who do you think you’re speaking to?" Viola tapped out her pipe and sat up. She pulled a thick ledger from beneath the table and slid it toward me. "See for yourself. It’s a masterpiece."
As I opened the ledger, I nearly let out a gasp. "...Huh."
It was flawless. How had she managed such intricate manipulation in only a week?
Seeing my reaction, Viola smiled with satisfaction. "Moving a hundred thousand gold in one lump sum would obviously catch the Imperial Intelligence Bureau’s eye. So I activated fifty separate small organizations under my command."
She flipped through the pages as she explained. "I bought wheat from the back alleys of the southeast Empire, purchased dried meat from nomads in the southwest, and acquired firewood from logging camps in the south. All under different merchant names, broken into tiny fragments."
"And then gathered them in one place."
"Exactly. I funneled everything into a discreet outer harbor, then completely changed the packaging. Paulownia boxes labeled as containing premium southern silk. Crates with golden labels claiming they held century-old wine."
Viola smiled seductively and leaned in close enough that her face hovered beneath my chin. "I even included fake receipts and forged ledgers showing the prince purchased luxury goods. If the Emperor himself examined these books, he’d see nothing but the shopping list of a frivolous prince throwing money at his whims."
I looked at Viola with new eyes. This went far beyond mere competence. For the first time, I truly understood why Kael had relied on her so heavily in the original novel—and why she functioned as a cheat-key character who patched every hole in the plot’s probability.
"Impressive. But how did you get through the imperial gateway?"
Viola grinned. "I didn’t need to. The inspection officers actually cleared the entire path as a free pass. They seem convinced the prince is up to his usual nonsense and decided to help him. Of course, I prepared a separate carriage with actual luxury goods just in case. I’ll retrieve it later, so keep that in mind."
Just as I had predicted. The Emperor would have welcomed the sight of the North’s precious funds being wasted on luxuries with open arms.
With this, I had successfully deceived the imperial eyes and brought food into the North. I closed the ledger with a satisfied smile. "Good work. What’s the schedule for tomorrow?"
"The merchant caravan will pass through the Grand Ducal Castle’s main gate at sunrise." Viola placed the pipe back between her lips and added in her languid, sticky voice, "But the real problem begins then. You know that, right? If the knights or vassals decide to inspect the goods and open even one box... the wheat grains that pour out will end our little performance on the spot."
Her eyes gleamed. "The imperial spies and corrupt nobles planted among them will be watching with hawk-like focus. Prince, are you ready to step into the spotlight?"
"Don’t worry." I let out a small laugh and pulled my hood back up. "Tomorrow morning, divert the cargo immediately to the secret warehouse on the outskirts of the slums as I instructed."
"Understood. Oh, and one more thing." Just as I reached for the door, Viola called out. "Prince."
"What?"
"Tomorrow’s performance... you’ll need to risk your life for it. From what I hear, the Northern Grand Duchess loses all reason when it comes to her people. If she doesn’t know those one hundred thousand gold went toward food and sees a procession of luxury carriages rolling in..."
Viola clicked her tongue in mock pity. "She’ll probably want to draw her sword and sever your head on the spot. Try not to die."
"...I’ll keep that in mind."
Leaving the tavern, I felt cold sweat trickle down my spine at Viola’s warning.
Outside, something cold touched my cheek.
"..."
White snowflakes were beginning to drift down from the sky.
The first snow.
- The first snow in the North had nothing to do with romance.
It was a death sentence, a harbinger of the long season of death to come.
On that morning, thick flurries poured through the ash-gray clouds blanketing the sky. The main gate of the Grand Ducal Castle opened with a thunderous groan.
"W-what in the world is that...!"
The gate guards muttered in voices filled with horror.
What had broken through the blizzard and entered the castle was a procession of dozens of carriages utterly alien to the barren northern landscape. The carriages were draped in the finest southern silk, their wheels and frames gleaming with gold leaf. The very embodiment of luxury and decadence.
As the carriages lined up in the courtyard, the vassals who had rushed out at the news stared in shock.
"W-what are all these?"
"They are the items ordered by His Highness the Eighth Prince. The finest wines, silk carpets, and various luxury goods..."
"Ugh...!"
Godwin, the finance minister, collapsed to the ground, wailing as though he might cough up blood. The one hundred thousand gold—squeezed from the Grand Duchess’s own blood-like funds at a time when the people might freeze to death tonight—had returned as nothing but a pile of useless garbage. The vassals fell into despair.
"..."
Among them, Giselle emerged wearing a cloak. Without bothering to brush the white snow from her shoulders, she gazed down at the opulent carriages with ice-cold eyes. It was as if those luxury goods were sneering at the start of a winter that would starve her people to death.
"Oh! They’ve finally arrived! My lovely darlings!"
I shattered the heavy atmosphere with an exaggerated cry. Fluttering my fox-fur coat and humming a cheerful tune, I made my entrance.
"Wow, they packaged these beautifully. Let’s see... Are these the carpets meant to decorate my room?"
I ignored the murderous glares from the vassals and approached the carriages. I could feel several corrupt nobles—clearly imperial spies—watching me from a distance and laughing mockingly.
‘The prince has finally squandered all the North’s money.’ That’s what they were thinking. A perfect development.
But then—
"You... bastard!!!"
The one-eyed old knight commander, Hexion, drew his sword in a fury. Reason had already fled from his gaze.
"You squeezed the lifeblood from our people just to buy this trash?! Even if I am executed for treason today, I will destroy every last one of these luxuries and take your head!"
Hexion charged toward the carriages with terrifying momentum.
Hey! No!
His sword was aimed at the paulownia box at the very front. If that box split open, the wheat and smoked meat inside would spill across the ground. My entire plan to smuggle food disguised as luxury goods would collapse instantly!
"Stop, Hexion!" Giselle shouted desperately, but the knight’s sword was already swinging down.
Without a moment to think, I threw myself forward.
Thud!
"Keuk!"
I kicked Hexion square in the solar plexus just as he prepared to swing. Though he was an old knight, he commanded the North’s elite order. His rock-hard muscles nearly shattered my ankle, but I clenched my teeth and continued the villain’s performance.
"How dare you lay those filthy hands on my belongings!"
Fortunately, the angle sent Hexion sprawling. I glared down at him as though ready to stomp him into the ground and roared with feigned rage. "These are my possessions! Property of the eighth prince of the Empire and a matter of imperial dignity! You dare raise a blade against what belongs to me?! The next person who touches my things will have their entire family executed for three generations on charges of insulting the royal family and committing treason!"
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Hexion bit his lip in fury while Giselle’s fists trembled violently.
Phew. That took ten years off my life. I seemed to be breaking into cold sweat more often these days.
At last, one of Viola’s subordinates—hood pulled low—stepped forward and played along. "Y-Your Highness! Please calm yourself. We mustn’t damage the texture of the finest silk."
He bowed exaggeratedly. "Moreover, this northern citadel is far too cold and damp. Leave the goods here too long and mold may set in. You must take special care with their storage..."
"Ah, now that you mention it, that’s true." I clicked my tongue and frowned. "I can’t possibly entrust my precious belongings to these barbaric northerners. Who knows when they might draw their swords and smash everything again?"
I waved my hand and issued the command. "Turn the carriages around! I scouted a suitable location a few days ago. I’ve emptied the entire warehouse, so move all the cargo there. My private soldiers will guard it thoroughly so these fools never lay eyes on it."
"U-understood, Your Highness! We’ll redirect the carriages at once!"
Viola’s men moved with perfect coordination, turning the procession around. The knights and vassals of the Grand Duchy never got the chance to inspect a single box. Crushed beneath imperial authority, they could only watch with tears of blood as the glittering carriages left the castle once more.
Whew.
I had successfully diverted the cargo. Both the imperial surveillance network and the northern vassals’ suspicions had been avoided.
"...Kael."
When I turned, Giselle was standing right before me. Her eyes burned with hatred and contempt.
"You... are worse than a beast."
"..."
"Even knowing that the lives of my people are tied to those goods. Even while fully aware that naked children are dying in this bitter cold as snow falls."
Her voice shook—with the helplessness of a ruler unable to protect her subjects, and with pure rage directed at me. "Remember this. The screams of the people freezing to death in that snowy field will echo in your ears like a curse for the rest of your life. In every single moment you draw breath, I pray those vengeful spirits strangle your throat."
"Those screams would make quite an excellent lullaby," I replied with a shrug. "In that case, Your Grace, why don’t you continue worrying about your freezing people? I must go tend to my lovely belongings."
Without looking back, I walked out of the courtyard humming a tune. Behind me, I could feel the murderous intent and disgust stabbing into my skin like needles.
Later. Curse me all you want later. Just endure it for now.
- That night, in an old warehouse on the outskirts of the nearly deserted slums.
Mercenaries hired by Viola stood guard outside. Relying on a single candle, I entered the warehouse alone.
Inside were the same ornate paulownia boxes that had entered the Grand Ducal Castle that morning, now piled high like a mountain.
I grabbed a crowbar and pried open the lid of the foremost box.
Creak... Bang!
The tightly sealed lid came free. When I lifted away the layer of premium silk, a rich, savory aroma filled the air. Wheat.
I opened the rest of the boxes one by one. Thick slabs of salted smoked meat, potato seeds that could grow even in barren soil, and high-quality firewood capable of withstanding the bitter cold filled the warehouse to the brim.
"Ha. It really is a work of art."
She truly had done an excellent job.
I scooped up a handful of wheat grains. The feeling of them slipping through my fingers brought back Giselle’s curse from earlier that day.
In every single moment you draw breath, I pray those vengeful spirits strangle your throat.
"...So what if I get cursed a little?"
I stared at the grains in my fist and smiled bitterly. "With this, I can save all your people."
Giselle would handle subjugating the demonic beasts. I would handle feeding and saving the people. That was how a husband and wife divided their roles.
Of course, all these achievements would remain secret. Tomorrow and the day after, I would still be called the Empire’s trash bastard.
In the dark warehouse, surrounded by a mountain of food crates, I prepared alone for the winter to come.