Chapter 227: The Prince's Kiss on Snow White
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 227: The Prince's Kiss on Snow White
If there is a god, it's Mirabelle. If there are miracles, I believe they're called magic.
Because otherwise, it would be impossible not to feel even a hint of cold in these thin clothes while in Eisengar, a land of permafrost.
It was all thanks to Mirabelle's magic.
Water, cleaning, sleeping pillows, even hand warmers.
‘If I were to become president, I'd supply one Mirabelle to every household.’
My election would be a sure thing.
“Master, this city is so pretty!”
Having arrived at the entrance to the Freezian Kingdom, Mirabelle bounced around, stomping in the snow.
Alfia, having been here once before, seemed unimpressed. Elize, who adored children, watched Mirabelle with a gentle gaze.
Rin, on the other hand, wore a disgruntled expression.
“So this is where that princess or whatever who stole Master from Rin is, right? Just let me at her.”
I tuned out Rin’s grumbling and led the group into the kingdom.
Countless ice statues greeted us, looking as if they could come to life at any moment.
‘I heard about this from Alfia, but I didn't expect it to be on this scale.’
The kingdom, which had been empty on my last visit, was now filled with ice statues, making it look like a land of snow and ice. The kingdom, which already felt like a fairy tale, had become even more so.
And inside that castle, Azyeth, completely lost in her fairy tale, was supposedly sleeping soundly, waiting for her prince to arrive.
But it seemed Azyeth wasn't the only one lost in a fairy tale.
The ground trembled.
“Who dares set their filthy feet in this kingdom!”
A dragon was perched on the spire of the castle where Azyeth was sleeping.
If a princess is trapped in a castle, it's a classic trope for a dragon to guard it, preventing anyone from approaching.
The Ice Dragon Skadia.
Though it had been defeated after its vital point was struck by Azyeth, it was still one of the primordial dragons of old.
Unable to die so easily, Skadia had taken refuge in Azyeth's body, which was imbued with a blessing.
It was shameful for a dragon to have to parasitize a mere human body, but the fact that it was Azyeth changed its perspective.
The most beautiful woman in the world, as acknowledged by the magic mirror. A chance to be with its favorite idol?
Even better.
Skadia, who had been biding its time and indulging its selfish desires within Azyeth's body, awoke when she fell asleep.
It didn't like the idea of the princess waiting for a prince, but conversely, if it could just stop that so-called prince from coming, wouldn't the princess ultimately belong to it?
A paradigm shift.
Skadia took on the role of the dragon guarding the princess.
No one can stop me.
“Come, if you dare! Unless you defeat me, no one shall approach the princess!”
“Hey, is that a lizard?”
“What insignificant creature dares call me, the Ice Dragon Skadia, a lizard!”
Skadia let out a series of mighty dragon roars as it spotted Karami's party walking far below on the ground.
The sight of Karami alone made its blood boil, as if it would turn from an Ice Dragon into a Flame Dragon.
The problem was, right now, it barely even noticed him.
Next to him were four women.
“It was you! You're the one who spied on Rin!”
“Ah, so it was this mutt? I wasn't in my right mind back then, so I thought I'd imagined it.”
Rin pointed a finger at Skadia.
At her words, Alfia’s memory was also jogged.
Elize, who didn't know the full story, tilted her head.
“Did something happen?”
“There was a being who used a magic tool called the Magic Mirror to spy on us. That's the dragon.”
Skadia had once asked the Magic Mirror about ‘the most beautiful woman in the world’ in its search for Azyeth.
Three of the four women who had appeared then were standing right there. It had been so startled by their immense auras that it had shattered the mirror.
And now, there was another woman who hadn't appeared in the mirror but possessed a similar power.
They were certainly beautiful.
Enough to make it momentarily reconsider its favorite.
But Skadia shook off the distracting thoughts. Its devotion was to Azyeth, and Azyeth alone.
“I know not with what confidence you've come here, but if you do not turn back, I shall take your souls and—!”
“Shut up and get over here.”
“What did you say?”
“My neck hurts from looking up. Get down here. Do my words mean nothing to you?”
“I-I am the Ice Dragon Skadia…”
“Do not raise your voice so carelessly in front of the Master.”
Skadia slowly descended, meekly lowering its neck before Karami and sitting down obediently.
“Human, what business do you have in this kingdom?”
“That's no way to address the Master.”
“…For what reason have you come to the kingdom, sir?”
“I've come to pick up my slave.”
“How dare an insignificant creature like you call the princess a slave! I knew I didn't like you from the start. I'll turn you to ice, body and soul, and crunch you to bits…”
Behind him, the four slaves emanated a murderous aura, their gazes fixed on the dragon.
Feeling something strange, Karami glanced back, only to see them treating him with the gentlest smiles, as if nothing had happened.
The moment he turned away, they once again unleashed their ferocious auras, pressuring Skadia.
Faced with four beings, any one of whom would be a handful, Skadia was nothing more than a pet lizard. It immediately cowered.
“B-But the princess is sleeping right now…”
“That's why I'm here to wake her up. So, would you mind stepping aside?”
“Well, that is…”
“That's right, Darling. You go on ahead. In the meantime, we'll be here… educating this winged lizard.”
Alfia said with a bright smile, stroking Skadia's face.
“Oh. Would you do that for me?”
“N-No, I shall personally guide him. So please, take them with you.”
“I already know the layout, so that won't be necessary. I'll be back, so please wait here for a bit.”
Karami ignored Skadia's desperate pleas, which were unbecoming of its size, and headed for the castle. Skadia tried to follow but was immediately stopped.
Alfia and Rin's lips curled into smiles.
“You're in for it now. We were getting bored.”
*
Karami walked deeper into the castle, observing the changes.
People sculpted from ice were attending to their duties. Despite being made of ice, they exuded a cozy and warm atmosphere.
Cold on the outside, warm on the inside—just like Azyeth. Perhaps this was the kingdom Azyeth dreamed of.
Karami didn't dally, heading straight for the princess's room where Azyeth would be.
And just as he expected, there was Azyeth, lying neatly on the bed. The moment he saw her, his chest tightened, and he forced out a breath.
He sat on the edge of the bed where Azyeth lay.
“What do you think you're doing? I went through all that trouble to free you, and here you are, just sleeping. I came back right away as promised, so stop sleeping and get up.”
He tried speaking to her and gently poking her cheek, just in case, but she didn't stir.
He placed a hand near her nose; she wasn't breathing. Her body, devoid of any warmth, was as cold as ice.
She was in a state of cryosleep, no different from being dead.
Even knowing she could be woken, his troubled heart wouldn't settle easily. An uncomfortable feeling lingered in a corner of his mind.
It felt different from when she was sealed by Skadia. This wasn't done by someone else; it was her own choice.
Azyeth, Alfia.
Mirabelle, Rin.
And Narsha, too.
He could understand their desire to be with him, but he still wasn't sure if it was worth putting themselves through such hardship.
That was something he'd have to discuss with the girls.
But first, he had to wake Azyeth.
Azyeth didn't respond to his calls or touches. Suddenly, a fairy tale book on the nightstand caught his eye.
It was open to a scene where the prince, having found the sleeping Snow White, breaks her curse with a kiss.
There was no way it was open to this page by chance. There were even traces of ice used to hold the page in place.
A message she wanted to convey to Karami when he eventually returned.
Her wish.
What she wanted him to do.
“Miss Azyeth, you may be lost in your fairy tales, but that prince is a wicked man. To touch a sleeping princess's body without her permission… A gentleman like myself could never imagine such a thing.”
“…”
“Besides, I'm not a prince, I'm your Master, remember?”
But even as he said this, Azyeth didn't wake up. It was as if she was insisting there was only one way to rouse her.
What an impudent slave.
To threaten her master with her own life.
This left him no choice.
He'd have a firm word with her when she woke up.
Karami leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, as light as a petal's touch.
Chu.
And then, like spring melting the snow after a long winter, the curse slowly began to dissolve.
Just like a scene from a fairy tale.
The corners of Azyeth's unmoving eyes trembled faintly, and then, her eyelids slowly lifted.
Revealing pupils as blue as winter.
“Did you sleep well?”
The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Karami's smiling face.
And the faint, yet distinct, sensation remaining on her lips.
Azyeth's lips curved into a faint smile.
“Mhm…”
“I've come for you. Let's get up.”
Azyeth didn't get up.
She simply stretched out her arms, asking to be coddled.
Her childish behavior drew a wry smile from Karami, but he reluctantly took her hands.
Just as he was thinking the scene felt somehow familiar, Azyeth pulled on his hands and drew him into her arms.
She held him tight, her arms strong, making sure he couldn't escape.
“Miss Azyeth?”
Karami called her name, but Azyeth didn't answer. With her eyes closed, she quietly savored his warmth.
A heat so intense it felt like it could burn her.
Yes… she couldn't live without this warmth.
After sending Karami away, she had realized it with painful clarity. Without him, she was nothing more than a snowman.
She would never let him go again.
To make sure he wouldn't leave her side, she had to convey her feelings properly.
Azyeth brought her lips to Karami's ear. In a tiny, breathy whisper that tickled his ear, she murmured.
“I… love you. Very… much…”
Karami shivered as the sensation of her voice seeped through his ear and into his entire body.
For a moment, he had the illusion that his soul was being captured by her voice.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case.
“What's this, all of a sudden? I'm also very fond of you, Miss Azyeth.”