Chapter 31

This is the last chapter of the special short story for the manga release.

The cold air stung her skin. On her way back from her mission, she rubbed her numb hands together and walked.

From the gray sky that covered the entire sky, large snowflakes began to fall gently.

"Wow, it's starting to snow."

Fiona held out her hands in front of her and smiled. For her, snow was a rare sight. In the Empire, where the temperature never dropped below 5°C, she had never seen it before, and this was the first time she had seen it since coming to the Kingdom.

Her heart leapt with joy, and she walked down the forest path with a light step. Her sky-blue hair, loosely braided, swayed gently with her lively movements.

"Ugh, this is the worst. Why is it snowing now..."

"Let's get back quickly. It's too cold!"

Graham and Muriel, who had been on the mission with her, grumbled with frowns. Fiona turned to their disgruntled voices.

"Do you two dislike the snow?"

"I don't just dislike it; I'm generally bad with the cold. It's not like it's anything new, either."

"I don't like getting caught in it outside either. I enjoy looking at it from inside, though."

"I see..."

Fiona felt a bit down, realizing she couldn't share her joy with them.

Still, she couldn't help but feel happy as the snow continued to fall from the sky.

When they arrived at the station, Graham headed to the captain's office to report.

"Ugh, it's so cold. Let's go get some hot milk."

"Okay."

Fiona rubbed her arms and walked to the cafeteria with Muriel, who was huddled up. Inside the cafeteria, a few knights and mages were on break, and the cafeteria lady was waiting with a cheerful smile at the counter.

"Good work. I'll get you something warm right away."

"I'll have hot milk, please."

"Sure thing. Fiona, do you want something sweet? I can make you hot cocoa."

"Wow, thank you, ma'am."

After a short wait, they both received steaming cups.

They sat side by side at a counter seat by the window and took a sip of their warm drinks. The cold in their bodies gradually warmed up, and they sighed in relief as they gazed out the window.

The snow fell continuously, melting and disappearing on the ground.

"It melts so quickly..."

"It's because the snow has a lot of moisture. But if it keeps up like this, it might start to accumulate soon."

"Really? I'm looking forward to it."

Fiona's heart swelled with excitement at the thought of a snowy white world the next day.

They spent some time leisurely watching the snowfall, enjoying light conversation and their drinks. The snow was starting to accumulate as Muriel had predicted.

"I'm going to head back now, but don't stay out too long."

"Okay."

After a proper break, the two of them parted ways at the cafeteria. Muriel headed for the stairs to return to her room, while Fiona stepped back outside and walked toward the courtyard.

The ground was completely covered in snow, and with each step, a slight squishing sound could be heard.

"Wow..."

Excited by the indescribable sensation, her cheeks flushed as she walked through the courtyard.

The familiar scenery she usually walked through looked completely different. It felt fresh and new.

"Wow...!"

The bench she usually sat on was now a white bench. Just seeing that made her heart overflow with emotion.

She gathered the snow on the bench into a ball, pressing it tightly. Not satisfied with just that, she collected more snow from around and pressed it together. Finally, she managed to make a palm-sized ball and smiled.

She gathered more snow from different places, made another ball, and stacked them together, embedding stones she found for the eyes.

She was so engrossed in making small snowmen and lining them up on the bench that she didn't notice a figure in black walking toward her through the white landscape.

"...Ah, Matthias."

Fiona waved with her nose red from the cold. She wanted him to see the cute snowmen she had made. However, Matthias frowned, looking angry. Fiona's smile faded.

"...What are you doing?"

His voice was low and exasperated. It was clear he was not in a good mood, and Fiona looked up at him, slightly lowering her head.

"Well, I was just playing in the snow..."

She answered hesitantly, but he responded with a deep sigh.

"Can't you use magic to keep yourself dry? Why are you so wet?"

His words made her realize how wet her hair and pants were. She had been so engrossed that she had forgotten to put on the hood of her water-resistant robe. The parts of her clothes not covered by the robe were soaked, and her fingertips were turning purple.

Ah, she realized, Matthias was angry because he was worried about her health. Fiona undid her hair and used magic to create warm air, enveloping her body.

She spread the warm air evenly over her hair and clothes, drying them off. Once thoroughly dry, she put on the hood of her robe and looked up at Matthias.

"I'm all dry now."

She spoke hesitantly, and Matthias's frown softened slightly. He still looked exasperated but gently patted her head.

"Alright, let's go back to your room."

"Okay."

"I'll go get some drinks first. What would you like?"

"Um, can I have hot cocoa?"

"Sure. Do you want it sweet?"

"Yes, please. Thank you."

She answered with a full smile, and Matthias's expression finally softened.

They walked back to the building together, and Fiona headed to her room first. She was told to warm up the room, so she turned on the heater, changed into warm clothes, and curled up on the sofa under a blanket while waiting.

A few minutes later, she welcomed Matthias into her room, and they started their tea time.

"You know, I made my first snowmen today."

"Ah, those on the bench, right?"

"Yes. I want to make more tomorrow and play with someone, but Muriel and Graham said they don't like the cold. Would it be a bother to ask someone else?"

"Let's play together tomorrow. I think anyone who wants to play will come over on their own."

"Really? Great. Thank you, Matthias."

They talked about what to play and enjoyed their tea time.

"I have some business to attend to now, so I'll leave. Make sure to stay warm."

Matthias wrapped Fiona, who was sitting on the sofa, in the blanket and kissed her cheek.

"Hehe..."

"Ugh..."

Though he was reluctant to leave, he had to go because the king had called him. Matthias left the room with a lingering look.

Fiona decided to spend the rest of the day quietly in her warm room. She read a book and dozed off, eventually falling asleep. When she woke up, the room was already dark, so she decided to go to the cafeteria for dinner.

"Ah-choo!"

As she stepped out of her room, she shivered at the cold air. She had put on a thick scarf, but it was still cold. She felt a bit sluggish but went down the stairs and made her way to the cafeteria.

Not feeling very hungry, she ordered vegetable soup and a small bread roll and had dinner with Matthias and her friends, who joined her later.

After finishing her meal, Matthias escorted her back to her room.

"Try to get to bed early tonight."

"Okay. Good night."

She said good night, snuggling up to Matthias's chest. He hugged her tightly, and she let out a groan from the force before he let her go.

***

"Looks like she's come down with a cold..."

The next day in the cafeteria, Matthias sighed deeply after receiving a report from Rayla that Fiona had caught a cold.

(No wonder, with how wet she was.)

He had expected this might happen. Fortunately, her fever wasn't too high, and she didn't show severe cold symptoms. She should be fine if she rested properly.

Looking out the window, he saw a thin layer of clouds covering the sky. The snow had stopped, but a snowy white world spread out. Most missions were postponed on days like this, and only a few knights and mages went on patrol in nearby areas or towns. Many had the day off.

In the courtyard, knights were already playing in the snow. Their joyful laughter would surely reach Fiona's room.

(She must be disappointed that she can't play... But there's nothing to be done.)

It was unfortunate, but it was her own fault for neglecting her health. Rayla and Nina said they would take care of her, so he decided to check on her.

He brought some jelly, intending to take care of her a bit, and made his way to Fiona's room.

"What is this...?"

He frowned at the note on the door.

The sign, "Matthias: No Entry," was written in Rayla's familiar, beautiful handwriting.

With such a clear prohibition, he hesitated to even knock. As he leaned against the wall, Rayla arrived.

"What's going on here?"

"It means exactly what it says. She's embarrassed and doesn't want to be seen in bed. Give up."

"..."

Rayla held out her hand, and Matthias silently handed over the jelly. He turned back down the corridor, his figure exuding a sense of melancholy.

He was disappointed. It was nice to be embarrassed, but he wanted to take care of her, even a little. He wanted to feed her the jelly himself.

He muttered his frustration to himself as he walked down the stairs and out into the snow, passing by the knights who were playing like children.

At lunchtime, Matthias inquired about Fiona's condition from Nina and Muriel, who were taking care of her.

"She was disappointed that she couldn't play in the snow."

"Well, there's nothing to be done. Hopefully, the snow will still be around when she gets better."

"I see..."

Looking out the window, he saw the bright sun shining through the clouds. If it stayed sunny, the snow would melt by evening.

After lunch, Matthias took a bucket to the courtyard and collected the beautiful, untouched snow.

When the bucket was full, he thought about it.

(...Even if I bring this to her, she can't play with it.)

She needed to rest. If she got excited and started playing, it wouldn't be a proper get-well gift.

──Then, I'll make something she can enjoy just by looking at it.

He recalled the scene from the previous day as he looked at the snow-covered bench.

***

"Here, from Matthias."

"Wow... they're so cute."

Fiona's face lit up when Rayla, who had come to check on her, placed the tray on the side table.

Small snowmen, a snow rabbit, and a snow cat were arranged on the tray.

"The room is warm, so they'll melt quickly, but he wanted you to enjoy them for a while."

The cute snow creations were placed on a deep tray to prevent them from melting into water. Fiona gazed at them on the side table.

The snow rabbit had leaf ears and small red berries for eyes. The snow cat had thin branches for whiskers and bluish stones for eyes, showing a lot of effort.

Though a bit lopsided, they were clearly made with the intention to be as cute as possible, exuding a charming cuteness.

"Matthias made these, right?"

"Yes, it seems so."

Imagining Matthias diligently making these cute creations in the snow, he seemed almost adorable. Fiona and Rayla shared the same image and giggled.

It was a shame that such a lovely gift would melt. Fiona held out her right hand.

She levitated the snow creations with a gentle wind and created a thick layer of ice on top of the tray. She slowly lowered them and formed a thin ice wall around them.

"...You, as always, are incredibly fast."

Rayla was amazed at the speed of the magic and worried if it was okay to report this to Matthias. Even though Fiona was lying in bed, using magic continuously wouldn't allow her to rest properly.

"Enjoy looking at them, but make sure to rest. Absolutely no prolonged use of magic."

"Understood."

After making the agreement, Rayla left the room. Fiona continued to gaze at the gift from Matthias.

"Hehe..."

She couldn't stop imagining Matthias diligently making the snowmen, and her face relaxed into a smile.

She regularly renewed the thin ice wall. She wanted to keep looking at them, but she needed to rest to prevent her symptoms from worsening, even with a slight fever.

To prevent them from melting while she slept, she created a ten-centimeter thick ice wall around the thin ice wall and covered it with a layer of earth. This way, the snow inside wouldn't melt.

Feeling satisfied, she decided to enjoy them again when she woke up and fell asleep.

The next day, she was back to a normal temperature and could walk to the cafeteria on her own. She carried the tray from her room, holding it happily, and Matthias looked at her with a complex expression.

"You brought it..."

"Yes, it's important to me."

"I see..."

"I only used a thick layer of ice to cover them when I wasn't looking, so I didn't use much magic."

"I see. That's good, but..."

Rayla had warned him, so he thought she would follow the instructions. He didn't expect the snow creations to still be in the same condition as when he gave them to her.

The snow creations he made were now in an ice showcase, treated like a treasure. It was heartwarming but also incredibly embarrassing.

"Hey, Fiona, what's that? Snowmen?"

"Wow, they're being treated so carefully."

"Matthias made them for me."

"Really... Wait, Matthias did!?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Wow... Matthias did..."

Every time passing knights and mages noticed and asked, Fiona answered with a full smile.

Each time, Matthias received warm looks.

(If she's happy, that's all that matters...)

It was definitely the most important thing, but it was still quite embarrassing.

Despite feeling a bit like torture, he decided to endure it for Fiona's happiness and managed to get through it.

***