Side Story 4

The weather was cool. Karina dressed warmly and boarded the carriage. Just as they were about to depart, hurried footsteps approached, and something hit the window.

“No! I can’t let you go!”

Asillis cried out, scratching at the window.

“Honey! What kind of disgrace is this?!”

“Disgrace or not, I can’t! She’s my precious daughter who I’ve raised so dearly…!”

Laura, who had followed him out, grabbed her foolish husband by the back of his neck and pulled him away from the carriage.

“I’m sorry, Karina. Please understand.”

Karina smiled bitterly. There was no need for understanding—it was a reaction she had expected.

Thinking back to how he reacted when the news was first delivered, her father being unusually quiet that morning seemed even stranger.

It had taken Karina a full three and a half months to gain permission for her and Noah to go to the North.

The first month was spent dragging her father out of his room, as he refused to even speak to her. The remaining time was filled with endless persuasion and conflict.

Even her mother, Laura, wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea, so Karina had to put in extraordinary effort to finally gain their consent.

“Father. I’ll be leaving now.”

“Sniff… No, you can’t, you just can’t…”

“Get up already.”

Was this how it felt to leave worried parents behind?

It was heartbreaking, but she had to go. Ignoring her father, who was pounding the ground and crying, Karina spoke coldly.

“Please depart.”

Even as the carriage exited the Duke’s residence, Asillis’s wailing echoed through the garden.

Before long, the carriage entered the mountain road leading out of the capital.

‘How is Noah doing?’

Karina gazed out the window, lost in thought.

A few days ago, an incident had occurred in a village near the Icra Snowfield, where they were headed. Outsiders were oppressing the remaining residents, seizing their property.

According to Charlotte, their true goal seemed to be driving the residents out and taking over the land.

‘I can’t let this happen. I’m sorry, Noah, but you’ll have to go ahead without me.’

‘What about you?’

At the time, Karina had just managed to gain her parents’ permission, so everyone was worried about her. However, Karina didn’t feel particularly upset. She was planning to head there soon anyway, so traveling separately wasn’t a big issue.

‘Are you really okay? Really? Not even a little upset?’

Noah, on the other hand, seemed more upset about it.

In any case, Noah had departed about two weeks earlier than Karina.

Considering the difference in travel time, they would arrive roughly two weeks and a few days apart.

“I’m curious… I hope I get there soon.”

The time suddenly felt long. Karina leaned against the window and closed her eyes.

***

“Phew, it’s cold.”

Karina stepped out of the carriage, wrapped in a thick coat.

From the moment they entered the Northern region, simply wearing warm clothes wasn’t enough to fend off the cold.

“Miss!”

“Becky.”

Becky, who had been riding in another carriage, hurried over to Karina and handed her something.

“Here’s a hand warmer. There are plenty, so put them in your pockets and inside your clothes.”

“It’s fine. It’s not that cold.”

Even as Karina declined, Becky stubbornly stuffed a dozen hand warmers into her pockets. Her determination was as firm as when she insisted on accompanying Karina to the North.

“What about Edel?”

“He’s asleep. I think the cold is making him sleepier than usual.”

“Miss, it’s cold. You should head inside the castle.”

In the distance, a castle came into view. Guided by knights, Karina and Becky made their way to the entrance.

The castle, situated between the Icra Snowfield and the village, was as grand as the capital’s palace.

The gray bricks gave it a cold appearance, but the interior was far from unwelcoming.

Among the servants, who seemed to have already adapted, Karina spotted a familiar face.

“Welcome, future Imperial Princess.”

“Sir Baine. It’s been a while.”

It was Baine, his stern expression unchanged.

Originally, Charlotte was supposed to come, but Karina had heard that she refused.

‘She said she’d rather leave the Imperial Palace altogether than travel with those two.’

It was a desperate struggle, in its own way. Feeling a bit guilty, Karina smiled at Baine.

The reunion was brief, as one of the two people responsible for Charlotte’s declaration of defiance appeared.

“Miss! You’re finally here?”

Kaya entered through the castle gates, waving at Karina.

“Where are you coming from?”

“The village. I went to distribute some daily necessities to the residents.”

Now that she looked closely, Kaya was carrying a large bundle over her shoulder. It seemed she was actively working in the area.

Just as Karina felt a sense of pride, Baine gestured, as if he was used to this.

“Sir Kaya. Hand over that bundle.”

“This? It’s just some old clothes I’m going to throw away.”

“……”

“……Ugh, you caught me.”

Her diligence didn’t last even five seconds. Kaya grumbled as she set the bundle down. Inside were various trinkets and snacks she had received from the residents.

“I told you not to accept these things from the residents.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do when they insist on giving me gifts…?”

Still, most of the snacks were just candies or leftover treats.

“Wow, this is so unfair. Lady, don’t misunderstand. The food and supplies we gave them are way more than this, okay?”

Karina patted Kaya’s shoulder to calm her down.

In the end, Kaya had to surrender all the gifts she had received from the residents before entering the castle.

“His Higheness is currently in the village.”

As Karina was about to follow Kaya, Baine relayed the message.

“Aren’t you going to see him?”

There was a subtle sense of urgency in his tone. Karina glanced up at the castle and smiled softly.

“Of course I will.”

***

Karina walked over the snow-covered ground. It was her first time visiting this place since last winter.

‘This is the Icra Snowfield.’

Back then, she had only looked at it with Noah.

When she saw the vast expanse of the snowfield, it felt as though her heart had frozen. At the time, she couldn’t bring herself to step onto it, but now, she was finally walking across it, step by step.

“Are you cold?”

Noah asked from behind. Karina turned around and shook her head.

He stood on the white snowfield, looking at Karina, appearing more at ease than when he interacted with the villagers in the village.

“You look colder than I am. Here, take this hand warmer.”

“I’m fine.”

It wasn’t just a polite refusal—Karina could tell he meant it. But she walked over to Noah and placed the hand warmer in his hand.

“You’re cold.”

Only then did Noah accept the hand warmer and put it in his pocket.

The two of them held hands, warmed by the hand warmer, and walked endlessly across the snowfield.

“Is it okay to go this far?”

“It’s fine. We can get back to the village quickly.”

“It doesn’t seem that quick to me.”

“Now that you mention it, it does feel a bit far.”

Despite his words, Karina had no intention of stopping either.

If anything, she wanted to keep walking like this forever.

“How do you feel after looking around? You’re going to be the Lord of this land soon.”

She asked playfully, and a faint smile appeared on Noah’s lips.

“Well… I’m not sure. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”

That was understandable. Becoming the owner of this vast snowfield overnight was no small matter.

Soon, a village would be built here, and people would begin to settle and live. Thinking about walking through such a space gave her a strange feeling.

Karina rubbed her arms, which had goosebumps. Before she could let go of his hand, Noah asked her with concern.

“Should we head back if it’s too cold?”

“No. It’s not because of the cold.”

She waved her hand to show she was fine, but Noah kept glancing toward the village.

Well, they couldn’t stay out here forever. Karina stretched out her hand and spoke.

“Then let’s walk to that hill over there and head back.”

It was a compromise of sorts. Noah agreed and started walking again. Since it was just a small hill, they arrived quickly. Noah, who reached the top first, turned around as if to say they should head back now.

“We’re already here. I wasn’t mentally prepared for this.”

Noah looked puzzled. Karina took a deep breath and stepped up.

“Give me your hand.”

She pulled out a ring she had hidden in her pocket and slipped it onto Noah’s finger.

It was a simple silver ring, with no elaborate decorations, just a small gem in the center.

It was actually a ring Karina had prepared before Noah proposed to her.

‘I may have lost the initiative, but it doesn’t matter.’

Karina cleared her throat lightly and held Noah’s hand as she spoke.

“Will you marry me, Your Highness?”

She mimicked Noah’s tone from before and smiled. After a long silence, Noah lifted his head. Just as the lack of a response was about to make things awkward, Noah cupped Karina’s cheek in his hand. Without warning, he kissed her. In the biting cold air, their warm breaths mingled. Karina closed her eyes and grabbed Noah’s collar.

The kiss felt cold yet melting at the same time.

When Noah finally pulled away, he rested his face against Karina’s neck.

“I… I don’t know how to respond to this.”

His tone was confused, but oddly enough, there was no hesitation or doubt in it.

Karina simply hugged him and whispered softly.

“Just say you like it, that you’ll do it.”

That was all she wanted to hear.

Noah remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.

“That feels like too simple of an answer…”

“Then is it a no?”

“Of course not. I like it. I’d be happy enough to die right now.”

The sincerity in his words made Karina burst into laughter.

Their second kiss was filled with nothing but happiness and joy.