Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Though the mages had put in considerable effort, my right arm showed no significant improvement.
The only relief was that the cold hadn’t spread beyond my shoulder. But rather than being contained by magic, it felt more like… Nox simply had no desire for it to spread any further.
Still, I was managing.
I spent more time as a hamster than as a human, and even when I did stay human, I barely needed to use my right arm thanks to Kyle’s attentive care. As long as I didn’t force myself to move, the numbness was tolerable.
“How about a meal, Your Highness?”
“I was just about to eat.”
At this hour? The other knights had already eaten and were likely loitering around the kitchen, looking for snacks.
I narrowed my eyes at him, and Kyle gave a sheepish smile before pressing a kiss to my forehead.
“I was waiting for you to wake up. Took care of some paperwork in the meantime.”
“If you say so.”
For the past ten days, Kyle had lived as if it were a hundred.
Before the full force of winter set in, he increased trade with the Castanets merchant group. They stockpiled necessities by selling materials from beast hunts, ores from the mines, and finely crafted armor and ornaments made by northern artisans.
On top of that, he tackled the long-pending issues of refugees and exiles while examining which crops could still be cultivated in the few unfrozen patches of land. Beast meat was salted and stored, and warehouse supplies were distributed to the poor.
“We don’t know what’s coming. Make sure everyone stays alert.”
At the same time, he prepared for the unknown danger looming ten days ahead. Northern forces, centered around the Blake Order of Knights, made thorough defensive preparations to protect the territory.
Fighting off beast hordes and rogue mage factions from lawless zones had always been their duty. They guarded the walls with solemn determination and trained diligently.
Under normal circumstances, I would have thrown myself into the fray—practicing archery or horseback riding, at the very least…
‘Right now, staying put is the best help I can give.’
I was a self-aware, well-behaved hamster. Just loafing around within Kyle’s line of sight was already a contribution.
Of course, I wasn’t completely idle. I helped Kyle process paperwork, ensured he didn’t push himself too hard, and ran small errands.
Maybe it was thanks to the solid efforts surrounding Kyle that things held out longer than expected.
[Current Miracle Value: 76.8%]
The sharp increase in my miracle value alone was enough to reassure me.
We had long passed the point in the original story where Kyle was supposed to die. Belial was still alive. James had survived. Nox and Lorenz were still scheming, but neither had lost their power base or ended up completely isolated.
James returning alive from the Shin Gwangsan expedition had even raised the miracle value by 4%. Just thinking about it made me smile with satisfaction.
‘I haven’t even done any quests these past few days. At this rate, I’ll hit 100% in no time.’
Then… my death would finally be overturned.
If I used the power of miracles to return to my original world, I could finally say goodbye to the endless cycle of poverty. No more wars, no mages—just an ordinary life. And best of all, no more turning into a hamster at random!
‘I’ll be human 24/7!’
…Which, of course, should have been normal in the first place.
I should have been ecstatic at the thought, but somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn’t as thrilled as I expected to be.
Why did I feel… a strange sense of regret? When had I fought so desperately to survive, only to hesitate now?
“What are you brooding over with that tiny head of yours?”
I lifted my head slightly from Kyle’s shoulder. At some point, his gaze had shifted from the documents to my face.
Half-joking, half-serious, I answered.
“Just wondering how I can make sure Your Highness lives a long life. Happily, if possible.”
I want you to be happy.
Even though I never finished reading the novel, your existence alone lingered in my heart for so long. Your loneliness felt like my own. And while I found comfort in that, wouldn’t it be better if neither of us had to be lonely at all?
“Haven’t I already lived longer than expected?”
Kyle spoke in an easygoing tone.
“I know it’s because of you. I’m grateful, Shu.”
“……”
“And, because you’re here, I…”
He trailed off, simply watching me instead. His brows furrowed slightly, as if he felt apologetic.
I, too, parted my lips to speak but ended up shutting them again.
If my presence made him happy, didn’t that mean he wanted me to stay?
And… I wanted the same.
Living with him, laughing at meaningless jokes, sharing mundane moments—I realized then that what I had endured for so long wasn’t hardship, but a profound loneliness.
Through each other, we had learned happiness.
Yet cruelly, we were fated to part.
Maybe that’s why, despite collecting so much miracle value, I wasn’t as overjoyed as I should be.
Maybe… it was because I didn’t want to leave him.
“……”
Nothing in this world lasts forever.
It wasn’t just because I would return to my original world once I reached full miracle value. Just as no one can escape death once born, every meeting inevitably comes with a farewell.
“Let’s not think about that now.”
Worrying about an uncertain future was foolish. No amount of anxiety or foot-stamping could change anything.
I quickly leaned in before he could say anything more, pressing my lips against his. Kyle’s eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed down at me, but he responded, one hand gently stroking my cheek, jawline, ear, and the nape of my neck.
At first, his touch had been awkward and stiff, but now it moved freely, as if he had grown accustomed to it.
As the kiss deepened, his hand wandered to my side, caressing my waist. I lightly smacked the back of his hand—without hurting him, of course. Do you really have time for this, Your Grace? There’s still a mountain of work left to do.
“……Mmh.”
When I started to run out of breath, I pushed against his shoulder.
Naturally, Kyle didn’t budge an inch. He simply frowned, biting his lower lip in dissatisfaction, as if displeased that I was pulling away.
I can’t breathe! Do you want me to die from suffocation mid-kiss?!
When I struggled more urgently, my vision blurred slightly. Feeling good and being deprived of oxygen were two completely separate things. By the time our lips finally parted, my face was flushed red, and I gasped for air.
Normally, he treated me so gently, as if he would melt me with kindness. But every now and then, when something didn’t go his way, he became stubborn like this.
“Shu.”
“Yes, yes.”
I replied in a coaxing tone, as if soothing a sulking child, and planted a quick, audible kiss on his cheek.
“Now, why is our Grand Duke in a bad mood?”
“Well, it’s because you—”
Just as Kyle’s grip on my shoulder tightened, ready to argue, the sound of a war horn echoed through the air. A low, eerie sound that sent a chill down my spine.
The warmth that had surrounded us a moment ago vanished in an instant. Kyle’s expression turned frigid just as someone banged urgently on the door.
“Your Grace!”
“……”
“An intruder! Someone is approaching the northern gate!”
Blake territory’s northern gate was not meant for visitors. It was a gate that never opened without the direct permission of its lord, Kyle Blake—far heavier, thicker, and more securely locked than any of the others.
People returned through that gate. No one arrived through it.
Ever since the Shin Gwangsan expedition, no one had left the territory. Kyle had explicitly forbidden knights, miners, and hunters alike from using the northern gate.
“An intruder? Who?”
Kyle’s voice turned ice-cold.
But the moment the question left his lips, both he and I—standing tense at his side—already knew the answer.
“They’re not close enough to make out their face, but…”
The knight’s voice was thick with unease.
“They were white.”
“……”
“Their clothes, their hair… everything was white. Like a person sculpted from snow, walking toward us.”
A bad premonition struck like lightning.
Nox.
“Ha…”
Kyle let out a twisted laugh.
His crimson eyes burned with unrestrained fury, hatred, and an undeniable sense of disbelief. Resentment from past wounds surfaced in his gaze, smoldering like embers ready to ignite. If Nox had been standing before him at that moment, he would have drawn his sword and sliced him in half without hesitation.
“When will he arrive?”
“Considering his slow pace, about an hour. At most, he should reach the gate by then, Your Grace.”
“…Anything else?”
Nox could have brought people. He could have brought beasts. Depending on what he came with, their approach would change.
At Kyle’s question, the knight hesitated, letting out a strained hum before answering.
“It… seems he’s alone.”
Kyle let out a sharp bark of laughter.
“Hah! He’s really playing with us.”
“What are your orders, Your Grace?”
If he hadn’t brought an army, then the best course of action was to listen to what he had to say.
It was almost certain he had come because I was here.
Locking the gate and waiting it out wouldn’t solve anything, and Kyle knew that. If anything, provoking Nox would only make things worse.
“…We should prepare.”
His voice was as chilling as a grave.
“For our guest.”
For the first time in Blake territory’s history, a visitor would enter through the northern gate.
