51. Don’t Be Discouraged.
The snow that had been falling for several days showed no sign of stopping.
The unprecedented snowfall left many parts of the capital city in chaos with piled-up snow.
Snow removal was also pointless.
The snow that had been cleared from the roof had filled the back yard and was now rolling out onto the road, and even that had piled up to a point where it was difficult to drive a carriage.
Creak.
An ominous sound echoed from the roof, which could not support the weight of the snow.
“Ha, is this really the end of the world? Why is there so much snow before winter?”
One of the merchants who was sweeping the snow threw down his broom with a sad look on his face.
The harvest season had not yet passed.
But it had been snowing in the capital for over two weeks already.
Empires in the Northern Hemisphere traditionally had winters lasting half the year, but this year they were too early.
There was still a month left until the real winter arrived.
Fortunately, the harvest of major crops had already been completed.
Although the harvest of famine crops and tree-grown fruits hasn’t started yet, those can be gathered even in the depths of winter, so they can be checked after the snow stops.
It’s fortunate, he thought, that the early snow didn’t lead to food problems.
But the snow that keeps pouring down was still terrible.
He couldn’t even remember how many days it had been.
“Oh my… Really.”
The merchant, with his now frozen red hands under his armpits, looked up at the sky and walked briskly into the house.
Squeak.
The roof buckled and a heavy groan erupted.
***
“So what is the solution?”
The Emperor’s voice echoing through the conference hall furiously.
But no matter how much he screamed, how could natural disasters that were beyond human power be controlled?
It wasn’t something they could do.
The nobles hung their heads low and waited for the time to pass so that they could escape from the boring and unanswerable conference room.
“Why isn’t anyone saying anything? Are we just going to let this continue!”
The emperor suddenly raised his voice as if he was too angry at them for not speaking up.
But the only thing that resonated in the conference hall was the emperor’s voice, and no one opened their mouths.
The conference room, where not a single breath could be heard, was quieter than a tomb.
At that moment.
Knock knock knock.
The chief chamberlain standing behind the emperor moved at the sound that was ringing somewhat impatiently.
Something seemed to be being said through the slightly open crack of the door, and then the attendant returned with something.
“Your Majesty. I apologize for taking your time, but please check it.”
The emperor frowned at the flimsy piece of paper his chamberlain handed him.
But he didn’t throw it out, although he had an annoyed expression, as if he knew exactly what it was.
What the attendant handed over was a yellow note.
It was news from the North.
It was something that at any moment, he would order that it be brought to him as soon as it was received.
Eclipse thought that killing Silas would free him from the Baloch, but after his death, he ended up devoting more time to it.
‘Don’t forget. What the Baloch are fighting against is something that is not as simple of a matter as destroying a palace.’
‘And oh no, there are no more princesses left, right?’
At that time he realized that Jillian Baloch was more vicious than Silas.
Since when did Baloch become so brave-hearted, taking a young princess as his wife and giving him such unreasonable warnings?
Just looking at the yellow color that resembled the golden eyes unique to Baloch made his stomach turn.
“Ha..”
Eclipse let out a long sigh.
He’s been missing Silas quite a bit these days.
Come to think of it.
Sylas was an expert at ruining people’s moods, but unlike Jillian Baloch, he was neither irreverent nor anything less than an exceptional talent.
Had he still been there, he would have taken care of the snow that was falling so heavily that it was taking his breath away.
No matter what.
Though he might have made some annoying remarks with his unusually slick demeanor, it also meant that he wasn’t like these **** fools who just sat there silently taking up space.
But who would know he would regret it so much?
Eclipse clenched his teeth.
He remembered the smile Silas had given him just before his execution.
It seemed like he was relieved, and his face was filled with joy.
The memory of that day continued to make Eclipse uneasy.
It felt like he had been defeated by Silas, who had obediently let himself be killed. But he swore he would never regret it. Never!
Eclipse, who impulsively unfolded the note, turned pale and let out a gasp of shock.
“Omg!”
“Your Majesty? Are you okay?”
The bewildered chamberlain approached and asked, but Eclipse heard nothing.
His wide-open eyes seemed fixated solely on the letter he was holding in his hand.
‘7th Citadel Collapsed, Under Repair After 1st Wave’
A Citadel had fallen.
The Baloch Citadel, which had never wavered since its founding, collapsed to demons.
For a moment, Eclipse thought of Bianca.
Bianca Termina, who was now in Baloch.
She was denied both the birth and the name of the imperial family.
But the prophecy suddenly came to his mind along with the image of the princess, his daughter, who had been denied any permission to do anything.
‘Only after obtaining Termina will Baloch be freed from his long bondage.’
Why did the prophecy come to his mind at this moment?
The emperor, who was trembling slightly, hurriedly left the meeting, saying that he was adjourning the meeting.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.”
The crown prince asked about the emperor who was running away as if he had been struck by lightning, but the chief chamberlain also had no idea what was going on.
“Tsk.”
After a moment of hesitation, the crown prince immediately chased after the emperor.
The emperor was an arrogant and haughty man.
He couldn’t stand to see his arrogance get hurt, so he killed Baloch, the guardian of the ice wall, and his loyal subject who was more outstanding than him, with his own hands.
And yet the emperor never once showed any regret.
Rather, he seemed relieved to have gotten rid of the youngest princess, who had been a thorn in his side.
But now he got scared.
Why was that?
Jeremy quickened his pace and caught up with the Emperor.
“What’s the matter? I was worried because you didn’t look well, so I came with you.”
“… Something big has happened.”
“What’s going on? If there’s anything I can do, then Father… ”
“The Citadel has fallen. The Citadel of Baloch.”
For a moment, Jeremy felt as if the ground beneath his feet was collapsing.
His legs were shaking and his mind was blank.
Jeremy knew he was acting like a fool, but his body didn’t move.
“What the hell is going on?”
The image of the emperor talking right in front of his eyes was blurred with the scenery, and his words flowed away meaninglessly.
That foolish idiot.
Did he think so little of me since I didn’t inherit the bloodline and was stripped of my family name while he was like this?
The image of the emperor arrogantly looking down on him like he was some pathetic stray dog flashed in his mind, and a surge of murderous intent welled up within him.
But instead of revealing his twisted feelings, Jeremy took a long, deep breath and cooled down his flames.
His loss of reason was brief.
Jeremy was born and raised in this royal family all his life.
He knew better than anyone what kind of person the emperor was and what the title of the emperor meant.
Even though he was a pathetic and helpless fool, he was an emperor.
This was the master of everything in the empire.
Jeremy, with that fact engraved in his heart once more, spoke softly to the panicking emperor.
“I will send someone to find out for sure.”
“”Do you think someone like you knows how to command people?”
“Even an idiot could handle something as simple as delivering news.”
The familiar grumbling almost made Jeremy release his suppressed anger, but he held on well.
“There is not enough information on whether the 7th Castle collapsed entirely or was partially destroyed. And we do not even know why it collapsed. Sometimes, during the defense, a part of the fortress wall could be destroyed to crush the enemy, couldn’t it?”
“You’re not really that stupid.”
You didn’t even think about it and were just so scared and trembling.
Even though his stomach was turning at the sight of him making a fuss, Jeremy still had a faint smile on his face.
“After looking into it in detail, how about we come up with a plan? If the situation is really bad…”
“We need to build a wall.”
“That is a very valid point.”
Jeremy obediently responded to the Emperor’s words.
***
The maintenance of the Citadel was easier than expected.
Since the monsters had not destroyed the castle but rather blew it up, most of the fallen wall materials were intact and usable.
The collapsed section was quickly restored by clearing the dirt and piling up stones, so that repairs could be made before the materials arrived.
The progress was also noticeably fast.
The problem, however, was immigrants.
It was a really big problem that some citizens were eaten by monsters.
There were seven layers of castles built tightly together like ice walls.
However, the monsters easily climbed over the high walls, strode through the territory, and devoured people.
Although they weren’t on duty and were unarmed, more than half of the people devoured by the monster were knights.
But still, they were mercilessly taken down.
People felt the overwhelming power of the ‘monster’ deeply.
They moved quickly and without hesitation at the Duke’s order to evacuate.
And just a day after the evacuation order was issued, people were ready to leave.
What really wasn’t ready was the Citadel.
The Citadel was a place for defense.
It was tall and thick, but that was it.
There was no space anywhere for people to eat or sleep.
Half of the manpower was devoted to restoring the 7th fortress and reinforcing the 6th fortress, while the other half was building a space for the citizens who would be arriving soon.
It’s not that there were no rooms at all, but there weren’t enough to accommodate all the residents, so most of the materials were used to build a living space.
There was plenty of wood and stone for it.
People were in a great hurry because everything had to be done before the wave started and before the snow that had stopped started falling again.
They built a frame, filled it with dirt, built a stone wall, and organized the sections.
As soon as the clay hardened, the next task began.
It only took two days for the empty space to become a suitable dwelling.
However, the cold was a problem.
The temporary living quarters built for ‘protection’ were absolutely vulnerable to thermal insulation.
Since making a fireplace took too long, they skipped it, but now it seemed that they might actually freeze to death.
***
“I’ll look at the book after dinner, so take good care of it.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Before leaving for the banquet hall, Bianca handed Julie the collection of fairy tales she had brought with her and gave her a strong request.
Otherwise, the worried young maid might quickly send the book back to the study.
Julie was quite the troublemaker today.
Unlike usual, she even called Hailey and repeatedly picked up and put down dresses, agonizing over the choice, and kept asking Rappin over and over until the very end.
It was a pointless effort since any dress she wore would be covered by a cloak, but Bianca waited silently because it was nice to see her so motivated after a long time.
Thus, the preparations were finally complete.
“Have a safe trip.”
“Alright.”
“If anything happens, please make sure to call for me.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Her worry was excessive.
It was just a dinner party.
Bianca, who had been smiling as she listened to the ensuing requests, felt her back stiffen as soon as the banquet hall door opened.
When the door opened, it wasn’t just Jillian inside; the room was packed with people who, at a glance, seemed anything but ordinary.
The presence of Creta and Hailey made the pressure less severe, but seeing people like Elizabeth, who openly hated her, or those who looked like troublemakers made the tension that was about to ease rise again.
“Don’t lose your confidence.”
Easier said than done.
This chapter is free as an apology for the late release. One more chapter will be published this week.
