I Start with a Bad Hand!

“Wow! Hey! It’s really, really, really cold!”

“That’s why I told you to dress warmly.”

“But there’s a limit. Wow, it’s so cold my hands are numb. And why isn’t there any snow when it’s this cold?”

Agnes complained as she stepped out of the carriage.

Visitors were slowly arriving at this barren territory. Agnes, bundled up like a giant ball of fur, waddled in, followed by people who seemed to be from the trading company, carrying loads of luggage. Agnes looked slightly disappointed at Heylem, which greeted her with bare trees and a desolate ground instead of snow. It wasn’t an unexpected reaction. I wrapped the scarf I had prepared around her.

“Snow? They said it would come in a few days. If it had snowed before you arrived, the carriage wouldn’t have made it here.”

“It really is coming, right?”

“It’ll come so much you’ll get tired of it. Wasn’t the journey long?”

“It was long. Isn’t there a teleport station here?”

“It’s a remote and poor territory.”

“It’s… nostalgic. People these days rely too much on magic.”

“Thanks. That’s why we only have old people here.”

At my last comment, Agnes lightly hit my side. Laughing as if the wind had been knocked out of my lungs from the attack, I watched as Agnes ran off excitedly.

“Hello, Baron Degoph. Baroness Degoph. I am Agnes Vardi. Thank you for inviting me.”

Agnes was already greeting the Baron and Baroness Degoph with a bright voice. I watched the whole process with a cold expression. The Degoph couple were delighted when I cautiously asked if I could invite friends. The Baron even had tears in his eyes, which slightly embarrassed me as I hadn’t expected such a strong reaction.

However… I hadn’t truly intended to draw them here.

“Want to come to our territory? Heylem?”

Agnes had subtly brought up Heylem just before the winter break. Disguised as a suggestion to practice for the spring festival during the winter break. Innocently, I had replied, “It might be difficult because I plan to go back to my territory this winter.” To which Agnes immediately countered, “Then we can do it at your territory.”

When I looked at her in disbelief, Agnes blinked and asked back,

“Why? Can’t we?”

“Well, it’s not that you can’t… but why would you want to come there?”

To a territory that has nothing but snow and old people? Seeing my reluctant expression, Agnes replied,

“You invited Klaus over.”

Ah, in this academy, conversations are practically public property. Nothing ends with just the parties involved knowing the content. Thinking of Klaus’ ever-perfect smile, I answered offhandedly.

“As if he would actually come. Why would the young lord of a marquisate come to such a rural place?”

At my indifferent response, Agnes widened her eyes and asked,

“He wanted to coordinate schedules with me so we could go together. So, he asked me to check with you. When would be a good time?”

“What?”

Wait, why was a visit confirmed without the knowledge of the territory’s owner?

“He said that? He didn’t mention it to me.”

“Even the senior knows about it.”

This, I couldn’t let slide. Annoyed by the confusing situation, I went straight to Klaus’ dormitory.

“Klaus, are you in?”

As soon as I knocked, I heard sounds of commotion and footsteps. When the door opened, I couldn’t help but frown at the sight of the person before me.

“Dietrich?”

Klaus, whose once smooth face had become somewhat haggard, now had slightly rougher skin and a hoarse voice. Soon, a look of pleasant surprise spread across his face, as if he hadn’t expected to see me.

“What’s up? Oh… come in!”

Sorry about the mess. Klaus moved into the room first, quickly tidying up the table that was overflowing with books and papers, and promptly started a fire in the fireplace.

“It’s colder in here than in the hallway. You haven’t been using the fireplace?”

Klaus’ room was cold enough that I could see my breath. Wrapping a blanket around me, Klaus answered with a slightly embarrassed face.

“Well… If the room is warm, I get sleepy. I have too much work to do, and sleeping now would be a disaster.”

Would you like some tea? Klaus asked, pulling out a chair for me. I shook my head. Klaus, who had already added a few more logs to the fireplace, came over and, seeing my puzzled expression, scratched the back of his neck.

“Recently, I’ve been doing both heir lessons and squire duties… I’ve been a bit busy.”

To say he was a bit busy was an understatement. In the short time since the ball, his face had noticeably changed. Given that I hadn’t seen him properly since then, it seemed there had been more going on than Klaus was modestly admitting.

‘But heir lessons and squire duties are both…’

At the same time, Irene’s image overlapped with his. It was clear Klaus hadn’t wanted the position he was hurriedly thrown into. Despite having prepared for that role for a long time, my thoughts involuntarily went first to a friend whose efforts had become meaningless. It’s natural that my heart would lean more towards someone left with nothing but an old pocket watch, rather than someone who gained a family head position and squire qualifications.

‘No, it’s not Klaus’ fault. He just ended up with this suddenly.’

Though it wasn’t Klaus’ fault, I found myself irrationally blaming him. Feeling a bit guilty, I averted my gaze from Klaus and looked around the room. Unaware of my thoughts, Klaus smiled tiredly.

“Still, it’s nice to have a proper conversation after so long. We haven’t even had the chance to greet each other properly.”

Klaus laughed with a faint “hehe,” but his face showed deep fatigue. Watching him, I started to unwrap the blanket he had given me.

“This won’t do. I actually came to talk about something, but it seems like I’m disturbing your rest. I’ll come back later.”

As I began to rise from my seat, Klaus hurriedly grabbed the edge of the blanket I had been wrapped in.

“No, I was working anyway, and… your visit gives me a good excuse to take a break.”

When I chuckled and asked, “Excuse to whom?” Klaus met my laugh with his own and said, “To myself?”

“What did you come for?”

If I had known you were coming, I would have at least lit the fire in advance. He asked kindly, tucking the blanket around me again. By then, I couldn’t bring myself to ask, “Are you really coming to our territory?” Especially since, in this case, I had initially extended the invitation to Klaus.

“I heard from Agnes. She said you wanted to coordinate your schedule to come to Heylem.”

“Oh, right. Agnes mentioned it already. When would be a good time to visit?”

“Probably after the snowstorm passes…”

Then, a thought crossed my mind. Something I had originally planned, but now I could make it more elaborate and specific. The more spectators, the better.

“No, Agnes said she’d like to practice with us this time. If it’s okay with you, you can stay for a while. Let’s watch the snowstorm together. It’s really beautiful when viewed from inside.”

I leaned a bit closer to Klaus as I spoke. A bright smile spread across his face, which looked even more tired than usual.

“Really?”

I nodded at his question.

“Of course. Just give me a schedule that works for you, and Agnes and I will pick a date that suits us.”

Klaus quickly scribbled something on a small piece of paper and handed it to me. The note, written in a peculiar blend of adult handwriting and scrawl, read, “All of winter break!” I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Anytime? Are you sure about that?”

“Yes. Can I stay for about three weeks?”

“I’m fine with it, but you might die of boredom.”

As I stood up to leave, Klaus hurriedly rose to his feet.

“Are you leaving already? Stay a bit longer.”

“No, you’re tired, so I’ll go.”

I draped the blanket over Klaus, chiding him as he followed me to the door, insisting on seeing me off.

“Telling you not to overdo it is pointless… but if you keep studying without sleeping, your bones will ache.”

“Haha. Dietrich, your way of speaking is funny.”

Is that a Heylem expression? Klaus asked, opening the door for me and whispering softly.

“Still, I’m relieved. I thought you might be troubled. After all, I suggested to Agnes that we come to your territory without discussing it with you first.”

I was taken aback. He knew, this guy. As I stared at him, Klaus smiled sheepishly.

“But I guess I’ve been a bit worn out lately. Even knowing it was rude, I felt I had to hold on in any way I could.”

I’m embarrassed for leaning on you like that. Sorry. Klaus rubbed his face with his hands and apologized. His usually bright green eyes were bloodshot with fatigue.

With him like this, there was no way I could refuse. And so, it turned out that today, Agnes, Klaus, and eventually Irene, would all be leisurely making their way to Heylem.

‘Damn…’

While it’s good, the lack of any activities to entertain guests here meant all I could offer was a wood-chopping show. And in reality, that’s all there was. With no snow yet in Heylem, the only thing to see right now were the elderly, and even the busiest part of the territory was small enough to take in at a glance.

Fortunately, Agnes still seemed quite interested in this territory. She seemed a bit shocked when I told her that the shops she saw were all there was.

Agnes, examining a handmade wooden ornament, asked me,

“When is the senior arriving?”

“In about two days? Why?”

“You said we’d grill sausages in the mountains when the senior arrives. With the Baron’s homemade sauce.”

It seemed more like she wanted the sausages than waiting for Irene. Her eyes suddenly became sharp as she noticed something. She tugged on my scarf and quietly asked,

“Why did you invite him?”

Her sharp gaze was fixed on something behind me. But I didn’t need to look to know who it was. The one person not welcomed here, as always awkward and out of place,

“That’s Logan, right? What nerve does he have to show up here?”

Logan stood there, with his usual awkward and slightly twisted expression.