Chapter 250
“Wow… so cozy.”
Bella, who had entered the snow-made shelter, kept exclaiming in admiration.
The entire house was white. The ceiling, the floor—everything was made of snow, and yet a warm atmosphere filled the space.
“Don’t you think it looks like a house straight out of a fairy tale?”
“Huh?”
“You know, like the houses where snow spirits live. Hehe…”
“Ah… yeah.”
Bella, clearly delighted, even hummed a little tune.
Compared to the Duke’s bedroom, this shelter was laughably inadequate, but Bella didn’t complain at all.
Despite being the daughter of the prestigious Izakhel Duke Family, Bella was surprisingly resilient and adapted well to harsh environments.
From what Blanshe knew, the Izakhel Duke Family was once one of the wealthiest families in the empire.
Duke Fred Izakhel hosted daily banquets at the mansion, spending money like water and indulging in luxury. Young Bella, too, filled her wardrobe with pretty jewelry and clothes, enjoying a lavish life just like her father.
Of course, that extravagant lifestyle ended when the Duke Family fell into ruin due to gambling debts.
The mansion’s luxurious and expensive items were sold off one by one, and the daily banquets came to an abrupt halt. The numerous servants left one after another. To protect what little remained of the mansion, Bella had to live frugally.
While Duke Fred struggled to adapt to the new lifestyle after years of luxury, Bella felt ashamed of her past extravagance and adjusted to a more modest life.
Cheap food filled the dining table, and she wore only affordable, practical clothes. If she really wanted something, she skipped meals to save up penny by penny.
Bella’s frugal nature and her ability to treat everyone equally, regardless of status, made the soldiers admire her.
Just earlier, Bella had gone around the soldiers’ shelters under her command, encouraging them. Truly the attitude of an excellent commander.
Blanshe, who served Bella, felt secretly proud at that moment…
“By the way… the Count insists on sleeping in the carriage despite having such a shelter.”
“…”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, nothing…”
Blanshe tried to forget, but the memory resurfaced. Unaware of the situation, Bella started talking about the person who had been bothering Blanshe since yesterday.
“He said the bed was uncomfortable, so he’d rather sleep in the carriage… He’s as sensitive as he looks. Who’s going to understand a man with such a bad temper?”
“Yeah, definitely…”
Even what happened in the carriage yesterday was like that.
His foot, stretching out under the table, seemed to tempt Blanshe. The strange sensation crawling up her leg made it hard to stay composed.
If it were anyone else, it would have been a blatant act of harassment, but Blanshe couldn’t do anything.
Tristan, knowing Blanshe wouldn’t resist, teased her bare leg with just his foot.
Blanshe struggled to understand what it meant.
After the rooftop fight at the department store, she owed him a lot. She was repaying it by occasionally accompanying him or teaching Wendy martial arts.
So… was that signal under the table a sign that he wanted her?
She wasn’t sure about appearances, but according to Bella, she seemed to have a striking beauty.
Especially her body—she was confident about that.
Her well-toned body, built through consistent exercise and training, was her pride.
She couldn’t be sure, but perhaps men… the kind often referred to as “men”… might desire her body.
So maybe Tristan was subtly demanding that she repay her debt with her body…?
‘But… why now?’
Blanshe found it hard to believe.
If Tristan wanted her body, he would have demanded it long ago. More importantly, he would have shamelessly demanded it to her face. At least, the Tristan she knew would have… But she couldn’t completely rule out the possibility.
After a day of pondering, Blanshe came to two conclusions.
Either he was simply teasing her… or he had physical desires.
Blanshe muttered with a sigh.
“As the young lady said, the Count is truly a hard man to understand…”
“Right? No one could understand a man like that. Well… I kind of get him, though.”
“Huh… huh?”
“Hehe… By the way, Blanshe. When did you put that on?”
“Ah… yeah. It’s a bit cold…”
Blanshe was wearing a full-body, skin-tight suit under her outerwear. The type of clothing that completely covered her limbs was perfect for someone like her, who was active and needed warmth.
But for Blanshe, who didn’t feel the cold due to the demonic power implanted in her heart, it was just cumbersome. The reason she wore it was, of course, because of Tristan.
Having been caught off guard by him once, she was desperate to cover her skin. With such thorough coverage, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.
“Honestly, Blanshe, you were dressed too lightly. Even if you don’t feel the cold… I guess even you couldn’t handle the northern chill.”
“Yeah… I was too careless.”
Blanshe felt guilty for lying to Bella, but there was no other way. If Bella, who had feelings for Tristan, found out, it would only complicate things.
It was already past 10 PM.
“Young lady, it’s time to sleep.”
“Yawn… I guess so. But Blanshe, didn’t the Count call for a special unit?”
“Ah… no. He hasn’t said anything yet.”
She had completely forgotten. Following Tristan’s orders, Blanshe was supposed to join the special unit.
Bella tilted her head.
“Hmm… that’s strange. We’ll be entering the castle tomorrow, so things will get busy. Did he forget?”
It was entirely possible. Today had been hectic, after all.
They had dealt with the Ice Worm, cleaned up the aftermath, built the snow shelter, and even scouted the area around the castle for monsters.
“Well…”
If he had forgotten, it would be better to remind him.
Having made up her mind, Blanshe stood up.
“Young lady, I’ll go see the Count for a moment.”
“Blanshe?”
“I’ll just check if he forgot to give the order. It won’t take long. Probably…”
“Huh? Just like that?”
Without looking back, Blanshe headed straight for Tristan’s carriage.
The cold wind hit her cheeks, but she didn’t feel cold at all.
Somehow, she felt like she was betraying Bella, so she couldn’t look her in the eye.
The reason Blanshe was going to the Count at this hour was to ask about the special unit.
But honestly, that wasn’t the only reason. She suddenly felt that now was the perfect opportunity to ask about what had happened under the table yesterday.
Blanshe walked briskly through the snow-covered barracks.
Soon, a luxurious carriage came into view. It was the Ruelberta Family’s carriage. Larger and more extravagant than the others, it was easy to spot.
What was unusual was that, as the overall commander, he should have been in the center of the camp, but he had chosen such a remote spot.
‘Count…’
Just thinking that Tristan was inside made Blanshe want to confront him about the truth immediately.
“?!”
As she approached, Blanshe suddenly dropped to the snow. She had sensed movement near the carriage. Her body moved faster than her thoughts. The instincts of a former assassin made her hide.
There was no need to feel guilty… but Blanshe, feeling awkward, tried to get up but stopped.
She had spotted suspicious figures in black clothing exiting the carriage where Tristan was staying.
“Huh?”
*
Further north of Roelgreen Castle lies a dense forest often referred to as the Demon Forest or the Demon’s Domain.
But upon arrival, it seemed more like an Ice Forest than a Demon Forest.
The piled-up snow had frozen, turning trees, rocks… everything in the forest into ice.
If the snow had been soft, footprints would have been a problem, but fortunately, it wasn’t.
However, there was one person who wasn’t fortunate.
“I can’t accept this…”
Helga expressed her disappointment.
What are you going to do if you don’t accept it?
“No. I can’t accept it. This isn’t the Demon Lord I imagined!”
“I don’t know what Demon Lord you imagined… but I’m satisfied with this form.”
I had transformed into my “Demon Lord form” using a mirror. Outwardly, I resembled Tristan as a villainess, but I added a few elements just in case someone recognized me.
First, I wore armor that completely hid my figure. It wasn’t heavy plate armor, but I chose light armor to prepare for any situation where my “shell” might be exposed.
Additionally, I wore an onyx cat mask. Inspired by feline animals, it looked like something you’d see at a masquerade ball, but paired with the black armor’s metallic parts, it looked quite impressive.
But it didn’t seem to impress Helga.
“Why did you abandon that beautiful dress…”
Unlike last time, I wasn’t wearing a dress but pants… and even armor, making it hard to tell I was a woman unless you looked closely.
Only the ponytail tied back suggested femininity.
“This form is meant to hide my identity. It doesn’t matter if it’s pretty or not.”
“But it’s not my taste…!”
So that was the problem.
I sighed.
“…Don’t force your tastes on me.”
“It’s fine if you force your tastes on me, though!?”
“Just because you’re okay with it doesn’t mean I am.”
“Ugh… I’m frustrated! At least show that beautiful face…!”
“Denied.”
The armor and mask were double and triple precautions to ensure my identity remained hidden. It was a testament to my unwavering determination to keep my identity a secret.
“Count, we’ve finished cleaning up.”
“Hmm.”
The Annihilation Maids brushed off their hands. Behind them, the massive furry monsters they had defeated were neatly piled up.
At first, I thought they were demons… but they were more like Yetis—monstrous beasts strong enough to tear humans apart with their bare hands. Yet, against my maids’ coordinated attacks, they stood no chance.
“It was nerve-wracking since it was our first time facing them. They’re more violent than I thought.”
“If the Count hadn’t advised us, we would’ve been in trouble.”
“Right. We owe you our lives.”
The advice was just to take down the leader first…
Muiry and Rika were impressed.
But there was one thing I needed to point out to them.
“Guys, don’t call me ‘Count’ in this form.”
“Ah, right. Lady Trinity…”
It overlapped a bit with Tristan, but I decided to use the alias Helga had given me.
It hadn’t quite stuck yet, but they’d get used to it soon.
But ignoring that, Helga interjected.
“Hey, Count.”
I was about to scold her for ignoring what I just said, but her expression was too serious.
What’s going on? I swallowed hard and asked her.
“…What is it?”
“I think we’re being followed.”
