Chapter 53 : Duke of the North (11)

The way back to Frostguard was unusually quiet.

But within that silence, the joy of the reunited sisters was hidden.

We left behind the cold battle and sat together by the cozy fireplace in the meeting room, drinking tea.

Well, to be precise, only Kiara drank. Kiria… well, how could a skeleton drink tea?

Kiria raised the teacup. She elegantly poured the tea, but of course, all the liquid flowed through her ribs.

“Oh, this…”

“Hehe, sister, you’re something else…”

“Habits are terrifying. I still have the habit of drinking tea.”

Kiria looked at her bony hand.

“Hero. But, will sister have to live like this forever?”

“Don’t worry. This is just a temporary measure. I separated the soul with the relic of the Necromancer King.”

“Then…”

“Yes. Once you’re used to the skeleton, we can call a magic engineer to attach the flesh.”

“I’m relieved, sister!”

“Well… I don’t mind this appearance.”

Kiria gently stroked her skeleton jaw.

“When I had flesh, I always worried about dieting, but now I don’t have to worry about that.”

“Sister!”

Kiara puffed out her cheeks.

“Even so, I preferred when I had flesh. When you hugged me… it was so warm…”

Kiria hesitated for a moment, then pulled her sister into an embrace. Cold bones patted Kiara’s back.

“I’m sorry for making you worry. I’m glad we can be together from now on.”

“Hmph. Sister…”

Kiara buried her face in the skeleton’s chest. Tears fell onto the cold bones.

“For eight years… how much I wanted to see you…”

“Our Kiara, still so sentimental, huh? Don’t cry anymore. If tears touch the bones, they might start to rot.”

“You were saying that after spilling the tea earlier…”

Outside the window, the snowstorm continued. But inside the meeting room, it was warm.

Although it was a skeleton made of cold bones, Kiria’s voice still carried the warmth of a sister.

“Ah, right. I should change clothes too.”

Kiria stood up. The pure white dress fluttered gracefully.

“I wonder if the dresses I used to wear are still there?”

“Of course! I’ve kept them all!”

Kiara replied with an excited voice.

“Sister’s wardrobe is just as it was. I’ve been organizing it every day… waiting for the day you’d come back.”

I laughed without thinking. A skeleton in a dress seemed like it would be a fun sight.

Kiria turned elegantly. Although her form was made only of bones, her noble dignity remained.

“Hero, if it’s not too much trouble, I’ll step out for a moment. It takes time for a lady to choose her clothes. Ah, would you like to peek? Of course, there’s only bones.”

“Yes. Huh?”

The elegant voice and the skeleton form were so incongruous that I fumbled my response.

Kiria and Kiara left the room side by side. A smile toward each other was visible.

Frostguard was filled with laughter and cheers after a long time. A banquet to celebrate the defeat of the White Snow was held throughout the city.

“Hero.”

Kiara approached me.

“How can I repay this kindness…”

“Please don’t say that. It’s something I should have done…”

“No.”

She cut me off firmly.

“You returned my sister to me. This is a kindness that no treasure could repay.”

Kiara looked at me with sincerity.

“If there’s anything you want, anything at all, I’ll give everything I have…”

“That won’t do.”

Sylvia interrupted.

“We promised to go to the forest together one day.”

Kiara’s expression subtly stiffened. A cold energy lingered between the two of them.

“For now… let’s celebrate our victory.”

I quickly tried to change the subject.

“Kiria has returned, and Frostguard will finally warm up.”

“That’s right.”

Kiara’s expression brightened.

“We can finally look forward to a warm spring.”

The banquet hall became louder. People who had been weighed down by the cold for so long now laughed and talked freely.

In one corner of the festival, Sylvia emptied her cup. Her face looked heavier than usual. She glanced around nervously as if she felt uneasy whenever I wasn’t in sight.

“Sylvia.”

Her ears were flushed red as if she were drunk on the wine.

As I approached, the spirits reacted sensitively. The green light flickered uneasily.

“The spirits are uneasy.”

“That’s because… they’re worried that Haru will run away again.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep my promise.”

“Really, really?”

“Yes. We’ve defeated the Four Demon Kings, and saved Kiria, so now let’s go to the forest.”

At those words, her expression brightened. The spirits sparkled as if they were happy.

“Then let’s go! Right now…”

“Wait a moment.”

I took her hand. A warm body temperature was transmitted.

“We should stay at the banquet until the end. Everyone here is able to smile thanks to us.”

“Mm…”

Sylvia puffed out her cheeks.

“Alright. But once it’s over, I’ll…”

Her ears perked up again.

The laughter in the banquet hall continued. Outside the window, the snowstorm still raged, but now no one feared the cold.

As I sat down, Sylvia grabbed my hand. She held it tightly, showing no sign of letting go.

That night, as I was organizing the next plans before going to bed,

knock knock

“Come in.”

Late-night visitors were always unsettling. This time, a bad feeling brushed past me.

The door opened, and Kiria entered. A skeleton in a black dress…

“It’s rude to visit at this late hour, but…”

Kiria continued with a sweet voice.

“I should repay my benefactor, right?”

“No, there’s no need to worry about such things.”

“Hehe… There’s an old tradition in the North.”

She took a step closer. The moonlight illuminated her skeleton silhouette.

“Repaying the benefactor with one’s body…”

Kiria elegantly tried to untie her dress strap but paused.

“Oh dear, this is a bit awkward. I don’t… have any flesh, do I? It might be a bit hard this way, don’t you think?”

At that moment, the window suddenly flew open. The green spirits spiraled in a frenzy.

“How dare you, a skeleton!”

“Wait! It’s a misunderstanding!”

I hurriedly stopped Sylvia. But Sylvia’s spirits were already flying toward Kiria.

“Oh my, this is too violent…”

Kiria casually dodged the spirits.

The door opened again. This time, it was Kiara.

“Sister? Hero?!”

In the chaotic situation, Kiria spoke up.

“Hehe… I’m fine with all three of us. Would you like to join, little sister?”

“Sister! Are you out of your mind?!”

Kiara’s face turned bright red.

“Oh my, Kiara. Sisters are allowed to joke around a bit, aren’t they?”

Kiria elegantly burst into laughter. It was so enchanting that it was hard to believe it was the laughter of a skeleton.

“I was just having a little fun with my benefactor. What could I possibly do with just bones?”

“Still, such jokes…”

Sylvia glared at Kiria with sharp eyes. The spirits flickered dangerously.

“Sylvia, calm down. It was just a joke…”

I finally managed to calm Sylvia down. But she still wore a pouty expression.

“Still… never let your guard down.”

Kiria laughed elegantly. The moonlight shone on her pure white skeletal bones.

“Hehe… Elven jealousy… it’s so lively, I like it.”

“Jealousy? No, I’m just… just worried…”

The tips of Sylvia’s ears turned bright red. The spirits flickered shyly.

“Alright, let’s all go back and get some rest, shall we?”

“I don’t want to.”

Sylvia tightened her grip on my arm. The spirits hovered uneasily.

Kiria continued to smile elegantly.

“The night is still long, isn’t it?”

“Sister!”

Kiara’s desperate cry echoed.

With all the chaos, I could only sigh.

A spring breeze drifted through the garden of Frostguard. The icy wind that had once been so cold was now a soft breeze caressing the trees.

The biting chill had disappeared, and the land of eternal winter was now tinged with a subtle spring warmth.

“It’s already been fifteen days since the hero left.”

Kiara said, gazing up at the sky. Her blue eyes were clouded with longing.

“If it weren’t for Day, this place would still be an icy hell.”

After the tyranny of Baeksul ended, the North changed rapidly. The suffocating cold disappeared, and life began to sprout in the once frozen land.

“Thanks to that, a lot has changed.”

Kiria elegantly raised her teacup. But, of course, tea dripped down through the gap in her jaw.

“Oh my…”

“Sister, again…”

Kiara tried to suppress her laughter and handed her a handkerchief. The precious tea spilled onto the table.

“Such a mistake… The hero would’ve just smiled and let it pass, wouldn’t he? It was fun teasing him.”

“Yes… The hero was always so kind.”

When I thought of Kiara’s departed benefactor, my chest trembled.

“I think our little sister really liked the hero, huh? Is he your first love?”

“Sister!”

Kiara’s face turned bright red. Her blue eyes shook nervously.

“It’s okay. No need to hide it.”

Kiria patted her younger sister’s shoulder. Despite being cold bones, her warmth could still be felt.

“In fact, I also liked that person.”

“What?”

Kiara’s eyes widened in surprise.

“His dignity as a hero, his charm as a human. And besides, he saved both of us, right?”

Kiria’s voice carried a playful tone.

“So, about that… I’ve discovered something interesting.”

She raised her hand. A cold aura swirled around.

“I think I can give you the power of Baeksul.”

“But that’s…”

Kiara’s eyes trembled. The Frostblade shook in her hand.

“Then… can I become stronger?”

“Of course. Strong enough to freeze the hero… or rather, protect him.”

Suddenly, a cold wind blew. The chill that surrounded Kiara’s body grew stronger.

Her hair turned white. Her blue eyes gleamed coldly like ice.

“This is…”

“The true power of Frostguard. Now you are the Queen of Winter.”

Kiara raised her hand. The cold aura exploded outward.

“Since you’re our benefactor… we should repay you.”

The flowers in the garden began to freeze, one by one. But strangely, they did not wilt.

Like flowers trapped in the beauty of eternal winter, now they were in her grasp forever…

The sisters’ laughter echoed eerily.