I’m in the Arms of the Cursed Grand Duke - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 3

‘I didn’t expect this kind of situation.’

She had thought that walking around melting snow might be unusual enough for word to reach the lord of the territory.

It was only natural, after all.

But to be dragged here so suddenly and face that lord, only to find he affects Clemente’s constitution?

And like this, giving her even more comfort than when she first entered the Northern Region?

‘It’s cool. I feel like I can breathe.’

As if enchanted by the feeling of her stuffy insides clearing up, she was taking steps toward him when a sharp rejection flew at her.

“Stop! Don’t come closer!”

The heat that had weakened was rising again as if nothing had happened.

It was as if she had awakened from a fantasy.

Clemente narrowed her round eyes and observed him. When she took one step forward, he took two steps back.

“They told me to give you this. If you’re scared, I’ll leave it here.”

Clemente placed the documents on the desk with light movements and stepped back.

Of course, during this process, the other party—Zephyrus—had already shrunk back against the wall.

Since their first eye contact, he hadn’t looked in her direction at all.

‘What am I supposed to do about this?’

She was an object of disgust and avoidance, not someone who inspired fear.

She had delivered the paper, so she could just leave, but there was one reason she couldn’t easily take that step.

The wall the Northern lord was leaning against was crackling as it froze solid.

Someone who seemed to carry similar worries as her, though of a different nature.

But unlike her, someone who hadn’t yet overcome them.

She recalled what one of the knights had said before entering the room.

‘The Fire Fairy will be able to do it.’

The knights must have hoped she could melt that ice.

It didn’t seem like it would be bad for her either.

She wanted to feel again that light, cool sensation from when she first entered the room.

With the lord radiating cold energy like this, the chances of experiencing that feeling again weren’t low.

More than anything, she felt like she’d regret it if she just left like this.

That’s just how it was.

“Um…”

After briefly wondering what to call him, she found her answer.

The lord of the territory!

“My lord! Aren’t you going to read it?”

“I’ll read it once you leave.”

Unlike his cold, detached voice, his gestures were pitiful. He was too flustered to even notice the strange way she addressed him.

“I’m curious too, so read it. Or should I read it?”

“What! I told you not to come closer!”

Every time Clemente strode forward, Zephyrus’s body trembled and sharp ice shards formed.

Barely glancing at them, Clemente picked up the paper again and unfolded it.

“Ahem. ‘We discovered a Fire Fairy’s volcano while hunting monsters. We hope this will be of help.’ What is this! This is all there is, my lord?”

“…Isn’t it incarnation, not volcano?”

“Huh?”

Clemente focused her eyes and examined the word again. Soon, the corners of her mouth drooped slightly.

“It… seems like it said incarnation.”

“No.”

At his firm denial, Clemente pouted and traced letters in the air. She was memorizing the word.

Watching her leisurely behavior, Zephyrus’s tension completely dissolved. It seemed like she wouldn’t come any closer.

“…Why did you come here?”

“Huh?”

“From what I can see, you don’t know anything.”

It would be stranger if she did know.

A foreigner, someone who looked like a desert dweller from books—how could she know that the Northern Grand Duke was cursed to freeze everything?

Something they hadn’t even told the Empire’s Emperor.

“The people with swords were laughing and then crying.”

“…”

It meant she was in a situation where it was hard to refuse. Zephyrus cleared his throat and asked again.

“More importantly, do you know what Fire Fairy means in the North, and are you claiming to be an incarnation?”

“I’m not sure what ‘claiming’ means, but I’ve never once said I was a Fire Fairy.”

“Then you mean my knights arbitrarily called you a Fire Fairy’s incarnation?”

Clemente scratched her cheek. Even if she didn’t know what Fire Fairy meant in the North, she wasn’t completely ignorant of the existence. Fire Fairies appeared in the Teranova Empire’s Founding Legends too.

But that was all. No one who looked at Clemente would think of a Fire Fairy.

In the desert, she was just something annoying and dangerous. Even those she had saved felt that way, let alone other people.

“Hmm…”

Rather than explaining why the knights thought that way, it seemed better to simply reenact what she had shown them.

She was also curious whether this lord would think the same thing after seeing her melt snow.

“I’ll show you. Let’s go outside.”

Clemente winked cheerfully and approached Zephyrus with her hand extended.

“You’ll understand what’s different if we go outside.”

“Go outside?”

“Ah. My name is Clemente. I’m not dangerous.”

“That’s not the point! Isn’t there anyone outside?”

No matter what, they wouldn’t leave him alone with a foreigner. Someone must be watching the situation from outside.

Shouldn’t they stop this woman who wants to go out?

“Gwen, take the woman away immediately!”

He kept calling for Gwen, but no answer came back.

As he looked around for space to escape, his back was already against the wall.

The woman took one step closer.

There was nowhere to retreat.

Fear surged up in an instant.

‘What if this woman freezes too?’

He didn’t want to see someone else turn into an ice sculpture in front of him.

“Stop! I told you not to come closer!”

Crack!

A threatening shout.

Following him, the entire room froze solid.

“Huff, gasp.”

He panted heavily and soon trembled all over.

The fur mask that had only eye holes fell down so he couldn’t see anything, but he could imagine what the woman’s expression must be like now.

He should look ahead immediately and tell the woman to leave.

He was disgusted with his own foolishness—threatening her yet not wanting to see her fear him.

“See that. Get out now if you don’t want to die.”

Now she would open the door and leave in fear.

He smiled bitterly while waiting only for the sound of the door opening.

“Are you really going to act like a coward?”

Grab. His head was seized. The fur mask was forcibly removed.

Light entered his eyes, and he saw the room filled with steam.

And the woman, wrapped in white steam, brought her face close to his.

Her slightly furrowed eyes held some unidentifiable emotion, but Zephyrus didn’t notice.

“It can’t be… it’s not freezing…?”

He had definitely touched her forehead with his fingers, even if briefly, while removing her hat.

But it didn’t freeze!

“I’m hotter than that. The ice you make is nothing.”

All that caught his dazed vision was the woman’s face alone.

The face of a woman like a bonfire, grinning and laughing refreshingly.

**

“…Are you sure it’s alright?”

“It should be fine.”

Gwen looked at the dampened door with a stern face.

The door that didn’t freeze despite Zephyrus’s cold energy running wild.

It meant his gamble had fortunately succeeded.

“First, inform Lady Rossia. Tell her we’ve found someone immune to our Grand Duke’s curse.”

Whether the woman was truly the incarnation of a fire spirit or not didn’t matter.

As long as she could help his young Grand Duke, that was enough.

The image of young Zephyrus was still vivid in his eyes.

That’s why Zephyrus’s voice, which only grew colder as the years passed, continued to weigh on his heart.

Even if he visited and conversed with Zephyrus whenever he had time, it wouldn’t be enough to offset that loneliness and pain.

‘If only he could find some laughter.’

With that thought, Gwen stood beside the door and kept watch.

**

“Are you perhaps a fire spirit?”

“…A person.”

“But the ice melts immediately?”

“There are people who make ice too.”

“…Are you perhaps also…”

Zephyrus trailed off. He couldn’t carelessly ask if she was cursed too.

“But don’t you plan to take off that weird fur? Why are you hiding such a pretty face?”

“What…!”

Behind the fur mask, Zephyrus’s face turned bright red.

If she wasn’t a fire spirit, there would be no need for formal speech. He coughed once and lowered his voice.

“Don’t make pointless conversation. How did you meet the knights? Monsters don’t usually come down to populated areas.”

“On the Mountain.”

“Why did you climb the Mountain?”

“Are you curious?”

“I’m just interrogating a suspicious person.”

Interrogating, interrogating. Clemente, who had been repeating the difficult word, smiled brightly.

“Then I’ll try being interrogated!”

A hollow laugh escaped from behind Zephyrus’s fur mask.

She was a strange woman. And he was strange too.

Having a conversation with just a desk between them was absurd to begin with.

Just because his curse didn’t work on her a moment ago didn’t mean it would continue to be that way.

His head was screaming that he should send her away immediately.

The more anxious he became, the more ice chunks formed around him and surrounding objects began to freeze.

Sharp ice that had formed beneath Zephyrus’s feet was already flying toward Clemente’s vicinity.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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