The Ice Age Came And I Just Got Married - Chapter 56

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 56
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I dropped the acorn I’d been holding.
A stubborn squirrel had climbed onto my head and smacked my scalp with another acorn.
This damned squirrel!
“The Crown Prince has taken up residence in the house next to ours. He’s really putting down roots here.”
I lifted my head at Charlotte’s grumbling.
Charlotte, who had been tilling the field roughly with her hoe—thack, thack—let out a sigh and rose to her feet.
“Still, I’m glad you came back alive.”
Charlotte looked at me with a blunt expression, then seemed embarrassed and tapped the ground with the tip of her toe before turning away.
“I mean, it’d be a problem if my rival died, wouldn’t it? And this village belongs to you two as well.”
She seemed to be spinning her own story, but I didn’t bother correcting her—I just laughed.
I was simply grateful that she’d been worried about me.
I got to my feet and brushed the dirt from my hands.
“You’re right. Lucky for you I came back safe.”
At my words, Charlotte startled and turned to look at me. Her face had flushed a bright red.
Just then, Logan entered the greenhouse.
It had already been a day since we arrived at Dotori Village.
Yesterday, the moment we got here, my legs gave out and I collapsed, so I hadn’t had time to talk with Crown Prince Aiden.
Seeing my sorry state, Aiden suggested I rest and that we talk tomorrow, then promptly excused himself.
I hadn’t properly spoken with the other villagers either.
I’d been too preoccupied with recovering from the journey.
‘I still don’t understand why Aiden came to this village so soon.’
According to the novel, Aiden would visit around six months after the Ice Age began.
That’s what I was planning for when I started the project to make Dotori Village a harmless place—!
Could it be because of me? Because I’ve been acting differently from my past lives?
“We haven’t been able to clean the snow for two days, and it’s become a problem. The roof needs regular maintenance to prevent collapse.”
Logan’s adjutant Nathan entered the greenhouse, muttering.
He glanced once at Logan, who had just arrived, then looked at me crouching beside Charlotte, and covered his mouth with both hands.
“Last night really wasn’t a dream!”
Nathan Holt was a man with a wild appearance—his bangs covered his eyes, and his hair was unruly, framed by a thick beard.
To see such a man covering his mouth like a delighted child with both hands—I found myself looking away without thinking.
“If we all work together, I think we can finish cleaning before sunset.”
It felt as though I’d finally returned to ordinary life.
Of course, my mind continued to circle around the incidents related to my family’s disappearance.
‘I need to properly investigate Julian’s disappearance soon.’
But for now, cleaning was the priority.
I left the greenhouse and picked up the broom I’d leaned against the entrance.
“What should we have the Crown Prince do?”
At my words, Charlotte, who was tidying up the greenhouse, let out a startled gasp.
“Are you serious?”
I tilted my head.
“Of course. In this dying world, we have no use for anyone who doesn’t pull their weight. Crown Prince or not.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes.
“But still, he’s a Crown Prince…….”
“I don’t mind.”
I turned at the voice coming from behind me.
Logan had come up behind me at some point and gripped my shoulders, then gently pushed me behind his back.
“My apologies for the delayed greeting. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
A man with beautiful blonde hair loosely tied back smiled gently and extended his hand toward Logan.
Logan did not accept the handshake.
At that, Aiden tilted his head and looked at me standing behind Logan’s back.
“So this is the famous ‘Lady Chesswind,’ I presume.”
“I’m not curious about why you’ve come, Your Highness. Just stay for a while and leave by this afternoon.”
I slapped Logan’s back at his bluntness. Logan didn’t budge. He glanced at me, narrowed his brows, and added more.
“And if you’re planning to play the Crown Prince here, you can leave right now.”
Jack Harper, who had been watching our exchange, disappeared somewhere. He seemed to be going to fetch Marcus.
“Ah well, I came to see two people.”
Aiden, befitting his status as Crown Prince, was equally formidable. He didn’t bat an eye.
The relationship between Logan and Aiden was neither particularly good nor particularly bad.
It was simply a matter of political interests becoming entangled, yet Logan had taken an unusual dislike to Aiden.
And he’d made a habit of trying to shield me from him.
Why, I wondered.
Had Aiden killed me in some previous life?
‘But Aiden’s supposed to be the protagonist, isn’t he?’
Then it struck me—Logan was a villain.
Yes. A villain’s wife would have no reason to live in the protagonist’s eyes.
Only then did Logan’s reaction make sense.
Or it could simply be that they’d had poor relations back at the Academy.
Aiden had been a year below us, but I’d never had reason to entangle myself with him.
The truth was, I barely knew anyone at the Academy besides Logan.
Though I hadn’t exactly been close to Logan either.
‘He looks several years older than me.’
Whether it was his station or his nature, Aiden certainly didn’t look young.
“Would you have a moment to spare?”
Aiden asked me directly.
He’d apparently decided this approach wouldn’t work with Logan, so he turned to me instead.
I paused to consider.
Conversation with Logan was impossible in any case—whatever Aiden’s business, Logan wouldn’t hear him out regardless.
In that case, it seemed best to abandon the formal approach altogether.
It would be even better if Dotori Village appeared unremarkable and harmless.
So I decided to try something slightly impolite but certain to work.
I handed Aiden the snow shovel that had been leaning against the broom.
“We were actually just about to clean. There’s snow to clear from the village. Shall we talk while we work?”
I needed to understand exactly why Aiden had come here. I was curious whether he’d already classified Logan as a villain.
Of course, I hadn’t anticipated that Aiden might actually be more curious about me than about Logan.
Vincent, as commander of the guard, protested vociferously, but Aiden accepted without hesitation.
How could he refuse, when Logan was standing there so imposingly that you’d think he really would chase even the Crown Prince himself out of the village if Aiden declined?
In the end, Aiden and Vincent both received snow shovels.
Aiden, Logan, Marcus, and Brian took care of clearing the village grounds.
Meanwhile, Nathan, Jack, Vincent, and Charlotte handled the roofs of the village mansions.
There was a larger strategy behind this division.
I’d arranged the groups to be most suitable for dealing with Aiden.
Without stopping my sweeping, I eased closer to Aiden and asked quietly.
“So. What brings you here?”
Aiden glanced briefly at Logan and Marcus, then tilted his head toward me.
“If you wished to speak privately, you could simply send people away. Yet instead you have us shoveling snow—a truly impressive way to receive a guest, madam.”
I answered him honestly.
“I wanted to know what kind of person the Crown Prince is. I was testing you. You’re welcome to call me presumptuous. Does it offend you?”
Marcus and Logan both had sharp ears, so they’d likely caught the gist of our conversation anyway.
“Not at all. I find myself more intrigued.”
Aiden continued shoveling with unflappable calm.
“I came partly because I was curious about what kind of person you are, after all.”
At that moment, far off where he was clearing snow, Logan’s hands went still.
The tendons stood out sharply across the back of his hand gripping the shovel handle. He turned to look at us with an impassive face.
When our eyes met, I shook my head slightly.
‘It’s all right.’
I conveyed it through my eyes alone, without words.
Logan stared at Aiden for a moment, then turned back to his work without speaking.
But the sound of the shovel blade scraping the ice was noticeably harsher than before.
I turned my gaze back to Aiden.
His eyes gleamed with sharp precision.
Unlike the loose, easy impression he’d given—as if there were gaps in his composure—his gaze burned with a keen, searching light.

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