The Ice Age Came And I Just Got Married - Chapter 59

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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 59
Vincent turned his head toward the inside of the Stone Wall. In the edge of his vision, the roof of Eve House came into view.
“Our informants reported seeing the Duchess of House of Cheswind use the Power of Winterstone.”
He certainly talked more than he looked it.
Nathan ignored him and resumed reinforcing the Stone Wall.
“The villagers here seem far too complacent, relying on that power. Looking at how the village members were gathered in the first place, they’re nothing but a motley crew, and—”
Should he keep dealing with this? While Nathan wrestled with that thought, Vincent added one final remark.
“Norton fights for his life every single day.”
Vincent had revealed his true feelings for the first time. He was a man who had always lingered like an emotionless puppet behind Aiden, yet here he was, laying bare what lay in his heart.
In truth, he carried his own blade within.
He seemed to dislike everything about this village—its master, its inhabitants, all of it.
But regrettably, Nathan had grown fond of this village.
‘If someone asked whether Eve was fit to be the Duchess of House of Cheswind, I wouldn’t say yes, I suppose.’
Had this been before the Disaster Event, would Eve have adapted to being the Duchess of House of Cheswind? He couldn’t be sure.
Her etiquette was impeccable. The care with which House of Eberhart had educated her showed plainly.
More than that, she was intelligent enough to be considered Logan’s rival, and her judgment was swift. She possessed extraordinary ability, and in a crisis, she was more dependable than anyone.
But Logan’s place was beside a Duke. Was that truly all a Duchess was required to be?
Honestly, Eve fell short of the image of a Duchess that traditional noble society demanded.
Nathan believed this Disaster Event would end soon.
In a few years, the world would return to its original state, and he too would return to House of Cheswind.
That was why liking Eve and recognizing her as his lord’s wife and a Duchess were, in his mind, two separate matters.
“A war hero who should be defending the Empire, setting aside his patriotic duty to tend this wretched village—it’s laughable. The moment disaster struck, he should have sought out the Crown Prince and served in the military, yet here he remains.”
“Does any military remain for him to serve? Are there knights under his command? Are there guards still standing?”
It was a question laden with both curiosity and hope, but Vincent’s response was skeptical.
“I understand the urge to twist my words. But I speak out of pity for you, taking a woman as your mistress who clings to a handful of Winterstone fragments and prays for miracles in such wretched conditions.”
There was simply no getting through to him. Nathan shook his head.
Was he just bitter that Nathan, despite being a Royal Guard captain, commanded him? Was that it?
‘More than anything, he seems to harbor an inferiority complex toward the Duke and Duchess of House of Cheswind.’
It almost looked like jealousy.
Nathan had the uncanny feeling he could read Vincent’s true intentions.
‘The Crown Prince’s faction seems to be in worse shape than expected. That’s not good. But since we don’t yet know the King’s status, we might as well hold onto hope for that quarter, right?’
And then it happened.
The Stone Wall began to shudder faintly. They had been working on repairs from a makeshift platform made by laying planks across the wall.
But with shocking suddenness, hairline fractures spiderwebbed across the frozen stone below them.
Crack—crack—crack!
Nathan spun around urgently.
“Watch out!”
Even as he cried out, the Stone Wall beneath Vincent’s feet gave way entirely.
The plank platform tipped from one end and flipped into the void.
Even a Royal Guard was powerless before the sudden force of nature.
Crash—thud!
Vincent, losing his balance, plummeted straight into the Construction Site below the Stone Wall.
Behind him, the rubble that came loose tumbled down the slope.
He twisted his body to evade, but it was too late.
Thump!
A massive stone block came down directly across Vincent’s legs.
“Ungh—!”
Whoooooosh—
To make matters worse, the blizzard was drawing closer by the moment.
Nathan began hopping in place, shouting toward Marcus, who was running up in the distance.
“Marcus! Please fetch the Duke and Duchess!”
Marcus looked alarmed, glancing between Nathan and the collapsed Stone Wall below, then nodded.
“I’ll be right back.”
After Marcus disappeared, Nathan found a way to rescue Vincent.
“Just… just go,” Vincent’s voice came weakly from below.
Nathan heard Vincent’s voice drift up from below.
Nathan honestly hesitated for a moment. He wanted nothing more than to leave him there.
Wind whipped at his sleeves, and the Whiteout had begun.
Soon the Blizzard would obscure the view until he couldn’t see even a hand’s breadth ahead.
Nathan swallowed his curses. If he stayed here much longer, it wouldn’t just be Vincent who’d fall from the high Stone Wall—he too would be entombed in the Minus 60 Degrees Celsius cold.
“Damn it all, death breathing down my neck and that man won’t budge his pride!”
Nathan was different from Vincent. Above all, Nathan harbored genuine respect for Logan.
As for Eve, he still had his share of uncertainties, but one thing he knew without question: she was wise, warm-hearted, and possessed a humanity that moved him.
If anything, her compassion exceeded his lord’s. Had she been there, she would have saved Vincent.
It was beyond anyone’s control. No one could have foreseen the Stone Wall collapsing.
After a moment’s hesitation, Nathan bent low and stretched his hand beneath the fractured ground.
Through the Ear Covering Eve had so carefully prepared for him, he seemed to hear the cries of people calling out to him, but he had no time to look back.
“Take hold! Quickly!”
Vincent looked up at Nathan with a face drained of all color.
His pride warred against surrender, lips pressed thin, but the stone crushing his legs and the bitter cold lancing through his lungs shattered his resolve.
The moment Vincent cast aside his pride and extended a trembling hand to grasp Nathan’s glove—
Crack!
The fractured ground, unable to bear the weight, shrieked again.
The snow beneath Nathan’s feet collapsed faster than he could pull Vincent upward.
The two men, locked together, slid down into the vast ice chasm beneath the Stone Wall.
Boom!
Stone and snow from above rained down, sealing the mouth of the pit. In an instant, darkness swallowed everything.
The storm’s roar from above now reached them as a distant echo, while the pit itself filled with a desolate cold that seemed to mirror the Ice Age Stage 2.
Nathan shook his head, forcing clarity back into his mind. His entire body ached as though beaten, but mercifully, no bones appeared to be broken.
Yet the condition of Vincent, who lay beside him, was dire. The impact of the fall had torn open the leg that the stone had pinned, and dark red blood now seeped onto the frozen ground.
“Did I not tell you to go? Half-measures at mercy only breed poison.”
“The Duke and his wife received you both as guests. As an adjutant, it is my duty to see our guests return safely.”
Still, Nathan understood, at least dimly, that even if Marcus brought Logan and Eve, finding two people in this vast tomb of snow would be no simple task.
And now a blizzard was about to bear down upon them.
“You spoke of my good fortune?”
Nathan murmured softly as he staunched the bleeding from Vincent’s rapidly cooling leg.
“Then put your faith in my luck and wait. The lady will come for us. She will.”
Why the lady, and not the Duke?
The question formed in Vincent’s mind, but he could not dwell on it long.
Pain was consuming him.
Nathan, too, felt a jolt of dismay at his own words. He had spoken of Eve before his own master.
Though he revered and served Logan above all else, Nathan’s faith in Eve ran paradoxically deeper still.
This disaster had become proof of that very truth.
‘I questioned whether she possessed the qualities of a Duchess of House of Cheswind, but never did I doubt her competence…’
Nathan told himself as much, shaking his head.
Truth be told, he was fonder of Eve than of nearly anyone.
Perhaps that was precisely why he had sought to see in her—so desperately, so fixated—the makings of a proper Duchess.
What did such things matter in the face of catastrophe?
Nathan had no right to judge Vincent.

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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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