Roel Ascart felt that he had been sleeping a little too much recently.

  A few days had passed since he regained consciousness, but the side effects plaguing his body continued to affect his condition, most notably his constant exhaustion and lingering debility. He felt no different than the stereotypical beautiful frail heroine. Fortunately, this wasn’t a big deal since there was always a hero around to protect a heroine—Charlotte.

  Who would dare to bully someone favored by the First Miss of the Sorofya House?

  Roel gently pressed his fingers against his lips as he reminisced about the vague pleasurable sensation he had just experienced earlier when his mind was fuzzy once more.

  It seems that Charlotte has taken my temperature again. Haa, it really has been hard on her these last few days.

  To be honest, Roel was rather moved by Charlotte’s selflessness in taking care of him, especially since he could tell that she was helping him solely out of goodwill. This was an investment with no rewards, yet she persisted despite the difficulties.

  With a deep sigh, he turned his attention toward his current financial circumstances.

  Earlier in the morning, Roel had requested compensation from Charlotte, only to be told that her assets were now shared property. He took those words to mean ‘If you want to get your money, you’ll have to acknowledge that we’re an engaged couple!’. It was a terrifying threat, but Roel was not one to back down in the face of trouble.

  You think that little ploys like this can cause my determination to obtain my money to waver? You’re too naive!

  His personal finances were just too awful for him to back down. In order to purchase Glacial Touch, he had to take a freaking high-interest loan that charged 10% per month!

  Paying 30,000 gold coins every month just to offset the interest? That’s insane! Other than the Sorofyas, who were practically swimming in money, was there anyone else that could possibly afford something like that?

  Also, at the root of the matter, Glacial Touch had not only benefited Roel but Charlotte as well. It was because the situation they were in was so dire that he was compelled to absorb the mana around the egg—this solved a problem and simultaneously obtain another powerful trump card for the two of them. Otherwise, he absolutely wouldn’t be willing to touch something coming from the Six Calamities.

  Transcendent abilities and the price required to invoke them—this was a central issue that all transcendents had to weigh carefully. Most would become too fervent in their pursuit of power, causing them to neglect the price that must be paid, but the Ascart House, with its wisdom passed down from generation to generation, knew better.

  The Ascart House had always valued stability over profits, and Roel was a deep believer in this philosophy. He would rather abandon potential gains than expose himself and those around him to danger.

  This was one of the rare occasions that Roel decided to opt for the riskier route, and his decision proved to be right in the end. It was only with Glacial Touch that he managed to defeat Puppetmaster Douglas and save Charlotte’s life.

  Considering Charlotte’s net worth, 300,000 gold coins for her life was a pretty good deal. In Rosa, that amount of money wouldn’t even be enough to purchase a few strands of her hair!

  Roel was willing to put aside his pride in order to repay his debt, but unexpectedly, Charlotte wasn’t put off by his aggression in this matter; if anything, she was delighted at it. She promised right away to hand her finances over to Roel so that he could do as he deemed fit.

  Needless to say, Roel didn’t take her seriously. As the successor of the Sorofya House, the amount of properties under her name would be unimaginable. How could she possibly entrust her entire assets to him?

  But of course, since Charlotte was willing to pay up, there was no need to find faults with her wording anymore. So, he decided not to pursue the matter any further.

  “Darling, you’re awake?”


  Charlotte had rushed over to the bedroom upon hearing some noises. Under her support, Roel moved from the soft bed over to a wheelchair.

  Indeed, this was how bad Roel’s condition was. The withering of his life force and the high degree of undead reanimation had caused his body to become incredibly brittle. Even walking was tough on him, and a moment of carelessness could easily result in fractures. Left with no choice, he could only resort to using a wheelchair.

  Charlotte pushed Roel over to a conservatory within the Diamond Rivière, where they were going to have teatime together. There were all sorts of potted plants placed aesthetically around the room. The ceiling had a function to make it transparent, allowing natural sunlight to shine in. The fresh air within the room relieved Roel’s stress a little.

  Under the sunlight, Charlotte’s features were accentuated, making her look more charming than ever. As usual, she took her place beside Roel and began feeding him bite-sized dessert pieces.

  “Have we not arrived at our destination yet? I’ve been sleeping too much, so I’ve lost track of time, but I think we’ve been traveling for around three or four days now, no?”


  “It takes patience in order to look at the beautiful sights of the world. Here, ah~”


  “.……”


  Roel stared at the fork before him speechlessly. He had always been the feeder, since Alicia was still afraid of cutlery back then, but honestly, it did feel rather weird to be the one being fed instead.

  A few days ago, Roel was even weaker than he was at the moment. He could barely summon any strength in his arms at all. Even holding up a soup spoon stably was impossible for him, putting him in an awkward position.

  Charlotte didn’t make any remarks or criticize him for the uncomfortable situation he was in. Instead, she quietly moved the bowl over to her side, and under Roel’s astonished gaze, she scooped up a spoonful of soup and brought it over to his mouth.

  The consideration and gentleness she had displayed then were imprinted into Roel’s mind. With the atmosphere prompting him along, he leaned forward to glomp onto the soup spoon. At the very next instant, a brilliant smile reminiscent of a blossoming flower appeared on her face, leaving his heart thumping faster.

  But well, that was the situation a few days ago

  Roel was doing better now. At the very least, he should be able to hold a fork stably. So, he tried wrestling back control over the situation.

  “Regarding that…… I think I’ll do it myself.”


  “That won’t do.”


  “Hm?”


  Charlotte’s refusal was so natural that it left Roel stunned for a moment. He blinked his eyes blankly for quite a while before he finally realized that his demand for independence had just been denied.

  ???

  What’s going on? Are you getting addicted to this feeding job too?

  Roel was perplexed by Charlotte’s persistence. Feeling that he couldn’t let the situation continue heading in this direction, he tried to argue his case.

  “You’re still the successor of the Sorofya House. In terms of standing, you’re comparable to the princes and princesses of other countries. You really should take note of your identity. It’d be more apt for you to leave such menial chores to the servants……”


  “Darling, what are you talking about?”


  Charlotte tilted her head in confusion as she interjected into Roel’s words. Her auburn hair swayed lightly along with her movement, looking like flickering flames under the bright rays of the sun.

  “I don’t think caring for my own fiancé is anything embarrassing. If anything, I take pride in it.”


  “This…… You……”


  “Darling, ah~”


  “.……”


  Under Charlotte’s unyielding eyes, Roel could only sigh helplessly before opening his mouth wide. His compliance brought a smile back to Charlotte’s face.

  “I instructed the chefs not to make the desserts too sweet. How do you find them? Delicious?”


  “Mm, it’s good. I really like it.”


  Gourmet Roel spoke his words of approval as his eyes twinkled with bliss. He knew that he shouldn’t show such a side to Charlotte, but his body was honest to the delights of good food.

  Sweet. This is the taste of bliss~

  Meanwhile, Grace walked forward, leaned over to Charlotte, and whispered some words into her ears. Charlotte’s pupils dilated slightly, but it didn’t take her long to regain her composure. She turned to look at Roel, who was enjoying the desserts before him, and she abruptly dropped a question.

  “Darling, do you like snow?”