“Ah, yes. This place is usually a gathering point for pilgrims heading to temples, so it’s relatively unaffected by war.”

“A temple.”

Brody racked her brain to recall a place with a ‘temple.’

A vague memory of ‘Adear Grachegyo’s’ main mountain situated on an island in the western sea came to mind.

There was a temple next to the capital Medisian, but that temple had strong administrative and political colors.

“We’ll be sailing past the island with the temple. The sea is calm there, so it should be a safe voyage.”

Drawing a rough map on his palm, Aidan gave a brief explanation of their current location and the route they would take.

Brody listened attentively.

Using his palm as a canvas, she envisioned the invisible map, found the location of the North, and pointed to it.

“What is the North like?”

Touching her soft, slender finger on his large, solid palm felt oddly intimate to Aidan. He glanced at the point she was touching.

“The North.”

A place I love, yet one that could make her life difficult.

Thinking of the pending obligations and issues he had left unresolved weighed heavily on his mind.

“The North is… cold.”

“…”

Ah, how obvious.

Without nodding, Brody waited for him to continue.

“There are a lot of mountains and forests. Lots of ice too.”

Grabbing Brody’s right hand that was stretched open, Aidan began tracing their location on his palm like teaching a child to write.
Here along the Ferdan Fortress runs the mountain range. Beyond it, there’s a bit of a plain where some lords cultivate their gardens as bases for agriculture. Further on is a massive forest, and around this fortress, you’ll find my castle.”

“Eter Hiel Castle, I presume?”

“People romantically call it that. It’s also known as North Archduke Castle or Mason Castle. Call it whatever you prefer.”

“Eter Hiel means eternal ice, correct?”

“Yes, fitting to its name, it’s a place where you can see ice all year round.”

He sighed with concern. Cold and snow were no threat to him; rather, they empowered him. But he was worried whether Brody could withstand such cold.

However, Brody seemed lost in thought.

With her left hand, she grasped Aiden’s palm and, using her right finger, traced the map Aiden had just described on his palm.

The fortress, mountains, and the forest beyond, covered in snow.

A strange tingling sensation at the touch of her fingers made Aiden involuntarily shudder.

“Br…Brody, that’s a bit…ticklish.”

Aiden spoke, his ears turning red.

“Ah, sorry. I got lost in my thoughts.”

Startled, Brody quickly pulled her finger away.

After a moment of silence, Aiden stood up abruptly.

“We…we should probably get going now…meaning, let’s get up.”

“Ah, yes, sure.”

Why is he stuttering?

His awkwardness made Brody feel awkward, too.

The warmth that enveloped her vanished all at once, replaced by the icy sea breeze.

Brody stood up, wrapping her arms around herself.

Ugh, figures. Even after eating, it was difficult to stand up.

She took a few deep breaths to dispel her dizziness.

“Oh no.”

A flustered Aiden quickly came to her aid and held her up.

He clenched his teeth as he swept his flushed neck and lifted Brody.

When Brody said apologetically, “I’m sorry,” Aiden just shook his head.

He silently started walking towards the dock.

“Damn, what’s this? Am I a beast?”

It was just a finger. A finger merely grazing the palm.

Yet that slight ticklish feeling had suddenly made him acutely aware of Brody’s scent, her warm and delicate body, and her soft skin.

Feeling a sudden heaviness in his lower stomach, Aiden had abruptly stood up.

He held Brody with one arm, and with his empty hand, he nervously scratched his neck multiple times.

“……”

Seeing the blush creep onto Aiden’s expressionless face, Brody could roughly guess the situation.

So she tried not to focus on Aiden, looking around instead.

Fortunately, by the time they returned to the makeshift stable to fetch Kais, Aiden had calmed down.

Both heaved a sigh of relief, making sure it didn’t show.