The White Stoat Princess - Chapter 32

I gaped like a goldfish out of water. A cold sensation crept from my fingertips towards my heart, as if my body had been plunged into a block of ice.

‘No! I hate the cold!’

Born with a fire attribute, cold was something that existed only as a word for me, not something I actually knew. It was just like nodding along when someone said people could freeze to death in this world.

But experiencing real cold was far more violent and painful. It felt like needles were piercing each of my blood vessels. As I writhed in agony, someone gripped me tightly with cold hands.

[I was foolish.]

I turned my head. The pale face was devoid of blood. I knew who it was as soon as I saw him.

‘Espen.’

It was Espen’s face when he lost control of his mana, indiscriminately showering ice on friend and foe alike. The image of him freezing even himself to death.

With that face, he called my name desperately. That was quite unexpected to me. I thought Espen disliked me.

[I should have made you mine without hesitation or giving up.]

Had he ever said such things? Isn’t this completely a fantasy created by my dream?

As I tilted my head in confusion, I realized I couldn’t even remember what Espen had said anymore. It must have been a long time ago in my mind.

‘I don’t blame you. So you don’t have to come visit like this.’

Just as I was thinking that, trying to dispel the illusion of Espen.

Espen’s gaze, which had seemed blank, suddenly turned towards me. His clear blue eyes pierced through me sharply like a well-honed blade.

His blue lips, drained of blood, said this to me:

[I won’t let you go this time.]

“Gasp!”

At those words, I woke up startled from my sleep. The first thing I did upon opening my eyes was to take deep, rapid breaths. Like someone who had been strangled, I hurriedly inhaled oxygen.

‘Where am I?’

It felt like ice would swallow me again at any moment. But unlike in the dream, my chest wasn’t tight, and there was no stabbing pain throughout my body. Realizing I wasn’t suffocating, my hazy vision slowly became clear.

There was a familiar ceiling above me. A dark room where sunlight didn’t enter well, bookshelves stretching high almost to the ceiling, books packed tightly.

‘This is Hadel’s study…’

Knowing where I was, I felt more at ease. And what ultimately made me comfortable was the warm energy enveloping my body.

‘Hadel’s mana.’

When I turned my head, Hadel’s face was right in front of me. Before falling asleep, I had been lying with my head on Hadel’s lap, but now I was cradled in Hadel’s arms, and Hadel was sleeping with his eyes closed.

‘It’s warm.’

Liking Hadel’s mana, I reached out and hugged Hadel’s waist, snuggling close to him. And surprised that I could wrap my arms around his waist, I opened my eyes wide.

‘Huh? I didn’t turn back into a ferret even though it’s morning.’

Usually, after becoming human, I would turn back into a ferret when I woke up, but today I remained in human form.

‘Did I absorb that much mana yesterday? That doesn’t seem right though.’

Anyway, it felt a bit odd to be lying together with the sleeping Hadel in human form, rather than as a ferret. I tried to sluggishly raise myself from the bed. That’s when it happened.

“Eep.”

Hadel’s hand wrapped around my waist as I tried to get up, pulling me back into his embrace. Finding myself suddenly back in his arms, I blinked in surprise. A low voice murmured in my ear.

“Are you awake?”

“Hadel.”

Perhaps because he had just woken up, Hadel’s voice was even lower than usual. If I hadn’t been clutching the blanket with both hands, I might have rubbed my ears. The earlobe where Hadel’s voice touched tingled.

‘That’s sexy.’

After thinking that without realizing, I shook my head vigorously. What am I thinking? This is Hadel. He’s not someone I should have such improper thoughts about!

I lay in Hadel’s arms for a moment, blinking blankly, before eventually melting into a puddle. Being held in his embrace, Hadel’s mana warmed my body. It felt like I was lying on a heated stone.

‘It would be even warmer if I hugged him back.’

The urge to tightly embrace Hadel crept up on me.

I glanced at Hadel surreptitiously. With his eyes closed, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

‘…It should be fine, right? He grabbed me first after all.’

This wasn’t because I had any ulterior motives. If you had the choice between a lukewarm water bottle and a warm one, of course you’d be drawn to the warm one, right?

I was just about to turn slightly and reach out to hug Hadel’s back when:

“What’s wrong?”

Hadel suddenly opened his eyes and looked at me. Seeing my reflection in his red irises, I was reminded of Hadel’s kiss that had brought me to the study.

Blushing, I quickly turned my reddened face away and tried to change the subject.

“Y-you, d-did you sleep here too? Why not in your own room?”

At my question, Hadel’s smooth forehead wrinkled. He spoke as if scolding me:

“Speak properly. Weren’t you the one who clung to me saying you were cold?”

“Me?”

I remember falling asleep with my head on Hadel’s thigh, but…

As I blinked my eyes as if I truly didn’t remember, Hadel reached out and pinched my nose.

“Sleeping soundly without a care in the world.”

“I don’t remember.”

Hadel frowned, then turned his head away abruptly and closed his eyes again.

“I don’t know. I’m sleepy, so leave me alone.”

Even as he said that, he didn’t remove the arm serving as my pillow. Thanks to that, I lay there using Hadel’s arm as a pillow, intently admiring his face.

‘He’s so pretty. I wonder if his mother was beautiful.’

With a straight nose and smooth forehead, his features were generally large and bold, giving his face a three-dimensional feel.

As I stared at Hadel’s face, I pouted slightly. It was because I was reminded of Saedel, who had frightened me.

‘He doesn’t look anything like Prince Saedel.’

Even in the family portrait of Hadel that I had once accidentally discovered, Saedel didn’t resemble anyone. The people with black hair like Hadel wore gentle smiles.

But it seemed strange that Saedel lived loved in the palace, while Hadel spent his time lonely in the north.

‘He must be my descendant, but he doesn’t seem to resemble me at all.’

Where did the pink hair disappear to?

‘I think pink hair would suit Hadel well too.’

At first I was thinking about Saedel, but at some point I found myself changing Hadel’s hair color this way and that in my mind. That’s when Hadel opened his eyes and said:

“…Would you please move?”

“Huh? You said you were sleeping. Why are you getting up?”

“How can I sleep when you’re staring at me like that?”

“Just ignore me and sleep.”

“…”

At my innocent reply, Hadel rolled his eyes. Realizing I had acted thoughtlessly like a ferret again, I quickly got up.

“Alright, I’ll get up.”

As I rose, Hadel finally folded his arm and sat up. He turned his head away as if trying not to look at me, resting his chin on his hand while pointing to a corner with his finger.

“I brought a shirt over there.”

“Thank you.”

Come to think of it, I fell asleep without clothes on. Hadel had wrapped me so meticulously in the blanket that it wasn’t easy to unwrap.

“Ugh!”

After much struggle, I finally got my arms into the shirt sleeves, but this time my hair got caught in the buttons. I made a pained face and called out to Hadel.

“Hadel, my hair is tangled. Can you untangle it?”

“What?”

Hadel turned towards me and immediately scrunched up his face. I had only managed to button half the shirt before my hair got tangled.

He buried his face in his palm and sighed.

“…Can’t you please be more careful?”

I scratched my cheek and laughed sheepishly.

“I’ve lived as a ferret for so long that I’m not used to my own hair. I told you, I’m basically a ferret, not a human.”

“You did say that.”

Hadel let out a deep sigh but still beckoned me over with his hand. As I trotted over, his long fingers carefully began untangling my hair.

‘Hadel is really delicate.’

Usually when someone has such big hands and feet, their actions tend to be big too, but Hadel always walked silently and moved gently. It must be because he has a calm personality by nature.

As Hadel concentrated, silence naturally fell between us. Finding it awkward, I rambled on about various things.

“At first, I felt uncomfortable being naked all the time. But as I got used to it, now wearing clothes feels more uncomfortable. I’d rather just be naked than wear clothes clumsily.”

“…”

It wasn’t anything special, but Hadel’s face suddenly scrunched up. I tilted my head in confusion.

“Hadel? What’s wrong?”

Hadel let out another deep sigh as if the ground would open up.

“…I was completely agreeing with your opinion.”

“What opinion?”

“That it’s better to be completely naked than to wear clothes clumsily.”

“Right?”

“…You must feel so carefree.”

Why do you keep picking fights since earlier?

The hair that had been pulling finally came loose and fluttered free. Hadel must have thought it better to button up the shirt himself, as he didn’t remove his hands and proceeded to fasten the buttons.

‘He’s so meticulous. From the collar all the way to the bottom of the shirt.’

Due to the difference in our builds, even though it was a shirt, it naturally covered me down to just above my knees. It felt like wearing a light nightgown.

‘Ah, but I can’t go out looking like this.’

If I went out, wouldn’t everyone make a fuss about a stranger appearing?