‘It should be about time for Charlotte to return.’
The snowfall was growing heavier, showing no signs of stopping.
The sun was sinking beyond the horizon, and the sky was gradually darkening.
At this point, I was starting to worry about Charlotte.
What if the snow had piled up too much, preventing the carriage from making it through?
Of course, the bandit group—no, the road maintenance company—was also in charge of clearing the snow.
But if this was an unexpected blizzard, there was a good chance it was causing major disruptions.
Just in case, I should go fetch Charlotte myself.
The moment I hurriedly put on my coat and stepped outside to call the coachman—
“Ughyak!”
“…?”
As soon as I stepped into the snow, I felt something beneath my foot, accompanied by a short shriek.
What did I just hear?
Startled, I quickly lifted my foot and was about to dig through the snow—
“Puhehe! Caught me!”
“…!?”
Whoosh!
Snow scattered everywhere as Charlotte suddenly burst out from beneath it.
Completely covered in snow, she lunged at me, nearly making my heart stop.
“What on earth were you doing inside the snow?”
“I was waiting for you to pass by! I wanted to surprise you, but getting stepped on wasn’t part of the plan!”
“Aren’t you cold? Here, take my coat. Let’s go inside and warm up in the bath—”
“Ehehe! I’m fine! Not cold at all!”
“There’s no way you’re not cold…”
She was still in her training outfit—shorts and a short-sleeved shirt.
In the middle of winter, with snow falling all around her, she had been buried in the snow like this? She had to be freezing.
…Or so I thought.
But then I noticed—the snow clinging to Charlotte’s body was melting instantly.
Steam was rising from her, as if she were radiating an incredible amount of heat.
I reached out and touched her cheek. It was hot.
Not warm—hot.
For a second, I wondered if she had a fever from catching a cold.
But she wasn’t sniffling, and aside from her abnormal body temperature, she seemed perfectly healthy.
This girl…
She’s practically a human furnace.
Startled by how hot she was, I tried to pull my hand away, but Charlotte grinned mischievously and pressed my palm against her cheek, refusing to let go.
“Uhehe. Your hands are super cold, Mister!”
“And you’re way too hot… Have you always been like this?”
“Yup! I’ve never caught a cold, and I’ve never felt cold in winter either!”
“…”
Julia gets sick even in the summer, always weak and frail…
But this girl? Rolling around in the snow dressed like that, completely unfazed?
I was beginning to wonder if we were even the same species.
She was simply born beyond the normal limits of strength…
“Mister, Mister! Can I build a snowman in the training yard?”
“Go ahead.”
“Yay…!”
The moment I gave my permission, Charlotte let out a gleeful laugh and dashed toward the snow-covered training yard.
Standing in the middle of the yard, she whistled—
And in an instant, Dirt-Dirt and Water-Water came rushing over, stopping in front of her.
[Kyaaaah! Why are you summoning us so suddenly!?]
[Kraaaah! I’m busy!]
“Let’s make a snowman together!”
[Kyaaaah! A snowman? What is that!?]
Apparently curious about this unfamiliar human game, Dirt-Dirt and Water-Water tilted their heads in interest.
For a moment, it seemed like the three of them were peacefully building a snowman together…
“This is how you make a snowman!”
[Kyaaaah! This is incredibly fun!]
[Kraaaah! Hurry and roll me too, human! Why are you only rolling Dirt-Dirt!?]
“…”
The moment I saw Charlotte rolling Dirt-Dirt like a giant ball across the snow, I realized I had completely misjudged the situation.
Even the way she made snowmen was far from ordinary.
Laughter echoed throughout the estate as Dirt-Dirt tumbled around in the snow.
Charlotte was pushing him along, and as he rolled, more and more snow stuck to his body, rapidly increasing his size.
Before long, his brown body was completely hidden.
All that remained was an enormous snowball, rolling across the yard.
It almost looked like the snowball had a will of its own, searching for fresh snow to gather.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it.
“Ta-da! The body is done!”
[Kyaaaah! Something feels wrong! Is this really how you make a snowman!?]
“Of course! You’re now the biggest snowman body in the world!”
The finished snowman’s body was undeniably overwhelming in size.
It towered over Charlotte.
In fact, if I stood next to it, it might even be taller than me.
It was no wonder Charlotte was so excited about the first snowfall of the year…
“Ugh! I-I want to join too!”
“Julia!”
Just then, the door burst open with a crash.
I turned around to see Julia, bundled up from head to toe in winter gear, dashing toward us.
Even someone like Julia, who usually preferred staying by the fireplace all winter, couldn’t resist the sight of such a massive snowman.
Despite everything, she was still just a child.
“Now we just need to roll Water-Water to make the head, right?”
“Yeah! But he doesn’t gather snow very well…”
“Hmm… Water-Water! Ice!”
[Kraaaah!]
With Julia’s command, Water-Water instantly froze over with a cracking sound.
Now in a solid ice form, he was much easier to roll, quickly collecting snow as he moved.
Seeing this, Charlotte and Julia got even more excited and rolled him around even faster.
Or should I say, Ice-Ice now?
“Ta-da! The snowman is complete!”
“But doesn’t the proportion look a little off…?”
“It’s a snowman with a really big head!”
Before long, their work was done.
The training yard, which had been buried in snow, now looked like it had been completely cleared.
And in the middle of it stood a gigantic snowman.
Having rolled it around so much, they had made the head even bigger than the body.
The result was a completely top-heavy, absurd-looking snowman.
[Kyaaaah! So this is a snowman! I can’t see anything at all!]
[Kraaaah! Get me out of here this instant, humans!]
“You two look absolutely amazing right now!”
[Kyaaaah? Really!?]
“Yep, yep! Just stay still like that! Don’t move an inch!”
[Kraaaah! If this look is truly magnificent, then I shall remain like this!]
Had they already played to their heart’s content?
Satisfied, Charlotte and Julia admired the snowman before clapping the snow off their hands and leaving the training yard.
Dirt-Dirt and Water-Water were left behind, their laughter ringing through the air, while Charlotte and Julia chattered away, heading inside to the warmth.
“You guys have it rough…”
They were still Great Spirits, after all.
Anywhere else, they would be treated with the utmost reverence.
But of all places, they ended up in a domain ruled by kids who were beyond the norm.
I shook my head, feeling a little sorry for them, then followed the girls inside, quickly forgetting about the snowman.
Charlotte and Julia finished washing up, we had dinner, and I spent the night absentmindedly handling leftover work.
Then, as the sun rose the next morning and its bright rays streamed in through the window, I suddenly thought about the snowman and took a peek outside…
“The snowman melted overnight!!!”
“Ah… Only Dirt-Dirt and Water-Water are left…”
Sure enough, the snow had melted completely.
Now, in the middle of the training yard, only Dirt-Dirt and Water-Water remained, stacked in two layers like a sad, forgotten relic.
***
“Mr. Black… The second semester is almost over… My first year at the Imperial Magic Academy is coming to an end… I can’t wait to graduate and finally meet you in person…”
Scribble, Scribble.
As always, Yuri was writing a letter to Mr. Black with a pleased smile.
Once she finished the upcoming final exams and the semester officially ended, her first year would be over.
Looking outside, she saw a thick blanket of snow covering the ground.
A cold winter day, signaling the end of the year.
In the past, she could never have imagined spending this time in such comfort, without a single worry, laughing freely.
Back then, she had been cold, hungry, and constantly anxious about Charlotte and Julia’s well-being.
Her days had been filled with exhaustion, both physically and mentally.
But now, those worries no longer existed.
And all of this had started with her connection to Mr. Black.
To him, giving away a small fraction of his fortune might have meant nothing.
But did he realize that simple act had completely changed the course of a child’s life?
‘…Yeah. I should just give up on Aslan Vermont…’
Yuri let out a bitter smile as she made her decision.
She had always felt an odd resistance toward Aslan—perhaps because Charlotte and Julia liked him so much.
Even when she disliked him, and even after realizing he wasn’t as bad as she had originally thought, her attitude remained the same.
That was why, before things could go any further, she had tried to intervene and prevent them from getting together.
But now, she was reconsidering—not because her opinion of Aslan had changed, but because she had finally come to understand just how much Charlotte and Julia cared for him.
During last summer break, while staying at the estate, she had witnessed their affectionate gazes toward Aslan.
Until then, she had thought Charlotte and Julia were simply too young to know better, mistaking gratitude for something more.
She believed they admired Aslan out of blind trust, born from relying on him for their basic needs.
But after spending day after day observing them, she realized that wasn’t the case at all.
‘That womanizer… Charlotte and Julia already adore him, so why is he being so nice to me too…?’
She was stepping back now—for Charlotte and Julia’s sake.
She was giving up on this fake competition and letting go of Aslan Vermont.
From now on, she would devote herself entirely to Mr. Black.
…But why?
Why did Aslan still pay attention to her and treat her so kindly?
“Ahhh, seriously…”
Yuri groaned, dropping her head onto her desk in frustration.
At this rate, it felt like she was betraying her friends, stealing the person they liked…
Even though she had already decided to step away…
Her feelings were becoming far too complicated.
