Chapter 62

The man curled up even more and began to mutter to himself.

"My barrier is probably just like a piece of paper to others... The people in the castle probably just pretended they couldn't get close to me out of consideration for me... And yet, I actually believed that my magic could keep intruders out... How embarrassing... My very existence is embarrassing..."

"......"

Noah took a slight step back.

"Sure enough, the ominous feeling I had when I woke up this morning was right. I dropped the palette on the carpet this morning, and when I tried to wipe it up, I knocked over the vase on the side table and shattered it, and then the pollen spilled everywhere and I couldn't stop sneezing. This must have been a sign that I was about to realize how shameless I am..."

Just listening to it was a string of misfortunes. As the man spoke, his dejection seemed to accelerate.

"I should just disappear right now, yes, I should dig a hole and build a house in it... A sunless environment suits me, being given a room to live in is presumptuous..."

"―'Leohart,' wake this person up."

"As you command, my lord Adelheit."

"Ahhhhh..."

The moment Noah pulled the man up, a weak scream rose.

"Let go, let go...! It's impossible to be seen by people in such a bright place, ughhh..."

"What will you do? You must have realized who this person is, haven't you?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about. Just keep him restrained."

"Yes."

"Help... help me..."

The young man with the same silver hair as the crown prince Louis covered his eyes with both hands, so only the lower half of his face was visible. He seemed to have a well-defined face, but it could only be judged by the atmosphere around his mouth.

His body was shaking terribly. It wasn't just because he had been squatting in the snow.

Claudia approached the man Noah was holding and looked up at him.

"Master of the garden, I'm sorry for startling you. We're lost, can you forgive us?"

"No, no, no, please spare me...!! How long do you think it's been since I've been in public, and your voice is a girl's! Impossible, impossible!"

"Then, shall we let 'Leohart' talk? Hmm?"

"Even that is impossible for a man!!"

Noah sighed deeply and looked at Claudia.

"What will you do, 'Lord Adelheit'?"

"Hmm, well..."

The name Adelheit from her previous life was one of the aliases Claudia used when she was an adult. The man reacted to it, his shoulders twitching.

"...Adelheit...?"

He opened his eyes cautiously.

It was then that Claudia first confirmed the color of his eyes.

(Diamond-like, silver eyes)

This was also a rare magical property.

The moment the man saw Claudia, he opened his eyes wide, which he had stubbornly kept closed.

"Ah"

And then, he shouted in the loudest voice.

"...The Holy Maiden of Ice...!?"

Noah narrowed his eyes.

The man, now visibly excited, pressed on at Claudia.

"Translucently white skin, a silver mantle!! Smooth and delicate hair that flows like a stream, a face so beautiful it dazzles the eyes!! These artistic curves of the body...! A holy maiden sent by God to this garden, it's hard to believe she's a real human...!!"

"Oh my?"

"Hey, don't get too close to 'Lord Adelheit.'"

The man knelt before Claudia and shouted while praying.

"My name is Stuart Henry Clingate... Ah, no, please forget it!! It's impossible for me to introduce myself to a holy maiden...!!"

"...Stuart"

"S-Saint, you know my name...!!"

Stuart's face, with his bangs hanging over his eyes, was a mess of tears. Noah glared at him silently, but this confirmed her suspicion.

(This young man is Louis's brother, the first prince of this country, Stuart)

It seemed this garden was his playground.

"Holy Maiden... Um, um, would you like to rest in this garden for a while...!?!? No, I know this is a presumptuous request...!! But I want to etch your image into my mind, just a little...!"

"...Lord Adelheit"

Noah stood protectively in front of Claudia and said in a low voice.

"Perhaps it would be better to reschedule."

(Claudia is well aware that her remaining magic power is insufficient)

Claudia smiled softly.

She had used a lot of magic to create time for today's 'meeting' and hadn't slept well since falling asleep just a while ago, so her magic hadn't fully recovered.

"Perhaps. ...Lord Stuart, I'm sorry. I've found my way back, so I'll leave now that I'm no longer lost."

"Huh...!?"

(Still, I might need to come back for more investigation. It would be convenient to set up another meeting)

Claudia thought and told Stuart.

"If it's alright, I'd like to come back to the garden another time..."

"―Just a little more!!"

"!!"

The loudest voice yet echoed through the snowy garden.

"Please, just a little more, let me see you! Just five minutes, no, ten, even one second...!!"

"――!"

Stuart's hand reached out to Claudia.

His fingertips were covered in thick ice.

As he tried to touch Claudia's fingers with his hand, the air around him froze with a crackling sound.

"Please, let me make you a part of my painting...!"

"―Lord Adelheit!"