“I woke up in the morning.
I had a few too many drinks and said a lazy goodbye to Kyle before passing out, and now here I was, awake in the morning.
Fortunately, I remembered our conversation from last night.
Including that hug before we parted ways.
“It was solid…”
That was my first hug with Kyle.
Maybe that’s why I still felt the tingling sensation.
He hugged me with his toned arms and chiseled chest.
There was no way to describe his body other than ‘solid’—so different from a woman’s figure.
My own body had gone all soft and squishy.
Wherever he touched—my chest, stomach, or thighs—the expression ‘solid’ wouldn’t come to mind.
I needed to start working out or something.
“Ugh…”
What should I do while Kyle is away?
As Kyle’s private tutor and servant, I wouldn’t dare do anything unrelated to him.
Everything I’ve done for years revolved around Kyle.
I had been waking him up in the morning, dressing him, cleaning up here and there, and scheduling his day—everything required his presence.
And now, it had been eight whole years.
That’s why I just couldn’t decide what to do next.
“Ugh…”
Alright, let’s get out of bed.
Lying around seemed pointless; I could at least get up and do something.
The outside was cold, so I’d stay inside the castle.
I didn’t wear a suit…
That was something I’d wear only while serving Kyle.
Without Kyle in the castle, I felt like an outsider visiting.
That was the typical role of a private tutor anyway.
“Ugh…”
I roamed around the castle, but I really had nothing to do.
I wasn’t like the other maids who did regular cleaning; I just followed Kyle around.
I grabbed my coat from the room and stepped outside the castle.
Walking around inside the castle was just mind-numbingly boring.
I’d worked there for eight years.
I’d explored the castle enough times to know it inside out.
I could probably navigate it with my eyes closed.
“Ha…”
So I stepped outside.
The weather was harsh, but I figured it’d be better than being stuck inside.
I walked down to the territory below the castle.
I had come here with Kyle so many times before.
If it were a few years ago, I’d be unfamiliar with the area, but after so many visits with Kyle, I was used to it now.
“Shopkeeper, one meat stew, please.”
“Yay~”
I entered a restaurant I’d visited every time I came down with Kyle.
There were better eateries, but for some reason, Kyle really liked this one, probably due to its quiet ambiance and decent taste.
And since it was the first place I had recommended, I was happy about that.
But despite that, I felt a sense of emptiness.
Maybe it was because Kyle was always sitting across from me in this restaurant.
“…”
I didn’t know.
This was my first time coming here without him.
I had never come to the territory alone.
I soon pushed those thoughts aside and started eating the food in front of me.
It was definitely tasty food, but for some reason, it didn’t taste as good today.
-Crack… crack…
It was snowing heavily outside.
It had been snowing since Kyle’s coming-of-age ceremony.
Because of that weather, the streets were blanketed in snow.
Of course, people had cleared some paths to avoid obstructing traffic, but as the snow continued to accumulate, it crunched underfoot with every step I took.
As I walked, I found myself in the usual places I used to visit with Kyle.
“….”
Walking alone like this made me curious about how Kyle was doing right now.
Is he doing well?
Is he alright in this cold weather?
I’d told him not to worry a million times, but worrying was inevitable.
I wandered around the village until sunset.
It felt a bit empty, but it felt less empty than being in the castle.
“Louise, do you have a moment?”
“Why?”
Upon returning to the castle, I headed straight for Louise’s room.
“I have a few questions.”
Louise was much more experienced in these matters than I was.
I hadn’t really done anything on my own.
I hadn’t taken a vacation and had just been there helping Kyle all this time, so I didn’t know much about leisure activities.
“Really? Well, come on in.”
Following Louise’s invitation, I entered her room.
Thankfully, it wasn’t the same old messy room from before.
If it had been, I would’ve had to clean the place immediately upon entering.
“So? What are you curious about?”
“Um… Kyle will be away for a while, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So I have no idea what I should do during this time. Can you give me some suggestions?”
I’d wandered around all day, but I was so incredibly bored.
Maybe it was because I kept revisiting the same spots.
Everywhere I went was just places I’d gone with Kyle.
“Um… how about gambling?”
“That’s a bit…”
Even if I was bored, gambling wasn’t the answer.
If I were inclined to do something like that, Louise wouldn’t be telling me to avoid it.
She’d probably be coaxing me to join in.
“Um… truthfully, I don’t think there’s much to do in Eristirol either…”
“Really?”
Then I had no choice but to either hang around the castle or sleep all day.
“Ah, read a book or something. There are tons of books in the library; just find something interesting and take your time with it.”
“Should I?”
That didn’t sound bad.
I thought it’d be much more productive and interesting compared to wandering all day or just sleeping.
At least it felt like I was doing something.
Better than doing nothing at all.
“Thanks. I was so bored wandering all day long.”
“Seriously, go have dinner. Haven’t you eaten yet?”
“Yeah, got it.”
*
“Well, this isn’t half bad.”
I entered the small tent I’d been setting up to survive for a fortnight.
It wasn’t built super big since I wasn’t going to live there for several months; I just needed it to last for fifteen days.
With a fire set in the middle, just sleeping around that would be enough.
Even if I was tough against the cold, sleeping could be risky.
It was essential to create a warm environment while sleeping.
Plus, I had to cook up any game I caught.
“This is bland.”
After catching a rabbit, I skinned it and roasted it.
I didn’t expect it to taste good.
True to my expectations, it didn’t.
It wasn’t that I only ate fine dining before; it tasted completely flavorless.
I started thinking that maybe picking berries would have tasted better.
In fact, some mountain raspberries I picked had more flavor.
“Maybe I should check out the river tomorrow…”
It would probably be frozen, but I could make a hole for ice fishing.
Honestly, fish would probably be tastier than this bland meat.
Since I’d finished the tent I started working on when I arrived at the snowy plains, I basically just had to survive here for two weeks.
It didn’t seem that hard.
Even if beasts or monsters showed up, I’d already practiced catching them with my father several times.
So surely, it wouldn’t be a problem.
I had even set up my tent far enough away from any avalanche risks.
I mean, I would have to walk a bit to go hunting or gathering on the mountain, but it wasn’t that distant.
Better to be slightly annoyed than to be in a dangerous area.
“Ha.”
Survival was the top priority.
But for me, survival wasn’t really the issue.
The hardest part was the boredom.
I spent most of my time yesterday and today setting up the tent and exploring the surroundings.
But starting tomorrow?
Honestly, all I had left to do was hunting and gathering water.
I wouldn’t need to do much else.
“If only Sophia was here with me…”
At least it would have been nice to have someone to talk to.
It was a place entirely bereft of conversation.
Truly, too barren for human habitation.
Even the villagers who lived in the north wouldn’t spend time in such a place.
“Ah, I miss Sophia.”
It had only been two days, but I missed her terribly.
I wondered if she missed me too.
I really wanted to see her.
Was it around seven by now?
This was typically the time Sophie would be ushering me to the restaurant.
I knew it so well after years of repetition.
I remembered every detail of the daily life I shared with Sophia.
The time she’d wake me up in the morning, her bright smile as she did so, her straining neck just to meet my gaze, and how she’d shine even more when the morning sunlight wrapped around her as she drew the curtains.
Sophia who’d greeted me every morning.
But I wouldn’t experience those mornings for another two weeks.
When I woke up, it would just be cold wind and snow welcoming me.
“Ha…”
Maybe it was just the isolation that made me more eager to see Sophia.
I lay on the ground, having made a makeshift bedding.
It was far less comfortable than the bed I was used to.
I had once thought it would be nice to go camping with Sophia.
But that would probably be a bad idea.
She’d definitely catch a cold if I brought her into this makeshift tent.
“Ha…”
I wanted to finish this quickly and go see Sophia.
Still, there were thirteen more days left.”
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