Pina Grancia’s lies were piling up like building blocks.
She used to be straightforward with her emotions, but she was struggling to adapt to her recent changes.
“Hey..? Pina, didn’t that guy come yesterday?”
“Yeah, Licht said he was sick.”
She didn’t even know why herself.
Maybe it was because her heart ached every time Licht talked about another woman or seemed to miss the Nameless Saintess.
Just seeing a precious person getting close to someone else made her heart freeze.
The stabbing pain felt like a cold object lodged inside her chest—
so brutal for a princess who didn’t know what love was.
In fact, Emperor Rock’s worries about his daughter stemmed from this very fact.
Just like the long-living elves, wolves loved only one person throughout their lives.
For them, the option to love someone else didn’t even exist. Once an Inrang Tribe member falls in love, that feeling is heavy.
But the current Pina Grancia had no way of knowing that. Being next to the Black Knight made her heart race differently,
“Fever’s insane… Pew pew Licht.”
The affectionate words he had said that day kept replaying in her mind.
But that was all after nearly dying at the hands of the Demon King. She thought it was just simple worry or gratitude.
Sparkles kept flying through her empty feelings like Sproing Sproing, and flames flared in her frozen heart, expanding more and more.
“I think I caught a cold from the cold..”
She trailed off, lying. She didn’t want him to fall for the Apostle’s tricks or get hurt anymore,
as the thought of seeing someone sacrificed again felt like her heart was being ripped out.
Not even knowing what her emotions were, Pina tried her best.
They both shared childhood trauma, rescuing each other along the way.
Now they had become so precious to each other, sharing heartbeats, yet neither knew anything about love.
“My disciple is sick…?!”
“Doesn’t seem like it. How could he get sick in just a day…?”
They found it hard to keep quiet as they heard of Licht’s sudden sickness, glancing suspiciously at the princess.
“Pina, you know there’s a warming spell in our palace, right…?”
“…”
Dreik, Sophia, and Asha Aureus couldn’t help but suspect the mismatched situation.
They were eager to confirm, but the fierce glare from Pina made sure no one dared question her further.
“I was worried he might overdo it, so I made him stay in.”
Pina thought that no matter how strong he was, he wouldn’t be able to escape the northern palace.
“I’ll have to train him harder later!!”
Despite the suspicions, she jokingly asked for help guarding against monsters in the north.
In a place where the suffocating cold pierced through, breaths turned into white vapor.
“Here we are! Dreik, Princess Pina Grancia.”
Upon arrival, Asha lifted the giant Phoenix’s wing just enough to show the number of monsters outside.
“Uwahhhh!!”
“Grrrr!!”
At the north mountain base, enraged monsters charged, banging against the towering castle walls.
Yeti-like snowmen and monsters resembling wolves or bears lurked in the snowy lands.
Their eyes were unfocused, and even covered in blood, they seemed set on invading the human territories.
Their angry roars summoned more monsters, causing an endless cycle of assaults on the walls.
“With the monsters coming down toward the North region, we’re trying to hold them back for now…”
It seemed like the work of the Apostle of Rage, just as Licht had once said.
“In the end, we must deal with the Apostle; otherwise, it’ll be dangerous.”
“The Living Sun is a Spirit Magician, so their emotional abilities are weak.”
While maintaining the status quo, the Emperor had dispatched Licht and Dreik, making it a desperate situation for help.
“Salutations to the Heart of Steel!”
“Here comes Sophia Coldheart!! Show respect!”
The locals saluted as Sophia arrived with reinforcements, worn out by the prolonged battles.
Among them, a brown-haired man with bear ears stepped forward to kneel before the Northern Grand Princess.
“Has the commander shown himself today?”
“No, my lady!”
Even though stones rolled and spears flew from the sturdy walls, the monster’s encroachment seemed endless.
“Thanks to the Phoenix’s cradle, we shouldn’t have any casualties, but do we still have sufficient supplies?”
“We have about a month’s worth left.”
Day or night, they came without a moment to breathe, she had heard.
“It’s cold…”
Feeling like her fingers might freeze off, Pina donned her masterpiece again, just then noticing the golden-haired woman create a small sun.
“Princess Pina Grancia, if you use this, you’ll feel warm.”
“..Duke Asha Aureus.”
The moment she saw the fox-like smile resembling Nex, she recalled what Licht had said yesterday.
“Then what about the relationship between Asha and Senior Nex?”
The Nex she knew used to be nice as a child, but afterward, the stories of a reckless life emerged after being cut off due to trauma.
“Are you saying it’s fine for Senior Nex and Schartines to be unhappy?”
When she later reunited with Schartines, she had transformed into a pure-hearted sheep, and her joking disposition made Pina mistook her for someone else.
Is an engagement really that important?
Getting married doesn’t guarantee happiness, does it? The white-haired girl couldn’t find a reason to convince Asha to do so.
“Parents not being honest with their children—that must be resolved.”
She tilted her head, the woman before her appeared confident, an honest protector of the Ten Heroes.
What kind of secret could Asha Aureus be hiding for her not to be honest?
“Is it true that spirits stem from emotions?”
“Ah.. if you’re referring to my Phoenix, then yes, Princess Grancia.”
As she observed the fluttering Phoenix feathers, Pina felt doubt.
Ten Heroes were able to use spirits once they understood emotions, so there should be no reason to exclude her son.
It seemed more unnatural and contradictory that someone who knew best why the spirit hadn’t emerged tried to force engagement with other nobles.
While pondering Licht’s words yesterday, she detected something strange.
“Dude, there are way too many monsters!!”
As he counted the swarming numbers at his feet, Dreik burst into laughter.
“We gotta climb and kill them!!”
With those words, the Grand Sword Master leaped down the castle wall, striking his sword downward to slice a giant snow monster in half.
“Who dares stop me!! Hahaha!!”
Blood sprayed wildly as his silver blade cut through flesh and bone, staining the white snow red, a grotesque dance of monsters disappearing.
The Living Sun sighed, hand on her forehead, watching the battle-hungry Dragon Killer jump right into action.
“That fool… still….”
As if used to such turmoil, the golden-haired woman clutched her head, and Sophia calculated her next strategy with a cold glare.
“Asha, Pina, let’s jump down too. We have to handle the Apostle after all.”
“Yeah, got it. Sophie.”
Since it could become dangerous if the Spirit Magician lost emotional control, Asha placed herself in the rear, positioning Dreik at the front, and herself and Pina in the center.
“If only Licht could be here with the Dragon Killer; that would be perfect… How unfortunate for you, Pina.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Having been close since childhood, the Northern Grand Princess could see through Pina’s awkward lies and gave her a knowing look.
It was obvious she was protecting these capable reinforcements who had come to take down the Demon King on her own judgment.
“Pina, let’s talk later.”
“..Huh? About what?”
Flinching, Sophie felt certain as she saw Pina Grancia fluster—a girl with white wolf ears and tail, unable to suppress her feelings of love.
“Just the new romantic novel that came out.”
Just like the schemes the Black Knight had shared, the scheming Grand Duchess had caught a thread to advise the arrogant princess.
Claiming that a seemingly healthy individual had caught a cold, or flaunting possession with their tail—
a tail is an important aspect for beastmen.
Only partners are usually permitted to play with, wrap around, or stroke them.
Pina Grancia either didn’t know this or chose not to reveal the truth to the man known as Licht on purpose.
“Doesn’t the recommended novel by the Northern Grizzly Princess entice you, Platinum Wolf?”
“Your taste, Sophie, has always been trustworthy.”
If Emperor Rock had seen this, he might have grabbed a mallet and pulled out an axe. Just watching her friend stumble in love made her grin.
“But what’s it about?”
“The queen protects the knight in chess.”
Speaking too plainly might throw a wrench in things. It was clear that the man her friend liked was likely trapped inside a room.
“..What? That’s weird.”
It might be better to describe it with comparisons. One wrong move, and power could be abused here.
“Just read it later; it’ll be fun.”
“Okay, if you recommend it that much…it might be okay.”
After settling her thoughts, the black-haired bear hybrid took out her spear and tapped the ground, creating a staircase of ice.
“Ladies first, princess.”
“Hehe, thanks, Sophie.”
The middle-armored glass knight nodded and prepared herself to sweep away the enemies ahead.
