Baby Prisoner of the Winter Castle

That night, when Clarisse went back to her room, she was able to hear stories from the kind inner wall stone.

[Sir Outer Wall takes pride in protecting Sheriden for a much longer time than humans.]

“Mmhm, that’s pretty cool.” 

[But now that is becoming a thing of the past. They can’t ring the bell properly since their magic power is running out…]

“It seems like a lonely day. It would be nice if anyone could help.” 

[But ordinary people can’t tell the difference between a stone that has magical powers. The only thing that can help us is a genius Golem Master!]

“I see, I hope the Duke quickly finds a Golem Master with genius talent.” 

‘Yes…?’ Clarisse’s answer, which she gave with a smile, seemed to surprise the inner wall.

“If it’s the Duke, he’ll definitely find it, so don’t worry too much.”

[N, no, we, the inner wall thought he had found and brought such a person…]

“Oh, more than that, can you tell me about the snowman? I heard that Sheridan puts a snowman in front of the mansion.”

[Oh my! Is Clarisse putting a snowman in front of the mansion?]

“Eung. Didn’t you hear me when I was talking to the Duke here before?”

[I’m ashamed. When I don’t have enough mana, I fall asleep for a moment.]

“Sleep?” 

[Anyway, how long has it been since this happened… Having a snowman in front of the mansion is something to be proud of.] 

“Why?”

[It means that there are children growing up healthy in the building. It’s the coolest decoration any roofed structure can have!]

“Children growing up healthy…?” 

Coincidentally, that was the image of a child that Clarisse was aiming for.

It would be difficult if she couldn’t keep her promise to the Duke because she was sick until she was eighteen. 

[Yes, that’s right!] 

And the inner wall explained how to make a snowman with a really excited voice.

Clarisse now had a perfect understanding of what a ‘snowman’ was.

At first, she was somewhat relieved that it wasn’t alive like Mallang. 

“Maybe I’ll make something shabby. Because it’s my first time.” 

[What are you talking about! Just making a snowman makes me happy. I’m sure the outer wall will be excited and ring the bell.]

“Will the outer wall be happy if I make a snowman?”

Clarisse asked the question while feeling a little guilty.

In the first place, it seemed that the reason why the outer wall had to listen to the gossip from the soldiers today was because Clarisse had spoken to them and made them ring the bell.

[Of course. They’ll be proud, saying that it’s a snowman made by a child under the protection of the outer wall?]

“For that, I’d have to build a really nice snowman.”

[It’s all right. If it’s a snowman made by Clarisse, the outer wall will surely be delighted!]

Is it really so?

Clarisse wasn’t sure, but she thought she should make a good snowman tomorrow.

* * *

The next day, Clarisse finished the breakfast Rosalie had brought her.

After emptying the soup without leaving a single drop, she brushed her teeth and thoroughly washed her face. 

After that she put on furry clothes and raised a hand in front of her door.

Soon Benson came in front of her with a solemn expression.

“Did you sleep well, Sir Benson?” 

“Hmm, I have a night shift.” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

When Clarisse tried to bow down, he quickly stopped her. 

“I, I don’t mean to get an apology. Hmm! If you know the knights’ duty schedule, that’s even more of a problem!”

“Ah…” 

Clarisse nodded softly.

It was certainly a bit strange for the prisoner to know the Knight’s duty schedule.

“Anyway, what’s the matter?” 

“I want to go out into the garden to build a snowman.”

“Hmm, I see. I’ll give you permission to go out. The Knights also expect the snowman you make—no, it’s nothing.” 

Instead of talking about something important, he took a step ahead and guided Clarisse toward the central staircase.

After going outside through the stairs that were easier to come down, Clarisse followed the advice of the inner wall and settled down in a place with fewer footprints.

“They said I should make a little snowball first.”

When I gathered the snow that had fallen overnight in my hand and pressed it hard, it hardened like a stone.

“It’s done!” 

But the happiness didn’t last long, because as soon as I rolled the snowball on the snow, it split in half. 

“What should I do?” 

Clarisse was already crying in front of the fifth cracked snowball.

“Roll it gently. Be careful.”

Then, someone’s whispering voice was heard.

It sounded like a fairy’s voice, so Clarisse looked up and looked around.

But nobody was there.

‘Did I hear it wrong?’

I closed my eyes again as I thought about this, and I heard the voice again.

“Roll the small lumps of snow gently over the accumulated snow. You have to be very careful at first.”

This time, I could clearly see the direction in which the sound was heard.

It was coming from behind five large trees.

“Are you a fairy?”

Clarisse asked cautiously towards the invisible opponent.

“….” 

There was no answer coming back.

Clarisse decided to do as the fairy told her to do.

When she carefully rolled a snowball about the size of her fist in the snowy area, the snowball changed shape.

“You have to change the direction and roll it. That way, it becomes round like a ball.”

Soon, new instructions came from the fairy.

Clarisse changed the direction of the elongated snowball and tried to roll it.

The rapidly growing snowball soon became the size and shape of a watermelon.

Excited, Clarisse created another smaller snowball.

In the process of lifting a small snowball up, there was a disaster in which part of the snowball fell off, but when it was patted after completion, it was completed in a fairly plausible shape.

“Awesome! I did what the fairy said, and I finished it quickly!”

Clarisse was overjoyed and ran to the place where the fairy’s voice came from.

“It’s so wonderful!”

After going back behind the tree, Clarisse was able to meet a fairy with silver wings.

No, it was a mistake.

What Clarisse saw was a beautiful woman with long silver hair blowing in the wind and eyes like blue jewels.

“Ah…” 

Fortunately, she could easily recall who she was.

The inner wall once told her.

[The Duchess is a very beautiful woman. That shiny silver hair is more dazzling than Sheridan’s eyes.]

Clarisse bowed her head quickly and greeted her.

“Thank you for your help.”

Then she shook her head. She has a very friendly smile.

“Are you going out somewhere?”

Clarisse asked when she looked at her outfit, which seemed simple, but she soon regretted it.

It was because the Duchess, who opened her eyes wide, shook her head with her pale face.

“N, no! Never…” 

Just then, the voice of the Duke looking for Clarisse came from the front door. 

“….!” 

At the same time, the Duchess looked around hurriedly, startled.

The same way Clarisse did when she heard her voice for the first time.

Why is she so surprised?

As Clarisse looked at her, she was confused, but she lifted one of her index fingers and put it to her lips right away. 

It was as if she wanted to keep this moment a secret.

“Ah.”

Clarisse nodded her head slightly.

Come to think of it, it was strange for an elegant woman like the Madam to have a friendly conversation with a criminal.

Clarisse decided to keep this secret, as it would have a negative effect on her reputation.

“Clarisse.” 

As the Duke’s voice got a little closer, the Madam headed in the opposite direction.

Clarisse looked at her back from under a big tree, and she quickly went back to the Duke, who was looking for her. 

He was with Sir Benson returning from an all-night shift.

“Duke.”

He looked back at the snowball Clarisse made and nodded satisfactorily.

“Things are going very well.”

“As promised, I brought this.”

Benson handed over a carrot that had been sharpened and said to have been obtained from the kitchen.

“Ah…” 

Clarisse answered cautiously while holding the carrot.

“Excuse me, snowmen don’t need food.”

“What? It’s not food.”

Benson took the carrot and stood in front of Clarisse’s snowball.

“Look carefully, I will use this to make a nose for the snowman.In Sheridan, you can only be treated like a complete snowman with carrots.”

Benson answered with his chin held high, then knelt down in front of a snowman about knee high.

Then one arm with the carrot stretched out to the back, and in an instant, the blunt part of the carrot was inserted into the middle of the upper snowball.

Clarisse clapped her hands when it looked like it really had a nose.

“It’s amazing!” 

“How is it? It’s a skill that any human in Sheriden can learn!”

But behind Sir Benson’s back—.

Unable to overcome his strength, the snowman’s face, split in half, fell to the floor.

“…Ugh.” 

Feeling strange, Benson looked back and fell into contemplation.

The Duke’s face, who had been quietly watching this from the side, hardened even more.