For the third time in his new life, Haruki woke up to the familiar comfort of his bed. Much like the other sharing the same carriage as him he'd suddenly lost consciousness to some strange phenomena. Cracking his eyes open, the dazzling effect of the eye-scorching light was still prevalent in his blurred vision.
"W-what the hell happened?" He mumbled before pulling himself up to sit down.
Looking around the room, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia for the place. Having traveled so excessively in recent days, the comfort of his home was truly a relishing feeling. The same translucent blue pillars holding up the clear ice walls instilled a newfound appreciation in Haruki towards the courtship of the Frost name with their inherited affinity for magic.
One of the very fundamental elements in the magic affinity circle, ice, or as it is otherwise called frost magic, was the only element that cannot be learned and only be inherited from one generation to the next. Then there were in obscurity some gifted individuals who inherit at birth the affinity for light or time magic, with time magic being so sought after that a child born with such an affinity would inevitably become the cause for endless war and carnage.
'I'm just glad I have a rare affinity because of Snow's body.' Brushing off those random thoughts, he turned his head to look at the window. Outlining the dust floating around in the room, the light shining in through the window indicative of morning. 'Doesn't seem like I was out for too long, but how did we travel here so fast?'
Remusing over his memories, he stressed his aching head to bring back whatever it could garner. Going through the last of his faint memories he remembered seeing the dragonkins flying out of the carriage before a sudden expanse of light consumed them all. The only other experience he could relate it to was when Diana used the magic circle to teleport him into the cave.
"So did their big brother teleport us? We never even saw him…" covering his face with his hands, he huffed a tired sigh. "Rose has a lot to answer."
Slipping out of the bed, Haruki began to dress himself lightly so he could go ahead and take a relaxing bath in the bathhouse, and while he was worried about the others, assuming they too were inside the castle walls he decided to spare a moment to just unwind from the stress.
"Young Master?" Hearing Rose's voice after so long, Haruki's ears perked up in an instant. "Are you awake? Can I come in?"
Knocking on the door a few times, she stood there in silence but refused to go away. Realizing that she already knew he was off of the bed, Haruki dressed himself properly before opening the door for her to come in. The moment the door opened up, however, Rose breezed into the room passing right by Haruki.
"Close the door," she ordered, her eyes as stern as always.
Adhering to the urgency in her words, Haruki closed the door behind him. Turning around, he took a quick glance at her demeanor. Slowly moving closer while his eyes scanned her head to toe, he was once again reminded of the extraordinary difference in their heights. Clutched into a bob, her long crimson hair gave her a distinct look of elegance, all the while her piercing gaze maintained her title as the hot-headed maiden.
"Is there a problem?" Haruki asked, standing right by her.
Widening in shock, her eyes glared at him as if he committed a mortal offense.
"A problem, you say? It's a fucking disaster!" Gritting her teeth to suppress her rage, she stomped on the ground making the whole floor tremble.
Thrown at the edge of his caution, Haruki braced his heart with his hands clutching the brooch hanging by the neck. Upon realizing the fears in Haruki's eyes, Rose distanced herself by taking a few steps back before taking long deep breaths to calm herself.
"The councilmen are here, I think it's best you ask them what the problem is," even though she managed to soothe her nerves, the drooling rage dripping from her mouth told an entirely different story. "I doubt I can stay sane, after what you've done."
With no clue about what she was referring to, Haruki decided it was best for him to simply follow her instruction. After all, Rose didn't seem to be in the mood for reason, and poking her would only enrage her further.
"Where are the others? I'd like to see if they're safe bef-" A flicker of flame in her eye made Haruki reconsider asking that question, and thus shaking his head, he simply turned to the exit to his room.
"They're all safe, even the guests you brought with you…" Huffing out a flame, Rose slowly corrected her demeanor to normal. "I apologize for my crude behavior, allow me to accompany you to the meeting hall."
Although her mind was still up in flames, she couldn't let decades of servitude to the Frosts go to absolute waste.
'Just a century more…' Consoling herself with those words, she followed Haruki out into the corridor.
"Care to tell me what the problem is now?" Still struggling to figure out whether his act as Snow slipped off somewhere, Haruki couldn't help pushing her for an answer.
"You man," Placing her hand on her forehead, she brushed off her frustration. "Young duke, do not test my patience, I've been here since the primordial Frost, so I don't have much of it left."
'Goddammit, what the hell is happening? All I wanted was a single day of peace and quiet, is it really that much to ask?' Scoffing at the thought, his mind kept wondering about the others and what they were up to or if they had even woken up from their slumber.
"Here, I hope you're ready to answer some questions," reaching the meeting hall, Rose pulled its door open for Haruki to enter.
Before stepping even a foot into the place, ominous gazes from councilmen with the exception of Rom paralyzed him for a moment. However, steeling his heart, he bravely pushed forward.
'I guess it's time for me to take my role as the duke seriously.' Puffing up his chest in confidence, he swore to be competent and commanding.
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