“W-W-What are you going to do?” Lita stammered.
In her mind, whatever Cecilia meant by “do something” couldn’t be anything good.
Lita felt like a child being chased by her parents to eat—she knew it was necessary, but the process was painful.
“For example, how about we continue the topic we left off last night?”
Cecilia thought for a moment, then proposed.
Phew, that’s a relief.
Lita breathed a sigh of relief, then nodded slightly.
Then, as if worried Cecilia hadn’t noticed her actions, she answered, “Okay.”
“Actually, ever since I set foot on the land of the Northlands, I’ve felt a strong sense of familiarity. Even though this should be my first time in the Northlands, it feels as though countless memories of this place have appeared in my mind. No, I don’t think they should be called memories—they’re more like déjà vu.”
Cecilia said softly, moving closer into Lita’s arms as if the cold around them was seeping into her body.
Lita didn’t know how she could hold Cecilia any tighter, so she just pulled the blanket and fur cloak around them both, wrapping them more snugly.
“In those déjà vu moments, I even seem to see my mother. It feels like she was the one who took me across this land, and I have memories of the two of us holding each other like this to keep warm.”
Lita nodded again, listening to Cecilia’s story.
Just as Cecilia had said, this was only a prelude.
What Cecilia truly talked about were the various experiences she had with her mother in the Royal Capital when she was a child.
It wasn’t exactly when she was very young, was it?
Judging from what Cecilia said, it was likely the period before her mother disappeared, when she stayed with Cecilia in her room every day—the last happy time in Cecilia’s life.
“Lady Cecilia, weren’t you bored staying in your room all day?”
“Not at all. Mother always told me so many things: history, culture, war, stories. She also taught me how to think, how to treat people, and how to be a good child. I really learned a lot from that time. If I had been a bad child when I was little, then those teachings might have kept me from going down the same path as Lilia.”
As Cecilia spoke, she seemed to recall those happy memories of her own.
“It sounds like she taught you everything.”
“Yes. She always said I needed to learn quickly and absorb as much as I could, so she could feel completely at ease with me.”
“It almost feels like she knew she didn’t have much time left.”
Lita said casually.
But then she realized she shouldn’t have blurted out something so insensitive and tactless.
“Lady Cecilia, I didn’t mean it that way… It’s just…”
Cecilia pressed her lips together and said nothing.
That silence was more frightening to Lita than if she had suddenly gotten angry and cursed at her.
That reaction meant Lita’s words had hit Cecilia hard.
Lita lowered her head to see if Cecilia had started crying because of what she said.
But all she saw was Cecilia lost in deep thought.
“Lita, you’re right.”
“Huh?”
“Even though I always felt Mother’s health wasn’t very good. But at that time, she must have known something was coming. Not something—she knew she couldn’t stay with me anymore.”
Lita remembered that Cecilia’s mother had suddenly vanished from everyone’s sight, but it seemed to cause no commotion. The King didn’t send anyone to search for her, and everything was glossed over.
And after Cecilia’s mother left, Cecilia came to be called the “Cursed Princess.”
Could it be that the curse had been transferred from Cecilia’s mother to Cecilia?
Back then, the Queen was burdened by a curse. To prevent it from spreading to Cecilia, she took Cecilia everywhere searching for a way to stop it, but ultimately failed.
When the Queen returned to the Royal City, knowing her time was short, she kept to herself and Cecilia, rarely going out. To ensure Cecilia would be taken care of after her death, she taught Cecilia everything she could.
After the Queen died, the curse transferred to Cecilia. The King tried many ways to lift it but never succeeded, and eventually gave up.
“If that’s how it happened, wouldn’t it make sense?”
Lita strung together this sudden hypothesis and told it to Cecilia, then asked.
She expected Cecilia to refute her or say that this idea had already been proven wrong.
But after a long silence, Cecilia replied with unusual seriousness, “This is the first time anyone has said that. I’ve never considered its likelihood. Still, it’s a possible scenario.”
Lita didn’t expect to guess the truth in one shot, but if it could bring Cecilia even a step closer to the truth, that would be good.
With that, the topic had come to an end.
Lita closed her eyes, feeling Cecilia rustling under the blanket, doing something she couldn’t see.
After a while, Cecilia suddenly said softly, “Lita, I vaguely remember that in the part of my memory where Mother and I came to the Northlands, it seems she once used her body to warm me when I was little.”
“That sounds nice. Cuddling together in the snow—she was really a good mother.” Lita sighed.
“Now we’re also in the snow.”
“Now we have a cave and a fire, and our gear is thick. No need to worry, Lady Cecilia.”
“Lita, that’s not what I’m talking about.” Cecilia sounded a bit aggrieved.
“Oh.” Lita quickly shut her mouth.
“What I mean is, I want you to do the same—warm me with your body.”
Every word Cecilia spoke was clear and distinct.
The arm draped over Lita pushed against her side, lifting up the layers of clothes she was wearing.
Even though the insulation was good, Lita still felt a faint chill from the ground seeping through the layers of fur and bedding beneath her.
But what Lita felt more clearly was the touch of Cecilia’s arm directly against her side as she gently lifted her clothes—the sensation of skin touching skin.
“Lady Cecilia, taking off clothes here is dangerous. It’s cold outside.”
“Yes, it is dangerous.”
Cecilia agreed softly, then took Lita’s hand and guided it to her own waist.
Cecilia’s hand held Lita’s in reverse, continuing to guide it, making Lita’s palm slowly trace from her waist, following the contours of her body, finally coming to rest between her cool knees.
“If Lita doesn’t warm me up properly, it really will be dangerous.”
When did she even take off all her clothes?!
Lita had no idea why Cecilia would suddenly pull something like this.
No, she did know.
When Cecilia brought up her mother, she had already intended this—she deliberately led Lita step by step to this point!
Though Cecilia’s feelings for her mother were genuine and those complaints were real, that didn’t change the fact that what she wanted to do now came from the heart.
“Then… what should I do?”
“Nothing.”
Cecilia whispered, burying her head under the blanket, followed by more rustling.
Lita felt something pressing against her stomach.
It was Cecilia’s head, sliding gently under Lita’s clothes from the hem.
Her golden hair brushed against Lita’s belly, tickling her.
Luckily, Lita’s clothes were loose—after all, tight clothes are uncomfortable for sleeping in the snow, and her outer coat and cloak would still block the wind.
Cecilia’s nose traced across Lita’s chest, brushed against her collarbone, and finally her head popped out from Lita’s collar, like a kitten suddenly appearing.
“Huff!”
Cecilia let out a long breath.
It seemed holding her breath while squeezing into Lita’s clothes had been hard for her.
Lita wasn’t exactly comfortable either, since clothes meant for one person were now forcibly housing two.
Though not suffocating, her ample chest was pressed against Cecilia’s, tightly squished together, causing a slight shortness of breath.
Cecilia’s body was a little cool, but within normal temperature range. Now pressed together, it even made a few beads of sweat form on Lita’s forehead.
Cecilia shifted her body, pressing closer to Lita.
The slight friction made Lita curl up, and Cecilia, watching Lita’s expression, seemed even more pleased.
“It’s very warm.”
Cecilia patted Lita’s leg in satisfaction, then casually hooked Lita’s belt and loosened it a bit.
“Lady Cecilia, I can’t breathe…” Lita turned her face away.
“But it’s very warm.”
Cecilia repeated, gently biting Lita’s lip.
It didn’t hurt, like playing with a kitten—it left only faint teeth marks.
But that moment of distraction was enough for Cecilia’s sneak attack to succeed.
When Lita realized what was happening, the bothersome clothing that had been protecting her thighs from the cold had already been kicked away by Cecilia.
“Lady Cecilia…”
“Hmm?”
Cecilia hummed softly, her teeth tugging lightly at Lita’s lip as she leaned in closer.
Now Cecilia was more like a kitten.
The kitten opened its mouth and gently kissed—no, bit—Lita’s body.