The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

If there were a god, it would be Mirabel. And if there were miracles, they would be magic.

Otherwise, there’s no logical explanation for why, dressed so lightly, I don’t feel even a hint of cold in Eisengar—the land of perpetual frost.

It’s all thanks to Mirabel’s magic.

Water, cleaning, sleep pillows, hand warmers—she provides it all.

"If I become president, I will distribute one Mirabel per household."

A guaranteed election victory.

“Master, this city is so beautiful!”

Mirabel, stepping onto the snow at the entrance of the Prissian Kingdom, bounces around excitedly.

Since Arpia had visited before, she didn’t seem particularly moved, while Elise, who had a soft spot for children, watched Mirabel with a gentle gaze.

On the other hand, Lin looked displeased.

“So this is where that so-called princess who stole Master from me is, right? Just let me meet her.”

Ignoring Lin, who was chewing on her discontent, the group entered the kingdom.

They were greeted by countless ice sculptures—so lifelike they seemed ready to move at any moment.

"Arpia mentioned this before, but I didn’t expect it to be this extreme."

What had once been an empty kingdom was now filled with ice sculptures, making it look even more like a fairy tale land.

And inside that castle, there was Asies, completely immersed in her fairy tale dream, fast asleep, waiting for a prince to come.

Apparently, she wasn’t the only one caught up in this fairy tale.

The ground trembled.

“Who dares to set their filthy feet upon this kingdom?”

Atop the castle where Asies slept, a dragon sat perched.

If a princess is trapped in a castle, it’s only natural for a dragon to guard it, preventing anyone from approaching.

The Ice Dragon, Scadia.

Though she had been struck down by Asies’s fatal counterattack, she was still one of the Primordial Ancient Dragons.

Dying so easily was not an option for her. In desperation, she had taken refuge within Asies’s blessed body.

A dragon, reduced to parasitizing a mere human—humiliating.

But since it was Asies, her perspective shifted.

The most beautiful woman in the world, as acknowledged by the Magic Mirror.

The opportunity to remain by the side of a beloved idol?

Actually, not bad at all.

Having indulged in Asies’s body while waiting for the right moment, Scadia awoke as soon as Asies fell asleep.

She wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of the princess waiting for a prince, but if she could simply keep that prince from arriving, wouldn’t that make the princess hers in the end?

A shift in perspective.

Thus, Scadia assumed the role of the dragon guarding the princess.

And no one could stop her.

“If you think you can, then come! Unless you defeat me, no one will approach the princess!”

“...Uh, that lizard?”

“Who dares call the mighty Ice Dragon Scadia a lizard?!”

Scadia roared, unleashing powerful Dragon Roars one after another.

From her high vantage point, she spotted Karami’s party walking across the snowy ground below.

Just looking at Karami made her blood boil so fiercely that she could have mistaken herself for a Flame Dragon rather than an Ice Dragon.

But the real issue—he wasn’t even paying attention to her.

Instead, his gaze was fixed on the four women standing beside him.

“You! You’re the one who spied on Lin!”

“...Oh, so she was a dog? I was out of it back then, so I thought it was a mistake.”

Lin pointed at Scadia with an accusatory finger.

That jogged Arpia’s memory.

Elise, who wasn’t aware of the details, tilted her head in confusion.

“What happened?”

“There was someone spying through a magic artifact called the Magic Mirror. That someone was that dragon.”

Scadia had once sought out Asies by consulting the Magic Mirror, asking ‘Who is the most beautiful woman in the world?’

The mirror had revealed four women. Three of them were standing right there.

Overwhelmed by their immense presence, she had panicked and shattered the mirror.

And now, there was even another woman added to the group—one whose power felt eerily similar to theirs.

They were undeniably beautiful.

Beautiful enough to momentarily shake her loyalty.

But Scadia shook off such distractions.

Her heart belonged to Asies alone.

“I don’t know what gives you the confidence to come here, but if you don’t turn back, I’ll rip your souls—”

“Shut up and come down here.”

“...What?”

“My neck hurts from looking up. Didn’t you hear Lin?”

“I—I am the mighty Ice Dragon, Scadia....”

“Do not raise your voice in front of Master.”

At that, Scadia cautiously lowered herself.

She sat meekly before Karami, her head bowed.

“...Human, what business do you have in this kingdom?”

“You’re being rude to Master.”

“...What brings you to the kingdom, my lord?”

“I’ve come to retrieve my slave.”

“This insignificant creature dares to call the princess a slave?! I have despised you from the very beginning! I’ll freeze you from body to soul and—”

From behind, a chilling killing intent radiated.

When Karami turned around, he saw his four slaves smiling serenely at him—as if they had done nothing.

But the moment he looked away, the pressure on Scadia intensified.

One of them alone would be overwhelming.

But four?

Before them, the mighty Ice Dragon had become nothing more than a trembling pet lizard.

She shrank back.

“...B-but the princess is asleep....”

“That’s why we’re here—to wake her up. So move aside.”

“Well...”

“Alright~ Darling. Go ahead. We’ll stay here and... educate this winged lizard.”

Arpia beamed as she gently stroked Scadia’s face.

“Oh? Would you do that for me?”

“A-ah! No! This body shall personally escort you! Please, take her!”

“No need. I know the layout of the castle. I’ll be back soon, so wait here for me.”

Completely ignoring Scadia’s desperate plea, Karami headed toward the castle.

Scadia instinctively tried to follow—but was immediately blocked.

Arpia and Lin smirked, curling their lips.

“Oh, you’re in real trouble now.”

“We were getting bored anyway.”

****

Karami wandered through the transformed castle, taking in the sights as he made his way deeper inside.

Figures sculpted from ice were engaged in their daily routines. Though they were made of frozen water, the atmosphere they created was warm and harmonious.

Cold on the outside, warm on the inside—just like Asies.

Perhaps, this was the kingdom Asies had always dreamed of.

Without straying elsewhere, Karami headed straight for the princess’s chamber, where Asies would be.

And sure enough, there she was, lying in bed in perfect stillness.

The moment he saw her, a weight settled on his chest, and he exhaled forcefully to push it away.

He sat at the edge of the bed.

“What is this? Seriously. I went through all that trouble to free you, and now you’re just sleeping? I came back just as I promised, so wake up already.”

Just in case, he called out to her. He poked her cheek a few times—but she didn’t move.

He placed a hand near her nose—no breath.

Her body, completely devoid of color, was ice-cold.

A frozen human. Indistinguishable from death.

She could wake up eventually, but that didn’t make the unease in his chest disappear.

It wasn’t like the time when Scadia had sealed her away.

This time, it wasn’t someone else’s doing. It was her own choice.

Asies. Arpia.

Mirabel. Lin.

And even Narsha.

Wanting to be together—that much, he could understand.

But making themselves suffer for it? That part, he still didn’t fully grasp.

That was a conversation for later.

For now, he had to wake Asies.

No matter how many times he called her or touched her, she didn’t react.

Then, his gaze landed on a fairy tale book resting on the bedside table.

An illustration of the prince kissing Sleeping Beauty to break the curse.

There was no way the book had been left open on this exact page by chance.

More than that, traces of ice showed that the pages had been frozen in place—deliberately set so that this was the only page visible.

A message for when Karami returned.

Her wish.

Something she wanted him to do.

“...Asies, I know you’re obsessed with fairy tales, but you do realize the prince was a bastard, right? Touching a sleeping princess without her permission—a true gentleman like me would never do such a thing.”

“......”

“Besides, I’m not a prince. I’m your Master.”

Even so, she didn’t wake up.

As if she were saying that there was only one way to break this spell.

A defiant slave.

Risking her life just to blackmail her Master.

...How could he refuse?

When she woke up, he would scold her properly.

Karami leaned in, pressing his lips to hers as lightly as a falling petal.

Chuu.

And just like that—winter melted into spring.

The ice spell unraveled, slowly fading away like something out of a fairy tale.

Asies, who had been completely motionless, her eyelashes quivered.

Then, at last—her eyes fluttered open.

What greeted him were irises as blue as winter itself.

“...Did you sleep well?”

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Karami’s smiling face.

The warmth of his lips still lingered faintly on hers.

A delicate curve formed on Asies’s lips.

“...Mm.”

“I came to take you home. Let’s go.”

But Asies didn’t move.

Instead, she reached out her arms, acting spoiled.

Seeing her behave like a child, Karami let out a wry chuckle.

Still, he took her hand.

And in that moment—as if it were all planned—Asies pulled him into her embrace.

Her arms wrapped around him tightly, unyielding.

“...Asies?”

He called her name, but she didn’t answer.

Eyes closed, she simply savored his warmth.

A heat so intense—it felt like he might burn.

Yes... she couldn’t live without this warmth.

When Karami left, she had finally realized it.

Without him, ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ she was nothing more than a snowman.

She would never let him go again.

So, before he could slip away—she had to say it.

Her lips brushed against his ear.

A whisper, mingled with her breath—soft enough to send a shiver down his spine.

“...I love you. So much... so, so much.”

The words seeped into him, like an enchantment.

For a moment—he thought his soul had been stolen.

...Thankfully, it hadn’t.

“Quite the sudden confession. But for the record, I like you very much too, Asies.”