Chapter 2: An Uneasy Truce

A howl echoed from outside. While I flinched, Iris, with an unfazed expression, began tidying up as if she had expected it.

She set down her luggage and dusted the chairs and table. It didn’t take long, suggesting the place was regularly maintained.

After stacking firewood in the fireplace and lighting it, she settled into a chair.

‘Is this the luxury of making a noble do your chores? But she’s surprisingly efficient.’

As warmth from the fireplace filled the room, Iris beckoned me with a flick of her finger, her expression still frosty.

“Come and sit. We have much to discuss.”

‘I don’t have much to say, though.’

But if I wanted to slack off and deviate from the plans of those who threw me in here, I needed Iris’s help, at least for now.

I could stay in these snowy mountains, but I didn’t want to. I was sick of the snow.

The wooden floor creaked as I approached Iris. Her gaze lingered on my feet. It seemed my bare feet bothered her.

‘Quite observant, unlike her seemingly cold demeanor.’

I sat across from her and looked up to begin the conversation.

“…Are you alright?”

“What?”

“Your neck seems stiff.”

“…Mind your own business.”

‘So tall, yet such a busybody.’

“Alright.”

A clear sign that she wouldn’t ask again. ‘Shouldn’t you ask twice, just to be polite?’

“Let’s get straight to the point. Who are you?”

“Evrys?”

“You seemed unsure earlier. Did you suddenly remember?”

“…”

“Well, it’s not that important. So, how did you get here?”

“I woke up here.”

“If you’re trying to test my patience, I suggest you stop.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions.”

“Jump to conclusions?”

“…I misspoke. I have no way to prove it, but it’s true. I really woke up buried in the snow.”

‘Not quite buried, but close enough. I did sleep in the snow, so it’s not entirely wrong.’

Iris frowned, massaging her forehead as if troubled.

“You have no proof, yet you want me to believe this absurd story about someone abandoning you while you slept?”

“You may not believe it, but it’s the truth.”

‘Wow, she’s spot on. Should I lay out a fortune-telling mat? Is she messing with me, knowing everything already?’

Iris rested her chin on her hand and stared at me. The only thing missing was a weapon; her aura was as intimidating as a robber.

“You expect me to believe that?”

“Would anything change if you didn’t?”

“Do you realize I could accuse you of something and execute you right now, and you’d have no grounds to object?”

“No, I’m telling you, it’s true!”

“Enough with the pointless talk.”

‘She started this interrogation, and now she’s acting all high and mighty? Is this a Dukedom trait?’

“You’re hiding your family name. I suppose even if I asked your purpose, you’d feign ignorance.”

“No? My purpose is to get out of here.”

“Of course, it is.”

“I’m only speaking the truth. Would you mind not being sarcastic?”

‘I’m being polite, and she’s speaking so informally. Is this how they show respect in the North?’

‘When I played the game from the princess’s perspective, I don’t remember being treated like this, except maybe at the very beginning.’

“You seem to have some complaints.”

‘Whoa, creepy.’

“Put your pouty lip away and speak. You’re not a child…”

Iris’s eyes flickered with apparent surprise.

“I am an adult, you know.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

‘Come to think of it, I’ve checked out the body, but I haven’t seen the face. I wonder what I look like?’

‘I’ll admit, I’m short. A bit unfair, since I was originally… well, not exactly boasting a height of 176cm, but I was around average, I think.’

“What does my age matter?”

“I agree.”

After a moment of staring with her red eyes, Iris broke the long silence.

“Let’s do this.”

She raised her index finger.

“First, I have to stay here for another week.”

“What?”

“I can’t explain the details, but if you want to leave, you’ll have to wait a week.”

“Well, as long as I can leave…”

“Next, your situation. You look like a young lady from a noble family. I haven’t seen any families with your features.”

“…”

“So you’ll have to come with me for now. If you refuse… I’ll have no choice but to execute you here. I can’t risk letting loose a potential threat.”

‘She talks as if I have a choice, but she’s basically saying she’ll kill me if I don’t follow.’

“Alright, let’s do that.”

“You accept so readily?”

“I don’t have a reason to object.”

“I admire your confidence.”

‘Now that I think about it, she speaks like an old man. Was she like this in the game? I can’t remember. She barely had any screen time…’

‘It’s strange seeing this cold beauty talk like a middle-aged man.’

‘It’s… unsettling. Not that saying anything would change it.’

“Is that all you wanted to discuss?”

“No.”

“What else?”

“You didn’t ask me anything about myself.”

“I’m not particularly curious…”

Iris shook her head.

“You acted like someone who already knew me. Accepting my informal speech so naturally.”

“…Is that a problem?”

“I just wanted to advise you that if you’re going to deceive someone, do it subtly.”

Apparently satisfied with having delivered that message, she closed her eyes, holding her sword.

Bathed in the firelight, Iris, with a gentle orange glow on her face, would appear elegant and beautiful to anyone who saw her. But…

To me, she just looked like a young, condescending know-it-all.

“This is ridiculous…”

‘Well, whatever. She’s just someone I’ll hang out with for a bit before parting ways. I don’t care either.’

Leaving the young know-it-all behind, I began exploring the… cabin? Lodge? I wasn’t sure what to call it. I had to stay here for a week, so I should at least know what was around.

Rubbing my stiff neck, I started looking around.

There was no food in sight, suggesting no one lived here permanently. Well, if there were people, they would have found me before Iris.

The wood used in the construction was too nice and luxurious to be just a simple cabin. It seemed more like a Dukedom vacation home.

‘Why did she come here alone? Especially the sole heir, no less?’

My naturally curious nature made me itch to find out, but judging by her earlier attitude, she wouldn’t tell me anything willingly.

Giving up on my interest in Iris, I resumed exploring the presumed vacation home.

As expected of an unoccupied vacation home, there was nothing unusual besides some slightly upscale furniture.

‘That’s probably why they let me roam free. I would have tied me up.’

‘This assessment is completely unbiased, by the way.’

The first floor seemed to be all there was, so I headed for the stairs leading to the second floor. The climb felt strangely strenuous.

Not physically, but because the stairs were so… high!

‘Who were these stairs designed for?’ As I grumbled, I thought of Iris closing her eyes in the chair. ‘Right, they were made for people like her…’

‘I want to go back to the modern world, where most things are designed for standard body types.’

Upstairs, I found a bed and other furniture. It needed some tidying, but at least I could sleep in a bed. I had been expecting to sleep on the floor.

There wasn’t anything else noteworthy. Except, maybe, a few children’s books?

I didn’t know why I could read them… ‘Come to think of it, it’s strange that I can even communicate with them in the first place.’

I hadn’t felt any sense of incongruity because it felt like being inside a game, but seeing the written words made me feel strange.

Characters I had never seen in my 26 years of life flowed naturally into my mind as if they were my native language.

‘What language was I speaking to Iris earlier? Korean? Or… the language written here?’

A sudden wave of nausea hit me, making me dizzy. I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

‘…Let’s just think of it as a perk of being in the game. It’s a service they should provide, right?’

Since there seemed to be no other explanation for this phenomenon, I decided to bury the question for now.

It wasn’t harming me anyway.

With that strange question pushed aside, my week-long, strange cohabitation… no, stay with Iris ended without any major issues.

If I had to mention something, it would be that even though I thought I didn’t need to eat because I wasn’t hungry, the food turned out to be delicious once I tried it. Iris’s slightly disgusted expression as she watched me eat was quite entertaining.

She looked at me like I was a piglet, but she was the one who offered the food.

The real trouble started as we were descending the dreaded snowy mountain.