Home/The Ice Age Came? And I Just Got Married?!/ch 106

Chapter 106

When Julian first saw Eve, he thought he had seen an angel. Her pure white silver hair and blue eyes, her delicate features—whenever she laughed brightly at him, she was so lovely and adorable that he could hardly bear it.

"But she doesn't really look like Mother or Father, does she? And she doesn't look like us either."

"Don't say things like that in front of Father."

At Graham's warning, Julian quickly fell silent.

From the time Eve began to walk and speak, the Everhart household was filled with vitality. Julian loved it. When Eve was there, the atmosphere of the mansion shone brilliantly, as if it had been given three new lives.

The problem came when Eve was absent. When she went out for a stroll or shopping with their mother, the mansion became a gloomy hell.

---

Julian raised his head, coughing up blood. His father, holding a whip, came into view.

"It seems you still can't endure this much."

The fifteen-year-old Julian's body was covered in blood. But the Earl of Everhart's gaze as he looked at him was icy cold.

"With this kind of weakness, how do you plan to protect that child?"

The child his father spoke of was Eve. He wanted to turn Graham and Julian into weapons for protecting Eve. The reason was always the same: Eve is special.

It was by no means because his father loved Eve that he treated her specially—Eve was being kept. Julian had only learned later that the Earl of Everhart had stolen Eve from someone. And the Earl went to great lengths to keep that fact from ever being discovered.

If asked whether it wasn't unfair, whether he didn't resent that child for making him go through all of this, Julian would say—not at all. Even before Eve came, their father had always used his children as outlets for his frustrations. And after Eve arrived, the beatings actually lessened. At first, Julian was kind to Eve simply because he was glad of that fact. Moreover, Eve was so endearing that he couldn't help but be kind to her.

"Brother, why do you always come back covered in wounds? It makes Eve sad."

Eve, who thought his injuries were from fights with friends or rough sports, always treated his wounds herself. Of course, he could never show his more serious injuries to Eve or to the physician—if he did, his father's wrath would descend.

Then, one day, their father stopped punishing Julian and Graham altogether. It was because of Eve's shocking words.

"If Julian-brother doesn't stop exercising, Eve won't eat."

Their father, who would do anything Eve said, put an immediate stop to the punishments from that day forward.

"I know you were forcing yourself to exercise, Brother. Father made you, didn't he? Eve wants you to do what you truly want to do."

Fortunately, Eve never realized it had been punishment, not exercise, all along.

To Julian, Eve was not merely a pretty little sister. She was his salvation, his light, the very reason for his existence.

But it weighed on his conscience to deceive her. So Julian once confided in Graham.

"Brother. Wouldn't it be better to tell Eve the truth? That Father is a dangerous man."

"Julian, do you think Father seems dangerous to Eve as well?"

At Graham's question, Julian could not give any answer. And for good reason—their father and mother showed Eve only the most affectionate and devoted love in the world. Whether that love was genuine, Julian couldn't say.

"Still, we could at least warn her—"

"It's better that Eve doesn't know those things."

Hearing that, for the first time, Julian understood Graham's decision. Yes. It was better for Eve not to know. He wanted that child to grow up innocent, lovable, and beautiful, knowing nothing and keeping only happy feelings.

"Above all, if we want to uncover Father's true purpose, we can't act suspiciously."

Graham glanced around and lowered his voice even further.

"For now, let's just watch. We need to figure out what exactly Father is trying to achieve."

From the time they reached adulthood, they had deliberately stayed close to their father and kept watch over him in return. The Earl of Everhart had begun to regard Graham and Julian as reliable appendages. That was the result of years of effort—acting like their father's dogs.

Julian had chosen to major in Northern Ice-Environment Change Studies on his father's orders as well. And the truth he later uncovered was nothing short of shocking.

---

Recalling the past, Julian paused for a moment and looked at Eve.

He wished Eve knew nothing. But that was a luxury that could only be afforded before a catastrophic disaster like this Ice Age struck.

Julian let out a sigh and calmly summarized the events that had transpired, adding one final remark.

"There's one thing I can tell you right now. And that is—you must master this 'Heart of Frost.'"

"No. Wait, I haven't even digested half of what you just said, Brother."

Eve cut him off with a bewildered look.

"So how did you find the 'Heart of Frost,' what kind of research was going on at the Ice Age Institute, why did they think it would destroy you—and what makes you think the opposite now?"

The barrage of questions continued. Though she didn't share Everhart blood, she was indeed his sister—her scholarly curiosity was sharp, and her questions were well-organized. Julian looked at her with a pleased expression.

"Is that really true? Who was it? What were their goals?"

"I don't know their goals yet either. And he doesn't even know that I suspect he's 'Whitevale'—I've kept it hidden."

Julian searched his memory. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure if 'that person' was still alive.

"You probably wouldn't know him—Captain Russell..."

"I do know him. I've heard of him."

"Wait?"

"I visited the Rosebrook Naval Base. I also saw the Ice Age Institute where you used to stay, Brother."

Julian was inwardly surprised. He'd never imagined Eve would go that far.

"And there was exactly one survivor there. That person told me Captain Russell had gone to Norton. But I just came from Norton, and I didn't see anyone who resembled Captain Russell there."

"He said he went to Norton? Why?"

"He said he was looking for His Highness the Crown Prince..."

At her answer, Julian let out a bitter laugh. Not directed at Eve—but at Captain Russell.

"That can't be right. There must be something in Norton that he claimed he was looking for."

"Ah. There was a three-thousand-year-old artifact hidden in Norton. And I found it."

Saying that, Eve pulled a compass from her pocket and showed it to Julian. The needle was spinning in circles, as if lost.

'I've never seen anything like this.' It was an object not even found in ancient texts. But he could make a guess—ancient mages were said to have created countless magical tools.

"It seems to be some kind of magical artifact."

At Julian's answer, Eve nodded in agreement.

"It guided me here."

That only made the theory more certain.

Just then, Eve pointed to the massive black mana stone and asked.

"How do we handle this 'Heart of Frost'?"

"Not right now."

"How do you know that?"

At Eve's question, Julian gazed at the Heart of Frost for a moment, then recalled the time when this mana stone had been sealed away inside the lake along with him.

Back then, this accursed stone had ceaselessly whispered to him—not only to bring the Keeper, but also to gather the Winterst.

"Eve, you've been collecting the Winterst, haven't you?"

"How did you know?"

"This mana stone told me."

Julian answered, then added,

"Gather as much as you can. As much as possible. Only then can you move this Heart of Frost."

"'As much as possible' is a pretty vague standard."

"You'll get a feel for it as you go."

With that, a brief silence fell between them. Eve seemed lost in thought for a while before finally speaking.

"Alright. I understand. Forget that for now. Let's move first."

"Where are you going?"

"I told you. There's a village where I stayed with Logan."

"Dot Village?"

"No. Acorn Village."

"...You named it, didn't you?"

"How did you know?"

"Because ChesWind wouldn't have."

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