Home/The Ice Age Came? And I Just Got Married?!/ch 39

 7. The Meteorological Observation Ship

Chapter 39

Screech— Screech—

I woke to the sound of seagulls.

Seagulls flying in this cold?

But contrary to my expectations, what I saw when I opened my eyes were strange, massive white birds floating in the sky.

What were those?

Bizarre creatures flew overhead—enough to make my eyes snap open.

Snow monsters?

They looked like snow monsters.

I jolted upright, then lay back down.

I was in someone's arms—Logan's, as expected.

"Don't move. It's still dangerous."

Logan warned me in a firm voice.

After moving the tidal wave and waking up in the middle of the sea, I'd passed out with a nosebleed.

I'd wondered if moving the wave had been a dream—but it seemed it wasn't.

"Where are we...?"

"You succeeded."

I stared at him blankly.

"You moved the entire tidal wave."

He looked down at our hands—we were still holding them.

"Me too."

I tried to sit up again, then lay back down. I turned my head and looked around.

The ground was slightly elevated. The ice wave I'd sent to the middle of the ocean hadn't melted—it was floating on the sea.

And we were somewhere in the middle of that massive ice wave.

Well, "middle" wasn't quite right—we were actually quite close to the water.

We were sitting on the deck of a naval meteorological observation ship, half-protruding from the ice.

When I asked how he knew it was a naval observation ship, Logan pointed to the letters engraved on the side, along with the Rosebrook Navy insignia: Rosebrook Naval 3rd Meteorological Observation Ship.

"Eve—sometimes I don't understand you."

Logan said quietly.

"Sometimes I don't understand myself either."

At my reply, Logan let out a dry laugh—a laugh that carried a sense of futility.

"In the past, I would have stopped you."

He probably would have.

"No—I would have done whatever it took to prevent it."

Logan looked down at our hands for a moment.

"But this time, strangely..."

His gaze returned to me.

"Even though I was anxious, I also felt like it would be okay."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Logan sighed softly.

"I had a baseless certainty that you wouldn't die this time."

"..."

"Maybe it's because this time it wasn't about being dragged into something—it was a choice you made by your own will."

The fact that Logan trusted me completely and staked his life on me made me feel both grateful and sorry.

I fell silent for a moment, then said,

"Logan—I will make you happy. I promise."

"Eve."

"Huh?"

"Don't steal your husband's lines."

"Didn't you know? It's first come, first served."

"I feel like I've been cut in line."

"Try harder next time."

At my answer, Logan's eyes widened. Then he burst out laughing.

"You need to say something more convincing so I can retort. Step it up, Eve."

So he hadn't forgotten that exchange.

I was proud that I remembered and could joke about it.

I wiped my nose with my index finger and decided to assess the situation.

The deck we were on was much better than the ice itself. Logan had laid his coat on the floor beneath us, so we could maintain some body heat.

If we'd been lying directly on the ice, we might have already lost consciousness from hypothermia.

"How long was I out?"

"About an hour."

"At least it wasn't long."

"The nosebleed stopped right after the movement."

Drip—

No sooner had he finished speaking than my nose bled again.

Logan silently pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it to my nose.

"As expected—His Grace always carries a handkerchief with such elegance."

At my remark, Logan stared at me and replied matter-of-factly,

"It's essential when you can't predict things."

"Huh? Ah..."

He meant he always carried one because he never knew when my nose would bleed.

Somehow, it felt a little embarrassing. I felt heat rise to my cheeks.

I changed the subject.

"Are we really in the middle of the ocean?"

"It seems so. No land in sight—just open sea."

I sat up. The nosebleed had stopped. Naturally, it didn't hurt at all.

"Did I tell you not to regret it?"

"Do I look like I regret it?"

Logan tilted his head as if genuinely curious.

He didn't seem to regret it at all.

No—shouldn't he be regretting it?

"Logan—you're strange."

"Because I take after you."

At his reply, I shot him a glare—and he laughed again, as if genuinely enjoying himself.

Logan let out a deep breath and wiped his face.

"I feel alive now. Since we're finally alone."

"We're alone and about to die."

He laughed again. Why was he laughing when we were about to die?

"We'll be fine for a while—we have this."

Logan pulled out a Redstone from his coat. I'd already absorbed one, so I could regulate temperature even without carrying one.

"Logan—you said you're from the future. Don't you know a way to end the ice age?"

"The ice age never ended."

"Really?"

"Because you died before that."

I fell silent.

"And because I kept turning back time. I've never seen the end."

"..."

"A world without you isn't worth existing. Why would such a world be needed?"

He was so honest it was almost startling.

"Why are you so blindly devoted to me?"

Logan looked at me, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"It's still too early. I'll tell you later."

"Why not now? I'm curious."

"I don't know—since you keep forgetting, I don't want to tell you."

Logan crossed his arms and tilted his head—as if refusing.

"It's not like I chose to forget."

You're the only one who regressed—how would I know?

"Right—so sometimes I think about it, Eve. What if we were switched?"

"Switched how?"

"You remember everything, and I lose my memory."

Logan's expression went blank.

He thought deeply with an emotionless face, then furrowed his brow in annoyance.

"Ah—I imagined it. I hate it. Sorry—cancel that."

He was utterly disgusted.

"Why are you playing both piano and violin?"

"I thought it wouldn't be so bad, but I guess not. I don't want to lose any memory of you."

"Ah—I really want to know. I want to remember too."

"That part is a bit difficult."

"Why?"

Logan gave a short laugh, but it quickly faded.

"I hate seeing you cry because of me."

At some point in the past, I must have done that.

"Still—I want to know. It's unfair that you're the only one who remembers."

After a small sigh, he lightly tapped my forehead with his fingertip.

"That's exactly why I won't tell you."

"..."

"Because you'd try to carry my burden too."

I looked at him without a word—so many complex emotions passing through me.

If Logan's feelings were a color, they'd be black—a color that swallows everything and covers everything.

Obsession, guilt, regret, love—all tangled so thickly they were indistinguishable.

Even Logan probably couldn't tell where love ended and guilt began.

But one thing was clear.

For me, Logan's black was the color that shielded me from all the world's misfortune.

"Logan—I'll promise you one thing."

Logan's crimson eyes met mine steadily, without wavering.

I gripped his hand tightly and said,

"In this life, I'll leave you only happy memories—so you won't need to remember anything painful."

For the first time, Logan's eyes wavered.

Then he covered his eyes with one hand.

"Ha."

He let out a short breath and lowered his head.

After a long moment of suppressing his emotions, he looked up.

His red-rimmed eyes—they told me everything.

"I really can't give you up, Eve."

"Don't."

Logan seemed taken aback by my answer.

I wasn't going to give up either.

I didn't need to say the rest out loud.

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