Home/The Ice Age Came? And I Just Got Married?!/ch 70

Chapter 70.

I gently tapped the baby bird's head. Tired, it just dozed off without reacting.

As I watched it for a while, Logan pulled a small tin kettle from the cargo sled.

He put a few ice chips inside, then packed clean snow on top.

"As expected—Logan, you know not to put the snow in first."

"If you put snow in first, it just burns the bottom."

"Right—ideally you'd add water first, then snow, but since we don't have water..."

"And we don't want to burn the pot, and we need to save fuel. Right, Eve?"

I smiled. It was enjoyable to have our logic align.

Logan added herbs to the boiling water. A gentle fragrance spread through the cold air.

"If the ice age hadn't come, we'd be at the Cheshwind estate right now."

"Yes."

"We'd be living an ordinary newlywed life."

"...That's what I regret most."

I laughed at Logan's playful answer.

"Don't laugh—you forget we're married far too often."

"What are you talking about—I'm always aware of it."

Logan glanced at me, then quietly took my hand.

After a moment, he interlaced our fingers.

Then he gently laid me down, naturally positioning himself above me.

"If you're always aware—"

He slowly lowered his head, his voice brushing against my ear.

"—then this should come naturally."

He pressed a soft kiss to my hair. I flinched—then he kissed my cheek.

I tensed up involuntarily. A warm breath and a soft touch met my skin.

I clenched my toes and shut my eyes—then coolness swept over me.

He'd pulled away.

Huh? Already...?

For a moment, I'd expected more—I opened my eyes, bewildered.

There I met Logan's eyes, crinkled with a sly smile.

FLUSH—!

Only then did I realize—he'd never intended to go further. He just wanted to see my reaction.

"Y-you're mean!"

"Really? You were expecting more, weren't you, Eve?"

"No!"

Logan burst out laughing at my shout.

I hit his arm until I tired and collapsed onto the ground.

He handed me a cup of the herbal tea. I glared at him but took it.

"Next time, I'll go further."

"No thanks!"

"I want to take it slow—the pleasure of fine dining is in savoring it."

His words made my heart flutter again, looking forward to the next time.

Such a fickle Eve. So easy.

At this rate, I couldn't tell who was taming whom. Being with this man made my heart race several times a day.

It couldn't be good for my health.

After that little commotion, we sipped tea together—and soon I was nodding off like Pipi.

After that, I lost consciousness—I must have been exhausted and fell into a deep sleep.

I came to about three or four hours later.

The moon was still bright in the night sky.

Feeling a bit stuffy, I opened my eyes to see a smooth neck. Below that, I couldn't see, but I knew it was Logan.

We were lying wrapped in each other's arms.

The fire had died out.

I needed to relight it—though with the Redstones, we could manage, it was better to stay warm.

"Shh."

Logan whispered.

Huh?

"You were awake?"

"There's a bear—we'll be fine, just don't panic and keep your voice down."

...What?

Fortunately, the bear was far away and barely visible.

I stayed still in Logan's arms, holding my breath.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

I could hear the steady rhythm of Logan's heartbeat—unlike my own erratic one.

Why was I the only one so tense?

I shifted slightly in protest.

Sigh.

Logan sighed.

"What's wrong—is the bear getting closer?"

At my whisper, Logan frowned and said,

"No... but I'd appreciate it if you didn't move."

"Huh? Oh—okay."

He must have been bothered by my fidgeting. Afraid the bear might return, I stayed still in his firm embrace.

Because of our height difference, my lips were buried near his collarbone.

I let out a deep breath to calm my racing heart—and Logan gripped my collar.

"Ah—sorry—was that uncomfortable?"

Logan didn't answer.

After a long pause, he spoke.

"It wasn't always other survivors who killed you in all nine lives."

I looked up.

"What?"

That contradicted what I'd known.

"In the first life, you froze to death."

"...At least that's a peaceful way to go."

Logan looked down at me, his eyes narrowing.

"Right—better than being murdered."

He groaned in frustration.

"Eve—you really have a way with words."

"I speak beautifully?"

"You speak astoundingly."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"..."

"It's actually pretty hard to speak astoundingly."

"Yeah—let's say that."

Logan laughed. He rarely laughed around others, but when we were alone, he smiled quite often.

"Every time I turn back time, the memories pile up."

He continued, his voice growing calmer.

"They pile up, layer by layer, building a high wall against people. But you—even though you get reset—you always manage to reach me. It always feels like you're inside the same wall as me."

It was a huge compliment. But what if it was just because I knew a lot about ice age survival—and that was what helped Logan? What if that was the only reason?

I listened quietly, then spoke.

"Honestly, I still feel awkward doing this with you. But you've already been through nine—no, ten times. So it's familiar to you."

"...I don't know."

Logan paused, his lips moving as if choosing his words. I found myself staring at his mouth.

"Being with you, Eve—it feels like the first time, every time. I never get used to it."

I just listened.

"I thought I'd care less once it became familiar—but instead, you're always new to me."

It was a quiet confession.

"And that drives me crazy."

I wasn't foolish enough to miss what he meant.

I took a moment, then swallowed dryly.

"I'm not sure I can handle such big feelings..."

I was nervous just saying it.

"But I think I'm falling for you—annoyingly."

That's why I added that last part. Logan snapped his head down to look at me.

"Probably—the first me, the second me, they all felt the same."

I looked up and met his eyes.

"They all fell for you too, Logan."

"Eve—that's—"

"Is this me liking you?"

"No."

"...Huh?"

Logan denied it so firmly that I was taken aback—no, I was really caught off guard.

"It's the swinging bridge effect."

"What—wait a minute."

CRACK—

At that moment, a branch snapped somewhere.

"Shh—"

Logan grabbed my shoulder.

We slowly sat up and lifted the tent flap slightly.

"They're not creatures that harm humans."

He pointed—a herd of animals that looked like deer or horses were passing through the forest.

I finally calmed down a bit and answered,

"They're reindeer."

Logan nodded.

"Right."

Why did reindeer have to show up now? Just like the mammoths.

I couldn't tell if they were a type of "snow monster" or animals that had migrated from the north—but as Logan said, they weren't hostile to humans.

Should I... hunt them?

Staring wide-eyed at them, I noticed something odd.

"Logan—there's a person on that reindeer."

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