Home/The Ice Age Came? And I Just Got Married?!/ch 97

Chapter 97.

If the building was completely sealed, they had to either break through the rubble or find an entrance like a window or door.

"Wrong—the windows and doors are all collapsed."

Despair crept into Graham's voice.

Logan stood with his arms crossed, staring at the ruined mansion.

There must be a way. A way...

His crimson eyes slowly traced the building.

The scene was grim—the mansion's exterior was unrecognizably shattered.

Collapsed roof, cracked walls, tilted chimneys.

His eyes moved along the foundation, not the debris.

The upper floors seemed to have completely caved in except for a few sections on the first floor. That left only one possibility—below.

Logan approached the collapsed outer wall and cleared away the snow.

Beneath the frozen ground, a blackened iron cover was partially visible.

"This is..."

Brian squinted as he approached.

"A coal chute—it likely leads to the mansion's underground storage."

Logan answered, and Brian glanced at him—Logan didn't treat him as "senior" like Marcus did. Not that Brian expected him to.

Graham stepped closer and placed his hand on the iron cover.

A faint draft seeped through the gap.

Unlike the collapsed upper floors, the underground space wasn't completely blocked.

"We're going in here."

Logan drew his greatsword.

The tip struck the boundary between the frozen iron plate and the stone foundation.

CRUNCH—!

The twisted iron door groaned and tore open, revealing a dark passage just wide enough for one person to squeeze through.

Logan didn't hesitate.

"I'll go first."

He didn't wait for an answer—he entered immediately.

Graham and Brian had no time to think—they followed.

The dark underground corridor.

Clump— clump—

They walked in single file, an awkward silence hanging between them.

Logan and Graham were still like time bombs—this would last until they found Eve.

"What made you fall in love with Eve?"

Asking a question to Logan in this state...

It was bound to provoke him. But Logan responded more calmly than expected.

Come to think of it, something does feel off.

His attitude toward Eve had subtly changed.

"Hmm—does there need to be a reason?"

Logan answered without looking back.

"At least I'm curious—as her brother, wanting to know how much she's loved is only natural."

Graham's reply was plausible.

Logan was silent for a moment—even Brian walked tensely behind them.

"She's beautiful."

The answer was straightforward, but it was enough to disappoint Graham—but Logan wasn't finished.

"Do you know? Eve is more blindly devoted than you think. Once she sets her mind on something, she sees nothing else."

Graham and Brian both knew that—they remembered how Eve had only ever seen Logan at the academy.

She had seemed to live only to defeat him.

"If you enter her field of vision, you've succeeded—you can receive her blind attention."

Logan continued.

"I've lived a life lacking nothing. So I've never been blindly devoted to anything—that's why Eve fascinates me."

Brian felt something odd—it sounded like Logan was speaking in the present tense, not the past.

"She's like a flame—mesmerizing just to watch. And if you stare at it long enough, you feel like jumping in."

As if he'd fallen in love recently.

"It's irresistible—she's a captivating person."

He didn't say "I love her." Hearing this alone, one might think he was a man who'd just developed feelings for her recently.

Is it just my imagination?

But that couldn't be.

Brian tilted his head, but Graham seemed satisfied with the answer.

Though he couldn't see his face, the relief in Graham's posture was clear.

"And right now, my mood is far from good—of all people, Eve had to be isolated with the Crown Prince."

"I feel the same—of all people."

Logan's complaint was met with eager agreement from Graham.

The Crown Prince, for all his leadership qualities, had a reputation for romantic entanglements—he fell easily and was drawn to charm.

At the same time, he was cold enough to turn away if he deemed something contrary to his cause.

But the other party is Eve.

Brian thought—Eve was exactly the kind of woman who would align with Aiden's cause.

Of course, His Highness strictly observes boundaries.

He wouldn't cross the line—because that too would violate his principles.

But human emotions were beyond control.

Their footsteps quickened.

---

Crown Prince Aiden was cold-headed.

He was a man fit for the throne—aside from his weakness for women, he never acted on personal sentiment.

If something went against the kingdom or his own interests, he'd dismiss and overpower it without hesitation.

That was why he'd clashed with Logan.

So I didn't fully trust him—we could become enemies at any time.

"Getting out through the building seems difficult—the outer walls are all collapsed, making it hard to find an opening."

We carefully navigated the debris and snow, eventually giving up on escaping.

Clank—

Something shifted underfoot.

"Your Highness—hold on."

I used the Redstone to clear the snow.

As the white powder scattered, a square iron frame appeared in the center of the floor—like a trapdoor.

"It looks like an entrance to the mansion's storage."

Aiden nodded and pulled the handle.

Creak—

The rusted iron shrieked, but the door didn't budge.

He used the Redstone's power—still nothing.

"Hmm—even the Redstone won't open it. It's frozen solid..."

"Let me try."

Aiden paused and looked at me—conflict flickering across his face.

His pride as a man clashed with the possibility that I might succeed.

So I didn't wait for his answer—I placed my hand on the handle and concentrated the Redstone's heat, slowly melting the iron hinges.

A moment later—the plate lifted with a soft thud.

Click.

The long-sealed door opened.

Cold air and a musty smell rose from below.

A narrow staircase appeared.

Just then—

Bang— Bang!

Distant gunfire echoed—a shootout somewhere.

"Help—please help!"

A desperate cry followed.

Silence.

Aiden spoke.

"I need to go down—if someone needs help, it's my duty as Crown Prince. They're citizens of Grandon."

"I'll go too—I was taught not to turn away from those in need."

That had been my father's words.

"Eve—if you see someone in need, always help them. You have that duty."

Duty—I still wondered why he'd used such a grand word.

I looked at Aiden with a questioning gaze.

We nodded to each other.

There was no other choice—we'd be trapped here if we didn't go down.

And so, I followed Aiden down the stairs.

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