Penelope blinked in confusion and asked again. Sir Kane nodded.

“Thanks to the wizard completing the magic stone barrier, we’ve been able to set up security with minimal personnel. Since large monsters rarely move during winter, we only need to focus on internal security within the territory.”

“The wizard has already completed the magic stone barrier?”

Penelope was shocked.

She’d assumed he was lounging around his room all day, but Ahwin had already completed the magic stone barrier?

I heard it’s not something that can be done in just a day or two.

The magic stone barrier was a defensive magical shield set up by wizards to protect against external monster attacks.

She’d heard it required an enormous amount of mana to construct.

At that moment, the treasurer spoke up with a troubled expression.

“Forgive me for interrupting, but may I ask how you even hired Sir Ahwin in the first place?”

How I hired him? I just picked him up from the Mage Tower branch.

Penelope couldn’t bring herself to say that.

“The servants claimed they saw Sir Ahwin flying through the air. Even with my limited knowledge, I know that’s an incredible spell. Could it be that he’s some extraordinary figure from the Mage Tower?”

As soon as the treasurer finished, the other vassals eagerly chimed in.

“I’ve never heard of a wizard installing a magic stone barrier this quickly.”

“I understand wizards have ranks. High-ranking wizards are said to have pride as tall as mountains. Are we certain we haven’t underpaid Sir Ahwin?”

Each vassal added their own comment. Being older, they had collected all sorts of scattered knowledge and, naturally, an equal amount of worry.

This is all because of that show-off wizard! If you have power, isn’t it common sense to hide it in a backwater territory like this?

Ahwin, of course, had no intention of hiding his abilities. If anything, he flaunted them as if he were proud of it.

Even now, his magical displays were being witnessed across the territory.

In this world, those with great power were inherently objects of fear.

Even the steward, who once suffered Ahwin’s temper tantrum over a meal, now wore a concerned expression.

Penelope massaged the back of her neck and said,
“The wizard will remain here until our contract is complete. Let’s all actively pretend not to notice him as long as he doesn’t cause harm to the territory.”

“That would be…”

Penelope hurriedly added,
“Not that it matters. Even if we wanted to drive him out, we couldn’t.”

“….”

The vassals fell silent.

That was the truth.

If a wizard didn’t leave of their own free will, there was no way to force them out.

Where a wizard chose to stay was entirely up to the wizard’s whims.

“Well then, let’s wrap up the meeting here—Ah-choo!”

Penelope, glancing out the window mid-sentence, let out a loud sneeze.

The steward frowned with concern.
“You should wear a thicker coat, Madam. I’ll inform the head maid.”

Penelope wiped her nose with the back of her hand and nodded.

Even sitting still, she felt chills crawling through her body. The temperature had dropped noticeably.

Just then, the wind howled outside the window with a whoosh.

It’s colder than I expected.

Penelope muttered to herself. Coming from the central region, the winter of Halo Territory felt several times harsher to her.

Why did I have to marry into the north, of all places?

She turned her gaze from the ominous view outside the window and sighed.

Winter is coming.

Winter was creeping ever closer.

***

A week later.

Penelope and Ahwin sat side by side in the office, in front of the fireplace, having tea.

It wasn’t because they had grown closer and decided to share the office sofa.

The sudden cold weather had left them with no other option.

In other words, they were stuck in front of the fireplace, unable to move elsewhere.

Ahwin stretched his hands out closer to the fire and muttered,
“Looks like winter is coming earlier than expected this year. The snow spirit must be in a particularly good mood.”

“Could you, you know, tell that spirit to calm down a bit?”

Penelope shivered as she spoke, hunching her shoulders. If she let her guard down for even a second, her teeth would chatter uncontrollably.

“That spirit doesn’t listen to humans. It considers us noisy, vulgar beasts.”

“Oh, really?”

Penelope gripped her teacup with both hands. The tea had already gone stone cold.

“This is supposed to be better than usual? Is that a joke?!”

The steward had assured her that this winter was mild compared to previous years.

Yet here she was, seeing her own breath every time she opened her mouth.

The vassals had wrapped themselves in multiple layers of fur, clutching hot water bottles and pets to sleep, while the servants huddled together in rooms with fireplaces just to avoid freezing to death.

“And this is considered mild? Just what is wrong with northern people?”

Outside the window, thick snow was pouring down. The perceived temperature? Negative thirty degrees.

For context, the steward’s “winter preparations” consisted of laying carpets on the floor, adding wooden shutters to the windows, hanging heavy curtains, and covering the stone walls with wooden panels and tapestries.

And yet, they couldn’t completely block the cold seeping in through the stone walls.

The problem was the architectural limitations—they were still stuck in the medieval age.

“At this point, it might be warmer outside the castle than in here.”

In truth, it was.

Because of the stone walls, which absorbed the cold, the temperature inside the castle had dropped even lower than outside.

Anyone familiar with how icehouses worked would understand the situation immediately.

Halo Castle was essentially one massive ice storage.

Penelope exhaled again, watching the white puffs of her breath float up before speaking.
“I’ve heard about flying ships powered by magic and the development of magic guns.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Ahwin replied nonchalantly.

“So why is architecture still so primitive? Even if we can’t improve heating, why is insulation still stuck in the dark ages?”

“…Insulation?”

Ahwin blinked, his tone puzzled.

Penelope held back her desire to wrap the entire castle in styrofoam and shook her head.
“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“Even sticking bubble wrap on the windows would be a huge improvement.”

As expected in a fantasy romance world, castles and towers were an aesthetic necessity, meaning the architecture was frozen somewhere in the 16th century.

The freezing cold was just an unavoidable part of the package.

“How’s the hot water system coming along? Is it on track?”

“It’s coming along nicely. I personally dismantled the pipes from the magical engineering train. I just need to recreate them, and it’ll be done.”

“Then why are you still here? Can’t you just open that weird portal and leave?”

“It’s colder over there. The Mage Tower is at the far end of the northern gorge.”

Ahwin answered matter-of-factly, leaving out the part where opening the portal was both troublesome and drained his mana.

Penelope had nothing left to say, so she just trembled in silence.

“Opening a portal to the northern gorge is an insanely powerful spell, isn’t it?”

It was true.

A portal spell that bridged space itself was a feat only great mages could even attempt.

Portals were typically created at the national level and tightly controlled, reserved for royalty and high-ranking nobles.

The fact that Ahwin, a single individual, could cast it was astounding—if other mages found out, they’d foam at the mouth in shock.

But Penelope had no idea just how remarkable it was.

“By the way, are you eating properly these days?”

Penelope asked through chattering teeth. Ahwin flinched.

Did she just ask if I’ve been eating?

The absurd question left Ahwin so bewildered that he didn’t bother hiding his disbelief.
“What’s with that all of a sudden? Of course I’m eating properly.”

“Then why do you look so skinny?”

“Why would I explain that to you?”

“Because when you first came here, you were twice as healthy-looking. I’m asking because I’m worried.”

Ahwin was suddenly indignant.
“Do you even realize who you’re talking to right now? Do you have a death wish?”

His voice rose threateningly, like a large dog growling in warning.

Penelope, however, wasn’t the least bit intimidated.

“Who else? You’re the wizard I hired. Don’t forget I’m a noble.”

“Oh, the noble from the failing estate?”

“That was a blatant insult to a noble, you know.”

Even as she shivered uncontrollably, Penelope still managed a rebuttal. Then she muttered under her breath, half to herself.