1. The First Sight

“Hey, give me my luggage!” Amber screamed while trying to get up from the snow. Her runny nose was already red with anger.

"Hey!" the woman in furry white coat cried again. With great difficulty, she headed to the road. "Stop right now! Don't make me mad! You will regret it if I catch you!”

Unfortunately, when Amber arrived at the shoulder of the road, the car she was chasing had already turned around. The men who had thrown her before, laughed in satisfaction. Both of them waved from the window.

“Adjö!”

Neglecting what the stranger said, Amber screamed as loud as she could. "You liar! I paid dearly to be escorted to Adam Smith, not to be abandoned in the forest like this!”

With teary eyes, Amber watched the robbers' car disappear in the distance. She realized that there was no point in shouting or chasing. The strangers wouldn't come back to pick her up.

"I shouldn't have believed them," the woman grumbled in despair.

While catching her breath, Amber began to observe the situation. There was no one around. There were only shadows of pine trees, scattered snow, and millions of stars in the dark sky.

"This is bad," the woman sighed while hugging herself tighter. The gusting wind had sent chills to the bone. "What should I do? I can't die now."

While wiping her nose with the glove, Amber turned to face her landing point at the snow pile. Two seconds later, the woman sighed in disbelief. Even it was not clear, she could see a chimney blowing smoke not far from there.

"Is that a house?" Amber mumbled as her eyes widened. She thought she had found a glimmer of hope. However, after a blink, her brows furrowed again.

“But, along the way, I didn't see a single house. Is it possible … there are people living in a place like this?” the woman murmured doubtfully.

Once again, Amber surveyed the surrounding scenery. Convinced that there were no other buildings, she let out a long sigh.

"It's the only way," the woman mumbled before blowing her gloves to warm them up. "People in that house will definitely want to help me." Confidently, the woman exerted her strength to break through the knee-deep snow.

Arriving at the door, Amber could finally breathe in relief. As she continued to rub her hands, she noticed the yellow light emanating from behind the window pane.

"Thank God! This cottage is indeed a house." After exhaling quickly, Amber knocked on the door. "Excuse me. Is there anyone inside?"

Not getting an answer, the woman knocked again. "Excuse me!" she shouted louder.

A few seconds later, still no sound was heard. The silence made Amber's annoyance rise. She had been exposed to the winter air for too long.

“Where have the people of this cottage gone? Didn’t they hear my call? Tsk, I could freeze if I keep waiting out here any longer," the shivering woman grunted before pounding harder on the door.

"Excuse me! Is there anyone inside? I really need help!” Amber screamed in panic. Her stiff hands kept hitting the thick board. “Please! I'll freeze to death if you don't help me."

After a while, the door finally opened. Finding a way to enter, Amber's smile widened. "Thank you!"

However, just as she was about to take a step, a well-built man blocked her way. With a cold stare, the stranger asked, "Can't you read?"

Getting an unexpected response, Amber suddenly fell silent. Through round eyes, she studied the face of the bearded man with unkempt brown hair. There was no friendly expression there. It was clear that the occupants of the cottage did not like her presence.

“G-good evening, Sir. I’m so sorry to bother you." The woman suddenly became polite. With great difficulty, she tried to stifle her rumbling breath. “My name is Amber and I am not a bad person. I came to this country to meet Adam Smith. But as it turned out, I got cheated. My stuff was taken and I was abandoned in this frosty forest.”

While clenching his jaw, the man brought his head closer to Amber. “I’ll ask again. Can't you read?"

Hearing the low tone that was full of emphasis, the woman suddenly shuddered in horror. Holding herself tighter, she whispered, “Read?”

After a small grunt, the owner of the cottage glanced at the board attached to the side of the door. Half of the writing was covered in snow. “Read it and get out of here!” A second later, Amber gasped as the man slammed the door.

"Gosh! Why is he so cold?” the woman grumbled in disbelief. “I just want to ask for help. Why did he kick me out? And what is written here?”

While furrowing her brows, Amber brushed aside the layer of snow that was blocking the writing. “Stay away if you don't want to burn in the summer or freeze in the winter.”

After reading the warning board, the woman laughed dryly. "Seriously? I'll freeze if I stay away from this cottage,” Amber muttered before returning to the front door. Without thinking, she started banging again.

“Excuse me, Mister Cold. I really need help. Whatever the cost, I'll definitely pay for it. Now, help me not to freeze to death here,” Amber cried, ignoring politeness. The cells in her body had urgently needed to be warmed up. "Mister Cold?"

Once again, the door opened. Thinking that the man had changed his mind, Amber took a hasty step. However, before she could pass the door, a bucket of water suddenly slapped her face. In an instant, the woman screamed. Snorting in annoyance, she wiped her eyes with the gloves and the sleeves of her wet coat.

"What is this? Why did you water me?”

Instead of answering, the owner of the cottage put on a lopsided smile. A second later, he closed the door tightly. The man didn't even care if Amber's body trembled with cold and anger.

"You psychopath!" the woman grumbled furiously. Gritting her teeth, she started banging and kicking at the door. “If you want to kill me, why don't you use a knife or a bullet? Why are you torturing me like this?”

The faster her heart beat, the bigger her anger was. "You'll regret if I die here. My parents won’t stay still and my friends too. They won't make your life easy."

Suddenly, the door opened again and Mister Cold appeared with a full bucket. Not wanting to get a second splash, Amber hurriedly stepped back. In her haste, she fell to the ground.

"Ah!"

Even so, the man kept pouring water over her head. "Go away or I'll freeze you to the ice!"

“But I have nowhere else to go!” Amber shouted while brushing away the water droplets that had not been absorbed by her white coat.

"That's none of my business!" Without mercy, the owner of the cottage stepped in and closed the door. Witnessing the man's cold demeanor, Amber's breath became shorter. Anger had exploded in her chest.

"Aaargh!" the woman groaned. While her body was shaking violently, she rose to her feet. “Why does that psychopath have to live here? It should be a good person who’s willing to help me. Now, where should I go?”

After observing the darkness of the night, Amber finally traced her earlier tracks. "I can't give up. There must be someone else living in this forest. I have to find his house soon.”

With all her might, the woman forced her trembling knees to move. Even though her breathing was getting heavier, she kept walking and walking, not knowing that a storm was coming.