LOGINShare
Preference
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Her stomach growled again. It was the third time since they left the mountain. Nathaniel didn't seem to care. He was sitting opposite her in the carriage, reading a strategy-book.
"Ummm...", Katherine made, wanting him to notice and at the same time not wanting to disturb him. Sometimes, the temper of the earl was strange and she just couldn't be sure what would anger him.
"Yes?", he responded without looking up. He didn't sound displeased, Katherine decided, and forwarded her question.
"Do you not want to eat?" She was sure that he had a lunch pack, too, but though she was with him the whole day she hadn't seen him touch it. Was he some inhuman creature that didn't need to eat?
"I'm not hungry.", came the quiet answer. Oh, alright, forget it. When had he ever been human? However, she'd hoped for this.
"Then...", she started slowly, "Can I have it perhaps?"
A sharp glance hit her and she wanted to hide in a corner of the carriage. But with t
Related chapters
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Chocolates
She is right, Nathaniel thought when he remembered the maid. She really had always been a fearful little mouse, frightened at the sight of him even from afar. That was if he didn't see how she acted last night. The little mouse had disregarded his command when Pete and Jack didn't dare to. He remembered what Sam told him about the maid's past. It was surprising how bold she had become given her former status. She was not that bad a seedling, actually. But...He looked at Katherine and saw her sad gaze, the hope and loneliness, and sighed. Most likely the change in the maid was Katherine's doing anyways, so it wouldn't be of much use to him. "If that will make you more comfortable, I will be glad to gift her to you. You will be responsible for her pay from now on.""Yes! Thank you!" The hope blossomed into a full-grown smile and if they weren't in the carriage, she would have danced out of happiness. Hazel was her very own maid now. She would make sure to raise her well
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Care
The study looked like a battlefield. Books were thrown on the ground, shelves crushed and where once the table stood, was now a black pool on the cold stone ground.The earl took a sip from the wine bottle in his hand, his eyes dark. The backrest of the chair behind him was slowly melting away and wisps of black magic power coiled around his body. He couldn't care less."I'm a fucking idiot.", he mumbled to himself. Why did he have to torture himself? He knew clearly that it would only make matters worse. Those damn bodily desires had clouded his judgement. See where it led him! He nearly killed her. He nearly killed her so many times already! Cause touching was akin to killing..."I'm really a selfish bastard." Another sip, another accusation. He looked down at the bottle. There was not enough wine to tell them all. With a shrug, he downed the rest.When he moved, his white hair fell back, revealing his ravishing features. The fearsome eyes under t
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Hello There, Girl
Curiosity hit Katherine. Should she go there and listen in to what was said? From where she stood now, she couldn't understand a single word. Listen or go to the dungeon? Both could bring information about his plans and dark secrets.Well, if the opportunity presented itself, she should just go and take it. The dungeon would still be there tomorrow.Slowly and carefully, she sneaked closer. When she reached the corridor where the voices originated from, she peeked around the corner. Two guards stood to both sides of the door to the earl's study. Well, damn, so far for listening in.For a few seconds she tried to hear what the earl talked about from the spot where she was. She knew his deep voice already, it was melodic with an unfathomable inner strength. The other person seemed to be Sam. It was quite difficult to understand them, but she differentiated a few words. "... evacuation completed... soldiers... trap... strong blow to the Renat kingdom..."Was
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Do You Still Want to Visit the Dungeon?
"Criminal? I don't see a criminal. Just a girl that sneaks out at night.", Nathaniel responded in a displeased tone. "And it is still the same girl that told me it wouldn't run away.""I wasn't running away!", Katherine retorted instantly, forgetting about the criminal to save her freedom. "I was just..." At first she searched for an excuse, but realized that none seemed plausible enough to deceive the earl. So she reluctantly told the truth. Or half of it. "I... I like thrillers very much. So I was just curious what a real dungeon would look like."Nathaniel's face was like a mask, cold and unreadable. She couldn't tell if he believed her or not. "Is that so... ask the dungeon master for a tour next time. I'm sure she will be very happy to show you, right, Christine?"He looked over at the slim, wax-faced person, who nodded with a creepy grin. Katherine was flabbergasted. The combination of his words and actions was just too unbelievable. This... this creepy pe
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Moving Forest
When Jack and Pete saw her coming down the corridor, they made a ruckus about how she could go out alone at night, which got even worse when she told them she wanted to visit the dungeon. Jack shivered by the thought of what that torturer-dungeon-master could have done to her. But since it was late already, they didn't scold her for too long and let her inside.Hazel had fallen asleep in a chair next to the window. She must have waited for her to come back till her eyes closed on their own. It couldn't be comfortable with the hard lean and the cold air coming in through the open window.A warm smile spread on Katherine's face. Silently, she went to the window and closed it before spreading a blanket over the sleeping girl. The bun on Hazel's head loosened and a few strands of red hair fell into her face. Carefully, Katherine pushed them behind the girl's ear. This girl really was like the little sister she always wanted.With a small sigh, she changed into somet
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Who Are You?
More or less all soldiers were on the fields now. That was the moment Nathaniel had waited for. He steeled his heart, making his face look like a sinister, ice-cold mask. They were enemies. They were trying to kill his people. It didn't matter that they wouldn't succeed or even less that they were only following orders. It didn't matter at all.On the far end of the field, where the last rows of the army stood, the darkness contained in about a hundred clay pots - each buried in the ground, deep enough that the opening was on the same level as the earth - started to boil. They were buried at a regular distance, one every few dozen meters. When the tiny wisps of darkness escaped their residence, black patches slowly spread on the fields. With every wheat plant the darkness ate, it grew bigger. At first, it was unnoticed by everyone. A wisp grew into palm-size, grew into a meter in diameter, grew bigger and bigger.Suddenly, one of the soldiers felt that it was hard to m
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Grim Reaper
In the second the commander took to understand Nathaniel's words, the darkness in front and back, and also to the far sides where the army ended, suddenly raised like giant walls. No, not walls, but more like waves, continuously moving and impatiently waiting to break down and destroy.When the commander saw the waves surrounding them like a giant cage, fear invaded his heart. Ever since he became a soldier he hadn't felt this helpless and small anymore. Like a tiny bird in a cage. In fact, he might never have felt this helpless in his whole life! He couldn't accept this!With an angry roar he stormed forwards, towards this shamelessly overpowered enemy. He wanted to at least bring him down with him! If he had to die, if his army had to die, they would at least die fighting!And so he thew a command to all those whimpering and praying cowards behind him: "Attack! All forces attack the enemy!"Some of them stirred, some of them followed him courageously an
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall What the Hell Happened?!
His fists loosened as his hands started hurting so much that he couldn't hold them anymore. Arms, torso, up to the neck, everything except the heart-region was filling up with the darkness. His breath got labored. The lungs didn't want to work properly. Every breath hit off a new wave of pain. But there was still so much darkness. He wasn't sure if he could pull it all in or the dead particle would fill up and kill him first. It was the worth of several fields after all. From the beginning, he had been playing with fire. Yet, if he made it, it would be worth it all. He was sure the rumor of the darkness and an whole army vanishing was enough that that old man couldn't ignore him anymore. So he had started his crazy plan despite risking his life.Slowly, the darkness crept onto his face. His sight got blurry, before everything drowned in pain and darkness. He wasn't unconsciousness, though. The darkness only robbed him of every sense: hearing, seeing, smell, and touch. Only pa
Latest chapter
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Epilogue
Five years later"Your Holiness - Uh, ah, Majesty, I mean!"Leaning on the newly-built rails atop the dome of the palace, with the view of the Capital in the background, Katherine scolded lightly: "Shht, Hazel, she just fell asleep."In her arms rested a baby, maybe a few months old, with a tuft of black hair and fair white skin. If she opened her lids, angelic blue eyes would blink up innocently at the viewer.Hazel's head appeared at the end of the staircase leading to the roof. Apologetically, she bit her lip and whispered. "I'm sorry, your Majesty. A letter arrived from Dragsa, and Prince Patrick hurt his knee while playing. He's on his way here.""Dragsa...," Katherine muttered and stretched out a hand to take it. "I wonder what they want. They were very quiet in the latter years."Lowering her head, she took a glance at the paper. Instantly, her brows furrowed, later followed by a deep sigh. "I almost expected it. What a shame."Her gaze wandered to the west, in the direction of
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Glass and Obsidian
For once, the third wall belonging to the palace let nobles and commoners alike pass. They flooded in in masses and coagulated on the streets and the grass field before the dome. Everywhere, where they could hope to catch a little glimpse of what was about to happen in the throne hall.In front of the dome, Nathaniel dismounted and reached his hand out to Katherine to help her off as well. For a second, Katherine remembered how Pete helped her when she mounted Bell for the first time, and her smile grew shaky. Pete and Jack. One retired after suffering grievous wounds, and the other fell in battle when the undead attacked the palace to free the Queen, Emilian, and Helmina.The burial was in the time of Katherine's long travel back but she and Nathaniel visited the grave two days ago. Still, she could not believe that her funny, one-eyed companion was truly gone. It was delusional but she could not shake the thought that if only she'd been at the Capital, her power might have saved him
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Parade
Weeks later, the couple reached the Capital and was welcomed with much tom-tom. Aston, it seemed, was back on his feet. The new scar parting his right brow even suggested that his exaggerated description of a battle with the best undead swordsman in history might be more than just bragging. Infuriatingly, however, the scar made him even more handsome, and he confidently put it on display at any opportunity he got. Especially in front of the ladies.Shortly after their return, King William officially announced his retirement in favor of his nephew. Though the commoners were confused at Nathaniel's sudden emergence, the prepared aristocrats soon placated them, and the rumors of his activities as the illusive sixth General did the rest.Katherine was surprised to hear that word of her ability had elevated her picture in the icelandic society to somewhat of a saintess. King William obviously prepared on this end as well, and thus nobody dared suggest that a dragsean noble was unfit to be
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Traveling Home
The ship of the king of the Glaciar Coast was a gigantic vessel with a kind of lofty wretchedness to it. In fact, Katherine thought that the silver ornaments on the dark wood looked like bones, and if the sail had been a bit more tattered, the "Charon" would've been the perfect ghost ship. When she mentioned it to Lady Brandon in jest, the sister of said king laughed out loud."Oh, he'd love to hear that! If his crew wasn't ridiculously superstitious, I bet he'd search the whole ocean floor for a sunken vessel to serve him!""Is that so?" Katherine lifted her brows, perplexed. "Isn't it already enough that it can fly?"Granted, the hovering of the gigantic vessel wasn't completely 'flight' as the ship was only lifted by the water the Glaciar Coast's mages manipulated with much afford. It could also only be implemented for short periods close to a water source. For the unsuspecting viewer, however, it looked exactly as if the ship was flying.It was this practical fea
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Reunion
Katherine woke up feeling fresh and well-rested. The plush cushions under her head were like soft clouds, and the blanket bore just the right amount of heat. The air smelled of salt and herbs, an unusual but welcoming combination."Hmmm." With a blissful sigh, Katherine stretched. She didn't feel so good since they resided in the hut in the Icelands with King William, his mistress, and son. Did she only dream of that long, arduous journey to a mountain in Dragsa?"You're awake." Her eyes snapped open when she heard that voice. It was undoubtedly the deep timbre of her husband, Nathaniel. And there he was, sitting next to the bed in a cushioned chair, a gentle gaze in his eyes.Eyes that rested strangely deep in his pale face. A face that was bare of the slight smile that sometimes tugged on the corners of his mouth when he looked at her. Instead, he seemed solemn, exhausted, plagued by a deeply hidden sadness that he maybe wanted to hide. Yet to her eyes, his feelings were an open
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Dark Thoughts and a Cold Heart
Deep satisfaction brought some power to Katherine's exhausted body, yet she did not like the feeling at all. The guilt over hitting an innocent civilian clouded her mind, together with the question if it was the right thing to do. Trapping Ethan in the other dimension was too easy. It didn't feel right.Days and nights she'd dreamed of how to take her revenge, how she would torture him and finally look into his eyes when he died. Now, she'd acted impulsively, and the results were anything but what she imagined. Yet, should she have let the chance slip by?When she'd heard him giving orders, she'd finally stopped in her path because she felt like a coward who ran from the only real battle she'd sworn herself to fight. At first, she only wanted to observe and hid where the canyon's wall stood out a bit, just in earshot of Ethan. But the opportunity was too good. She didn't know how her smart and cunning cousin could act so dumb. It didn't match his usual approach, yet maybe
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Sandcastle
It was Ethan. He stood just outside the rift, his usual harmless smile on his face, and the hands hidden in the pockets of his dark trousers. "Kitty. Fancy meeting you here."If Katherine had been raised in any lower class than aristocracy, she would've spit in front of his feet. Even so, her face soured as if she'd bitten into a raw lemon. "I don't... fancy it at all."Stepping aside to give the rest of the dark stream free access to the rift, she noticed that Ethan'd brought two helpers who lingered in the back nervously. The white lab coats outed them as researchers. She glanced them up and down and decided not to ask where Ve was. After all that happened today and with her magic nearly depleted, she wanted nothing more than walk away from this whole mess.So, she did just that. Turned around and walked along the canyon that was now almost free of the dark substance.After a second of surprise, Ethan called after her: "Hey, don't you want to know what I'll do with this? Aren't
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall Entering the Rift
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sleipnir got comfortable on the edge of the cave. Shortly after he'd disposed of the corpses by sending them into the rolling dark river below, some of Loki's staff came over. They were shocked to see only one person left in the cave. "Um, your Excellency, where... where is the leader?""Hm?" Ethan turned and blinked. "Oh... he... how should I put this? He was too enthusiasistic when he saw his experiment finally succeed. Look, the brilliant result of all his hard work is below this cliff. He didn't want to wait anymore and took everyone to follow him down. Which might have been the wrong decision, so to say."The staff carefully crept closer to the cliff, and when he saw the darkness below, though it was more a creek than a mighty river now, his eyes widened. "Do you mean to say the leader is...?""Dead." Ethan nodded unemphathetically. "Most likely."Unexpectedly swiftly, the staff got over his shock. For a moment, he pondered, then asked: "But the experiment
How to Make the Ice Prince Fall In the Moonlight
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts! You're tearing me apart!" Nathaniel felt the unusual urge to roll his eyes. He never knew that his magic was such a sissy. First, it asked for his help, and now it screamed like a pig on the slaughter bench because of a little pain. And why could it even feel pain? Its body was nothing but insidious black smoke that appeared like a black liquid in its compressed form. There were no tendons, no bones, no flesh, and no nerves - in short, nothing that could hurt. "Shall I stop pulling then?", Nathaniel asked sarcastically in his mind. Well, if that magic of his wanted to go by itself, all the better for him. "No, no, no! Please don't let go! Don't let goo-oo-ouuuuuuch!" It felt like mentally pulling on an elastic band, Nathaniel decided. Somewhere where he couldn't see, something else was pulling the other end, turning the band longer and longer. It got harder for him to hold on with each passing second. Then, with a last loud howl fr
