IBDFSML Chapter 43

"Wait… is this for me?"

I asked, looking back and forth between the coat in the box and Sion.

Sion nodded.

"It's made from the fabric we bought last time. Think of it as outerwear for going out in the cold."

"No way!"

I stared blankly at the coat, trembling with emotion.

"Sion, Sion actually made clothes for me!"

"…Just so you know, I don't know how to sew. Elda made that coat."

Well, of course I knew that.

No matter how far my imagination stretched, I couldn't picture someone like Sion hunched over, stitching fabric.

Still, it's the thought that counts.

"Sion gave me clothes as a gift… for me!"

"……"

With hands shaking from excitement, I carefully lifted the coat.

It was the perfect size for my height, a full-length robe-style coat with thick lining to keep me warm.

Elda, who had been watching with a satisfied smile, said.

"Please try it on, Ms. Lin. It's the first time I've made something in these measurements, so it might need some alterations."

"Okay, okay!"

I quickly set the coat down and began patting and brushing my threadbare pajamas.

I'd been wearing just this one set for so long, it had basically become my uniform. Unsurprisingly, it was worn out in quite a few places.

Sion, leaning back on the sofa watching me, suddenly asked.

"By the way, do you wash that outfit regularly? From the look of it… I have to say, its cleanliness is a bit questionable."

That was… a tough question to answer.

"W-Wow! It fits perfectly!"

Ignoring his comment, I slipped on the coat in a flash.

To my surprise, it fit like a glove, cozy and warm. There was even a slit in the back so I could move my wings freely. It was super comfortable.

"Wow! It's so comfy and warm! It'll be perfect for our next expedition!"

I spun around once in midair as I said it.

Now, I probably wouldn't have to wander around the Grand Duchy or outside, shivering in the cold with a runny nose anymore.

I zipped through the air and threw my arms around Sion's neck.

"Thank you! I'll treasure it and wear it well!"

Sion detached me from his neck, placed me in his palm, and examined me closely as he spoke.

"At this level, it should be sufficient to retain body heat even outdoors. However, you'll still need proper winter boots. With those slippers full of holes, you'd get frostbite within half a day."

He frowned as he looked at my fuzzy slippers.

"Yes, my lord. I'll make sure to prepare Ms. Lin's winter boots in time for your departure."

"If possible, prepare a few sets of casual clothes as well."

"Yes, understood."

Elda, newly assigned with another mission, left the room looking fired up.

A moment of silence passed.

"…Ms. Lin?"

When I turned around, Genevia was staring at me with trembling eyes, as if the ground had shaken beneath her.

"What did I just hear? An expedition?"

I carefully took off the coat and placed it back in Sion's hand as I replied.

"Oh, right. I forgot to mention. I'm actually planning to go on an expedition in a few days."

"…To where?"

"Hmm… where was it again…"

I trailed off, glancing at Genevia to gauge her reaction.

"Uhh, it's a place called the borderlands… somewhere quite far from here."

"…The borderlands?"

Genevia's face turned grim.

"…You don't mean that borderland in the far north?"

Apparently, she'd heard about the borderlands before too.

I gave a sheepish smile, feeling a tiny bit guilty.

"Yep, that's the one."

"……!!!"

Genevia rushed over and snatched me out of Sion's hand in an instant.

"You, you trickster fairy!"

"Guh."

Then she held me in both hands and shook me violently.

"You lured me in with all that talk about the future, only to drag me off to a place like that? This is a fraudulent contract! I declare it void!"

"To secure a happy future…! Trials and hardship are inevitable! Just trust me…!"

"I don't need any of that! What good is a future if I die? Living in a pile of dung is better than dying and going to the afterlife!"

"Gaaah… Save the fairy…!"

Just as I was about to get motion sickness from being shaken to death.

"Enough."

Sion grabbed Genevia by the wrist to stop her, then took me back from her, my head still spinning from motion sickness.

"The expedition will proceed as planned. Everyone listed will go. No exceptions."

At his firm declaration, Genevia spoke up, her face pale.

"My lord, I'll just stay here! I'll return to the main estate!"

"It's too late. The moment Garen took the list, you became a member of the expedition."

"No…! The northernmost borderlands are the most dangerous place in the North, no, in the entire Empire!"

"Well, considering it's still a battleground against the last of the demonic beasts on the continent, I suppose that's true."

Sion replied flatly, and Genevia dropped to the ground with a defeated sigh.

She muttered in shock, as if she had just been swindled out of her life.

"Oh no, what have I gotten myself into…"

I tried offering a few words of comfort.

"Don't worry too much, Genevia. Sure, it'll be a little tough, but it'll be a journey worth taking. You won't regret it."

"…Regret."

Genevia stared blankly into space and murmured.

"Regret. If I'm even lucky enough to survive and live to feel regret. The northern borderlands… that terrifying place where we might not make it back alive…"

"Come on, it's not that bad~"

Despite my attempts to cheer her up, Genevia just welled up with tears, muttering over and over again like she'd reached the end of her life.

I gave up trying to console her and flew back to Sion.

"Hm, looks like she needs a little more time to mentally prepare. Let's just go eat, Sion!"

I shrugged as I spoke. Sion let out a sigh and said dryly.

"She doesn't seem like she'll be of any use anyway. Why not just leave her here in the castle if that's her wish?"

"Genevia?"

Sion was blatantly giving her a look that said she was a burden, but I shook my head firmly in response.

"No, we have to take her."

There were plenty of reasons.

First and foremost, Genevia was a healing cleric, indispensable for Sion's safety. But more importantly…

'Sion, even if you keep looking at the heroine like she's just a patch of weeds, I'll make it happen!'

This expedition had to somehow spark a romance between Sion and the heroine. Only then could my ultimate fangirl goal, Sion's true love, be fulfilled, and only then could his fate be changed.

For that, a small expedition in the remote and dangerous borderlands actually made a great dramatic setup.

'Extreme situations are where fiery love blooms!'

With that in mind, I recalled the story Sion once told me about his parents and firmed up my plans.

By the time we returned from the expedition a year later, the main male lead would likely already be at the Grand Duchy. So I had to make my move now, lock things in before then.

'Perfect. They leave as two… but if all goes well, maybe they'll return as three!'

I looked at Sion with fierce determination and gave a solemn nod.

'I'll work even harder for you, Sion!'

***

A few days later

The day of the expedition finally arrived.

Normally, tradition in the North would have dictated a formal farewell ceremony, but thanks to Sion's refusal to entertain such pomp, we received only a modest send-off.

"Lord Sion."

The Grand Duchess approached Sion, stepping past the elders and retainers, and said.

"As the lady of Luxior and for the sake of the North, I commend your brave resolve in venturing into such treacherous lands. I sincerely pray for your safe return."

Though her words sounded like a blessing, no one present mistook their true meaning.

'Don't come back alive.'

That was the real message.

The cold, dangerous gleam in the Grand Duchess's eyes as she looked at Sion said it all.

Before mounting his horse, Sion turned to face her and replied with full decorum, yet coolly.

"You need not worry. I will return safely through these gates in a year's time. Until then, please take care."

"……"

With the silent Grand Duchess behind him, Sion effortlessly climbed onto his horse.

"Let's depart."

"Yes, my lord."

And so we began.

With me tucked into the fur on Sion's shoulder, and Garen, Diene, and Genevia lined up beside him, we exited through the Grand Duchy's main gate.