* * *

By the time they arrived at the snow-covered estate, it was midday.

“Wow.”

Before Lowell’s eyes stretched a view entirely unlike the capital, Phoebos.

Snow swirled in the wind, and the surrounding landscape was nothing but snow-covered mountains.

‘So this is what it’s like to live in a place where it’s winter all year round.’

Standing tall among the snowy peaks was Felix’s castle, starkly different from the architecture in the capital.

It had high walls with narrow windows, and the entire structure gave off a dark and foreboding vibe.

It resembled a fortress or a prison more than a noble’s residence.

‘Well, it ‘is’ near the border, so of course the security is tight.’

The guards stationed near the castle stood stiffly at attention, their discipline palpable.

They greeted Felix with a deep, almost reverent bow, which made Lowell uncomfortable.

‘Are there extra guards because they can’t risk anything happening when Felix is away?’

Neighboring countries and nomadic tribes knew well that the nobles of Halo would be attending the Festival of Blessings.

Estates like this one, located near the border, often ramped up their defenses during this time to guard against potential invasions.

Felix’s domain, frequently embroiled in border skirmishes in the past, had even been excused from the festival in its early years to focus on security.

‘Whether that was an act of goodwill or not, who knows.’

After Felix made it clear he would not tolerate border incursions and demonstrated the difference in power, the wars had subsided.

The recent defeat of the wandering nomads also meant the region was relatively stable.

‘The castle still looks like a fortress because it hasn’t been long since things improved.’

Lowell tried to convince himself to understand the ominous exterior.

However, his efforts applied only to the outside.

“Let’s go in.”

After being greeted by the knights, Lowell stepped inside the castle—and froze in shock.

“What the… What is ‘this’?”

His mouth fell open, not because the interior was beautiful, but because of the sheer oddity of it all.

Only a small number of servants had come to greet Felix, though Lowell didn’t particularly mind that.

The sparse decor was tolerable, and the warm atmosphere—thanks to magical devices radiating fire energy—made it easy to forget the harsh winter outside.

The problem was…

“Why are all the curtains drawn? It’s so dark inside, even though it’s daytime. Is it because of the cold?”

The castle wasn’t just dim—it felt like a darkroom.

The curtains were so thick they resembled blackout shades, plunging the interior into near-total darkness.

The only light came from candles and faint magical orbs.

The furniture, mostly in shades of gray, gave the place the feel of a cursed castle stripped of color.

Felix, oblivious to Lowell’s astonishment, began explaining in a tone laced with a hint of pride.

“The windows are enchanted with fire magic, so the weather doesn’t matter. I’m a mage who uses the rare attribute of darkness. Since I train and conduct research here, it’s better to keep the environment dark—it’s more conducive to magic.”

Lowell felt his patience snap.

Felix’s explanation made no sense to him.

“What are you even talking about? Does that mean fire mages train by standing in flames?”

“There have been grand mages who did just that.”

Lowell was at a loss for words.

What other grand mages did—whether they trained in fire, water, or hugged trees—was none of his concern.

But Felix choosing to live in darkness for the sake of his training?

That was unacceptable.

‘This whole environment is wrong! Has no one ever opposed this setup? What are they, children of darkness?’

The dreary atmosphere had to go.

It was enough to make even healthy people depressed.

Training didn’t matter—Felix was already powerful.

What he needed was peace of mind.

‘At this rate, he’s going to end up as the Demon King! Leaving things like this is practically an invitation for disaster. Less magic is better for him anyway.’

Lowell resolved not to tolerate the current state of the castle.

He’d make it bright and pleasant from top to bottom.

‘I’ll change everything.’

His determination ignited, Lowell glared around the castle.

Felix, sensing something was off, grew uneasy.

Only now did he realize Lowell wasn’t pleased with his domain.

“Do you not like the castle?” Felix asked cautiously.

The servants around them flinched, some trembling as they quickly bowed their heads.

The sight of Felix being so hesitant was awkward enough to make some of them want to scream.

Lowell, deciding not to sugarcoat his thoughts this time, answered bluntly.

“No.”

Felix’s eyes widened in shock. He glanced around nervously, his gaze darting everywhere.

“This setup is optimal for my research. It’s not like the capital’s grandeur. If you dislike it, you’re free to break our contract and leave.”

Despite his harsh words, Felix looked devastated at the mere idea of Lowell leaving.

“What exactly don’t you like about it?”

His cautious tone suggested he’d change whatever Lowell wanted.

The servants lowered their heads further, clearly wishing to avoid this tense moment. Ignoring them, Lowell spoke firmly.

“It’s too dark. A home’s most important feature is sunlight. First and foremost, sunlight!”

He nearly said “depression-inducing” but changed it to “home,” guessing this world might not even have the concept of depression—or that Felix wouldn’t understand it.

“As I said, this isn’t the capital, Phoebos. Sunlight is scarce here. You’ll have to adapt.”

“Exactly!” Lowell exclaimed, growing even more animated. Felix raised a questioning eyebrow.

“If sunlight is scarce, why block out what little we have with blackout curtains? You’re wasting precious sunlight, making the atmosphere even gloomier, and it’s unhealthy!”

The mention of health seemed to catch Felix off guard.

He didn’t know much about the relationship between sunlight and health, but he couldn’t dismiss Lowell’s concerns.

“Fine, we’ll replace the curtains. Will that do?”

Lowell sighed internally. Asking Felix to change the atmosphere wouldn’t yield much improvement.

‘He doesn’t even realize this environment is wrong. How could he fix it properly?’

Lowell decided to take matters into his own hands.

“No. Leave the interior design to me.”

“But you’re expecting a child. You need rest. Let others handle it.”

“I can’t rest in this environment. It’s too uncomfortable for that,” Lowell said firmly.

Felix, overwhelmed by Lowell’s rare stubbornness, could only relent.

“Do as you wish.”

But then Felix added, “For now, let’s eat. You skipped lunch, didn’t you?”

Dragging the reluctant Lowell to the dining hall, Felix threatened to take back his permission if Lowell didn’t eat something.

Resigned, Lowell followed.

‘This is going to be a lot of work.’

Lowell realized belatedly that something was wrong.

His morning sickness had worsened, and every time food was brought to him, he felt nauseated.

He had lost count of how many times he forced himself to eat, only to throw up shortly after.

“Ugh…”

This time was no different.

Even though the appetizer had barely any aroma, the moment it was placed on the table, Lowell clutched his mouth in agony.

Felix watched him with somber eyes.

“Didn’t you say it was getting better?”

In the last letter he sent before departing for the estate, Lowell had lied, claiming his morning sickness had improved and he could eat various foods again.

It had been a foolish lie, easily exposed, but Lowell had written it impulsively, worried about Felix’s excessive concern.

He had even entertained the ridiculous hope that his morning sickness might miraculously improve once they reached Nix Castle.

Of course, that was nothing but wishful thinking.

“Well… I thought it was better…”

Felix’s gaze turned colder as he watched Lowell break into a cold sweat.

“I thought it was better, but I guess not.”

Anyone could tell it was a lie.

* * *