A frown formed on the face of the man whose frozen hands were clenching the reins of the horses before him.

Being in charge of the carriage driving his Master was the task given to this man; however, things appeared to be tricky thanks to the weather which had worsened in a matter of minutes.

The earlier chilly breeze around them had turned into a freezing blizzard as there was snow flying around the carriage thanks to this strong wind.

'It looks much stronger this time…' The driver's thought made his frown deepen.

This strange phenomenon was not something he had faced for the first time today.

They could even call this a common occurrence for them as they were now used to witnessing this sudden blizzard that formed whenever they headed on this route.

At first, the driver had thought that this route was known to be treacherous due to the blizzard which enveloped this area out of nowhere.

However, after observing it a few times, he had found something noteworthy.

These blizzards were not formed every time he passed by this region but flared when there was someone else with them.

"Is everything alright out there?

" A serene voice was heard coming from inside the coach of the carriage.

"Master, the winds seemed to have gotten worse this time.

" He replied, informing the truth of the matter.

The voice the driver had heard just now was that of his Master and also the cause of the blizzard which had formed abruptly.

He had passed by this route quite a few times now, yet these blizzards only formed when the Master was with them.

Traveling without their Master, he and his fellow men had never once experienced such cold winds blowing at them with great force.

Another peculiar piece of information he had learned was that they would come across this blizzard only during one half of their journey.

For example, right now, as they neared the exit of this snowy fief, the blizzard was beginning to hinder them.

Due to the heavy snowfall and the strong winds that blocked their path, the carriage was unable to move forwards at its usual pace.

Inside the carriage, a young boy with bright blond hair looked outside the window and sighed.

'Again?' He rubbed his forehead since this was nothing new for him.

The first time he had arrived at this place with his elder brother, the King, he had realized that this place was special for him.

However, at that time, the young boy, a prince, had only come to visit the land that his mother had been born and brought up in.

Therefore, when it was time to leave once their short stay came to an end, the Prince and his elder brother had traveled this same route which was the only way to leave the much-secluded fief.

Thinking back to his first time experiencing this blizzard, he recalled the words his elder brother had said in a humorous manner.

{Looks like Mother Roschester does not wish to part with you, little brother.}

The words the King had spoken in jest at that time made the young prince chuckle as he shook his head in rejection of that claim.

However, now he believed that his brother's words held some truth in them.

After all, the numerous times he had visited the Roschester fief to ensure its smooth functioning, he always experienced this blizzard on his way back to Amarthea.

It was as though the entire land of Roschester was unwilling to let him leave and thus, hindered his journey with heavy snowfall and freezing winds.

At other times, he would smile and feel a warmth spread across his chest but right now, all he could think of was his elder brother who might be worried due to the serious situation in the South.

'What do you want from me?' Prince Draco gazed outside the window as this thought appeared in his mind.

The carriage had come to a halt already as the path before them was completely hazy due to the snowfall and it would be too dangerous to continue in these conditions.

This was already a secluded area close to the border of Roschester to begin with and all he could see outside the window was snow-covered land.

The trees on his right where he had been looking until now were also covered in a layer of white and when he looked to his left, the fields were concealed by a heap of snow thanks to the sudden blizzard.

Usually, he would stay inside the carriage until the weather got better or the snowfall subsided just a little.

However today, he was lacking patience as the only thing on his mind right now was to reach Amarthea as quickly as he could.

He wished to stand by his brother's side during this time of sudden distress which had troubled their Kingdom and not even this snow could stop him from doing so.

'I am leaving, even if I have to walk out of here!' He declared as he pushed the door of the carriage open.

The driver was startled to hear this sound and he whiplashed to look at what had caused it.

Turning around, he found his Master, Prince Draco dressed in black clothes and a pure white fur coat stepping outside.

Compared to the thick clothing he was wearing to shield himself from the freezing temperatures, the Prince was doing fine with just the coat which wasn't too thick to keep him warm.

Yet the Prince neither shuddered nor complained of the cold.

He stood with his face resembling the frozen ground as he scanned his surroundings.

"Stay with the carriage, I will be leaving on foot.

" Prince Draco announced his plan before taking a step forward.

However, in the very next second, his path was blocked by two men who had knelt before him.

There was only one man seated at the driver's seat earlier but right now, he was one among the two who were kneeling in the snow.

"What are you doing?

" Draco's voice oozed of his displeasure at his path being blocked by his men.

These were the two subordinates, his best black shadow knights that he had brought along with him on this journey.

One of them acted like the driver while the other remained hidden in plain sight despite the cold to protect him from the sidelines.

However, they broke character to stop their Master who had just made a reckless decision.

"Master, the blizzard will stop soon and we can resume our journey.

" The first man who was the driver earlier spoke up in an attempt to persuade the Prince from not moving ahead with his plan.

There was snow everywhere and visibility had decreased due to the blizzard.

At such times, Roschester had a rule of halting all transportation to avoid any collisions or any other accidents on the road.

However, there were still times when freak accidents took place due to the slippery paths and they did not wish for anything to happen to their precious Master.

"I will be fine.

" Draco announced, understanding their concern but his worries for his brother were stronger at this moment.

The shadow knights glanced at each other from the corner of their eyes when they found that their Master was adamant in his decision.

"Allow me to follow you Master.

" The second requested while bowing his head.

At least this way they could still make sure that he was safe even while traveling on foot in this snowy weather.

Draco did not object as he agreed with this suggestion.

Thus, it was decided that the driver would stay put until the blizzard stopped after which he would rush ahead to catch up with his Master and fellow knight.

With a heavy heart, the driver bid farewell and wished his Master a safe journey no matter how short it would be.

'Please let the snow stop soon.' He prayed as the figures of his Master and the other knight disappeared from his sight.

The border between the Roschester and Amarthea fief was up ahead of them, around an hour's journey by the carriage.

But on foot, this time might double or triple based on the ability of the one making the journey.

Considering that it was the Master and the other shadow knight, they could reach in two hours if there was no other hindrance in their path.

However, the snow would prove itself to be a worthy opponent as right now, Draco and his guard could not even see what was ahead of them.

The two men had just walked along the same path for over ten minutes when the blizzard got worse.

With such low visibility, it would be inadvisable to carry on but Draco had no intention of halting this journey to the border.

Roschester had a strange geography with its own weather conditions which did not affect the other fiefs bordering it.

Being the northernmost fief in Rosenhyde, it had Yona fief on its southwest, Amarthea right below it with Tanner sharing a tiny border with it, and finally the Zavanth fief on its east.

While the Zavanth fief shared its chilly climatic conditions, none of their winters were as severe as Roschester's.

Even when it was summer right now, the temperature near the borders was close to freezing point.

"Master, watch out!

" The guard's anxious scream brought the Young Prince out of the train of thoughts that he had been engrossed in.

As he looked up, a swirling whirlwind made entirely of snow was seen rushing right in his direction.

The path had been blurry due to the snow but he was sure that the massive circling wind was not present just earlier.

It had formed in a matter of seconds and before anyone could move an inch, using its high velocity it was already before the Prince.

With his eyes widened, Draco felt himself being yanked into the whirlwind which swallowed him up and swept him away.

He could hear his guard yelling while running towards him but he could not answer the voice calling out to him.

A burst of pain shot through his body when the snow rushed into his nose and began filling his lungs.

The shortness of breath was affecting him now as his eyes began to dim against his wishes.

'I… can't get swept away…' He struggled to keep them open but despite his best efforts, this was too much for him to take.

As his body was engulfed in that vicious whirlwind which began to move away, for the first time ever, Draco felt the biting cold of the Roschester winds which his subordinates had often mentioned during their past travels.

However, even as he began to lose all traces of consciousness, there was only one name in his mind.

'Brother…' He called out before his eyes sealed shut.