IMPRISONED FOR A TRILLION YEARS, I WAS WORSHIPPED BY ALL GODS!

Seeing Alice fall silent, Barbara continued, “Your father, the great Lord Anthony, would never allow such a thing to happen.”

“The person he envisions to stand beside you for a lifetime is certainly not someone as mediocre as a tier-bronze.”

At these words, Alice quickly looked up, as if wanting to argue back.

But Barbara’s next sentence caught in her throat like a fishbone.

“Yes, this Mr. Alan—his temperament and talent are both extraordinary.”

“But compared to you—whose name already echoes throughout the kingdom at such a young age—he remains utterly insignificant.”

“If one day, in middle age, he manages to reach tier-diamond, or even the rank of King Magus, then perhaps, just perhaps, you two might have a shred of possibility.”

“But that’s nearly as impossible as scaling the heavens. My lady, you may not see it, but your very existence is like the sun to a glacier.”

“The brighter your light shines, the faster he will melt.”

“This,” she said sharply, “is something any sensible person would understand. And yes, even you should have realized it long ago.”

Though Barbara was addressing Alice, her words were clearly aimed at Alan.

And both the third princess and Alan heard every word.

Seeing the unwillingness lingering on Alice’s face, Barbara added,

“My lady, let him go.”

“Not just in our kingdom, but throughout the entire world, people of different levels cannot truly communicate. That’s where distance—true distance—comes from.”

This time, Alice didn’t argue. She simply turned to face Alan directly.

“What do you think?”

Alan was silent for a moment.

Then he gently pushed away the third princess, slowly stood up, and with his icy hand, firmly grasped Alice’s wrist.

“Do you believe in me?”

Alice didn’t respond with words, only a faint nod to signal her answer.

Alan smiled—a wild, unrestrained smile.

“In that case, there’s nothing more to say. I won’t spend my life chasing after your shadow. One day, I’ll surpass you.”

“Tier-diamond? King Magus? So what? One day, I’ll stand at the very pinnacle of all magi. The whole world will remember the name—Alan.”

Alice smiled too. She removed her gauntlet and gently brushed away the frost forming on his face with her fingertips.

“I just hope that time’s greedy hands will not tarnish the proud and pure soul you carry now…”

Then, she slowly pulled her hand back and turned to leave.

But just as she was about to walk away, Alan reached out again, placing his hand on the silver armor at her back.

“If my soul still shines, how will I find your light again?”

“Astra Sacred Realm.”

Alice didn’t look back. Her voice drifted into the wind and softly reached Alan’s ears.

“All starlight eventually gathers upon that sacred land. I’ll arrive before you do. I only hope you won’t keep me waiting too long.”

Barbara quickly stepped between the two, glaring at Alan with hostility.

“Stop dreaming. The Sacred Realm is not something someone as ordinary as you could ever reach!”

Alan replied calmly,

“If the Sacred Realm does not exist for all, then it isn’t sacred at all—it’s just a hollow paradise.”

Barbara was left speechless.

After gnashing her teeth and stomping in frustration, she turned and followed Alice as she gradually walked away.

Alan stood there, watching Alice’s retreating figure.

The time he had spent with her—it felt like a dream. Ethereal, yet real.

Then, quite inappropriately, the third princess appeared behind him and said with no small amount of annoyance,

“Your eyes are about to pop out of your head. Is she really that attractive?”

Alan chuckled weakly, trying to explain himself, but his voice cracked and faltered. His dropping body temperature was making it harder and harder to speak.

The third princess looked him over, noting how he was subtly trembling all over.

She teased, “You’ve been hit by element backlash this badly? What the hell did you do before this?”

Alan said nothing.

Driven by pure instinct, his body leaned toward the nearest warm source—the third princess.

Feeling half of his weight slump against her, she instinctively tried to step back.

But then she noticed the deep wound on his shoulder—the main source of his instability.

That injury had thrown his mana flow into complete disarray. It was the real reason frost clung so stubbornly to him.

And most critically, that wound… had been sustained while protecting her.

Alan’s teeth were chattering now. He rubbed his hands together furiously, trying to create some meager warmth.

“Y-Your Highness… l-let’s not talk out here anymore… Can we go inside? I’m really starting to miss hot milk and a warm fireplace…”

The third princess forced herself to look away from his injury.

She scoffed, “Hmph. Just now you were having such a lively chat with the Duke. What, she’s gone and suddenly it’s cold again?”

“Or don’t tell me, just seeing Alice makes you feel like basking in the spring sun—warms your whole body?”

Though she grumbled, she nonetheless pulled off her thick, fur-lined cloak and draped it over Alan’s shoulders.

She wrapped her arm around him and slowly helped him walk toward the city.

“One cloak probably won’t cut it. You’re wearing way too much—mind sparing another layer or two?”

“Say one more word and I’ll light a fire right here and roast you myself.”

“Uh… on second thought, the weather’s really not that bad today…”

The two of them bantered back and forth as they passed through the gates, heading deeper into Ironblood City.

Meanwhile, several soldiers returning to their watch posts took immediate notice of the unusual scene near the city entrance.

And yes—”unusual” was the only word that fit.

They watched with wide eyes as their normally cold, unsmiling commander—known widely as the Iron-Faced Third Princess—held a man close.

Not only that, the man was wearing her most beloved fur-lined cloak!

There had always been a rumor in the barracks that the fierce, sharp-tongued third princess wasn’t interested in men at all—that she preferred women.

But today’s spectacle completely shattered their previous perceptions.

As the soldiers’ gazes drifted curiously toward her, the third princess’s brows furrowed. She growled sharply:

“What are you all staring at?! Get back to your posts! If even one spellbeast sneaks in through the gates, I’ll hold each of you personally responsible!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!!”

Recognizing that she was still the same strict and terrifying commander, the soldiers quickly dropped their gossiping thoughts, scurrying up the walls and back into the towers.

Meanwhile, Alan—his elemental balance thoroughly broken—could no longer resist the creeping cold.

Without a word, his eyes slowly drifted shut.

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