Jeremy Seybel's survival in the ice palace continued.
That day, the guy truly considered himself a dead man. When the ice witch summoned him to her, mentally he had already said goodbye to his loved ones and imagined the most terrible outcome.
Would they cut his throat? Turn him into a block of ice? In any case, no mercy was to be expected from this cold-blooded woman.
Not understanding how exactly he had angered her, Jeremy humbly stood before the witch and prepared to close his eyes. It was better not to see what would happen next.
But suddenly, Selina de Lun said something Jeremy hadn't expected at all.
"Next week, we will start sending out wedding invitations," she informed him in an indifferent tone.
"Oh...?"
The guy was stunned.
"If you want to invite anyone, you can write their name here."
The woman handed him a guest list, and Jeremy stared blankly at it. Among them were listed the most influential figures of the empire and even ambassadors from other countries. Including members of his own family.
"I... I can really invite someone?"
The baron's heir couldn't believe he actually had any right of choice in this place. After all, miracles do happen sometimes.
Selina looked at him coldly.
"What? Don't you want to?"
These were ordinary words, but they sounded like a threat.
"N-no, not at all!" Jeremy hastily snatched the paper from her hands, "I will definitely use this!"
"..."
"Thank you very much, Your Highness."
The guy felt as if he had just successfully survived a storm.
"When you're done, give the list to Oscar."
"Okay!"
Although her expression remained just as impassive, Jeremy still caught some change in it. But he had no opportunity to examine it in detail.
Having handed him the list, the ice witch had no intention of lingering here. Closing the book, Selina de Lun left the library under her fiancé's bewildered gaze.
Jeremy took a deep breath, staring at the blank sheet of parchment before him with completely empty thoughts. Despite the fact that the wedding had become the most unexpected turn in his life, there was no turning back.
It seemed he had mentally already resigned himself to his grim fate.
The guy stared at the empty list for half an hour, but in the end, he could only write one name there. His friend from the ducal family turned out to be the only person he could invite to his wedding.
Despite the fact that this wedding wasn't exactly a celebration, but rather a mourning, Jeremy was still a bit depressed. After all, even his wedding would be a complete disappointment. Unlike Selina, he had no connections at all.
All the high-ranking guests invited to the ceremony would perceive him only as an "accessory" to the bride. The trashy heir who just got lucky enough to become the duchess's husband. Having anticipated all these looks in advance, Jeremy participated in the event with even greater reluctance.
"Camilla de Walte."
Carefully writing out the single name in black ink, Jeremy froze. For a moment, he thought about leaving her a secret message. For instance, writing "HELP" in large letters with invisible ink right on the invitation.
But in the end, he abandoned this idea. Because even if Camilla figured out to look for a secret message in the letter, she couldn't help him anyway. Most noble families in the empire simply paled in comparison to the influence of the northern duchy. Not to mention that running away from such a wedding was practically impossible.
The baron's son didn't want to endanger his only friend in this world. These were the considerations the guy had when concluding that one way or another, he couldn't avoid his fate.
Sighing heavily, Jeremy folded the paper and put it back in the envelope. Selina had said her secretary would pick it up this evening. And, as if reading his thoughts, the next moment a knock came at the door.
Jeremy immediately opened it.
On the threshold stood a young man Jeremy had already met once before. Although the ice witch didn't like being in anyone's presence, this man still managed to follow her everywhere and be her so-called right hand.
Oscar Carter, the duchess's secretary, was about ten years older than Jeremy. Long platinum hair tied in a ponytail, and an unremarkable face. He also wore glasses. When Jeremy first saw this man in the throne room, he had a sense of déjà vu. As if in all novels, secretaries looked more or less the same.
"Greetings, my lord."
"Good afternoon," Jeremy nodded briefly to him.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"It's already evening now, not afternoon."
When the secretary corrected him exactly as Selina had done, the guy almost chuckled. That's what it means when master and servant are one.
"Yes, indeed," Jeremy cleared his throat, "Did you come for the list? I've finished it."
The baron's heir handed him the envelope. Oscar nodded satisfactorily.
"Thank you. My lord, may I come in for a moment?"
This unexpected request threw Jeremy into a stupor.
"What...?"
"I need to tell you something in person," the secretary explained, "And there are too many prying eyes here."
Something personal...? But they didn't even know each other. Jeremy was talking to the princess's secretary alone for the first time. Maybe she wanted to convey something to him?
Deciding it would be impolite to refuse such an influential person at court, Jeremy stepped aside.
"Of course. Please, come in..."
When the door closed, the guy got a little nervous.
"What did you want to talk about?"
Oscar Carter looked at him intently.
"My lord, I would like to speak with you on a personal matter."
"Personal?"
"You want to leave here, don't you?" he asked unexpectedly.
"....."
Jeremy choked on air.
"I can help you with that."
For some time, the guy stared at him in shock, unable to believe what he had just heard.
"Y-you... You misunderstood me..." Jeremy immediately stammered.
Suspecting some kind of test in what was happening, Jeremy's first priority was not to blurt out anything unnecessary. In this place, his life depended on every word he said. They wouldn't fool him so easily!
"What are you talking about? I never thought about running away!" he declared as confidently as possible.
Oscar smiled knowingly.
"Don't worry," the servant said, "You can be frank with me. Her Highness won't know about this conversation."
Although Jeremy tried to maintain an impassive expression, inwardly he was shocked.
"Why are you telling me this?" the baron's son didn't lose his vigilance.
"I want to help you."
"Why...?"
Jeremy continued to look suspiciously at the secretary.
"I can't bear to see innocent people suffer," Oscar sincerely assured him, "I know this marriage was not concluded by your will. You don't have to bear this cross for the rest of your life."
Jeremy stared blankly at him.
"You... Are you serious?!" The secretary nodded. "Despite the fact that I now hold a high position at court, this path was very difficult.
Once, like you, I was sold here... If possible, I don't want others to suffer the same."
Jeremy hesitated. If this man was pretending now, his acting skills would be the envy of Oscar nominees. So could it really be true?
"You... You really want to help me?" Jeremy asked warily.
"Yes," Oscar nodded, "I will do everything in my power."
Jeremy hesitated uncertainly.
This young man was clearly different from the other inhabitants of the palace. His attitude towards Jeremy was casual, and no hostile aura emanated from him. Most of the northerners reminded Jeremy of living ice statues. So cold-blooded were their actions and behavior.
But the princess's secretary... Was different. Oscar even smiled at him. Maybe it was because they were born and raised in the same region? And now they had involuntarily become hostages of the northern border.
The baron's son's heart wavered. In any case, he didn't have much choice. Besides this man, no one else here had tried to help him. Jeremy took a deep breath.
In the end, Jeremy decided to trust this offer.
"But how?" he asked probingly.
Until now, Jeremy had thought he simply had no way out of this place. The ice witch never left her residence, just like most of her servants. The guy wasn't stupid enough to try to slip away right under her nose. That would be like digging his own grave.
But Oscar's answer surprised him.
"It's true that Her Highness almost never leaves the palace," Oscar agreed, "With one exception."
Without realizing it, Jeremy held his breath.
"What?"
"Once every ten years, Her Highness descends into the tomb to honor the memory of the former master," the secretary explained, "She spends the whole day there. This will be your only opportunity."
"Really?!" Jeremy's heart was ready to leap out of his chest.
"The anniversary of Duke de Lun's death will be tomorrow. At this time, most of the guards will also leave to guard the tomb. You must take advantage of this chance while you have it."
Jeremy Seybel swallowed.
"At least one... Is there at least one good person in this place!"
Tears welled up in the baron's heir's eyes.
Jeremy rushed to hug the secretary, unable to believe that such luck had turned his way. Perhaps for the first time in his life, the heavens were truly on his side?
Oscar Carter smiled kindly at him. He patted Jeremy on the back as his jacket became wet from his tears.
"I sincerely hope you succeed, my lord."
The rest of the evening, Jeremy was in seventh heaven. He still couldn't believe that in such a terrible place, he had encountered something like an angel!
The ice witch's secretary had unexpectedly extended a helping hand and agreed to help him escape.
A person Jeremy would never have even thought of before.
Oscar detailed how to leave the residence grounds and get to the nearest inhabited village. There he could hire the first available carriage and return to the capital. And then decide what to do next...
Even if the baron refused to take him back, the guy was ready to earn a living by his own labor, just not to return to this terrible place.
Filled with determination, Jeremy was ready to act.
Not intending to take many things with him, the guy decided to take only the essentials he might need on the road. A knife, some food, and money. And everything else could be bought on the spot.
Especially since, having spent most of his life in poverty, Jeremy had almost nothing valuable anyway...
Living through his last night in the ice palace, Jeremy couldn't close his eyes, his heart beating rapidly with excitement. The next morning, as Oscar had said, Selina, along with her people, left for the tomb.
It was located half an hour's ride from the main castle. So the guy had to wait a bit before the path would be "cleared." Then, putting all his few belongings in a bag, the baron's son decided to escape.
Slipping outside, thanks to Oscar's tips, Jeremy managed to leave unnoticed. The secretary helped him distract the servants, leaving a back exit practically unguarded.
Jeremy crawled through a gap in the wall and found himself free. Before him stretched an endless landscape of snow, mountains, and plains. The nearest village was several kilometers away.
From here, there were two ways to go. The first — to go directly, and thus reach the village in about a day. Or he could take a detour through the Frosted Forest, which would shorten the journey to about a few hours. According to Oscar, this was also the safest option.
Going through the forest, few would be able to find and catch him. Moreover, as Oscar assured him, this forest was not patrolled by guards. So, deciding to heed the secretary's advice, Jeremy hurried there.
"I did it... I managed!"
Once in the forest, Jeremy felt much calmer but remained on alert. He tried to move through the thicket as quickly as possible. If he could, he would reach the village before nightfall.
And from there, the empire's capital was within easy reach.
Buoyed by these thoughts, the guy easily made his way through snowdrifts and fallen trees. Apparently, this forest had indeed been abandoned for a long time. No one looked after it.
Jeremy walked without stopping.
Feeling no fatigue, the baron's heir was ready to go on and on. No difficulties or obstacles could shake his spirit. Until...
He suddenly heard growling behind him.
Jeremy's heart clenched.
"....."
Slowly turning around, the guy discovered he was surrounded by a pack of white tigers.
Their eyes were red, and their toothy maws were bared dangerously. The predators were about to attack. When Jeremy realized he was about to become lunch for wild animals, he nearly burst into tears.