CHAPTER 3.4 - THE SNOW PRINCESS'S WAIT

It had been two days since Illya's escape from the Einzbern castle. The little snow-white princess was currently staying in her papa's safe house, eagerly awaiting his arrival. The house was small, significantly smaller than the castle she once called home. However, it was cozy, and her mama was with her.

So, in her book, it was a win, not to mention what she discovered during her time here - comic books, movies, and a whole lot of her favorite snacks that papa used to bring for her.

As she looked at all of these things, it was evident to her that papa had prepared them all just for her. Even her beloved chocolate chestnut snacks were there. She truly loved her papa.

So here she was, comfortably seated on a warm couch, munching on snacks while watching an old television show called Twilight Zone. Beside her, Leysritt lounged with a bag of chips, enjoying the show as well.

Leysritt had abandoned her former maid uniform in favor of a more casual shirt and shorts combo. Despite the heater working as intended, Illya could still feel the chill in the air. It was a testament to how cold this part of Germany could be. So how on earth Leysritt could be comfortable enough to sport those clothes in this weather dumbfounded her

She just chalked it up to Leysritt being built differently from her, literally.

Illya smiled and hummed happily. There were no magecraft lessons, no tedious and repetitive days, and no grandfather to deal with. It was pure bliss.

"My lady..."

Illya turned to see Sella huffing and looking at her. Like Leysritt, she too had opted for more casual attire—a long-sleeved button-up shirt paired with a knee-length skirt, covered by a dark reddish-brown apron.

"Yes..?" "llya replied, raising her brow as she saw Sella's disapproving gaze.

Unlike her sister, Sella still took her job as Illya's maid seriously. She diligently performed chores, cooked their food, and she even once found her shoveling snow outside. Illya honestly believed that Sella didn't need to do most of those tasks, considering they would soon be leaving for Japan once Papa arrived.

When she asked Sella about that, Sella began lecturing her about the duties of a maid, Illya would then tune her out after that.

Sella pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Please try to act more lady-like, my lady..."

Sella observed Illya's current state—sinking into the couch with her legs raised up and covered by a warm blanket. Crumbs from snacks were scattered on the blanket, and some were still visible on her cheeks. A stack of unopened snacks sat within arm's reach.

To put it simply, the current Illya was the complete opposite of what would be expected from a supposed proper lady and heiress of an old noble magus family.

"Just relax, Sella," Illya said nonchalantly. "Look at Liz here, she knows when to just enjoy stuff."

Leysritt raised her thumbs up, which was met with a glare from her sister.

Sella sighed. "We may not be in the castle anymore." She placed her hands on her hips. "But that doesn't mean you can just ignore your magecraft lessons, my lady."

"Oh, come on," Illya rolled her eyes. "It's not like I've abandoned my pursuit of magecraft altogether. I just took a break. Right, Liz?"

"Yup," Leysritt nodded her head, her eyes still fixed on the TV.

"...Leysritt, you!" Sella started to fume.

Then someone walked over—it was Irisviel.

"There, there..." Irisviel tapped Sella's back. "Don't be too strict on her, Sella. Let her enjoy her...vacation for now." She smiled.

"But Lady Irisviel—"

"Hush, girl." Irisviel placed her finger in front of Sella's mouth. "She will continue her studies later, but for now, let her be."

"Yes, Lady Irisviel," Sella conceded.

Irisviel giggled. "Now, how about all of us watch something together?" She then took Sella's arm and led her to the couch. Sitting beside the now-seated Leysritt, Sella grumbled under her breath.

"Hm? You already done with your works, mama?"

Not long after they arrived at the safe house, Illya discovered that her mama apparently had a job now. However, she didn't actually know what her job entailed. Her mama would simply sit on her bed, close her eyes for quite some time, and that would be it. Sometimes, her mama would frown, scowl, and giggle while performing her "job".

If Illya had come from a mundane background, she would have honestly thought her mama had finally lost it and gone cray-cray. However, being born into a magus family shaped her way of thinking differently. Illya believed that her mama was most likely communicating with someone from afar using telepathy.

"Yes, there were some problems at home. Your brother did something reckless too," her mama said, frowning slightly.

Ah yes, home. Not the Einzbern castle, but a home in Fuyuki where they would soon live with her papa, mama, and apparently her brother too.

Illya was actually a bit shocked to find out that she was now a big sister to a little brother. Mama said that papa had saved him and later adopted him. Illya didn't have any expectations for this supposed brother at first. But then mama told her how sweet her little brother was and shared some other stories, and now she was intrigued to get to know him better.

She imagined a mini version of papa with a more innocent outlook on the world. She giggled to herself at the thought.

"What did onii-chan do?" Illya asked.

She refused to call herself the big sister here. It made her feel strangely old. Besides, she still wanted to be the baby of the family, the one who was pampered by everyone. So, she called her brother "onii-chan" despite being older than him, much to her mama's amusement.

"Playing hero," her mama said exasperatedly. "Let's just say your brother did something very dangerous to save a girl and her brother."

Illya tilted her head. Wasn't that a good thing, though? It meant that her brother was a hero to them.

Her mama seemed to understand her thoughts and explained, "Your brother acted impulsively. He didn't have a plan, and with one wrong move, he could have lost his life."

"Thankfully, he has.....many allies to back him up. When we get back, I'll pinch his cheeks hard," she added with a hint of annoyance.

"So it went well in the end?" Illya asked.

"Thankfully, yes," her mama smiled. "...For now, at least," she murmured the last part unheard by Illya.

DING DONG!

Someone rang the doorbell. The bounded field around the house, which detected malicious intent, wasn't triggered.

"I'll get it!" Illya exclaimed, jumping from her seat.

She ran towards the door and opened it. A haggard-looking Kiritsugu stood there, looking down at her with a smile.

"I'm back, Illya," he said.

Without hesitation, Illya lunged towards her papa, crashing into him and causing them both to fall to the ground. They embraced each other, finally relieving their longing after all this time.

...

He lay low for two days in the unforgiving cold of the German forest, enduring the harsh winter conditions. After delivering the decisive shot with an origin bullet to Jubstacheit's chest, he swiftly made his escape from the castle. Evading the relentless pursuit of the homunculi proved to be a daunting task.

He was forced to hide in the forest, camp for two nights, remain on guard most of the time, and make his way to the safe house on foot. It was challenging, and in hindsight, changing the plan at the last second wasn't his best idea. But was it worth the price of ensuring his daughter's safety?

As he glanced down at his daughter, who clung tightly to him,

Yes, it was worth it.