Morrigan longingly looked back at the Snowden mansion, wondering if she'll ever be able to return to it in order to paint its beautiful interior and garden. In the end, she never did get a chance to paint it since the fact that they had to spend two days in the Garden of Frozen Memories instead of one, already put them behind schedule. Which they were already falling behind on due to how slowly they moved through the icy terrain.

  Servants were working hard, hauling the belongings back to the carriage along with some of the supplies that the Snowdens had decided to give them to help them get to their destination which apparently was far, far away. Like two duchies away kind of far. Worst of all, most of that time they'd have to spend somewhere outside the comforts of civilization to lessen the risk of enemy attacks.

  "Can't we stay for one more night?" Morrigan quietly whined to Viana who was overseeing the process of things getting loaded into carriages, making sure that nothing would be missing.

  "You know we can't, little sister. We're already behind schedule," she said and then lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper. "Besides, do you really want to deal with Snowden Junior some more? I'm afraid Galandir will drill a hole in his skull if he keeps staring at him so much."

  Both girls threw a glance at the elf who was sitting on Haku's back and unabashedly glaring at Boreas who was busy commanding the servants to bring out this thing or that thing which could be used for the journey. Honestly, at the rate they were going, they'd run out of space in their supply wagons.

  "Still – it feels like I owe them. Without the help of Boreas, I would have never gotten the Ring of Frozen Memories," Morrigan said as she looked down upon the black ring on her index finger. It was somewhat unassuming with a pattern of scales running through its length. But anyone who had any dealings with magic could instantly tell that held powerful magic within. To be exact, it stored the magic from the surrounding area and kept it within itself until the user would need it.

  Apparently, Alphegor also held such a ring which was given to him by the first Demon King as well. Morrigan had to wonder – how did the spirit of a dead king manage to get these rings? Was there a convenient jeweler in the spirit world or wherever it was where the First King's spirit resided? Or were these the rings he held while he was alive? If so – shouldn't he run out of them at some point?

  "You know that was his duty. Not to mention that our local mage could have done that too," Viana said and pointed towards Azrael, who was still busy snooting and blowing his nose into a tissue. "Or maybe not…"

  "Probably not…"

  "Still it is their duty to assist you. You should not feel indebted to them," Viana said, but Morrigan was already itching towards her carriage where her paint supplies were stashed away.

  "Just a quick little token of thanks," she looked at Viana with pleading eyes.

  "We really need to get going."

  "It'll be quick. I'll be done before they are done packing, I promise," Morrigan persisted. Viana stared at her and Morrigan pleadingly stared back.

  "Oh, alright, fine. But make it quick and don't use too much of your magic," the eldest princess finally relented.

  "Of course," Morrigan said and zoomed off to the carriage, quickly retrieving everything she needed.

  "Is there something I can help you with, Princess?" Boreas walked up to her as she set up the canvas close to the garden entrance.

  "No, I am alright. Currently I just need to focus," she replied and without hesitation began laying down the base colors of the icy garden on her canvas. In reality, she didn't know whether she really could finish the piece before all of the things were packed away. But she really wanted to paint the garden and had already made many sketches of it during the short snippets of free time that she had.

  Not to mention that she really did want to leave a gift for the Snowden mansion. It was thanks to Boreas' suggestion that Morrigan figured out how to remove the black orb in the first place. It felt only right that she returned the kindness shown to her. Also, the painting of their garden would make for a great addition to the art gallery which according to Alphegor was already being worked on tirelessly by the best demon architects.

  After having painted the Garden of Frozen Memories with its overwhelming presence of white color, the Snowden mansion garden felt easy for Morrigan. Since most things were made out of ice, instead of just pure white substance – the light icy blue dominated the scene. Not to mention that some icy sculptures were illuminated with colored lights – for example, the sculpture of a dragon was illuminated with a yellow light making its scales appear to be made out of gold.

  She wasted no time and worked fast, keeping her coloring to a more simplistic style while still trying to maintain the essence of the garden. It was a bit tricky, however, she enjoyed the variation in style. While failing here was not what she wanted, it certainly would not be the end of the world if she did. There was no reason for her to worry about perfection.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  As the carriages got filled with more and more things, Morrigan's painting was also steadily coming to life. In fact, she was already beginning to add her little 'gift' to it. The magic was beginning to drain away from her, and she smiled, happy to know that despite the more simplistic painting style that she chose, the magic still recognized her efforts.

  Once she was done there was a collective murmur of amazed 'wows' and everyone stopped dead in their tracks to look at the newest addition adorning the Snowden mansion garden – a grand Christmas tree. It had drained a significant amount of her magic, however, she felt like she had enough magic reserves in her to create another such tree.

  My proficiency with magic must be increasing since I seem to require less magic now to create things with my paint magic. That and I also feel like my magic reserves have increased even further now. Is it because of the Mark of Magic that I received in the Glittering Cave? Or is the ring subtly supplementing me with magic?

  "Your Highness, may I inquire as to what this wonderful tree you've created?" Duke Snowden asked, not removing his eyes from the Christmas tree for even a second. Morrigan had drawn it to be slightly different from the traditional version of the Christmas tree. First of all, instead of painting a regular evergreen spruce she painted a blue spruce as it blended in with the icy garden much better.

  Second, instead of drawing baubles and Christmas lights, she drew miniature versions of sculptures found in the garden and used those as ornaments. As for the lights, she used the magic lava lights in alternating colors of blue and yellow. They dimmed occasionally and then came back to life just like actual Christmas lights would.

  "It is a…" she stammered trying to come up with a name for it.

  "It is a spruce, Your Grace. Very popular during the winter season in the Overworld. I've told Princess Morrigan about this tradition," Galandir quickly explained to the ice demon, while keeping his head bowed. Morrigan was surprised that he was actually adhering to the rules of decorum.

  "Yes, that's right. I am just fascinated by the plants growing in the Overworld. And the decorations I added, because I thought they would look nice in your garden. Like a centerpiece to show off all the beauty found in it," Morrigan added, chuckling a bit awkwardly.

  "It truly is a marvel to look at. Thank you so much, Princess Morrigan. All the other noblemen will surely turn green from envy when they find out about it," Duke Snowden seemed delighted beyond belief, seemingly not caring about the origins of the tree.

  "I concur. This tree is just as beautiful as the plants found in the Garden of Frozen Memories," Boreas said, admiring the tree with a smile. "It truly is a shame that you must leave so soon."

  "I must continue my journey. Not to mention that most of my companions can't handle the cold very well," Morrigan said and pointed towards Azrael who was already getting inside his carriage with three fireballs floating around him for warmth.

  "Perhaps, you'd like my son to accompany you during this journey?" Duke Snowden said, a calculating grin appearing on his face. Morrigan did her best not to wince at the suggestion. Spending the whole journey watching Boreas and Galandir bicker and fight over her attention. No, thank you!

  "Please, do not feel bothered by my account. I already have many servants and guards with me. I couldn't possibly pull your son away from his home when you are most likely in dire need of his help," Morrigan said politely, hoping that the Duke would not pursue the matter any further.

  "Oh, it's not like this journey will take forever. You've already gone to two out of four sacred sites so it is already halfway done. I'm sure I can survive without my son's help for a few months," Duke Snowden did not relent.

  "But the first half was the shorter part of the journey. The rest of it might take much longer, not to mention that there are many unpredictable things along the way," Morrigan did not give in easily.

  "Do not worry, Princess Morrigan. My father has plenty of help so even if I'm gone for half a year, he should be able to manage," the young ice demon chimed with a smile.

  Two against one isn't fair. I need something to rebuke him with.

  As if on cue, Viana appeared by Morrigan's side, "I'm sorry to say this, Duke Snowden but the size of our retinue is already as large as we can manage. Our pace is already slow so adding another carriage might slow things down even further. Not to mention that it might set our guards and knights on edge as they'd have to worry about guarding even more people then."

  You tell them, sis!

  "We can always send our own guards along," Duke Snowden said, but judging from his expression he already knew he was fighting a losing battle.

  "As I said, our retinue is already big as it is. Any larger and it'll turn into a marching army. We wouldn't want to intimidate local demon people. Not to mention that we'll be camping outside for most of the journey," Viana rebuked without any issue.

  "Camping outside? Do Your Highnesses sleep on the ground?" Boreas looked absolutely shocked, clearly his noble persona couldn't even phantom such a fact.

  "No, we sleep on the dragon. But I'm afraid that might not be a viable option for you," Morrigan said and pointed toward Haku, who was busy trying to get something from Galandir. Boreas visibly paled and then forced a smile on his face.

  "Yes. I believe it might be for the best for you to continue the journey on your own. You've managed quite well so far," Boreas relented while his father sighed in disappointment.

  "Regrettable. I do hope that you come to visit us again soon, Your Highness," Duke Snowden said.

  "Of course. And I hope you visit us sometime in the capital," Morrigan said and curtsied for the Duke along with her sister. He and his son bowed for them and after saying their goodbyes, Morrigan got into her carriage. As the carriage slowly left the territory of the beautiful mansion she saw how the Christmas tree she created shone in the dark of the Underworld like a beautiful beacon of hope – its lights ever-changing.