Curiosity pricking at me, I opened my eyes—and froze at a sight I knew I’d never forget.

Just moments ago, before I’d closed them, I’d seen only a pink room radiating youthful innocence and plush bedding.

Now, childish pink was swallowed by a thin, pristine white. Warmth gave way to biting wind. Even the breath of the figure before me crystallized into mist the instant it left her lips…

I might not know much about seasons here, but wasn’t it summer when I shut my eyes? How had it turned into this frozen wasteland?

And then I saw it: an arrow of ethereal beauty, like crystal carved by gods. Its surface shimmered with intricate engravings, as if polished within a garden of gold, silver, amber, and sapphire blooms—a relic humming with the weight of ancient epics. Yet beyond its beauty, it radiated a cold that seeped into the marrow of my soul.

Fear prickled just looking at it, yet its allure held my gaze captive.

This eerie arrow was clutched tightly in my own small hands.

I jerked back instinctively—but my feet were frozen solid to the bed, once soft as down, now hard as stone.

*What happened while my eyes were closed?* I recalled only that strange incantation she’d whispered…

*"By my name I beseech—Frost Arrow."*

Wait. Was *this* the Frost Arrow she’d summoned? Had her magic caused this sudden winter? Was she showing off to make me submit?

"S-so… is this… an Angel’s power?" stammered the younger maid, teeth chattering. "B-but our magic tutor said this spell isn’t beginner-level…"

"High-purity mana can elevate a spell’s tier," murmured the other maid, her unnerving gaze locked on me. "No wonder Angels are called the origin of all magic…"

Their words made it sound like *I’d* cast this spell.

Then I remembered: before closing my eyes, she’d commanded, *"Repeat after me: ‘By my name I beseech—Frost Arrow.’"* And under the Contract, I’d instinctively echoed the words.

A strange warmth pulsed from the arrow in my palm—a faint, kinship-like hum—despite the frost creeping across the room. In that instant, I understood: if I focused on a target, this arrow would pierce through anything to strike it true.

*Is this… my magic? Am I truly an Angel?*

"So, Yiyi," said *her*—the only one here showing no surprise, though I couldn’t tell if it was real or feigned—"stop denying it. Help me defeat the others’ Contract Beasts. You *are* my strongest Contract Beast, after all."

"Yes, Master…" The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Shame flared at the title—but beneath it, a cold calculation settled. Helping her win might just be worth the humiliation.