Warmth for the Winter Prodigy
By @john1208
The story opens at a bleak funeral, where Branya and her little brother are taken in by a benevolent priest. But Branya knows the truth of this world: she is trapped in a tragic novel, and her trusted benefactor has just assigned her to spy on Mirovan, an ostracized magical prodigy destined to become a world-ending monster. Sent to his freezing, isolated tower, Branya plays the role of a bumbling, relentlessly cheerful maid. Secretly sharp, she discreetly intercepts his poisoned meals and spends every copper of her wages on soothing salves and heavy wool coats to ease his painful magical backlash. Told in alternating perspectives, the story reveals a melancholic truth: Mirovan is bewildered by her care, slowly abandoning his grand plans to slaughter his tormentors because he only wishes to live quietly by her side. But as their bittersweet, unspoken love deepens, Branya discovers her revered benefactor is the true mastermind orchestrating Mirovan’s impending execution. With her little brother held hostage, can a supposedly foolish maid outwit a saint to save the doomed boy she loves?
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