IRER 38

Chapter 38

 A Subtle Morning

“Me?”

Did I really ask to be bathed? Me?

Maybe I had said it half-asleep and just didn’t remember.

Brody tried to recall. And then—

—”Ah… I can’t get up unless someone helps me bathe.”

She remembered saying that.

‘Well, what I meant was… I’ll just sleep without washing.’

But in this noble society, where “bath assistance” was an actual thing, it must’ve come across quite differently.

As she hesitated over how to explain, Aidan set her down in front of the bathtub.

“You’re not seriously going to help me bathe, are you?”

Brody’s flustered voice made Aidan sigh.

Of course not. It wasn’t like her to ask such a thing of him.

Turning around, he spoke calmly.

“I’ll just stay here. I can’t be too far from you anyway.”

“……”

That made sense. They hadn’t passed Ferdan Fortress yet.

Even if not Jax, someone else could easily reach the imperial princess’s hand.

She’d said she’d sleep without washing, but now that a warm, steaming bath was in front of her, the desire to bathe overtook her sleepiness.

Since leaving the south, she hadn’t even been able to wash properly, let alone soak in a bath.

“Then I’ll bathe.”

Throwing away her modesty, she decided to enjoy it.

‘He definitely won’t turn around.’

For some reason, she trusted him on that.

Brody quickly undressed and slipped into the tub, submerging herself completely.

“Ha… This feels amazing.”

As the warm water enveloped her, she involuntarily let out a sigh of contentment.

It smelled wonderful—rosewater, perhaps—tickling her nose.

Soaking in the bath, Brody peeked over at Aidan’s stiff back.

Somehow, it didn’t feel right.

“Your Highness, aren’t you tired?”

“Hm. Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Hm, don’t you want to bathe?”

“I’ll bathe after you’re done.”

Would she have to wait like this while he bathed? Because he had to stay close?

If not, he might just do a rushed wipe-down with a wet towel or something.

That thought made her feel guilty.

‘It’s not like we were that reserved with each other anyway…’

Blushing, she summoned her courage and asked,

“Would you like to… come in?”

Aidan’s shoulders tensed at her words.

He paused, then spoke softly.

“Don’t joke around.”

“I’m… not joking.”

Still facing away, he rubbed his neck and answered hoarsely.

“No… you must be tired. Go ahead and wash. I’ll go later…”

“But then I’d have to wait like this. And you wouldn’t be able to bathe comfortably…”

“Five minutes—no, even three is enough. That’s plenty of time while you’re washing and getting dressed. Don’t worry.”

“……”

She had finally worked up the courage to offer… but pushing further felt embarrassing.

So she simply finished her bath, dried her hair, and waited for him as he bathed.

Just like he said, Aidan washed and got ready quickly.

The hot bath relaxed her muscles, and sleepiness hit her like a wave.

Brody crawled straight into bed, pulling the blankets over herself.

The makeshift bunk beds of barracks, the rough inns of the south, cramped ship cabins, dozing on horseback—all the sleeping places she’d experienced since arriving in this world flashed through her mind.

This soft bed! How long had it been?

She felt as though she were lying on a cloud and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, sunlight streaming through the window made Brody blink open her eyes.

‘Is it morning already?’

Judging by the light, it wasn’t too early—probably around ten.

‘I must’ve slept over twelve hours, since I bathed and went to bed as soon as we arrived yesterday.’

Her body ached, but her mind felt refreshed.

She stretched lazily, not wanting to get up yet, and noticed the spot beside her was empty.

‘He’s already awake? After riding for a day and a half without sleep?’

No, not just awake—it was perfectly made, as if no one had ever lain there.

Frowning in confusion, Brody sat up.

“You’re awake?”

“……”

Turning toward the voice, the sunlight stung her eyes.

Squinting, she spotted Aidan seated neatly at the table.

He smiled as he saw her rubbing her eyes and squinting from the light.

“Shall we eat?”

“Yes, I’m starving.”

Aidan rang a bell to summon a staff member and ordered a simple meal.

Once the staff left, Brody crawled out of bed and joined him at the table.

The table was covered with stacks of documents. Aidan seemed to have been reviewing them while sipping tea.

“Did you sleep at all?”

He smiled awkwardly and nodded.

Judging by that reaction, probably not much.

He brought over a blanket and draped it over Brody as she sat.

She had been feeling a bit chilly, so the gesture warmed her heart.

Then he quietly resumed reading the documents.

Likely papers that River had pestered Teddy to send while they were away.

The sunlight behind him cast a halo around his face and neck.

Brody leaned her chin on her hand, quietly watching him.

“Is there a lot of work?”

“It’s my own doing.”

He glanced at her briefly before returning to his papers.

A deep frown was etched into his brow.

‘Ah, that reminds me… the headaches…’

Just then, a knock sounded and a staff member brought in their meal on a trolley. The dishes were laid in front of Brody with elegant efficiency.

The savory aroma made her stomach rumble. She took a generous bite of warm bread slathered in jam, butter, and cheese. Thankfully, since Adonia had used recovery magic on her, eating was no longer a struggle.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“I already had something earlier. Don’t worry about me—just enjoy.”

“……”

For a while, only the sounds of bread tearing, knives clinking, chewing, and rustling paper filled the quiet room.

After satisfying her hunger, Brody spoke.

“Your Highness, how’s your headache?”

“Ah.”

Aidan realized he had been frowning. He rubbed his brow and replied,

“It was fine up until now… but I’m starting to feel it.”

Thinking back, Brody realized she hadn’t thought about his headaches at all during their journey north.

Understandable while their lives were on the line. But once they were on the ship, she should’ve noticed.

If he had been in pain, she surely would have noticed.

While she was unconscious, he had administered her medicine by mouth—so perhaps that kept it at bay.

But after waking up, until they boarded the ship, she didn’t recall kissing him.

And yet, he had been fine?

‘I thought he needed to ingest body fluids… but maybe not? Just contact? No, that one time we only held hands and nothing happened. Maybe it was sweat? Or scent?’

She didn’t know the exact reason. But staying glued to him 24/7, wary of Jax, might have helped keep the headaches away.

Brody watched as he frowned in concentration over the documents.

“You said it was fine until now?”

“Yeah. I don’t know why either. Maybe it’s worse now that we’re back up north…”

“Hm…”

So the farther north, the worse the headaches? Was it the cold? Or maybe… a heavier sense of duty?

The pile of paperwork reflected how serious and responsible he was in his role.

The man sitting before her was no longer just Aidan—but once again the Grand Duke of the Ice Wall.

‘Can I still kiss him now? Just suddenly? I can’t exactly feed him a Mecheu pill again… I really need to make medicine soon.’

Still mulling it over, Brody decided to be a bit bold.

Keeping the northern duke healthy—wasn’t that the first step to strengthening the north?

“Would you… like some tea?”

“Hm? Can we brew some here?”

“Yes, I just need some herbs and a space to prepare it…”

Of course, what she really planned was to mix in a drop of her blood.

As long as Aidan didn’t notice, it would be fine.

“No need. We’ll be moving again soon. I can deal with it while we travel.”

After thinking for a moment, Aidan declined her offer.

Once Brody had finished eating, he began packing and told her to get ready.

“It should take two days to reach Ferdan Fortress. We’ll stay somewhere overnight, so no more forced marches like yesterday.”

“Okay~”

Once their belongings were packed, Teddy arrived carrying a bundle.

When he opened it, it was full of clothes.

Wool stockings, socks, extra trousers, a warm chemise, a thick dress, outerwear, a robe, a fuzzy hooded cloak. Plus hats, earmuffs, scarves, fur boots, and more.

All of it was for Brody—to keep her warm in the northern cold.

Even just the selection for that day was a huge pile.

“All of this is worn at once?”

Aidan checked each piece for warmth and nodded with satisfaction.

“This should be enough. Well done, Teddy.”

Teddy scratched his head happily at the praise.

“Oh, it’s my pleasure!”

Brody gawked at the sheer volume of clothes, but she gratefully accepted them—she couldn’t even imagine how cold the north would get.

Once fully dressed, she looked like a round puffball.

Seeing her waddle, Teddy burst into laughter, and though Aidan turned his head, she caught the corners of his mouth twitching up.

Brody sighed and peeled off a few layers to move more easily. She was still round, but more mobile.

Outside, three horses were waiting.

One was Kaise, another was Teddy’s. So the last one?

“This one is…”

“From now on, it’s yours. You said you could ride—so try it out. If it’s too hard, you can always ride with me. Don’t worry.”

‘Oh… I thought I’d ride with him until we reached Ferdan Fortress… but he got me a horse? Well, I am feeling a lot better now.’

With that thought, Brody approached the horse.

It had a light brown coat with a white mane, sleek and muscular with a healthy sheen.

It seemed well-trained, pressing its nose gently into her palm when she reached out.

She didn’t know much about horses, but it was clearly a fine one.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Aidan gave a silent nod in response.

With Teddy’s help, she mounted up, packed their things, and the three of them set off.

Not long after they started, Aidan kept a close eye on Brody—watching for any discomfort and how well she handled the horse.

So she really had been lying about not knowing how to ride. Brody rode without trouble.

Noticing his gaze, Brody offered a sheepish smile. Aidan smiled faintly in return before urging his horse forward.

Aidan took the lead, Brody followed slightly behind, and Teddy brought up the rear.

‘Is he… upset?’

Brody stole glances at Aidan’s upright back.

He had just watched her reveal her lie—about not knowing how to ride—so it was understandable if he felt annoyed.

‘But I didn’t do it on purpose… back then, I really couldn’t ride…’

Somehow, she felt wrongfully accused.