IOBTML 21

“I’m too lazy to nag an adult, so make sure you eat your meals. I keep worrying about it. If you do just that, I won’t say anything more.”

“All right, so stop nagging already.”

Ahwin waved his hand dismissively, clearly irritated, as he responded.

Then he swallowed a sigh, furrowing his brows slightly, hoping it wouldn’t be noticed.

Lately, he hadn’t been able to sleep properly.

It had all started after meeting Pablo again, which stirred up too many thoughts in his mind.

‘Of all people, that insufferable fool had to show up here and make a mess of everything.’

Seeing Pablo reminded him of Betty, who had been with him. Even when he closed his eyes, it felt like her image lingered, like an afterimage burned into his memory.

He thought he had completely forgotten her, moved on at last, but an unexpected person had appeared and thrown his emotions into turmoil.

‘I can’t even get rid of that miserable wretch.’

This only fueled his frustration further.

If not for the fact that Pablo was useful to Penelope, he’d have gladly sent him to the ends of the earth. But, unfortunately, the man’s skills as a merchant were genuinely valuable.

Ahwin pressed his temples, trying to calm his increasingly sharp nerves. The last thing he wanted was for the ever-perceptive Penelope to catch on.

Just then, there was a knock.

“Steward here. May I come in?”

Penelope turned her head. Ahwin, already sensing the steward’s presence, quietly looked toward the door.

“You may enter,” Penelope permitted, her teeth slightly chattering from the cold.

The steward stepped in, dusted with snow that had accumulated on his coat. It was clear he’d braved the snowfall to get here.

“What brings you here?” Penelope asked curiously.

The steward exhaled a visible puff of white breath before speaking.

“The dwarves have completed the ondol boiler.”

The dwarves had been given the gardener’s house in the annex as their workspace. Since there was no garden to speak of at the moment, the house had been vacant and easy to repurpose for their use.

Wrapped in a coat lined with silver fox fur—a gift from Pablo—Penelope trudged through the snow toward the gardener’s house. She paused briefly to look up at the sky, her breath fogging in the chilly air.

Smoke was rising in thick puffs from the chimney.

“They’ve already started running the boiler?” she said, her teeth chattering.

“Why don’t we go inside instead of staying out here in the cold?” the steward urged, shivering from the biting wind.

At that moment, the kitchen door opened, and the dwarves came out. Their faces and beards were drenched in sweat, an unbelievable sight for the dead of winter.

“Welcome,” one of them said.

“Please come inside where it’s warm,” another added.

Blocking the snow with her arm, Penelope asked, “Have you really finished the boiler already? Achoo!”

“Please come and see for yourself,” replied a dwarf, his beard tied with a ribbon, looking exceptionally proud.

Before Penelope could move, Ahwin took the lead. She instinctively followed him as he crossed the yard in long strides and threw open the front door. A wave of warmth enveloped them.

“……!”

Penelope felt as though she’d stepped into heaven.

The air inside was cozy and inviting, like a sauna.

The steward exclaimed in awe, “How is it possible for a room to be this warm?”

Penelope knelt down, pressing her palm to the floor. It was pleasantly warm, just like the heated sections of a traditional ondol room.

Her lips parted in amazement.

“They really did it.”

“Yes, indeed!”

“With the mage’s genius and our craftsmanship, we overcame all challenges!” the dwarf declared proudly.

Penelope, overwhelmed with emotion, asked, “Did you lay tiles on the floor?”

“Yes. First, we installed pipes for hot water underneath, then covered them with loess and laid tiles that conduct heat well. We also coated the walls with loess before applying wallpaper.”

In other words, it was a fully functional heated room.

The dwarves had taken the concept and run with it, creating something remarkable.

A song of joy seemed to play in Penelope’s mind.

‘This is incredible. A real ondol room!’

Without a word, Penelope sat down on the tiled floor.

The steward gasped.

It was unheard of for a noblewoman to plop down on the floor unless she was unwell.

“My lady, are you feeling unwell?” he asked anxiously.

“I’m fine,” Penelope replied, her voice steady. Her body basked in the warmth radiating from the floor.

“Don’t just stand there. Sit down and feel it for yourself,” she urged the steward.

“Pardon?” The steward’s eyes widened in disbelief. How could she suggest such a thing?

Before he could protest further, Penelope reached out and pulled him down by the arm.

The steward, caught off guard, knelt on the floor.

“Oh my…!”

As his hands touched the floor, a gasp escaped him.

“This can’t be real. The floor is warm!”

A halo of light seemed to shine over the steward’s head as he imagined a chorus of cherubic angels frolicking in the warmth. Their rosy cheeks glowed, a testament to the cozy room.

Penelope let out a deep sigh, filled with relief and contentment.

“We’ve finally made it…”

Penelope officially signed a contract with the dwarves, and they began the monumental task of converting the heating system in Halo Castle to the ondol boiler.

The cost of employing the dwarves amounted to three times the annual budget for castle maintenance, yet no one among the vassals voiced any objections.

The reason? A visit to the gardener’s house.

“How good can this place possibly be that the steward disappears every time he goes there? Does he not realize this is blatant neglect of duty?”

The most strict and inflexible administrator among the vassals huffed angrily, his frustration boiling over. Behind him, heavy snow was falling in thick, relentless sheets.

Having braved the blizzard to trek from the castle to the gardener’s house, the administrator shot the steward a disapproving look, brimming with disdain.

“And you dragged a busy man like me all the way here just to show me this shabby little house? There’s still plenty of work left to be done in the soap workshop, you know.”

“The workshop is closed today because of the weather! Just stop complaining and come inside already,” the steward replied, grabbing the administrator by the wrist and pulling him along.

“What on earth could possibly be inside that—huh?”

The door swung open abruptly.

A wave of warmth, like a gentle spring breeze, enveloped the administrator, halting him in his tracks.

W-what is this?

Just then, a voice called out from inside.

“Oh, you’re here too? Well, since you’ve come, sit down for a while. Oh, and you must take off your shoes first.”

The treasurer, who was already inside, waved his hand solemnly as he spoke.

The administrator, as though entranced, removed his shoes and stepped inside.

As the cold soles of his feet began to thaw, a tingling sensation spread through them.

The icy wind that had whipped against his hardened cheeks and nose now gave way to a rosy flush.

Soon, a trickle of snot dripped from his nose.

“This… this is…”

Before he could fully grasp the situation, the door slammed shut behind him with a loud thud. It was the steward.

The treasurer, looking mildly irritated, admonished him.

“Thanks to you, cold air has come in. Let’s avoid opening the door unnecessarily, shall we?”

“How… how can a room be this warm? Did a fire break out under the floor or something?” the administrator stammered, his gaze fixated on the ground in disbelief.

The steward clicked his tongue.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re aware that the mistress commissioned the dwarves to install a new heating system, aren’t you?”

“This is the new heating system? But how can the room be this warm without a fireplace?”

“I can explain how it works. Just sit down first,” the treasurer said, clearly thrilled to share the marvel.

“Uh…”

The administrator’s eyes wandered to the open bedroom door, where he froze in shock.

Inside, Penelope was sprawled comfortably on the floor, reviewing documents. Surrounding her were maids, seated close together, their hands pressed against the warm floor.

Had the administrator been a bit more observant, he might have noticed Ahwin curled up in a corner of the living room, wrapped in a blanket and sound asleep. But he was too overwhelmed to take in the details.

“My Lady?”

“We don’t bother with formal greetings in here. Too many people come and go, and it’s tedious to greet everyone. Oh, and for the record, the bedroom is off-limits to men, so don’t step inside.”

The living room was designated as the men’s area, while the bedroom was strictly for women—a clear spatial division.

“Ah, yes…”

The administrator coughed awkwardly, unable to find the right words.

Penelope, unbothered, returned to her documents as if nothing had happened.

At that moment, the front door opened again, and someone stepped inside. It was Sir Kane.

“So, this is where everyone is?”

“You’re here too?”

“Yes, well… I thought I’d stop by to warm up a bit…”

Sir Kane replied sheepishly. Barely had he finished speaking when the door opened once more, and this time, a group of knights poured in, one after another.