Chapter 60…………………….
– Only One Room
“What? There’s only one room left?”
“I told you, didn’t I?”
As soon as they arrived at the village, the two entered the inn they saw first.
But when the innkeeper said there was only one room available, Lea couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
She had heard this was the only inn in the village.
“There’s a merchant caravan passing through our village, so all the rooms are taken. The only one left is a double. But looking at you two, you seem like lovers anyway, so why not just share?”
“Lovers? No, we’re not—”
Lea was about to deny it when—
“We’ll take the room.”
Before she could even finish speaking, Akkia answered first.
“You’re really planning to share a room?”
Lea looked at him in disbelief. His face was calm, as if he had no hesitation at all.
“What, would you rather sleep on the streets? I have no intention of doing that.”
“But…”
“Why are you acting like this is something new? It’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before.”
What if someone hears that!
Lea’s mouth opened and closed helplessly at the dangerously misleading reply. Unlike her flustered state, the duke’s lips curled with a sly smile.
“That’s…!”
She couldn’t even refute him properly, only mouthing words without sound.
When she turned her gaze, the innkeeper was already handing Akkia the key with a knowing grin.
“There’s hot water prepared in the room. Well then, have a good night!”
He even added a teasing remark, as though mocking a pair of young lovers.
In the end, the two climbed the stairs and stood in front of the room at the end of the hallway.
Click.
As the door opened, warmth greeted them.
“Thank goodness. At least it’s warm here.”
But contrary to her words, Lea’s body trembled faintly. They had been waiting in the pouring rain for the carriage to be fixed.
And her soaked dress was chilling her to the bone.
“You should wash up first, Your Grace.”
Lea gestured toward the bathroom. But Akkia gave a disbelieving laugh.
“You’re saying that even after seeing yourself right now?”
He pointed with his chin at the mirror on the dressing table. In the reflection, she looked no better than a drowned rat.
Her red hair, tangled and dripping, clung to her white dress.
I do look miserable…
When she turned her gaze, Akkia didn’t look any better himself. He’d even given her his jacket—how cold must he be?
“You’re just as soaked, Duke.”
With a quiet sigh, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the bathroom.
“Worry about yourself. Unless you want to catch a cold like before, get washed first.”
Shoving her inside, he shut the door.
I guess I have no choice.
Lea took off the jacket and her wet clothes, neatly folding them on the shelf. Then she lowered herself into the warm bath.
“This feels like heaven…”
As warmth seeped into her chilled body, her shivers subsided. Leaning back, she glanced at Akkia’s jacket.
“He must be cold too…”
Yet he had given it up for her.
The innkeeper’s teasing words about them being lovers suddenly came back to her, making her heart itch in an unfamiliar way.
She thought of him waiting outside.
“I should hurry.”
Though he’d never say it, he must be cold. She couldn’t linger in the tub while he waited.
But as she stood up quickly—
“Huh?”
Her foot slipped on the wet floor, and—
Crash!
She slid onto the tiles with a loud thud. A chill spread across her back.
“Ugh…”
It had happened too fast for her to react. She groaned weakly, unable to stand.
Bang, bang!
Alarmed by the noise, Akkia pounded on the door.
—What happened?!
“I’m fine… ugh—”
She meant to reassure him, but only a pained groan escaped. Her voice, muffled by the door, never reached him.
—Lea!
When she didn’t answer, his panic grew. He rattled the handle violently.
Lea’s eyes darted downward. She had nothing on, and her clothes were far away on the shelf.
What do I do…?
Her muscles had seized from the fall, leaving her barely able to twitch a finger.
If he actually comes in—!
The thought made her dizzy.
And then—
Bang.
The worst happened.
“Lea! What on earth—”
Akkia burst in, the half-broken door swinging behind him. His face was deadly serious as his eyes fell on her sprawled form.
Oh no. I’m ruined.
She desperately wished she could turn back time—to before she got out of the tub, no, to before she even entered the bathroom.
Silence weighed heavy between them.
What was he thinking, seeing her naked on the floor like this?
She lifted her gaze to the man staring down at her with an unreadable expression. Their eyes met briefly before his gaze slid downward. The longer the silence stretched, the more it exposed his turmoil.
“….”
“….”
It had only been a fleeting moment, yet her face burned with shame, as though she had shown him everything she never wanted to.
But the worst part was the sigh that escaped him next.
“Lea…!”
He looked at her as if she were gravely injured, treating her like a patient. Her lips trembled.
“You can’t even move… I’ll fetch a doctor immediately—!”
He snatched a towel from the shelf and covered her, then lifted her gently into his arms.
“Duke…”
Lea groaned, forcing words out through clenched teeth.
“Tell me—where does it hurt?”
Did he even realize she was naked? He seemed more intent on examining her condition than her state of undress.
For Lea, the pain wasn’t the main issue—it was the mortification.
“I….”
“Water? Do you need water?”
He actually started glancing around, ready to fetch it.
“No… the…”
“What?”
He leaned closer, straining to hear. Her faint whisper brushed against his ear.
“Close the door and get out….”
❀ ❀ ❀
Clatter.
“Ugh…”
The rattling carriage drew a low groan from Lea.
The night before, Akkia had ignored her plea to leave. Instead, he carried her to bed and summoned a doctor to examine her.
[Fortunately, it’s just a mild muscle strain.]
[Can muscle strain alone make her unable to move?]
[It certainly can. But for now, she should rest and avoid strenuous activity.]
After the doctor left, Lea thought deeply as Akkia sat at her bedside.
It had been only a minor injury, but her body had stiffened so badly she couldn’t move at all without his help.
At least it wasn’t worse…
She glanced at the man leaning against the carriage wall, eyes closed.
The problem was, since that incident, she couldn’t look him in the eye.
So humiliating!
It wasn’t the first time he had seen her bare, yet she still burned with shame.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Akkia murmured, “Endure a little longer. We’ll soon arrive at Duke Belarus’s estate.”
They would rest there for two days before setting off for Bialytskhal.
That estate managed the harsh northern lands where little grew aside from salt mines, and they needed to stock supplies there.
“If your body feels unwell, stay behind at the estate. I can go to Bialytskhal alone.”
“No. I’ve come this far—how could I stay behind?”
Her determination made him open his crimson eyes. After a long look, he sighed.
“A patient following along is only a burden. That place has no proper lodging—we’ll be sleeping in tents on the ground.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Seeing she wouldn’t bend, he reluctantly nodded.
“Then when we reach Belarus estate, you’ll be examined by a physician.”
“Huh? But it’s only a strained muscle—”
But under his sharp glare, she gave in.
“…Alright.”
Satisfied, he turned away. Lea fixed her gaze on the window to avoid looking at him, her mind wandering to the Belarus family.
They were once founding heroes of the Croatea Empire, a house with a long, proud history.
But that’s all in the past…
Though once powerful, the family now teetered on extinction. The current duke had only one daughter, who had died young.
After her loss, the duke had abandoned everything—his duties as lord, and even the family’s ancestral enterprises.
Lea was lost in such thoughts when the carriage slowed. Then came the driver’s voice as the door opened.
“We’ve arrived.”
