IRMDH 59

Chapter 59

The meeting concluded just like that, with the Empress quietly gritting her teeth and Consort Temia smiling with the composure of one who had returned victorious.

“Are you upset that the attention was drawn to Consort Temia?”
“Pardon? Why would I be upset? I thought I was going to die from nervousness today.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that. You did exceptionally well today. To the point where all the effort our Master put into preparing was clearly worthwhile.”
“Really?”

The smart and capable protagonist, Blake, was so brilliant that he essentially served as his own strategist.
Therefore, today’s planned events—my successful participation in the meeting, the discovery of the butterfly reacting to the magic stone, and the connection to Consort Temia—were all part of Blake’s design.

Was I upset that the attention was on Consort Temia rather than me?
Good grief, it was obvious that even that was Blake’s design.
Blake already knew that I get tense and nervous under public scrutiny.
If Consort Temia hadn’t appeared, the discovery of the butterfly and the subsequent link to her would have connected *me* to Consort Temia, making everyone whisper about *me*.
Furthermore, the Empress’s scrutiny would have begun to focus on me.
The Empress would have started to see me not as a stupid, foolish commoner-born Crown Princess, but as an ambitious woman with a lust for power who had joined hands with Consort Temia.

Blake calculated all of that and shifted it all onto Consort Temia instead of me.

“Well, fortunately, everything went well. Shall we head back now?”
As always, Blake spoke while offering his hand.
His escort, which I had grown quite accustomed to by now, had reached the point where I would feel disappointed if the day ever came when Blake’s body was fully healed, I was no longer needed, and he stopped offering me his hand.

Normally, after a meeting ended, the nobles of the Crown Prince’s faction would swarm around him to celebrate the successful report.
But as he tenderly took my hand and led me away, they all just watched cautiously, staying still.
As we made our way through them, I got the feeling that Blake actually seemed to enjoy those gazes.
The gazes that would spread the rumors far and wide about how close Blake and I had become.

***

The Escanian Empire in midwinter was quite cold.
“Ugh, uuugh… It’s cold…!”
No, let me correct that. It wasn’t just ‘quite’ cold; it was really cold.
I missed the warm heating systems of modern Korea…
Spending nights by stuffing a fireplace full of wood was quite tough for someone as sensitive to the cold as me.
So, this is just an excuse, but… wasn’t this a disaster that was bound to happen someday?

“Mmm…”
Something nearby felt warm.
No, it was more than warm; it was cozy.
But the moment that thought crossed my mind, the chilly air from outside the blankets brushed against me.
Reflexively, I curled up tighter, burrowing deeper into the warm spot.
Soon after, that warm something pulled me in deeply, as if shielding me from the cold.
And as I was beginning to wake from my shallow sleep due to the cold, it seemed to soothe me, as if saying it was okay.
Lulled by that tenderness, I fell back into a deep slumber.

“……”
Winter mornings are quite dark.
But at that moment, I woke up from sleep for some inexplicable, strange reason and slowly opened my eyes.
Blink, blink… I blinked for a while, trying to rouse my drowsy, foggy mind.
Must be morning; it’s still quiet…
It feels a bit warm now; did they add more firewood to the fireplace during the dawn?
No… the fireplace fire is almost out.
Wait, then what is this warm, cozy thing…?

In that instant, my mind snapped awake.
I barely managed to stifle a scream, letting out only a silent shriek internally.

“……”
I’m crazy, I’ve gone crazy.
The warm thing I found last night while shivering from the cold was none other than my husband.
Moreover, judging by the fact that I was tightly hugging Blake’s body like a lifeline, it was clear that *I* was the one who had burrowed into his embrace first.
Thanks to Blake staying by my side, he had gained a body temperature similar to a normal person, which led to this disaster.

‘I… I assaulted Blake!’
I finally did it.
I had thought the day might come when I would pounce on this handsome man, but I never thought it would be today!

Just as a wave of self-reproach washed over me, I had a thought.
First, I need to clean up this mess before Blake wakes up.
So, I was carefully trying to extricate myself from his embrace, trying my hardest not to wake him.
However, having shared each other’s warmth, as I left, the cold air took my place, and it seemed to stir Blake awake.

I want to cry!
Don’t wake up! Go back to sleep!

“……”
Despite my silent pleas, Blake’s eyelids fluttered.
Then, his long, pretty eyelashes slowly lifted, revealing the blue eyes he usually kept firmly hidden.
At that moment, my eyes met Blake’s instantly.
As I tried to pull away and sit up, our faces ended up closer, and I held my breath for a moment.
Seeing this, Blake, perhaps thinking it was a dream, just stared at me blankly, blinking for a long while.

In the end, I was the first to raise the white flag with an awkward smile.
Hello, Your Highness. This isn’t a dream.

“Ah, good morning… Did you sleep well?”
“……”
“I, I woke up because I was c-cold. Since it’s still quiet outside, perhaps you should sleep a bit more, Your Highness?”

*Please, just go back to sleep.*
I looked at him with that thought, but he turned his head, his gaze landing on his own arm resting on my waist—the evidence I hadn’t managed to fully escape.
Then he turned his face back to me with a dazed expression.
His Adam’s apple moved slowly, and he asked in a low, sleepy voice.

“What about you, Master?”
“…Pardon?”
“Aren’t you going back to sleep?”

How am I supposed to answer when you ask “Aren’t you going back to sleep?” with *that* face on?
I can’t even cry.

Hesitantly, I checked his expression, then cautiously lay back down the half-sitting posture I had assumed.
And when I turned my head, the destructive impact of Blake’s face, seen from so close, was tremendous.
My face was flushed for no reason, fully waking me up, but he was still half-asleep, his eyes half-open as he quietly watched me.

Blake seemed to be in a strangely good mood, so I mustered some confidence and confessed my transgression.

“I, I think I got cold while sleeping. When I woke up, I found that I…”
“Yeah.”
“…Was h-hugging you, Your Highness… So I was surprised and woke up…”
“You always have been sensitive to the cold. You were always concerned about the palace’s heating every winter, weren’t you? You probably sought out warmth in your sleep because you were cold today too.”

Blake responded with a much calmer face than I expected.
He said it so matter-of-factly that I found myself nodding along… Huh?

“But how did you know I’m sensitive to the cold?”
I don’t think I ever revealed in front of Blake that I’m very sensitive to the cold.
Lately, the only times I’ve faced him were in the bedroom and during meals.
Today, I woke up at dawn because it was cold, perhaps because there wasn’t enough firewood in the fireplace, but usually, the Crown Princess’s palace is warm.
And “every winter”…? This is only the second winter I’m spending in the Crown Princess’s palace?

At my question, Blake’s eyes widened sharply, and he froze for a moment before closing his mouth.
After an awkward silence passed, he finally opened his mouth with an expression that seemed like he was barely managing to answer.

“I just noticed after a while. Aren’t you just sensitive to the cold?”
“Ah, I see. Yes, you’re right, I am very sensitive to the cold. I guess there wasn’t enough firewood today. The fire in the fireplace must have gone out faster than usual, because it was cold at dawn.”

Blake let out a sigh that seemed like relief at my answer.
He slowly sat up, looked around the bedroom once, and spoke again.

“Rather than the fireplace… it would be better to heat the room itself using magic stones.”
“Pardon? Is that possible?”
“We install magic stones under the floor to heat the floor temperature. Then the warm air rising from the floor fills the room, making it warm.”

That’s a boiler!
Oh my god, am I going to get to experience a modern heating system again?
I only ever missed it in my heart; I never thought it would be possible here!
Does this mean I can enjoy warm air even in the middle of winter?

I hurriedly sat up too and looked at Blake with sparkling eyes.
Seeing this, Blake burst into a smile, like Santa Claus about to give a gift to an expectant child.

“It requires a fair amount of expensive magic stones for continuous use, but it’s better than seeing you suffer from the cold.”

More importantly, a lot of expensive magic stones?
Knowing how expensive top-tier magic stones are, I hesitated for a moment and shook my head to say it’s okay.
Seeing this, Blake smiled slightly.

“Thanks to you, Master, we have more than enough magic stones, so it’s fine.”
That’s true.
The magic stone mine we found had not only an enormous reserve but also a lot of highly pure, top-tier magic stones.
So, maybe this level of luxury is acceptable?

Seeing the corners of my mouth automatically lift as I imagined a warm future, Blake added something that snapped me back to attention, his smile brighter than mine.

“Then, I shall invite Baron Rekaisha to the Imperial Palace soon.”
“Pardon? My father?”
“Yes. I believe he is in the magic stone business, is he not?”

That’s correct.
Originally, the reason my father processed the substance from the Blue-Spotted Butterflies was because he is in the magic stone business.
But what surprised me was that Blake knew about my father.
And that he was inviting him personally.

But whether Blake knew my surprised feelings or not…
He just looked pleased and muttered slyly, ‘It seems it’s my first time inviting my father-in-law. I’m a bit nervous.’