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Chapter 16
Cedric, who had changed into thin nightwear, had his chest half-exposed.
Though he had merely unbuttoned his nightshirt comfortably by a couple of buttons, to Ivanna, it felt excessive.
Each section of the makeshift tent was divided by partitions.
Thus, she had stepped out believing that once she lay in bed, his desk would be out of sight.
“It would be best to dry your hair properly.”
As Ivanna stared at his chest with wavering eyes, Cedric pointed to Ivanna’s still-damp hair and spoke.
Ash-grey eyes gazed at her hair.
“Understood.”
Ivanna immediately stepped back into the bathroom.
Thump, thump.
There was nothing to be embarrassed about. Yet her heart hammered loudly like someone who had committed a wrong.
His nightwear was different from usual. She had almost lost her mind at the sight of the firm muscles visible through the parted shirt.
I need to dry my hair until the Duke falls asleep.
Once she was safely under the blankets, his body wouldn’t be visible anymore.
Instead of using an artifact, Ivanna carefully dabbed the moisture from her hair using a towel.
She’s taking too long.
Sitting on the edge of the bed and reading a book, Cedric turned his head toward the bathroom.
The Princess had gone into the bathroom claiming she would dry her hair, yet she hadn’t come out for a long time.
Could she have collapsed or something?
To exaggerate slightly, her wrists were thinner than the hilt of the sword he carried around.
The body revealed beneath her thin nightwear looked frail enough to snap with a single tap.
Water dripping from her insufficiently dried hair soaked deep into her thin nightwear.
Recalling how the Imperial Family had claimed the Princess was of frail health, he had intentionally told her to go dry her hair.
If she caught a cold for no reason, it would throw a wrench into their itinerary.
Already, he was keeping his nerves on edge, worrying whether the Princess—who spent the entire itinerary stuck inside a carriage—might collapse.
Cedric hadn’t expected traveling with someone else to be this exhausting.
The moment the Princess stepped into the carriage, the air itself changed. Unlike when he rode alone, a soft and warm atmosphere lingered in the interior.
Though it was merely the addition of a single person, Cedric found himself secretly tense at the altered environment.
Furthermore, every time the Princess moved, the perfume she wore stimulated his nostrils.
It wasn’t the stimulating and intense scent of the young ladies who used to approach him at parties, but a soft and subtle fragrance.
It was even sweet enough that, on the very first day of the trip, Cedric had briefly suspected the Princess of having bathed herself in fruit juice.
He had to forcefully fight the urge to keep turning his head toward the Princess, as though a needle had been threaded through his nose.
Tap.
It was taking excessively long.
Even after turning three pages of his book, the Princess showed no sign of coming out of the bathroom.
Closing his book and setting it on the table, Cedric let out a faint breath and rose from his seat.
The Princess had undoubtedly collapsed from the grueling itinerary.
Regretting his delayed reaction, he stopped in front of the bathroom.
“Your Highness.”
When he called out to her softly, no reply came from inside.
Cedric tilted his head.
“Your Highness. I am coming in.”
When there was still no answer to his repeated call, Cedric pulled back the thin fabric curtain without hesitation.
“Gasp!”
“Were you still in the midst of drying your hair?”
Only when she belatedly turned to look at him, her round eyes wide, could he finally breathe a sigh of relief, realizing she hadn’t heard him earlier.
The Princess had been sitting on a small stool, drying her hair with a towel.
“And you aren’t using an artifact?”
“I thought it might disturb your reading.”
“The sound isn’t all that loud, so it’s fine.”
Cedric meticulously inspected the Princess’s condition. Her face was flushed red, and her body was trembling slightly.
Was that the premonition of a cold he had read about in books?
“I shall assist you.”
He concluded that drying the Princess’s hair quickly was far more important than letting her catch a cold.
He immediately picked up the artifact and stepped up behind Ivanna.
Whoosh!
“Eek!”
Ivanna shrieked as a blast of wind suddenly poured down from behind her. Because Cedric had turned the artifact to its highest setting, her hair whipped violently across her face.
“Ap-Apologies.”
Cedric, who usually dried his own short hair with high-powered air, looked in bewildered dismay at the Princess’s hair flying about in a frenzy.
“Please lower the wind setting.”
Desperately grabbing her wildly tangled hair, Ivanna locked eyes with him through the mirror.
“Yes.”
“And I’ll do it myself.”
“No. Show me how, and I will handle it.”
He alternated his gaze between her arms and the artifact. It seemed he doubted whether the Princess could hold the artifact herself until all of her long, abundant hair was fully dried.
Of course, Ivanna had no way of guessing what that gaze implied.
Did he think I was poor enough to have never even used an artifact before?
Ivanna glared at Cedric through the mirror. Cedric standing behind her looked as serious as someone facing a decisive battle.
The intense gaze with which he stared intently at her hair made him look like a man sizing up an enemy general’s neck for a decapitation strike.
Huummmm.
Only the whirring sound of the artifact echoed inside the bathroom shared by just the two of them.
Lulled by the subtle warmth brushing against her ears, Ivanna’s eyes began to drift shut in sleepiness.
The underlying tension and the fatigue of sitting inside a carriage all day finally caught up with her.
I mustn’t doze off.
Sensing her head tilting, Ivanna snapped her eyes wide open.
As a result, she ended up locking eyes with Cedric, who had been watching her from behind.
Evidently not expecting them to make eye contact, naked panic was clearly visible in his expression.
“It seems to be fully dry.”
A large hand brushed delicately through her hair and pulled away.
Ivanna shivered all over as goosebumps erupted across her skin.
“You seem cold, so let’s wrap it up here.”
“Yes.”
She had no idea why the words why am I suddenly cold had popped out of her mouth, but Ivanna nodded rapidly.
She desperately wanted to run away from this situation. If word got out that Cedric Reynolds had dried her hair for her, absolutely no one would believe it.
Did he want to go to sleep early, and got frustrated because I came out late?
She simply couldn’t believe what had just transpired.
With a dazed expression, Ivanna followed behind Cedric back toward the bed.
With a solemn look in his eyes, he pointed toward the blankets. In a trance, Ivanna shuffled up onto the bed.
This was the first time since their marriage that he had intervened in her sleeping arrangements.
Until now, either she had already been asleep, or he had.
Even when they climbed into bed at the same time, he had completely ignored her, leading her to believe he had zero interest.
What on earth was the meaning of this?
Ivanna pulled the blankets up and stared at Cedric.
Is he done now?
After weighing something in his mind, the Duke finally gave a small, subtle nod. Ivanna squeezed her eyes shut as Cedric slipped in beside her.
What a strange day.
Though she had no way of knowing why the Duke was acting differently than usual, her heart kept fluttering and she felt like she might sneeze.
It must be because of that contract again.
Every single thing that felt excessively polite and tender—she attributed all of it to that.
Before heading in to wash up, they had talked about the contract. He was undoubtedly acting this way because something was still bothering him on that front.
Having reasoned it out that way, Ivanna began counting numbers in her head.
One, two, three.
Rustle.
Hearing the movement beside her, Ivanna held her breath.
“Is anything aching anywhere?”
“No!”
It seemed the Duke was looking right at her. If she opened her eyes, she was certain she’d lock gazes with him.
“If you ever feel pain anywhere, please be sure to tell me.”
Nod.
Clutching the blanket tight, Ivanna nodded rapidly.
Just let it rain. Pour down in torrents.
Ivanna muttered inwardly.
Rather than agonizing over the intentions behind the Duke’s uncharacteristically unusual behavior, praying for rain was far more meaningful.
Tomorrow, she wouldn’t have to look at the discouraged faces of the people anymore.
Quietly, Ivanna summoned her divine power.
She could feel the power draining out from her body. Thankfully, the exertion of power didn’t manifest visibly on the outside.
It felt like her energy was draining a bit faster than usual, but this much should be fine.
Hoping she might hear the sound of people laughing—even if from afar—tomorrow, Ivanna closed her eyes.
Tap.
Tap. Tap.
The sound of raindrops pattering against the roof of the tent reached her ears. She could sense the Duke stirring awake in surprise at the sound of the rain, but Ivanna kept her eyes shut, pretending to be fast asleep.
She had no idea why he had suddenly shown interest in her, but she mustn’t harbor any useless misunderstandings.
It might just be a fleeting whim on his part.
Reassured by the fading presence moving entirely away, Ivanna drifted off into a deep sleep.
* * *
“Mm.”
It was warm. It seemed Anthony must have slipped an artifact into her blanket last night since it had gotten a bit chilly after the rain.
The tents allowed for temperature adjustments tailored to the user, but because it had been set to match Cedric, who ran hot, it was a bit too cool for Ivanna.
Wait, though… isn’t the artifact a bit too big?
An artifact radiating warm heat ought to be just the right size to cuddle.
This was excessively large…
“Eek!”
The moment Ivanna opened her eyes, she let out a shriek.
