14.

Riad didn’t seem like he had any intention of putting her down.

Henesstia, held in his arms, thought to herself that maybe it was better this way.

She didn’t have the courage to walk on her own.

She didn’t even understand why she was acting like this—it wasn’t even the Baron’s castle anymore.

‘No, maybe…’

Maybe all the worrying she’d been doing alone had finally come bursting out as a physical reaction.

The truth was, if people found out that Heron had abandoned her—if they found out what kind of treatment she’d endured at the Baron’s estate—

And if everyone realized she was someone they could treat however they wanted…

Would everyone in the Count’s household start treating her just like those in the Baron’s?

That was what scared her.

It had been the same at the Baron’s estate.

Even those who’d initially hesitated to mistreat her had eventually changed. At some point, she had just become someone it was okay to treat “like that.”

Just as she was about to sink into a pit of anxious thoughts, Riad gently tapped her back, as if knocking on a door.

“Henesstia.”

Hearing her name in his soft voice, she looked up as if in a trance.

“……”

“……”

Riad said nothing for a moment. Then, tilting his head slightly, he asked,

“What do you want for dinner?”

It was such a simple question, so ordinary, it made all the heavy thoughts from moments ago feel meaningless.

Caught off guard, Henesstia answered without thinking.

“A sandwich… sounds good.”

* * *

The inn’s interior was much better than she had expected.

Even though she had been prepared to tolerate it, since they had probably rushed to find whatever was available in the nearest town, it was surprisingly clean. As Henesstia stepped down from Riad’s arms, she looked around curiously.

“This was the only inn nearby I could get. So you’ll have to put up with it too.”

Riad spoke as if she were marveling at the pitiful state of the inn, even though she was only looking around out of curiosity.

Following behind him as he led the way, Henesstia hesitated a moment before speaking.

“It’s more than enough. I was prepared to travel overnight anyway.”

Henesstia, who had once been locked inside a storage room, wasn’t about to be shocked by the appearance of a small-town inn.

That might be true for a noblewoman who didn’t even know that a white glove could turn black just from brushing over dust.

“Overnight travel? Do you even know what that’s like? You’ll find it hard to last even a day in a rundown place like this.”

“That’s… not true.”

She remembered being scolded once on the Baroness’s birthday, simply because she hadn’t prepared a gift.

Even though it was the middle of winter, she’d been thrown into a storage room in little more than her underclothes. As Henesstia rubbed her arm at the memory, she recalled how cold it had been—so much so that she ended up covering herself with straw, something she’d never imagined she’d have to touch in her life.

So no, she wasn’t about to be put off by the sight of a modest inn.

‘Come to think of it, the Baroness’s birthday was a day before mine… so I ended up spending my own birthday in that storage room.’

Her thoughts were cut short by Riad’s voice.

“And what would people think of me if I let the Countess sleep in a place like this?”

The inside of the inn was quiet. It seemed a bit noisy near the dining area, but over here, the only sound was the occasional creaking of the wooden floor.

“Overnight travel is a standard part of carriage trips… I’m really fine with it.”

“No. I’m going to make sure we stop by towns as much as possible. We didn’t even bring a maid to attend to you.”

Henesstia tried to mentally retrace the map.

If they stopped by every village on the way from the Baron’s territory to the Count’s… the route would become a mess.

There was a massive mountain range in the way, and going around it would easily add three or four days to their travel time.

Henesstia quickly objected.

“I can manage without a maid.”

“Then who’s going to help you get dressed? You planning to ask the knights for that?”

Knights helping her dress?

The image alone made her stomach churn.

“I can dress myself. Really. I’m fine. In fact… I’d rather just get to the Count’s estate as soon as possible.”

“Hm.”

Riad let out a sound that was hard to read.

Before long, he opened one of the room doors without hesitation.

It was an old wooden door that looked like it might fall apart with a bit of pressure. As if displeased, he nudged the doorframe lightly with his foot before stepping inside.

Naturally, Henesstia tried to follow him in, but found herself freezing at the entrance without even realizing it.

The room was smaller than expected, and once Riad Ingel stepped inside, it somehow felt completely full—like there was no space left.

Riad, already inside, turned to see her still standing at the door.

“You’re not coming in?”

Snapping out of it, Henesstia quickly stepped inside.

And once she did, the pressure in the air felt even stronger.

It was as if that man was sucking up all the air in the room.

It might not be a fair comparison, but she imagined this was what it would feel like to face him as an enemy on the battlefield.

If he felt this overwhelming in everyday life, what would he be like in war?

Henesstia looked up at him, a bit intrigued. He didn’t notice—he was flicking at the flimsy candle holder on the table with a finger.

“A shabby little room for a noble lady like yourself, isn’t it?”

He wasn’t wrong.

It was shabby. A noblewoman with even a hint of pride would have thrown a fit and flipped the table by now.

But she was no longer someone precious—and that kind of treatment from him made her uncomfortable.

Henesstia clasped her hands together and looked up at him.

“That comment insults everyone staying in this inn. So… please don’t say things like that.”

“…Ha.”

“I really am okay.”

Her voice was surprisingly firm.

The man who stood in the room as if claiming it as his own crossed his arms and looked down at Henesstia.

Riad tilted his head slightly, looking at her as if she were something curious.

“Then what if I say I don’t like it?”

“…What?”

“Do you know how many nights I traveled without rest just to come straight to the Baron’s estate after the victory? I’m sick and tired of cheap beds.”

A large shadow loomed over her head.

Startled by the sudden dimness in her vision, Henesstia had to make an effort not to back away like she had the night before.

“What on earth is going on in that head of yours? You keep giving answers I don’t expect.”

His broad shoulders shifted as he ran a hand through his hair, briefly lifting his gaze to the ceiling.

Golden eyes rolled dangerously before landing on Henesstia.

What should she say? She frantically searched her mind for something.

What she’d said earlier wasn’t wrong—but she had, admittedly, failed to consider that he’d just returned from war. Realizing this, Henesstia quickly opened her mouth.

“W-Wait a moment. Then… even if the room isn’t to your liking… if we have something like aromatic oil, it might help when you bathe. It should ease your fatigue… I can show you how to use it. It’ll definitely help you sleep better…”

She stammered, recalling a massage technique she’d once received. At that, Riad tilted his head further, his interest piqued.

“But how does it work?”

“Well, you… um… I haven’t done it myself, so if it’s okay, I’ll write it down for you. If I could just find a pen and notebook—”

She turned to open the drawer next to the table when he suddenly grabbed her waist.

Startled, Henesstia froze and looked up—only to see his sharply defined jaw.

The solid body behind her swelled with each breath.

“Even if you tell me, I’m not very good at understanding instructions. Wouldn’t it be simpler for you to just do it yourself?”

“…Do it… myself?”

“We’ve already seen each other naked. I don’t think there’s anything to be shy about.”

There was a teasing tone in his voice.

It was clear what he was referring to—last night. At his frank words, Henesstia’s body reacted honestly. Her cheeks flushed red as she scrambled to find a way to refuse.

“I-I’d probably be terrible at it. Besides, I heard that if you handle muscles the wrong way, it can be dangerous… Someone else would be better suited for that kind of thing…”

Narrowing his eyes, he spun her around gently.

“Henesstia, why would you believe that so literally?”

What…? Her eyes shifted slowly.

“Do I really look like the kind of man who’d ask his wife to scrub his back? If so, then maybe I really am worse than I thought—sending my precious wife to sleep in a shabby room like this. And for the record, I wouldn’t get into the bath at this kind of inn anyway.”

“……”

So… he was teasing her.

He never planned on making her do it in the first place. Embarrassed that she’d reacted so seriously, Henesstia clamped her mouth shut and curled her toes inside her shoes.

“More importantly, isn’t it hot in here? Why don’t you take this off?”

Right then, Riad tugged at the coat she had wrapped around her.

She instinctively grabbed it back.

Riad’s brow lifted slightly, and the coat stretched taut between them.

Henesstia was surprised by her own reaction.

“…Didn’t think you’d care that much about this coat.”

“It’s not that… it’s just… underneath, the clothes are a little…”

His gaze dropped slightly from her face.

Perhaps from the ride, her blouse had rubbed against his jacket, and now one of the front buttons wouldn’t close properly. Her pale chest peeked through the open space, revealing a deep line of cleavage.

Now she understood what it meant to want to stomp your feet in frustration.

Because his eyes hadn’t moved from that very spot.

“Let go, please.”

Flushed, she tugged harder on his coat.

She thought any decent man would let go, but he didn’t.

In fact, his grip tightened.

“I’m pretty sure I already saw that last night.”

The red that had started on her face now spread to her exposed skin, as if it were catching fire.

How… how can he say such shameless things so casually in a brightly lit room like this?

“The button didn’t come undone—it’s ripped.”

He took off his gloves. His firm hand touched just below the soft line of her chest.

He grabbed the dangling button…

And tore it right off.

Snap—

Startled, Henesstia grabbed his hand.

“This is the only outfit I have—how could you just rip it?”

“Well, I guess that means you’ll have to keep wearing my clothes.”

“I can’t walk around in someone else’s clothes!”

“You did just fine earlier. Unless you’d prefer walking around like this in front of the knights… are you okay with that?”

Even though she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, Henesstia instinctively tightened her grip on his hand.

He looked at his coat, then at her, then at the hand she had on him.

Then, reaching out, he pulled the curtain shut.

As darkness fell, all the faint outside light disappeared.

Only the dim flames of the candles scattered around the room remained, flickering in the silence.

Riad stepped closer to her.

Henesstia backed away.

Another step.

“……”

“……”

And another.

Thump—

She stumbled over the edge of the bed and fell backward.

Thankfully, the one decent-looking thing in the room—the bed—was soft, so it didn’t hurt.

But the relief didn’t last long. Riad climbed on top of her.

“Wait…! What are you—!”

“Something appropriate for a married couple?”

He slowly looked down at Henesstia beneath him.

His golden eyes swirled dangerously, just like they had the night before.

“There are knights outside the room!”

“But it’s just us inside.”

“How could you do something like this in a strange place—!”

She pushed against him wherever she could reach.

He didn’t budge—he was like a boulder.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘something like this’?”

He lowered his face to the nape of her neck.

His tongue traced gently, then his teeth grazed her skin—just enough to make her cry out.

“Hmm? Tell me, Henesstia.”