AWLITEB Chapter 25

After the meal ended, Grand Duke Genos's party finished preparing to return to the Grand Duke's estate.

However, the moment they opened the door leading to the courtyard, they abandoned that plan entirely.

Snow was falling with startling intensity. Thick, heavy snowflakes—the kind that came down in fat clumps.

The flakes were so large that when they fell in front of your face, they blocked your vision entirely.

"Good heavens."

The teacher who had been trying to clear some of the snow from the courtyard for them stood frozen, shovel in hand.

The snow had piled so deep it would swallow you up to your knees.

"I'll have to relieve that northern sky forecaster."

Genos muttered, looking up at the sky.

By 'relieve,' he meant dismiss from service, right?

Bella thought this while looking at Genos when a horse slowly arrived in front of the orphanage.

A man appeared to be mounted on it.

The shape of the carriage looked blurry through the snow.

"Fortunately, the road seems passable. I'll go check."

One knight spoke cheerfully and approached the visitor to inquire about the situation.

However, each step was difficult because of the snow, and it took quite a while just to cross the small courtyard.

The moment the knight discovered the figure mounted on the horse, darkness truly descended upon his expression.

It was Paile on the horse.

Paile, who had gone to buy ointment as Genos had ordered, had returned as a living, breathing snowman, barely holding the horse's reins.

He looked on the verge of frostbite, his lips blue as proof of hypothermia.

"Y-Your, Your High-Highness, where, where are you?"

At the sight of Paile whose mouth had frozen, the knight hurriedly helped him down from the horse and escorted him to Genos.

When Genos realized that the person the knight had brought back through the snowfall was Paile, he had no choice but to completely abandon the idea of returning home today.

He had thought Paile was late simply because the ointment had run out and the stubborn old butler was waiting for the pharmacist, Lady Traeghen, to make more.

But it turned out he'd arrived this late because of the snowfall.

With hands frozen solid even through his gloves, Paile held out a bundle to Genos.

It contained several jars of ointment.

"Seat him closest to the fireplace and let him rest for half a day."

At Genos's sigh-laden words, the knight quickly took Paile inside.

The orphanage teachers moved busily to prepare sleeping quarters for the knights, Paile, and most importantly, the Grand Duke and his fiancée in this sudden situation.

"We've finished cleaning the accommodations. We've distributed rooms to the knights according to the number of beds, and we'll use makeshift mattresses to share a room with the children."

The teachers said to Genos and Isabella with their hands clasped together.

Since they hadn't planned to stay this long, Genos spoke while uncomfortably running his hand over the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry about this. To think we'd impose on your hospitality after just dropping by."

"Not at all. It's an honor to host you both."

"Yes. It's our honor, so please don't worry."

The teachers quickly shook their heads.

"Then I'll show you the way."

One teacher gestured politely.

When Genos and Isabella followed her through the snowstorm into the adjacent building, the teacher explained the room.

"The washing room is right next to the bedchamber, so please use it. If you leave your clothes in the wicker outside the door, we'll have them washed before morning. Um, however, regarding someone to attend to you... We can help Miss Isabella, but for Your Grace..."

At the teacher's words, Genos waved his hand lightly.

"No, I don't need help bathing. Nor do I need help dressing tomorrow morning. Just pretend we're not here—we'll impose for one night and leave early tomorrow, so don't worry."

Isabella nodded and added.

"I don't need attending either, so don't concern yourself."

The teacher bowed her head apologetically before continuing.

"When I asked the butler, since he's been with Your Grace for a long time, he said Your Grace would probably prefer to use the storage annex alone rather than share the lodging annex with the knights. So we prepared sleeping quarters here. This annex has only one room with a bed, so no one else can stay here."

"...Wait, what did you say?"

There seemed to be something sharp hidden in the teacher's words, so Isabella asked again.

The teacher opened her mouth with a puzzled expression, as if wondering what was wrong.

"Is something the matter, Miss?"

"Did you just say there's only... one room with a bed?"

"Yes. That's why all the other knights are in a different annex. If you're uncomfortable with the odds and ends or books in the other rooms, we could arrange the lodging annex instead..."

"No, that's fine. You may go."

Genos cut off the teacher's words.

The teacher asked them to inform the guard outside if they needed anything, then withdrew.

The moment the annex door closed, Bella looked up at Genos with a flustered expression.

"What do you mean there's only one room?"

"It's a well-supported orphanage, but it's not large enough to house this many people individually. And an engaged couple is generally treated almost as husband and wife, isn't that normal?"

Genos spoke lightly as if it were nothing, then turned and walked down the corridor.

He opened each door one by one, searching for the bedroom.

Bella stood frozen as if she'd caught frostbite like Paile moments ago, then snapped awake and ran toward Genos, blocking his path.

"Shouldn't we ask for at least another mattress?"

"Why. Are you dying to let them know we're only pretending to be engaged?"

Genos smirked and passed Bella, continuing to check the rooms.

When he found the bedroom, he entered without hesitation and removed his thick cloak.

"Come in. It's much warmer than the hallway because of the fireplace."

"..."

"If you want to sleep in the hallway, I won't stop you, so decide for yourself."

If he put it that way, there was no choice.

Bella entered the room with hesitant steps.

"Should I sleep on the floor?"

"How can you sleep on the floor? That's uncomfortable."

She'd slept among mold in the basement just fine.

Bella waved her hand with a face that said it was truly all right.

"It's fine. Compared to that, this is a complete palace. I can sleep perfectly well. If you could just give me one blanket..."

"Isabella."

"Yes?"

"Can you see my face right now?"

Genos asked, leaning crookedly against the dresser with one hand, his brow narrowed and his eyes sharp—the face he wore when he heard something unpleasant at an Imperial Assembly.

"Yes."

"Do I look happy about using the bed alone?"

"...No. You look incredibly angry."

"Good. So your eyes do work."

Genos let out a deep sigh before speaking.

"Has it been a year since you left the White mansion? Two years? It's been barely two months."

"..."

"So I understand you still have basement habits ingrained in you."

Genos walked slowly toward Bella. It had been quite a while since she'd felt this sense of intimidation from him.

Bella flinched and instinctively stepped backward.

"But shouldn't you make an effort? To actually say with your own mouth that you'll sleep on the floor?"

"...I only said that because I thought Your Grace would be uncomfortable. And if you could please stop approaching, that would be—"

Even as Bella spoke, Genos continued walking toward her.

Bella was circling the room in loops, and the pace was gradually quickening.

"I told you not to worry about others, including me. When exactly are you going to drop that slave mentality?"

"All, all right. I won't sleep on the floor. I'll sleep in the bed! Your Grace can sleep on the floor."

"What?"

Genos smiled, then reached out and grabbed Bella's arm to stop her from moving further.

Bella's two feet, which had been stepping backward, became rooted to the ground, and she found herself looking up at Genos with widened rabbit eyes.

"Bella."

"..."

"Do I look like the kind of person who'd sleep on the floor so you can rest well?"

"...No."

"Right, so your eyes do work after all."

When Genos released Bella's arm, the recoil made her stumble backward and plop down on the bed behind her.

"I'll bathe first. Wait here. If you get hungry, eat something."

Genos gestured to the refreshments on the table that Bella hadn't even noticed were there.

After Genos left the room, Bella flopped backward onto the bed with a dazed expression.

"Right. I need to remember that's the kind of person the Grand Duke is."

Bella muttered blankly.

A moment later, Genos returned to the room wearing a black robe.

It was something Paile had bought, considering the possibility of an overnight stay with all this snow.

"I hung your robe in the bathroom."

"..."

"I told you not to be overly cautious, not to stare disrespectfully."

At Genos's words, Bella quickly averted her gaze.

Since Genos was exceptionally tall with an excellent physique compared to others, the black robe Paile had obtained as an emergency measure couldn't cover his body perfectly.

So both the sleeves and the length were short.

Moreover, it was too small, so above the tied waist cord, his chest was half-exposed.

Moisture still clung to his well-defined muscles, trickling down.

Yes, Bella had been staring intently enough at Genos's body in that brief moment to describe it in such detail.

"I've been living with my desires castrated for so long. I didn't look because I wanted to."

To hide her embarrassment, Bella spoke brazenly instead, then got up and left the room.

Genos looked at the closed door and smirked.

After bathing, Bella opened the room door carefully, wearing only her robe.

She saw Genos leaning against the headboard reading a book. He was still in his robe as well.

"There were children's educational books in the next room. I was bored."

Genos looked up and their eyes met.

"Ah... yes."

"Why aren't you coming in?"

"...Um, don't we have any clothes to change into?"

"We don't, which is why I look like this. Just wear your petticoat or something."

Genos spoke casually, but a petticoat was far too thin to wear alone.

And she couldn't put on the outdoor dress or cloak she'd worn today.

They'd gotten quite snowed on and dirty, surely contaminating the bed, and besides, she'd already placed them in the bin for washing.

"Come sit down. I don't want another argument. It's tiresome."

Genos said indifferently while turning a page.

Bella felt the hallway wind brush coldly against her ankles as she entered the room and closed the door.

Fortunately, the robe Paile had bought for her covered her body more than adequately.

Bella walked in with an awkward gait and sat in the rocking chair by the fireplace.

Warm heat enveloped her body and slowly spread through it.

"You'll need to get used to sharing a bedroom before we return to the capital after touring the Grand Duchy territories."

Genos said.

Bella turned her head to look at him.

"Once we return to the capital, the wedding will be held shortly after, and then we'll live in the imperial palace for a year."

One year.

All collateral imperial family members who weren't direct descendants of the Emperor had to spend exactly one year of married life in the imperial palace after their wedding.

During that year, Genos planned to remove every obstacle in his path.

There was no better time than that year to kill the Emperor and his children. It had to end within that timeframe.

"The palace has ears everywhere. In the drawing rooms, the bathrooms, the dining halls, the gardens. There are so many people—maids, ladies-in-waiting, attendants, errand boys."

"Yes, that's right. We'll have to avoid all those ears."

Bella took a long breath in and out.

"The only place they can't enter is the bedroom. Even the Emperor couldn't enter his brother and sister-in-law's bedroom. So we'll do most of our talking in the bedroom."

"That makes sense. The bedroom will be the only place to plan operations, strategize, and share information with each other."

"But we can't bolt the bedroom door, so when servants come at the appropriate times to wash our faces and wipe our hands, we need to look natural. We can't suddenly move about suspiciously, right?"

"Right."

"So shouldn't we get used to lying in bed together in just our robes?"

"...What?"

An ominous premonition was creeping up from Bella's toes.

Genos's next words made her premonition reality.

"Come here. Lie down."

Genos patted the space beside him on the bed.