Chapter – 10
At that moment, Icar stepped forward and lightly tapped the furrowed space between Reneb’s eyebrows.
“Why… why?”
“There’s a foreign saying: even if the sky falls, there’s always a way out. So there’s no need to be too disappointed.”
With those words, Icar started walking ahead.
‘A foreign saying?’
“So there’s a hot spring here after all.”
A faint smile appeared on Icar’s face, which had been wandering to avoid the night dew.
“What do you think, my lady?”
“‘A way out,’ you mean? Well, it is certainly a kind of ‘way out.’”
Reneb widened her eyes as she looked at the steam rising from the hot spring.
‘No way… this place?’
It had appeared in the original story too. Though not a main location, it was in a side story. While scouting near the border, Lucius and Esica had been chased by monsters and discovered the hot spring.
During the process of bathing, the scene naturally progressed into an intimate moment…
When reading the novel, she had felt excitement and reread it several times. But now, just thinking of the two made her shiver.
The consolation was that, before Lucius and Esica became a couple, this hot spring hadn’t been visited yet.
“The sun’s setting, so it’s getting colder. We should enter the hot spring to maintain our body heat. What do you think?”
“Sounds good.”
When Reneb nodded, Icar moved a little farther away, seemingly to give her space. He, too, probably didn’t want to wash in icy water just now.
Once Icar was out of sight, Reneb tried to remove her dress.
Then she realized a problem: she had never taken off her dress by herself.
Even as empress, she had always had maids to help her change, and even now, after returning to this life, that hadn’t changed.
Reneb was at a loss. The only person nearby was Icar.
Since it wasn’t something she could ask him to do, she struggled, twisting the ribbons on her back.
“Can’t even dress or undress by yourself?”
“…D-then… when did you get here?”
Reneb clutched her dress, which she had pulled down to her shoulders. Icar, frowning, extended something in his hand.
“I only meant to hand this over. I can assure you, there’s no other intention.”
“….”
When Reneb kept staring at him warily, Icar muttered, somewhat annoyed:
“What’s with that look? Don’t tell me you thought I was trying to peek?”
There was no lewd expression on his face. If anything, he seemed indifferent.
“I’ll take your word for it. But… what is this?”
Reneb thought her suspicion was overblown and looked at Icar’s hand.
“A natural loofah. I figured you’d need something to wash yourself with.”
“I’m sorry for misunderstanding… and thank you.”
Embarrassed at having mistaken Icar for a pervert, Reneb quickly apologized. Icar’s lips tilted slightly upward in response.
“Has the noble young lady never even washed herself alone?”
Reneb felt provoked and replied with a hint of stubbornness:
“So a bodyguard following the orders of the Emperor of Vascher would be skilled at bathing too?”
“You want me to attend to your bath?”
With a mischievous smile, Icar stepped closer. Reneb stepped back to match his movement.
“So you’d do it if I requested it?”
She turned her gaze away, inwardly flustered.
“I only wondered if Paradium ladies had a special custom of having their bodyguards bathe them, nothing more.”
Losing interest, Icar turned away.
“It’s better not to wander too far on your own.”
“Why? So you can peek?”
Icar squinted at her provocatively as he turned around.
“Don’t you know what negligence is? Remember that we were attacked by wolves just a few hours ago. And…”
He moved his lips as if to say more but stopped, turning away from Reneb’s sight.
“Why stop talking? Now I’m curious.”
Reneb muttered softly as she untied the remaining ribbon at her waist.
Because it was a location that had appeared in the original story, she already knew about its relative safety. The hot spring area had magic stones mixed into the soil, making it difficult for monsters or beasts to approach.
She considered telling Icar it was safe, but stopped herself. If he asked how she knew, it would be awkward.
Icar knelt on one knee and rubbed some soil between his thumb and forefinger.
“That worry was unnecessary.”
Satisfied, Icar relaxed. It seemed fine to wash comfortably.
Rising to his feet, Icar lifted the edge of his shirt and glanced down.
“Hah…”
A dry laugh escaped his lips.
His shirt was soaked with blood. It was a relief that the delicate young lady hadn’t fainted at the sight of it.
Recalling the little girl who had just snarled at him with bright eyes, Icar chuckled softly.
But soon, his expression returned to its usual cold and emotionless demeanor, and he whistled.
Shortly after, a black bird flapped its wings and arrived.
Icar carved a mark on a leaf with a stone and tied it to the bird’s leg, sending it off. Watching it fly, he muttered under his breath:
“I’ll have to expect Dehan to handle this quickly.”
While Icar informed Dehan of their isolated situation, Reneb finally managed to remove her dress.
“Haa…”
Sweat beaded on her forehead as the cold wind swept across her bare skin.
If she collapsed or caught a cold and delayed their schedule, it would only become a heavier burden for Icar.
She cautiously dipped her toes in the hot spring to check the temperature.
It was quite hot, but not enough to burn her. Reneb submerged herself up to her neck and closed her eyes.
Her sore buttocks and lower back, exhausted from the carriage ride, protested in pain—but that was a relief. She didn’t want to show Icar her weak, pained side.
Rustle.
The wind brushed through the leaves.
The chirping of insects and the faint sounds of the night filled the otherwise quiet space.
Reneb was enjoying her rare moment of rest when…
“…?”
She sensed movement nearby. Wide-eyed, she turned toward the sound.
Expecting Icar, she thought, ‘Pretending to be so gentlemanly…’
But suddenly:
Ukki-kkik!
A few bare-bottomed monkeys were coming toward her.
Ukki-kkik!
They pointed at Reneb and chattered among themselves.
Feeling uneasy, Reneb cautiously moved through the water and hid behind a nearby rock.
The monkeys, apparently deciding not to bother her, left her alone.
“Life really is harsh.”
To avoid the original story’s plot, she had treated Lucius well, only to meet a death ending herself.
Even in her past life, as an empress, life had never been easy.
But now, every day felt like death flags were lurking around her.
“Hoo…”
She shook her head to dispel her gloom.
And accidentally, she noticed something through a crack in the rocks.
“…!”
Across the hot spring, a healthy male upper body emerged from the water.
Sun-kissed skin.
Broad, strong shoulders.
A defined chest and sculpted abs beneath his collarbones…
Reneb’s lips parted slightly.
Her throat swallowed dryly. She squeezed her eyes shut.
A few minutes ago, she had insisted Icar mustn’t be peeped at, yet here she was—sneaking glances at his naked body.
She hadn’t intended to look, but the fact remained: she was spying on Icar.
“…”
Reneb turned toward her dress, trying to leave the hot spring.
But then—
The monkeys began rummaging through her dress!
Reneb buried her face in her palms, cursing silently.
‘You thunderous little beasts…!’
She waited quietly until the monkeys lost interest in the dress.
Most importantly, she couldn’t let Icar see any of this.
Reneb hid behind a large rock and watched the monkeys.
Ten minutes passed, then another ten. Reneb was reaching her limit, but Icar still enjoyed the bath with his eyes closed.
‘Is he planning to stay in until he’s all wrinkled?’
While Reneb remained in the water, the monkeys took turns enjoying the hot spring. They even seemed like a family on a trip, having fun.
“Haa…”
Reneb sighed, lamenting her situation, when everything in front of her turned gray.
She staggered slightly and slapped her cheeks, opening her eyes wide.
‘Just a little longer… keep your mind straight.’
After what felt like an eternity, Icar finally opened his eyes.
He was leaving the hot spring, and Reneb, overjoyed, clenched her fists and raised them to her face.
Icar rose.
‘O-oh…!’
She had to clamp her mouth shut to avoid screaming.
‘Oh my, oh my!’
The moving statue-like figure was astonishing… how is this even possible?
Her jaw dropped, staring at Icar’s naked body.
She forced her gaze away from him. Looking at someone else’s body without permission was a crime.
Yet, she noticed her vision losing color again, everything fading to gray.
Splash!
Something fell into the water, and Icar turned his head.
Curious about why the girl he had been avoiding peeking at now made a loud noise, he tilted his brow.
“I see, stubborn as always.”
He clicked his tongue at the floating girl and quickly approached her.
Even someone with Icar’s keen senses couldn’t keep walking blindly forever.
He draped his shirt over Reneb’s body.
Having fainted three times in a few days—from the palace to the border—he had never seen a girl requiring so much care.
“She sure is troublesome.”
Muttering to himself, he moved forward, the corners of his lips curling slightly.
