Chapter 109
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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I'm a homebody who ended up possessing the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 109
'S-so cold.'
As the night deepened, the temperature plummeted rapidly.
While Ian went to gather dry branches for a fire, I hurried into the cave.
But the open cave entrance allowed the bitter wind to seep through relentlessly, making it nearly impossible to escape it entirely.
As my wet clothes grew colder in the frigid air, it felt as though I were wrapped in ice itself.
Despite Ian's departure being recent, my teeth were already chattering uncontrollably.
'No, I have to endure this.'
I refused to be any more of a burden.
I absolutely refused to become dead weight in a situation like this!
I tried to persevere with such thoughts, but it was beyond my strength.
I'd heard that people who fell into the sea from the sunken Titanic died from hypothermia within minutes....
'Why am I thinking of something like that now?'
As I huddled, enduring the cold that penetrated to my very bones, Ian returned with an armful of dry branches.
I tried to greet him as if nothing were wrong.
"I-Ian...."
From trembling for so long, my tongue felt frozen, and I could barely form words properly.
"Please wait just a moment. It will warm up soon."
Ian seemed to have easily discerned my condition—or rather, he'd already anticipated what state I'd be in before arriving—and without any sign of surprise, he began building a fire.
Whoosh.
If one could manipulate mana, starting a fire was apparently simple work, and Ian quickly conjured a campfire.
"Th-thank you."
I hurried closer to the fire and sat down, desperately trying to warm my body, which had grown so cold.
But my clothes, which had been exposed to the air and freezing for so long, wouldn't dry quickly.
Though somewhat better than before, my condition was far from good.
And yet.
"Young Lady."
While I was warming my stiffened hands, Ian called out to me with firm resolve.
"Yes?"
"You must remove them."
What?
I stared at Ian with wide eyes, but it didn't seem I'd misheard.
"If you continue wearing wet clothes, your body temperature will keep dropping. Removing them and drying them is the best course of action right now."
It was a valid argument.
But...
"If you're uncomfortable, I'll turn away."
As I continued to hesitate, Ian persuaded me more firmly.
"If that's also uncomfortable, I'll spend the night outside the cave entirely, so do as I say."
"W-what are you saying! Going outside in this cold?"
When I recoiled with visible displeasure, Ian—who had been deliberating—offered an alternative suggestion.
"What if you wore my clothes instead?"
"Your... clothes?"
"Surely you'd be more comfortable with me removing mine than with you removing yours."
He had a point, but that would inevitably leave Ian freezing.
To claim that a single campfire had warmed us sufficiently would be a lie—the cold was far too brutal.
The air in a cave whose entrance wasn't even properly sealed had its limits when it came to warming.
As I hesitated, Ian took action first.
"I think this would put my mind at ease."
"B-but..."
Before I could protest, Ian began methodically unfastening the armor plate draped over his body, then removed the shirt he wore beneath and handed it to me.
"Ah..."
Though I accepted it almost reflexively, my heart grew heavier by the moment.
But that wasn't enough for him—he retrieved the thick cloak he'd set aside earlier and spread it beside me.
"Tell me once you've finished changing."
With that, he turned away decisively, leaving me no way to protest.
As I watched his sturdy back, I set aside my guilt for a moment and hastily removed my cold, soaked dress.
At least my undergarments hadn't been completely drenched, so I didn't have to worry about being entirely naked.
Besides, Ian had a large frame, so when I put on the shirt he'd given me, the hem reached my knees like a one-piece dress—it looked almost like sleepwear. So it wasn't excessively embarrassing.
By the standards of people here, it might have appeared scandalous, but by my own judgment, it was reasonably modest.
In any case, after changing, I tapped his shoulder lightly.
"I'm finished changing."
"Ah."
He turned around with a slightly startled expression, then his face flushed as he took a step back.
"...I'll keep my distance."
"No, no. You'll freeze over there. And... I'm sorry, Ian. I really am."
It was an apology I'd wanted to give all day. I couldn't shake the thought that I was burdening him.
In a situation like this, I was utterly useless, and on top of that, I'd slipped on the wet ground and soaked my clothes in the middle of winter. The more I thought about it, the more pathetic I felt.
"There's no reason for me to accept an apology. In any case, I need to keep watch of the surroundings, so I'll sleep here."
"What? Come over here. That spot has a stone floor—the cold rises from it."
"No."
Though Ian refused repeatedly, this time I had no intention of backing down, even if he invoked chivalry.
The spot he'd chosen was where the outside wind blew in unobstructed—it was no place for someone who had even removed his shirt for me.
"Don't do that. You've been exhausted all day too. And... achoo!"
I sneezed loudly, my body trembling.
Oh no, had I actually caught a cold?
My body seemed determined to be utterly useless.
"Are you very cold?"
"Not particularly... achoo!"
I tried to pretend I was fine, not wanting to sound pathetic, but the incessant cough that escaped wouldn't allow even that.
What caught me off guard was that Ian, who hadn't budged at my concern about the cold air and coming inside, suddenly drew close to me with just two coughs.
Then a large hand covered my forehead.
"You have a fever."
And that hand briefly grasped my wrist.
"Your body is cold..."
"Ah...."
At that selfless touch, my body trembled strangely.
No—my heart trembled.
The body temperature Ian said was cold seemed to spike suddenly, rising all at once.
It was a strange feeling. And this strange feeling seemed to be an extension of those complicated thoughts I'd been having about Ian for days, leaving me confused all over again.
As I stared at him blankly for a while, I realized one thing.
Ian's shimmering golden eyes had been gazing at me the entire time I looked at him.
"...Ian."
A strange feeling.
A truly strange feeling.
Yet strangely, I had an intuition that Ian was sharing this feeling with me too.
It felt like he was experiencing the same sensation I was right now.
This feeling of being trapped in each other's eyes—it seemed Ian felt it just the same.
I was certain of it.
"Ian."
So I called his name once more. Though the voice didn't sound like my own, felt unfamiliar...
"Body heat is the best way to warm up, or so I've heard."
I couldn't stop these words that spilled out as if bewitched.
"...I've heard that too."
Then Ian replied.
"In the Grand Duchy, when isolated in cold regions, we share body heat to endure the chill."
"Then..."
Before I could say anything, Ian pulled me into his embrace.
Within those large arms, a subtle patchouli scent wafted. That fragrant aroma seemed to bring me back to my senses for a moment.
"Even if it's uncomfortable."
At his low voice, I found myself sinking back into drowsiness.
"I'd like to stay like this tonight."
"...."
"The weather is cold, and the temperature keeps dropping."
I noticed that Ian was unusually talkative today.
But I didn't want to object. Perhaps it was just because the chase earlier had been so exhausting, that's why...?
Thump.
Thump-thump-thump.
It couldn't be because my heart was pounding wildly like this...?
'I'm sleepy.'
Though I should have been tense, wrapped in his warm embrace, my tension melted away and drowsiness crept in.
I felt strength gradually drain from my body, yet his arms held me all the more firmly in support.
I stopped thinking deeper and fixed my gaze on the flickering flames.
'It may be an unseemly sentiment for such a moment, but...'
Even in an extreme situation, being pressed close to a magnificent and handsome man was.
'Rather nice.'
Once I succeeded and gained independence from the Grand Duke's Residence, I would absolutely hire a handsome guard knight.
If possible, hiring Ian would be even better.
Lost in such frivolous thoughts, I tried to gather my wavering consciousness, but my body betrayed my mind and sank heavier and heavier.
"Ian."
"...Yes."
"Your scent is... quite pleasant...."
The moment I said that, the sudden sensation of a blunt sword hilt pressing against my thigh must have been my imagination.
'I should just sleep.'
Ian certainly carries quite a firm sword....
With such pointless thoughts, I slowly surrendered to the overwhelming drowsiness.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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