Anje was light as a feather, so it wasn’t difficult for Aiden to carry her with one arm. He had carried much heavier loads and marched for dozens of miles, so this was nothing.
Aiden thought for a moment and looked up at the woman in his arms.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“Ah, no.”
She had been so surprised that her mouth had dropped open, but she quickly shook her head.
Even so, she was still at a loss as to how she was going to get home on foot. But she had not expected him to “carry” her like this.
“Put your arms around my neck so you don’t fall.”
He tossed the lamp to the ground and held out his other hand to support Anje.
Anje, who had wrapped her arms around his neck in a daze, opened her mouth hesitantly.
“Over there, Sir. My, my bag…”
“Your bag?”
“I hung it on that tree over there.”
Aiden looked at the bag she was talking about. It was hanging in a conspicuous place, but he didn’t have enough hands.
“I’ll hold the lantern, you get the bag… Or I can carry the bag if you prefer.”
Although he didn’t know anything, Anje’s most precious perfume was in her bag. She had held onto the bag tightly, even as she rolled down the hill, thinking that she had to protect it.
She felt ashamed to be asking him for another favor after all the trouble she had caused, but it was a very precious item to her.
“Alright.”
Aiden handed the lantern to Anje and took the bag, then smiled wryly. She was weak and frail, but she was greedy, so she had packed all this stuff.
‘Is it naivete or greed?’
The scent of spring water came from it, long after the perfume had worn off.
Is this what it’s like for parents raising a child? He had to look after her, even though she was always getting into trouble.
He suddenly felt like teasing her.
“Were you planning to walk all the way to the capital like this?”
She answered his question sheepishly.
“No, I’m not that reckless. I was only going to go to town. To look for a letter.”
“Just a letter? Didn’t you try to run away from there to the capital?”
Anje was stung, but she denied it with all her might.
“No, I would never do that. How could a woman alone go that far? I was really just trying to get a letter.”
“You packed a lot of luggage for that.”
“I always pack this much luggage when I go out. Men may not understand, but women need this and that. Like a fan or a mirror.”
“Let’s just say that. By the way, if you had kept walking in that direction, you would have crossed the border.”
“I know I got lost, okay? But I was going to turn back anyway!”
“Of course you were. I’m sure you were.”
“I’m telling the truth, Sir.”
She wanted to get angry, but she was too dependent on him to do that.
She had never been so close to a man, even when she was dancing with a man at a ball. And to top it off, he was now in his pajamas.
‘He must have come out in a hurry because of me.’
She stared at the flickering flames in the lantern.
“If I had been a little later, a hungry bear could have filled its stomach. Poor bear.”
“Sir! Don’t scare me. There are no bears, are there?”
“Yes, there are. And there are also snakes, scorpions, lions, and leopards.”
“You’ll get punished if you lie, Sir.”
Anje, while saying those words, tucked her feet under her skirt and pressed herself closer to him.
Even if she didn’t know anything else, the fact that it was a snake, and a venomous one at that, was terrifying.
Aiden felt like laughing at her honest reaction. However, he said the opposite of what he felt.
“I have already been punished enough.”
“That punishment means me, right?”
“You are very clever.”
Aiden glanced up at her, who was holding the lantern. The faint flame flickered in the darkness, illuminating her pale face.
There were still traces of tears around her eyes and her lips were chapped from the cold, but she was wearing a relaxed expression, perhaps because she was relieved to see him.
It was strange that she didn’t have the sharpness that she always had when she faced him. She looked different somehow.
“……”
Feeling his gaze, her grass-green eyes turned to his face. He quickly looked back at the front, like someone who had been caught stealing something.
His steps became a little faster than before.
‘What is it?’
Did he stare at me because I’m too dirty? Anje looked down at her dress and bit her lip.
It was worth staring at. A princess covered in dirt and grass was not a common sight.
‘He pretends to be noble, but he must think I’m disgusting.’
The two of them walked in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the forest.
“Hoo, hoo.”
The hooting of the owl, which had sounded eerie to Anje before, now sounded strangely like a warm farewell greeting, now that she had a companion. The wind blowing through the branches was also more refreshing than scary.
She yawned widely and leaned her head on his shoulder. Her curly hair hung down like a curtain next to his neck.
Unlike her, Aiden was listening to a stranger’s voice rather than the familiar sounds of the forest.
The sound of Anje’s heart beating on his chest and her breath as if she were about to fall asleep.
“We’re almost there.”
He muttered to break the awkwardness.
Anje realized that Aiden’s house was already in sight, and her tension was relieved.
The path that would have taken a long time to walk on her own feet was over in an instant when she was carried by Aiden. It was so absurd.
‘What on earth did I even do?’
This was not an escape, it was like going for a walk in the neighborhood.
‘But still, I can see why Sir Aiden likes his house so much.’
Perhaps because she thought she might never see it again, the modest two-story house was strangely welcoming.
The large trees swaying on the front porch, the sounds of the animals stirring at the sound of footsteps.
“Sir, over there…”
Anje, who had tugged on his sleeve to get his attention, sniffed.
“Achoo!”
“You’d better wash up quickly.”
He was right. Anje nodded and swallowed back what she was about to say.
***
While she bathed in warm water in the bathroom, he went into her room to fetch some clothes.
“You can’t live like this.”
Seeing a pile of laundry in a corner of her bedroom that he hadn’t noticed before, he sighed.
Perhaps she hadn’t even considered washing them herself or asking him to do it, just hoarding them like a squirrel hoards food in its den.
‘A noblewoman like her probably never cared about laundry or cleaning.’
He should wash the clothes she discarded today along with his. His thoughts felt too nanny-like, making him suddenly gloomy.
‘I should have demanded childcare expenses instead of a dowry.’
This was the time to put something in his stomach.
Sweet, warm, and tasty.
‘I wonder if there’s any whiskey left.’
Leaving a fresh set of clothes in front of the bathroom, he carried a stack of clothes downstairs.
Since he was making something for himself, he might as well make something for her too. She had said she didn’t need tea earlier, but her mind might have changed now.
If she caught pneumonia from being wet, it would be a big problem.
***
Aiden filled the kettle with water and lit the firewood. While waiting for the water to boil, he found cinnamon sticks in the pantry corner and a whiskey bottle on the kitchen shelf.
He didn’t drink himself, but he kept it for medical purposes.
‘The cocoa powder is here too.’
Clatter clatter—
Turning at the sound of the lid rattling, he saw steam rising from the mouth of the kettle already.
He took out two thick mugs and poured hot water, then mixed in cocoa powder.
Although he thought it might be too expensive seeing the price at the store, he couldn’t easily forget the taste of the hot cocoa distributed as a reward in the military.
Once the brown powder was fully dissolved in the water, he added a cinnamon stick and a spoonful of whiskey, and it was ready.
“What’s this?”
After finishing her bath and changing into clean clothes, Anje blinked at the thick mug he offered.
It smelled familiarly of chocolate but was somehow different.
“Cocoa with cinnamon and whiskey.”
“Cinnamon and whiskey?”
“It’s quite good. Perfect for warming up.”
She hesitated, sipping the mysterious drink.
‘It’s warm.’
Indeed, as he described, it was a drink that transmitted warmth to every corner of her body.
If her body was warmed on the surface by the bath, this cocoa warmed her from within.
“It’s delicious.”
Anje complimented his food for the first time. Actually, it was the first time she sincerely praised something, not just putting on airs in social circles.
“Good.”
Aiden was inwardly surprised but didn’t show it and answered. Then, after blinking for a moment, he found a suitable response.
“How’s your ankle?”
“It’s a bit sore, but resting should help.”
Aiden squatted down to inspect the injured area again. It seemed less swollen than before, probably because she had rested.
“I’ll check it again tomorrow morning, and if it keeps swelling, I’ll apply a cold compress. It’s better to sleep with your injured foot raised on a pillow.”
Although he didn’t know much about medicine, he had learned this much from a comrade who was a medic on the battlefield.
“Yes, I will.”
Silence.
She felt awkward without words to act dignified. He pondered again with a serious expression.
“Well, rest up for now.”
The tired eyes looking down at her from the end of the bed, along with the fact that he too had to change out of his dirty clothes from carrying her, made him feel weary.
“Wait!”
As Aiden was about to leave the room, he turned his head.
“Something else you want me to do?”
Since he was already offering, might as well go all the way. But this was just for tonight.
After all, she had almost died today and was injured. Starting tomorrow, he would firmly regulate her from doing such foolish things again.
Was this request too difficult? She was tensely staring at him, brows furrowed.
“Thank you, Sir Aiden.”
Relieved by her genuine words, Anje’s face suddenly flushed. It seemed like there was too much whiskey in the cocoa she just drank.
Aiden’s reddened eyes widened in surprise. He prided himself on his ability to control his expressions, but he was at a loss for how to respond to such an unexpected compliment.
“No problem, My Lady.”
Embarrassed, he saluted in the manner common among soldiers and hurriedly left the room.
Though it seemed like he heard her laughing behind the door, he attributed it to the cocoa he had just made.
