“My lady, are you awake?”

As expected, Cindy entered cautiously and asked.

Belladonna lifted her face from the pillow and sat up.

“You’re awake! I was worried since you slept in later than usual today.”

Though she said she was worried, Cindy asked with eyes full of anticipation. Probably…

‘She’s checking to see if Escalion and I exchanged rings.’

Soon the master and mistress would be living apart for several months, so from the servants’ perspective, it would be reassuring and good if they quickly exchanged rings.

But no, Cindy…

Belladonna felt awkward and apologetic as she got out of bed.

“Mr. Wolf said the carriage to take us to the townhouse will arrive soon. So we should be able to depart as planned tomorrow morning.”

Wolf’s handling of affairs is really quick.

Belladonna nodded in fresh admiration.

“I’ll draw you a warm bath. It would be good to warm up your body before eating, right?”

That’s just what I wanted! Cindy is the best!

Belladonna nodded with a gentle smile.

After washing with warm water and coming out, she descended the central staircase to see the servants bustling about.

They were piling up fabrics, food ingredients, wood materials, and loading them onto wagons outside.

“They say the townhouse in Cirenia hasn’t been properly used, so it lacks basic items. We’ll need to set it up more once we get there… but for now, we’re taking everything we can?”

Cindy, who came down with her, helped explain.

Wolf, with his sharp gaze, stood at the entrance of the lobby on the first floor, checking each item the servants brought.

“Didn’t you say Cirenia isn’t that cold? I don’t think we’ll need such thick fabrics.”

“Oh, really?”

“And it’s better to leave out those food ingredients. They could spoil easily in a warm place.”

“Yes, understood.”

Most of the servants also seemed unfamiliar with the conditions in Cirenia, probably because they were born and raised in Griblata.

“It was quite difficult deciding which maids would follow you to Cirenia and which would stay in Griblata with the lord.”

When Belladonna looked at Cindy with a ‘why?’ expression, she sighed, slumping her shoulders.

“Everyone wanted to go to Cirenia… The cold in Griblata is harsh for us too.”

At her answer, Belladonna turned to look at the servants on the first floor.

Somehow, she felt uncomfortable, as if she alone was escaping to a warm, nice place.

“It would be so nice if the lord went too… Then most of us could go along!”

“…”

“My lady… why don’t you try asking him? Please?”

Cindy asked with eyes full of subtle expectation.

Belladonna avoided her gaze and went downstairs.

Wolf, who had been giving orders to the servants, turned around at the sound of footsteps.

“Ah, my lady! You’re here.”

Belladonna gave Wolf a friendly smile. Wolf briefly explained, pointing to the luggage.

“We’ve packed lightly for now… If we need anything else, we can buy it there or send for another carriage.”

Lightly…? Is this light?

Belladonna was amazed anew at Wolf’s definition of ‘lightly’ as she watched the enormous amount of luggage continuing to be loaded. Cindy also seemed surprised, asking with wide eyes:

“Just how much is missing in Cirenia? And why do we need so much food and fabric?”

“Well, it’s for two people, so it can’t be helped.”

“Huh? Two people?”

Two people?

As Belladonna and Cindy turned their heads simultaneously, Wolf answered with a bright smile, his eyes curved.

“A little while ago, the lord said he would go along too. It seems he wasn’t comfortable sending you alone, my lady.”

“Kyaa! Really? The lord is going too?”

“That’s right.”

As Wolf nodded with a pleased smile, Cindy jumped up and down on the spot and turned to Belladonna.

Wait a minute… What?

“My lady! The lord is going too! Wow! That’s great! Then can we all go along?”

“If both of you are going to the townhouse… we were thinking of leaving only the minimum staff to manage the castle in Griblata and having everyone else go down together. What do you think, my lady?”

Wolf and Cindy’s eyes fixed on Belladonna at the same time.

So, Escalion decided to go down to the townhouse in Cirenia too?

Why… Why?

Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of me going south to avoid him? It seems we’ll be even closer together!

“My lady…?”

When there was no answer from her, Wolf tilted his head and asked again.

Belladonna, belatedly coming to her senses, nodded reflexively.

“Wow! Do the other maids know this too?”

“Yes, I just told Lucia, so they should all be packing by now. You should hurry and pack your things too.”

“Yes! Yay! My lady, please wait a moment!”

Cindy, with a bright smile, disappeared across the lobby towards the maids’ quarters.

Belladonna watched Cindy’s retreating figure as she ran off excitedly, then turned back to Wolf.

“With the sudden addition of people, our departure time might be delayed. Shall I call for you again when it’s time? You can rest in your room until then.”

Nod, nod.

Nodding her head, Belladonna immediately turned and climbed the stairs to the second floor.

She wasn’t going back to her room, she needed to find him.

That irresponsible lord who changed his mind at the last minute…!

Reaching the second floor, Belladonna immediately turned left and walked towards his room.

Bang!

In her haste, Belladonna pushed open the door without knocking and froze at the sight of the person standing inside.

Uh… Huh?

Escalion, who seemed to have been in the middle of changing clothes, was looking at her with his shirt half-removed, his arms crossed.

“…”

“…”

That’s…

The dark skin and well-defined muscles contrasting with the smooth white clothes he had been wearing caught her gaze.

She unknowingly swallowed hard.

Escalion looked at the intruder who had frozen with her hand on the doorknob, then casually removed his shirt completely and tossed it to the floor.

“What’s the rush this time?”

He moved to open the wardrobe door and muttered while peering inside with a thoughtful expression.

Belladonna remained motionless, only blinking her wide eyes.

I should apologize first for barging in…!

“It’ll be hot there, so thinner clothes would be better, I suppose.”

He mumbled as he lifted his thick arm to flip through the clothes hanging in the wardrobe one by one.

Ah, you really are going down with me…

At his words, which felt like a confirmation shot, Belladonna’s grip on the doorknob slipped.

Escalion, who had changed into what looked like the thinnest tunic he owned, approached her closely.

He must have just bathed, as a warm and fresh scent wafted over.

“What did you come for? I doubt it was because you missed me.”

Instead of answering, Belladonna looked down at her own attire.

A mid-season dress, neither thick nor thin.

Even though they were going to a warmer region, it would still be cold during the journey. She couldn’t understand why he had chosen such thin clothes.

“You came charging in with such a fierce momentum, but now you’re being passive again?”

Escalion said in a voice tinged with amusement.

He placed a hand under Belladonna’s chin, lifting it to make her look at him.

Belladonna reached out to point at his tunic.

This won’t do! It’s too cold!

“Haha, are you worried about me because the clothes are too thin?”

Nod, nod! No matter how naturally warm-blooded you are, how can such thin clothes make sense with all that snow piled up outside?

Seeing her eyes full of worry and concern, Escalion said with a pleased smile.

“That face is cute too, but I guess you haven’t been downstairs yet? You don’t seem to know who’s arrived, judging by your expression.”

When she gave him a look asking ‘Who’s here?’, he gently tucked her hair behind her ear and answered kindly.

“I called for a mage. I asked them to create a portal that could take us to Cirenia in one go.”

‘A mage…?’

“But it seems their ability isn’t that outstanding. They said it’s impossible to do it in one go because the distance is quite far, so they’ll move us in two steps via an intermediate town. They said it shouldn’t take even half a day to reach Cirenia.”

At Escalion’s explanation, Belladonna’s eyes widened and sparkled.

She had used a few public portals operated by the empire on her way from Astania to here, but the distances were short, so it wasn’t a particularly exciting or new experience.

The scenery didn’t change much each time she exited a portal.

‘But a portal that goes from Griblata to Cirenia in just two steps?’

She thought it might be an interesting experience where the appearance at entry and exit would be noticeably different.

‘…But a portal of that scale must have cost quite a bit?’

The Pope, who was extremely stingy with money for his only daughter, hadn’t afforded her such luxury when she came here after marriage.

Even if they had a lot of money saved up, could they afford such an expense just for a short trip to rest? Maybe it would be better to just take a carriage all the way…

As Belladonna’s expression filled with worry once again, Escalion raised the corners of his mouth and said,

“Oh, now you’re worried about Griblata’s finances? Don’t worry. I’m not so destitute that I can’t provide a portal for my wife who’s fleeing south because it’s too cold here.”

He bent down to place a light kiss on Belladonna’s forehead and added,

“Since we’re going anyway, I want to get there quickly even if it costs a bit more. I’m afraid my already pale wife might turn whiter than snow if we stay here any longer.”

The spot where his lips touched tingled.

Belladonna raised her hand to rub her forehead.

She had clearly come to confront him about what was going on…

Instead of confronting him, she found herself having an intimate conversation with him, which was hard to believe.

Ah, what should I do? I got caught up again. As she muttered inwardly, he asked again.

“They said it’ll be a while before we depart?”

Nod.

“Then let’s go watch that newly hired mage create the portal. They said they’d start soon.”