“Did, did you keep walking until now?”

“Ah. Until a moment ago, I was running, but I slowed down when I thought you woke up.”

“It’s nighttime!”

Sharti was astonished.

Ren had been walking steadily through the pitch-black mountains.

No matter how good his night vision was, this seemed to be a matter of stamina.

“D, put me down! Have you had water? No, have you rested? Ren! Put me down right away.”

“…….”

Despite Sharti’s struggling, Ren continued to walk, gazing straight ahead with a determined look.

When Sharti demanded him to stop, Ren paid no attention and continued.

Then, recalling what Ren had said, Sharti was stunned and sighed.

‘Stubborn! How unreasonable!’

Sharti opened her eyes wide and raised both hands.

“Ren—!”

Sharti grabbed his cheeks to the point where a sound could be heard.

As Ren, surprised for a moment, stopped, Sharti took a deep breath.

“Put me down! Right now!”

Ren blinked and quietly put Sharti down.

As Sharti landed quickly, she continued to look up at Ren, still holding his cheeks.

‘His face feels cold.’

He, who usually had a warm temperature, was now colder than Sharti.

But strangely, Sharti’s body temperature had risen. It was proof that she had comfortably and warmly slept in his arms until now.

Feeling upset, Sharti tightened her eyes.

“Stay still.”

Ren, who strangely became silent, obediently nodded his head.
When the warmth transferred, a flush appeared on Ren’s cheek, and Sharti withdrew her hand. As Sharti busily tried to make a sleeping area, Ren, who had been silent, responded immediately.

“This is my job.”

“…Okay.”

Understanding Ren’s stubbornness, Sharti reluctantly let go of her hand. Ren quickly spread out a blanket and made a sleeping space.

“For now, hold onto this.”

Sharti handed Ren a hand warmer instead of a heating stone.

However, holding onto the small hand warmer was futile; Ren’s body remained icy cold.

“…Come over here, this way.”

Sharti quickly had Ren sit beside her and covered them both with the blanket he provided. However, due to Ren’s size, the blanket was barely enough. Even with two blankets overlapping and sitting close together, it was insufficient to warm up.

As Sharti fumbled with the blankets, she suddenly got an idea and stood up.

“Sha?”

Sharti covered Ren with the thickest blanket and wrapped the remaining one around herself.

“I should warn you beforehand… don’t be surprised.”

Embarrassed and mumbling to herself, Sharti moved before executing the plan, and Ren raised an eyebrow at her contemplative expression.

“Sha, no, my lady. If you keep doing this, you’ll catch a cold. Sit down. I’m fine, so cover yourself with this too.”

Concerned about Sharti standing alone, Ren moved to offer her the thick blanket.

Eventually, Sharti, unable to hold back, immediately moved.

“…!”

Sharti nestled against Ren’s chest, leaning on him. In the confusing and somewhat unsettling moment, Ren’s thought process halted.

In the midst of it, Sharti slowly adjusted herself, placing her buttocks between Ren’s legs.

“…”

“I told you not to be surprised.”

Only then did Ren, grumbling, look down at Sharti nestled in his embrace. Although bundled up with a robe, Ren sensed Sharti’s tension.

“Only for today, just this once!”

As Sharti hugged her knees and shouted, Ren came back to his senses.

Quietly draping the blanket over his shoulders again, Ren held Sharti a bit closer.

“…Alright.”

Ren embraced Sharti from behind, his arms encircling her to shield her from the chilly wind.

The awkward atmosphere gradually dissipated as a warm heat emanated, calming the tension.

Sharti, gazing at Ren’s hand entwined with hers, lightly nudged his forearm.

“What if you catch a cold doing this?”

“It won’t happen with this.”

Although his tone returned to its usual calm, both of them paid it no mind.

Feeling suffocated, Sharti sighed deeply.

While her face wasn’t visible due to being against his back, Ren’s expression was nonchalant, bordering on brazen.

“You have a knack for being stubborn. It’s reckless.”

“I must have learned it from my lady.”

It was a cheeky rebuttal.

Speechless, Sharti closed her mouth.
Once the chill had subsided from Ren’s body, Sharti took out dried sweet potatoes and shared them as they ate.

“Let’s set a different condition today. No, let’s make it a wager.”

Ren readily nodded at Sharti’s words, acknowledging that he couldn’t provide a knee pillow.

If he insisted further, it could lead to rebellion from Sharti.

“I want to hear about the business trip.”

Ren wanted to hear about Sharti’s recent business trip for treatment, and Sharti was fine with anything as long as it wasn’t a knee pillow.

Feeling Ren’s gaze at the back of her head, Sharti slowly began her story.

“On the day it started snowing, I set out for my first business trip for treatment.”

As Sharti unfolded her tales, the night deepened.

Crossing large and small mountain ridges without sparing a moment to rest, they finally reached their destination.

Sharti and Ren stood in front of the village, surrounded by a wall made of logs.

“It looks like a fortress.”