The following day, the weather was bitterly cold.
Snow had fallen throughout the entire night without stopping, and by morning, the whole camp was covered in a thick blanket of white. The tents looked as though they had been partially buried beneath the snow.
"Ugh... Man, my hands are freezing."
"Ah, the firewood is wet... How are we supposed to start a fire like this?"
"There's no firewood left in the supply tent."
Irene woke to the voices of the men outside her tent.
She slowly opened her eyes and pushed herself up slightly before attempting to remove the bandage covering them.
The moment she did, she quickly raised a hand to shield her eyes.
Even though only a faint amount of light entered the tent, her eyes still had not grown accustomed to it. A sharp, unpleasant sting spread through them as soon as they were exposed, so she lay back down again, trying to fight the urge to close her eyes completely.
Then the man's voice reached her again.
"Here it is... Use this firewood. Good thing Prince Lucas anticipated the snowfall and ordered us to store firewood inside the tents."
"This will be enough for today, but what if the snow keeps falling for several more days? How long are we going to stay here?"
"I don't know... The maids told me we'll leave as soon as Prince Lucas is certain that the Iskardian princess is safe."
Irene froze.
Her eyes widened slightly as she began paying closer attention to their conversation.
"You're kidding... Are you saying we're going to freeze to death here because of this?"
"That's all I know. A large group left yesterday. Only the royal guards and us are left now."
"Damn it! What kind of nonsense is this? Has he finally lost his mind? Is he one of those men who's obsessed with his wife?"
"Keep your voice down, you idiot! Of course he loves his wife. Didn't you see how he acted? I've never seen a man who could break through those rocks by himself... Then he threw himself into that carriage and broke his hand while trying to protect her from the falling debris. Everyone was stunned by him."
Irene stopped breathing for a moment.
He broke his hand?
The man continued,
"But why should we be surprised? They say love can work miracles."
Irene had never heard any of this before, and a strange feeling began to settle in her chest.
Did he really break his hand back then?
Outside, one of the men smacked his friend on the shoulder.
"There you go again... Did you drink too much yesterday?"
His friend sighed before speaking.
"Why would he fall in love with that woman, anyway? She's from Iskard! Why do rich people have absolutely no shame or pride?"
Irene quietly sighed as she listened to them.
Then the other man added,
"Or maybe it's because she's unbelievably beautiful... Any man would fall for a face like that, no matter how strong-willed he was."
He chuckled softly.
"I couldn't take my eyes off her the first time I saw her... I mean, how can a human being possibly be that perfect? Ugh... I really envy that lucky bastard. Of course he'd fall in love with her. He's a man just like the rest of us in the end, isn't he?"
The other man sighed.
"Speak for yourself. I'm not like that."
The man frowned.
"Stop pretending. You just haven't had the chance to see her properly. You'll change your mind the moment you do."
The man stood up and said confidently,
"I never will. She's from Iskard, and I also heard she's the daughter of a traitorous spy. There's no way her looks could ever tempt me."
His friend immediately smacked him on the shoulder and whispered in fear,
"You idiot! How can you say something like that? Do you want to lose your head?"
The man's voice rose slightly.
"Even the birds haven't woken up yet. No one but us is awake at this hour... I'm done here. Put the firewood in the stove now and take it to the other tent... I'm leaving."
A few minutes later, silence returned to the camp.
Irene remained lying quietly in her bed.
The man's words continued to echo in her mind.
"The daughter of a traitorous spy."
Anger flashed in her eyes.
"Who are you calling a traitor, you idiot?"
But her voice faded afterward.
Silence lingered for several seconds.
Then she asked herself quietly,
"Is everyone really here because of me?"
---
Several Hours Later
Sali entered the tent, and the moment she saw Irene awake, she said,
"Oh, you're awake! Good morning... Did you remove the bandage too? You should have waited until the doctor came and—"
"Sali..."
Irene interrupted her.
Sali stopped and looked at her.
"Why haven't we left this place yet?"
Sali was startled by the question.
She hesitated for a moment, as though trying to figure out the best way to answer.
"Um... well... The doctor said you need to remain in bed, and traveling by carriage would be painful for you and could make your condition worse."
Irene slowly sighed.
So what they said was true.
She lowered her eyes for a moment before saying,
"Sali... I want to go outside and walk for a little while."
Sali's eyes widened in surprise.
"Ah, but you haven't recovered from the dizziness yet! You can barely stand, and it's freezing outside."
Irene looked at her firmly.
"I know."
Then she added calmly,
"But I want my body to recover as quickly as possible because I want to leave this place. If I stay in bed, nothing is going to change."
Sali looked at her worriedly.
She knew how stubborn Irene could be when she set her mind to something.
And from the look in her eyes, Sali realized that she was not going to back down easily.
---
Irene finally stepped outside.
Sali held her right hand while another maid supported her from the left. Several other maids followed closely behind, ready to catch her at any moment should she lose her balance.
"Very slowly, Your Highness."
Irene carefully placed one foot in front of the other.
Her vision was still difficult, and every movement caused her considerable pain. Her body felt heavy and weak, and with every step, she felt as though she might collapse.
But she did not care.
The pain was not what occupied her mind now.
Her goal mattered more.
Everyone in the camp was watching her from a distance.
Some pretended to be busy, while secretly following her every step with their eyes.
Little by little, Irene began to grow accustomed to walking again.
It was no longer as difficult as it had been at first, when her body had been completely stiff after spending so much time lying down.
One step.
Then another.
After several more steps, she felt her legs responding a little more naturally.
But suddenly, the maids stopped.
"My Lord."
Irene raised her head.
She looked ahead.
Lucas was standing there.
Beside him were his friend Louis and another knight.
For a moment, Irene's eyes met Lucas's.
Louis stepped forward first and bowed respectfully.
"Good morning, Your Highness... I hope you remember me."
Irene gave a small nod.
"Of course I remember you. You're the person closest to my husband."
Louis smiled.
"It seems you're recovering quite well."
Irene replied,
"Yes, I'm feeling much better. Thank you."
Lucas remained silent for a few moments, watching her as she stood there with difficulty, surrounded by the maids.
Then he looked at his two companions.
"Go on ahead."
Louis glanced at Lucas for a moment, then at Irene.
He immediately understood what his friend wanted.
"All right."
He bowed once more.
"We'll leave you two, then."
He and the other knight turned and walked away.
Lucas remained standing in front of Irene.
Irene raised her eyes toward him, only to lower them again.
What had happened between them the previous day was still replaying in her mind, making her feel embarrassed all over again.
to be continued....
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