Rose really hadn't planned on sleeping for so long.
Honestly, she had wanted to take just a half-hour nap, maybe an hour at most, to regain her strength after the exhausting journey. Then she would get up, wash up, freshen up, and set off to find her brother.
But, as often happens, reality had other plans.
Her body, worn out by a month and a half of carriage jolting, sleepless nights at inns, and constant nervous tension, simply shut down. Passed out. Sunk into a deep, dead sleep from which even the most persistent attempts of her conscience to reach her consciousness couldn't rouse her.
And now, as Rose finally began to emerge from the embrace of Morpheus, the first thing she heard was the sound of a key turning in the lock.
Click.
That sound hit her like a bucket of ice water.
Roommate!
Rose's eyes flew open, and she sat up abruptly in bed, frantically feeling her head. Wig in place. Clothes in place. Chest bound. Everything seemed to be in order.
Only now did she notice that outside the window it was already deep night. The darkness beyond the glass was so thick you couldn't see a hand in front of your face.
Damn! Damn! DAMN!
How had she managed to sleep until night?!
But there was no time for self-flagellation — the door opened, and he walked in.
Rose froze.
In the doorway stood a young man.
And, by the gods of the Empire, he was beautiful.
He had hair as black as coal, slightly disheveled, as if he had just run his hand through it. His eyes were an unusual shade of grey, the color of a stormy sky before a tempest. Sharp cheekbones, a straight nose, thin lips. Everything about his face was somehow... perfect. As if carved from marble by the most talented sculptor of antiquity.
For a moment, Rose forgot how to breathe.
She had seen many handsome men at capital balls. But this one... this one was special. There was a kind of cold, detached elegance about him that made him look like a prince from old legends.
And this prince was her roommate.
"Uh..." Rose managed, unable to form a coherent thought.
The young man's grey eyes widened for a moment — apparently, he hadn't expected to see a stranger in his room either. But the surprise lasted only a second, after which his face became as impassive as a statue's once more.
He silently closed the door behind him and walked into the room, not even glancing at Rose a second time.
Rose finally pulled herself together.
"Hi!" she blurted out, jumping off the bed and approaching him with an outstretched hand. "My name is Ruven! I'm your new roommate!"
The young man stopped and slowly turned his gaze to her.
They stood almost close, and Rose noticed with surprise that he wasn't that tall. Only a couple of inches taller than her. And his build was quite slender — narrow shoulders, and overall a figure more graceful than bulky.
Interesting... such delicately handsome guys were usually wildly popular with girls. This guy probably had hordes of admirers too.
And something else was strange.
He seemed... familiar to her?
Rose frowned, trying to catch the elusive thought. Something in this young man's features, in his posture, in the way he held his head, seemed vaguely familiar. As if she had seen him before.
But where? She had definitely never met this guy. A face like that was impossible to forget.
Probably just her imagination.
"...I know," the young man suddenly said, looking at her outstretched hand.
"What?" Rose didn't understand.
"That you're my new roommate," he calmly explained. "They informed me at registration."
He briefly shook her hand — just for a second, barely touching it — and immediately let go.
Rose noted that his palm was unexpectedly small and delicate, with long fingers. It was a hand not quite like that of an ordinary man.
But there was no time to ponder that. The young man had already moved to his bed and began unpacking his things, completely ignoring her presence.
Rose felt a slight irritation.
"Oh, I see..." she drawled. "But you still haven't told me your name."
Elementary politeness, after all! She had introduced herself first, and he hadn't even bothered to return the favor.
The young man hesitated but finally answered:
"Dylan Arkwright."
"Dylan?" Rose smiled, trying to be friendly. "Nice to meet you!"
Dylan said nothing in response. He only nodded almost imperceptibly and continued with his business.
Rose stood there with her mouth open.
What a rude guy!
This was the first time she had met someone so unfriendly. Couldn't even get a simple "likewise"!
But, after thinking for a second, Rose decided this was actually for the best.
It was much better to have such an indifferent roommate, who showed no interest in her, than a curious chatterbox who would pry into her soul. The less attention, the less chance of being exposed.
This Dylan, by the looks of it, was the type who couldn't care less about anything except his own affairs. The perfect roommate for her secret mission!
Rose calmed down and even smiled at her thoughts.
She looked out the window again and sighed.
Night. Deep, dark night.
The search for her brother would have to wait until tomorrow.
Rose mentally slapped herself on the back of the head. How could she have so uselessly slept through an entire day?! Now she had lost precious time.
But, on the other hand, maybe it was for the best. Tomorrow she would have a whole day to look around and start searching. Plus, she would be rested and full of energy.
Yes, this was even better.
While she was pondering her plans for tomorrow, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye.
Dylan had finished unpacking and suddenly... began to unbutton his jacket.
Rose almost choked on air.
"Hey!" escaped her before she could think. "What... what are you doing?!"
Dylan turned his head and looked at her with the same impassive expression.
"I'm going to take a shower."
A shower.
Ah, yes. A shower.
Rose felt the color rush to her cheeks.
"Is... is something wrong?" a slight bewilderment sounded in Dylan's voice.
"No!" Rose exclaimed too hastily. "Nothing like that! Just... just asking."
She abruptly turned away and stared at the wall, pretending to be very interested in the wallpaper pattern.
Her heart was pounding like crazy.
Gods, what was she thinking?! Of course he was going to take a shower! It was normal! Men take showers!
But for her, raised under the strict rules of a noble lady, who before marriage never even spoke with men in private, the situation was... shocking.
She would be living in the same room with a guy. Seeing him every day. Possibly even encountering situations where he would be undressing.
Could she handle it?
Rose took a deep breath.
She needed to get out of here as soon as possible. Find Gilbert and run. Before her psyche finally collapsed.
And then suddenly...
A quiet chuckle.
Rose froze.
What?
That icy, impassive guy just smirked?!
She spun around sharply, forgetting all propriety, and stared at Dylan.
But he stood with his back to her, calmly removing his jacket. On his face, which she caught a glimpse of in profile, there wasn't a trace of a smile. The same stony expression.
Imagined it? She must have imagined it.
Rose exhaled.
Fortunately, Dylan didn't undress further. He hung his jacket on the back of a chair, took a laundry basket, and headed for the bathroom.
The door closed. A second later, the sound of water could be heard.
Rose allowed herself to relax.
Phew.
She looked herself over. Dirty, dusty from the road. She needed to wash too, but... how?
It seemed she'd have to wait until her roommate fell asleep.
Inconvenient. Very inconvenient.
But there was no choice.
Rose sighed and began to examine the room to distract herself.
Her gaze fell on Dylan's table.
There lay food items. A bun with filling — appetizing, soft-looking, seemingly with apple jam. And a carton of strawberry milk.
STRAWBERRY MILK!
Rose caught her breath.
It was her favorite drink since childhood.
And now, looking at that pink carton, Rose suddenly realized she was starving.
She hadn't eaten all day! Not a single crumb had passed her lips since morning!
Her stomach gave a plaintive growl.
Rose swallowed.
The bun looked so soft... The milk so tasty...
Maybe if she asked?
Dylan had probably already had dinner in the cafeteria. Why would he need a bun and milk at night? Maybe he just bought them as a spare?
"Um..." Rose called out, turning towards the bathroom door. "Dylan? Can you hear me?"
The sound of the water drowned out everything.
He couldn't hear.
Rose bit her lip.
She could wait until he came out and ask permission. But the hunger was so strong, so unbearable, that her stomach was literally cramping.
And besides... it was just a bun and milk. Not the family silver. Not money. Just food.
She would pay him back later! Leave money on the table, and everything would be fair!
Rose fought with herself for exactly one minute.
But hunger won.
She jumped up from the bed, walked over to the table, and, throwing a guilty glance at the bathroom door, grabbed the bun and the milk.