He had been stroking his *rect p*nis rhythmically.

It was an apricot-colored snake. The enormous snake raised its bell-shaped head.

He thr*st the peach-colored serpent upwards, pressing against it with his hand. The snake’s head bobbed with each movement.

Leaning back in the chair, he *jaculated a cloudy fl*id. His hand was filled with a clear, milky-white substance. He spread the opaque fl*id over the head of his p*nis with the same hand.

“……”

Frowning, he continued stroking the shaft.

“Ah?”

It was only then that Amel realized who the man was.

Cervel Madillert, the Grand Duke of Madillert and lord of the kingdom’s northern territories. He was the grandson of the late Emperor and the nephew of the current Emperor.

She had heard that he had inherited the title of Grand Duke several years ago, following the early deaths of his parents.

But why was he here?

What was he doing here?

The man finally looked in her direction.

“Planning to stand there and watch?”

“Pardon?”

“Or should I lay out a mat for you?”

Amel stared at him blankly.

“N-No, sir.”

“Your answer is quite earnest, at least. Lady, could you leave?”

Even then, the man continued to maintain his *rection.

“……I’m sorry!”

Only then did Amel turn her back to him and hurriedly shut the door.

But the door handle was loose. No matter how many times she closed the door, it kept swinging open again.

“W-Why is it doing this?”

Why does it keep opening?

Amel finally managed to pull the door shut and held her breath.

Why? There’s someone in the room. Why is someone even here?

“My lady, what are you doing here?”

The innkeeper spotted Amel at the end of the hallway and approached her.

In her hand was a ring of keys.

“What are you doing there, my lady?”

Amel pointed toward the troublesome room and lowered her voice.

“……Someone’s already in there.”

“Pardon? That isn’t your room, my lady.”

It really wasn’t her room?

Amel looked at the closed door. Only then did she notice the number written on it.

Room 202? Oh, that’s the second floor.

Amel’s gaze shifted between the door and the innkeeper, who gestured for her to follow.

“You’ve mistaken the room. There’s another guest staying in there. Please come this way. Your room is on the third floor, my lady. You need to go up one more floor.”

Amel glanced back at the tightly closed door.

“Ah, yes, I’ll go. Let’s go. I’m sorry for the intrusion.”

It seemed as though the man said something in response afterwards, but the sound was muffled by the door and she couldn’t make out what he said.

Amel left the area promptly.

The innkeeper inserted the key into the lock and turned it.

“You can use this room.”

The room was small. It was roughly four pyeong in size, with a fireplace, a bed, and a desk, but everything was modest and compact. Once the two of them stepped inside, the room felt cramped. There was barely enough space to stand comfortably.

Amel stood in a corner and looked around. The entire room fit into her view at once.

“How do you like the room?”

“It’s warm.”

“The guest downstairs has been keeping their fireplace lit, so this room is warm as well. Still, I’ll light your fireplace for you. It gets cold in the mountains at night.”

The innkeeper finished lighting the fireplace, then folded her hands demurely in front of her.

“I’m sorry about what happened earlier.”

“Hmm?”

“I think I confused you by leaving without properly explaining where your room was. I should have been more careful. I’m sorry for causing you any inconvenience.”

The innkeeper clasped both hands together and bowed her head.

Amel waved her off.

“No, it’s fine. I was tired, too, and got confused for a moment.”

It was also her fault for not checking properly.

My head hurts.

She had come here to recuperate after calling off her engagement, only to encounter something even more troubling than the scandal itself.

It was too embarrassing to put into words. She didn’t know what to say about it.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Amel shook her head from side to side.

“I’ll apologize to the guest in the room below on your behalf.”

“No. No, there’s no need for that.”

Amel waved her hand, dismissing the idea.

“I already apologized when I left, so it’s fine.”

The other person must have been embarrassed, too. So Amel decided to forget about the incident. Acting as if it had never happened seemed like the least they could do for each other.

Having been through so many messy scandals, Amel was used to turning a blind eye and pretending not to know. This helped her to calm down.

Her head was still muddled, but she felt that dwelling on it any further would be discourteous. So she pushed the memory out of her mind.

If she ever met the Grand Duke again, she would deal with it then.

Amel sighed and spoke.

“Madam, more importantly, I’d like to change my clothes.”

The corset was pressing against her chest. At this rate, she couldn’t even put on or take off her dress by herself. She couldn’t reach her back, either.

“Oh. Then shall I help you? I have experience working as a maid at a lord’s castle.”

“Then I’d appreciate your help.”

With the innkeeper’s assistance, Amel easily changed into a negligee.

Just as she was finishing, someone knocked on the door.

“My lady, it’s me.”

It was Lilline.

Lilline poked her head through the gap in the door.

“The maid has arrived.”

“Come in.”

Lilline opened the door and stepped inside.

“You’ve already changed your clothes? I’ll take care of the rest.”

The innkeeper gave a slight bow and left. The door closed behind her.

Lilline checked the door once more before turning to look around the room. She gave her brief assessment.

“The room is quite modest.”

“It’s a little plain.”

Lilline ran her hand across the fireplace, leaving black dust on her fingers. It was soot. Soot had also settled on the surrounding walls.

Lilline rubbed her fingers together to brush off the grime and remarked disapprovingly.

“……It’s more than plain. This room is downright shabby.”

“Still, isn’t it better than the brief naps we had to take in the carriage the whole way here?”

Her neck had grown stiff from dozing off in fits and starts throughout the journey.

Amel stretched, then massaged her shoulders with her hands.

After washing her face, she finally felt the tension leave her body.

“You’re going straight to bed, right? I’ll lay out the bedding for you. Would you like a massage, too?”

“Then just my shoulders for a little while.”

“Yes, my lady. In that case, please lie down on your stomach.”

As instructed, she lay down and closed her eyes. When she moved, the bed creaked.

Although the room was warm, closer inspection revealed various minor issues. The window hinges appeared misaligned and possibly cracked, allowing draughts to seep in. There were also gaps in the walls, letting in cold air.

“By the way, why is the wind blowing so hard?”

“We’re in the mountains. It can’t be helped.”

“Is this place not going to collapse on us?”

“Lilline, that’s rude to the innkeeper.”

Amel stiffened for a moment but kept her eyes closed, allowing herself to receive the massage naturally.

Lilline gently kneaded her shoulders. The muscles around her shoulder blades gradually loosened under her soothing touch.

“Oh, right.”

Lilline suddenly spoke as though she had just remembered something.

“You said there were other guests besides us, didn’t you?”

“Mm.”

“We happened to run into someone on the stairs earlier. I think he might be a noble.”

“Hmm.”

When Amel responded halfheartedly, Lilline studied her expression before asking,

“You seem to know him, too, my lady? Did you see him as well?”

“I saw him on the way up. It seems the Grand Duke of Madillert is staying on the floor below us.”

“Really? I only caught a glimpse of him as we passed, so I didn’t realize who he was.”

“……Lilline. I think I need to rest now.”

Amel waved a hand while lying on her stomach.

Lilline withdrew her hands and pulled the blanket over Amel.

“I’m bothering you too much, aren’t I? Please get some rest.”

Lilline gave her space, telling her to rest.

The floorboards creaked beneath her feet, so Lilline raised her heels as she quietly left the room.

Amel gazed out the window with concern.

The rain needs to stop tomorrow.

But the raindrops had grown heavier than when the storm first began.

After yesterday’s storm, hail fell today.

“My goodness, my lady! What kind of hail is this…? The hailstones are so big, they’re the size of a newborn baby’s fist!”

Lilline complained as she took off her raincoat. Hailstones tumbled noisily from it.

She had just returned from outside and was still trembling at the thought of the hail. Ice chunks the size of fists were rolling around near her feet.

“Even if the rain stops, we still have to worry about this.”

Amel sighed as she looked out of the window. A thick mist obscured the view, making it difficult to see even what was right in front of her.

She abandoned their plan to leave that day.

The innkeeper recommended that they stay longer and change their schedule.

They couldn’t travel until the weather cleared anyway. They decided to wait and see how things developed.

The group had gathered in the dining room, but the atmosphere at the inn was uneasy, too.

“There was a landslide behind the village, apparently.”

The family soldiers had just returned from the village. They had gone to assess the situation because the heavy rain was becoming alarming.

“How bad is it?”

“The village is a fair distance from the landslide area. Still, we’ll need to keep an eye on things. There’s also a risk of further landslides.”

“How large is it?”

“It’s not particularly large. It’s some distance from the village, and the terrain here is stable, so there’s less immediate cause for concern.”

“Even so, I suppose we can’t go anywhere for now.”

In any case, the conclusion was clear.

They were stuck here for the time being.

“What would you like to do about your meal?”

The innkeeper emerged from the kitchen and asked.

Lilline glanced at the grandfather clock and suggested they eat.

“Shall we eat first? You skipped breakfast, my lady.”

It was lunchtime already.

“Oh. Yes.”

Amel nodded in agreement and took her seat.

Suddenly, the dining room fell silent.

Footsteps?

Someone was coming downstairs.

The sound of measured footsteps rang out.

Creak.

The sound drew closer and closer.

As though drawn by the approaching presence, everyone’s gaze followed it.

“My lady, behind you…”

Amel merely lifted her head from where she sat.

Ah?