Chapter 33

Beatrice quickly looked out the carriage window. The Academy was already too far away to be seen. The scenery outside was rushing past, which meant that time and space were no longer standing still. Understanding the situation, Beatrice’s eyes trembled violently.

<Room you cannot leave>—the boundary between reality and that place was now blurred.

‘How could I say it wasn’t a big deal…’

A wave of embarrassment washed over her. As someone about to become a Priestess, it was not something she should have said. How could a kiss between a man and a woman be nothing special?

Had her mind been affected by all the absurd days spent locked in a room with Julian?

The physical contact demanded by the magic grew more intense day by day. Beatrice kept repeating Julian’s words, that what happened in the room didn’t affect reality.

She had to think that way, or she wouldn’t be able to shake off her shame over her incurable illness.

Besides, since this was the only way to leave the room, there was no other choice.

She told herself it was contradictory but tried to rationalize it anyway. Now that her life at the Academy was ending, those days were over. It was time to return to her previously peaceful life.

But now, things were different.

The room she couldn’t leave was no longer a separate world, disconnected from reality. That meant…

Beatrice touched her lips. The soft surface held a strange warmth.

***

While she was stuck, unable to do anything, the carriage rolled steadily on. Before long, just as the coachman had said, the two arrived at the village.

From the capital to the orphanage, it was at least a two-day journey by carriage. If one pushed, they could go even farther today, but for the coachman, there was no way he could let his precious Young Master sleep just anywhere.

In a rural village, the inns were far too shabby for someone of the Young Master’s status. Fortunately, this place was a thriving commercial town, so there were luxury inns that wealthy commoners and nobles might use.

The carriage stopped in front of the inn, and the coachman hurried to open the door.

“We’ve arrived.”

Just as he grabbed the golden handle and tried to open the carriage door, the coachman’s face twisted in surprise.

“Huh? Why is this happening all of a sudden…?”

It was a truly strange and bizarre sensation. Having worked for the Sancio family for so many years, the coachman had handled the carriage door more often than his own spoon at mealtime, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t open. It wasn’t just stuck; even when he shook it, it didn’t budge, as if it were a castle gate made of steel.

“Oh dear, what is this…!”

The flustered coachman cried out loudly. His booming voice drew the attention of passersby. Groups of people gathered and asked the coachman what was wrong.

“Please help! The carriage door won’t open! Our Young Master and a guest are inside!”

Naturally, people’s eyes turned to the carriage. Inside sat a man with striking, elegant looks and a woman with a certain innocent charm.

“The door won’t open? Let me try. I’ll open it for you.”

Among the gathered crowd, a burly man spat in his hand and rubbed his palms together as he approached. Someone standing next to the anxious coachman whispered that this man was famous in the area for his great strength.

“There’s no one around who can match his strength. For him, a carriage door like that should be easy to open.”

“Excuse me, but if I break the door, will you charge me for repairs?”

At the man’s question, the coachman quickly shook his head.

“If you open the door, I’ll have to fix the broken handle anyway. As long as you don’t tear the whole door off, I’ll even reward you.”

The coachman’s answer made the man laugh loudly, clenching and unclenching his fist with a rough sound as his knuckles cracked.

“A reward, huh? A reward is always welcome! Looks like the Young Master inside is from a pretty wealthy noble family, so I can expect something nice!”

He took a deep breath and grabbed the carriage door handle, then began to pull with all his might.

The crowd watched anxiously, wondering if the door would be ripped off as the man had said. But no matter how long they waited, the situation everyone expected did not happen.

“What are you doing? Stop fooling around and use your strength properly!”

Jeers erupted from the crowd. The man tried to hide his embarrassment, clearing his throat noisily.

“Haha, well, enough joking around.”

He threw off his jacket, revealing his bulging muscles. Spitting into both palms and clapping them together, he grabbed the carriage door handle again.

“Here goes!”

The muscles in his arms swelled as if they might burst. He strained so hard that his face turned red and the veins in his neck stood out. Yet, the carriage door did not budge.

Only then did the people realize something strange was happening.

“Step aside, let me try.”

Other strong men began to crowd forward, each trying their hand. But no matter who tried, the door would not open. The coachman, at a loss, stomped his feet in frustration. He ran to the window, knocked, and called out to Julian.

“Young Master, please wait a little longer. We’ll open the door soon.”

The coachman knew Julian and Beatrice could hear the commotion outside, but this was all he could do. Seeing Beatrice’s pale face, the coachman felt even more anxious.

Should he break the window? But then the people inside might get hurt. Why won’t the door open? Are those muscles just for show? The atmosphere outside grew more heated by the minute.

“Are you okay?”

Julian’s voice reached Beatrice, who was biting her lower lip, unable to hide her nervousness. Seeing Julian’s dark expression, so different from his earlier composure when they first set off, Beatrice forced a smile. Yet the words ‘I’m okay’ would not come out.

The radiant golden letters—unseen by the coachman but perfectly clear to Beatrice—still shone.

“In the end, it seems this door can’t be opened from the outside.”

She held onto a bit of hope. Maybe the door would open. Seeing the crowd gathering outside the window, Beatrice wondered if such a thing might happen.

But when she saw the strong men fail one after another, it was clear—there was only one way out. The way that both she and Julian knew.

<‘A room you cannot leave unless you kiss’>

Just by reading the words, she immediately understood what the ‘room’ wanted from her and Julian. If it was just a simple kiss, perhaps she could kiss the back of his hand as a greeting, or maybe on his cheek. But what the ‘room’ wanted… was not something so trivial.

‘I can’t do it.’

Beatrice clenched her skirt tightly. People were crowding right up to the carriage, peering inside. To kiss Julian in this situation? She couldn’t even imagine it.

This was different than before. Whatever dream she had while sleeping, it didn’t affect reality.

For Beatrice, the room she couldn’t leave was such a place—a third space, separate from reality, not much different from a dream. At least, that’s what she believed. It was a rationalization she needed to uphold her beliefs while continuing her daring acts with Julian.