Jared awoke to a sensation of warm, soft comfort, realizing he was alive.
He wondered how he had survived the chilling cold that seemed to freeze his very soul. When he moved his hands to check if he still had his limbs, a soft, warm touch, like human skin, met his fingers.
*“Good, my arms are still here.”*
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Jared shot up in bed.
“W-what? What was that sensation?”
“J-Jared-sama, please, cover yourself… I’m begging you.”
For some reason, a familiar voice came from the bed he was supposed to be sleeping in, and a bad feeling washed over him.
“…E-Ernesta… Lily, why?”
His voice trembled. Not just his voice. His vision swam, and he felt he might collapse if he wasn’t careful. In the bed, his two secretaries, clad only in their undergarments, blushed shyly.
“Jared-sama, I’ll explain, but, um, you see… you’re naked right now… so, well, it would be a great help if you could cover yourself…”
Prompted by Lily, her cheeks flushed, Jared followed her gaze and realized he was completely nude. He panicked, grabbing the silver tray with the water pitcher that happened to be within reach, and used it to cover himself.
Though he cut a ridiculous figure, he couldn’t expose his naked body to the women. The secretaries, still blushing, also covered their exposed limbs with the sheets.
“W-why, how… you two?”
“We’ll explain everything, so please, at least put this on… that outfit is a bit much.”
Handed a large towel, he wrapped it around his waist, turning his back to them. His appearance was still unseemly, but at least it was better than holding a silver tray to cover himself. As Jared calmed down slightly, he noticed his body was functioning properly. He had frostbite in many places, but it wasn’t severe. His limbs, and even his fingertips, moved perfectly. Then, he remembered what had happened just before he lost consciousness.
“The Duke?”
“Father is safe. Thanks to Jared-sama not considering himself and protecting him, he only has bruises and is doing well. Thank you for protecting Father as his daughter.”
“No, it’s fine. The Duke saved me too.”
He felt relieved to hear of the Duke’s safety.
“What about the magician I fought? What happened?”
“We’ll explain in order. After receiving information that the soldiers had lost sight of you, we immediately joined the search, but we couldn’t find you. However, Ernesta noticed a barrier, and at the same time, we found you, frozen with intense cold, and Father, protected by a shield as he lost consciousness… and then we found four bodies.”
“Four… so one escaped. No, perhaps they didn’t escape.”
Jared had been defeated. Therefore, he couldn’t say the other party had escaped.
“We are currently confirming their identities. They are apparently not from the Dukedom of Rüdiger. We are also considering the worst-case scenario; I will be identifying them later.”
The worst-case scenario probably meant the attackers were members of the Royal Mage Corps.
“…How long have I been asleep?”
“You’ve been asleep for a full day. We departed yesterday morning, and now it’s already the evening of the next day.”
“—!”
He had never imagined so much time had passed.
“It’s understandable. Jared-sama not only had frostbite, but your body was starting to freeze. Whether you were conscious or not, if you hadn’t been protected by your limited magic power, you might not be alive right now.”
He could still vividly recall the sensation of his body freezing from the ice magic. He couldn’t help but marvel at his survival.
“You had many lacerations, but thanks to the doctors, they’ve all been closed. However, there was one issue.”
“An issue?”
“Yes. Your wounds were closed, and your frozen body was thawed by the magicians, but your body temperature was far too low, and we considered the worst. So, well, Lily and I warmed you with our body heat.”
He finally understood why they were in the same bed.
“U-um, Jared-sama, Lily alone wasn’t sure if she could warm you sufficiently, and since your recovery could be expected by sending you magic power, I also helped.”
“Thank you both for rescuing me. And, um, I’m sorry. For making you feel uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s our duty as secretaries. We are the ones who should apologize for acting improperly, even as a medical treatment, towards someone who has a Fiancé.”
“Actually, to repay a debt of gratitude… or so my Father said, he tried to warm Jared-sama naked. And with my brothers, no less.”
Jared was speechless. The thought of a burly, intimidating warrior and his sons warming him naked, even as a medical treatment, made him – irreverently – glad it had been the two women instead. Still, the fact that he could think such a thing was only because he was alive.
“Our mothers stopped them, saying that even if your life were saved, your spirit would die, so they shouldn’t. Instead, we were entrusted with this important task. Of course, the room was kept much warmer until dawn.”
He learned that Jared, who had been freezing and losing body heat, was shivering due to the low temperature. Thanks to Ernesta and Lily, he regained warmth, and his condition stabilized by midnight. They had kept the room warm until dawn to monitor him. Even after the doctor deemed him out of danger, they stayed by his side, just in case.
“Seeing you now, Jared-sama, you seem to be fully recovered. I’m relieved.”
“It’s thanks to both of you. Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. Now, I’ll go report to my Father. Then, let’s have a meal. We’ve prepared something nutritious, so please eat a lot.”
Jared nodded and did as he was told when they asked him to turn away. He listened to the faint sounds of the two moving behind him, forcing himself not to pay attention.
“You can look now.”
When he turned around as instructed, they were both wearing simple nightgowns, presumably prepared earlier.
“I’ll call you later, so please lie down a little longer.”
“Understood. I’ll rest a bit longer.”
Honestly, he felt a little reluctant to return to the bed they had been in. However, after suddenly sitting up, his body still urged him to lie down. Deciding that pushing himself would only worsen his condition, Jared obediently got back into bed.
“Well then, I’ll call you later—oh, right.”
“What is it?”
Lily stopped as she was about to leave the room and looked back at him. A mischievous glint was in her eyes, and Jared couldn’t help but brace himself.
“How did our bodies feel before we were married?”
At her remark, her colleague blushed deeply and looked down, while Jared was at a loss for words. He had been trying his best not to think about where his hands had strayed when he woke up.
“Heh heh, just kidding. Of course, I won’t tell Olivier, so you owe me a favor next time, okay?”
“To have my secretaries holding something over me like this…”
As Jared slumped, Lily burst into laughter, while Ernesta, blushing and peeking at him, added,
“Then, I’ll ask a favor of you too, if anything comes up.”
Jared could only offer a wry smile.
“Alright. I understand.”
He replied dismissively, and seemingly satisfied, Lily said, “Rest well,” and left with Ernesta, who bowed her head. Left alone, Jared tried to ignore the scent of the two women lingering in the bed.
He hadn’t done anything shameful, but thinking of his Fiancé in the capital city… he suddenly felt a sense of guilt. As time passed, sleepiness slowly crept in. To recover his body, which was not yet at its full strength, Jared closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
—Naturally, he was plagued by nightmares.
