ICBFE 13

Karzan had been able to run away from home so often since he was young because his magic skills were decent enough. The reason he finally stopped his frequent escapades was when the second Northern campaign began—he was eighteen at the time.

In short, this was the period when he was still running away from home like it was nothing.

“Eat up. When we arrive, it’ll be close to midnight, and we’ll have to sleep right away.”

Just as I was about to answer, Karzan stood up and walked toward the carriage, beginning to feed the horses grain and water.

“Hey! That’s dangerous, young master!”

The coachman, who had been eating a sandwich, jumped up and rushed over, but Karzan calmly held up his hand toward him.

“It’s fine. Nothing will happen. These horses are very gentle.”

The coachman looked at Karzan with a baffled expression and muttered, “Huh, what’s going on here?”

Apparently, those horses weren’t the gentle type.

Even if I didn’t know much about the horses, it looked just as strange to me. It was as if the horses recognized Karzan as the crown prince—they bowed their heads to him.

After dinner, Karzan boarded the carriage first and held out his hand to escort me. Even when I was his fiancée, I had never once received an escort from him. I couldn’t help but be surprised. Was he always this considerate?

“You can’t climb up in one go with your short legs. We need to leave quickly. Hurry and take my hand.”

…Forget it. He’s not considerate at all.

The carriage ran nonstop and finally reached a basin late at night. Just as he said, once we approached the area, we could see tents and fires scattered all around.

Horses and carriages were tied to wooden posts, and in front of the tents arranged in the center, bonfires were lit. The night was bright and lively from the flickering firelight all over the place.

Some people who hadn’t gone to sleep yet were drinking in front of the tents, while others who had already turned in were nestled in sleeping bags by the fires—truly a unique sight.

It was the first time I had seen such an exotic scene, and I couldn’t help but feel a little excited. I had never been to one, but it felt like I was at one of those summer camps I’d heard about.

“There are enough people here that wild beasts or monsters won’t dare come close. So rest easy. There are quite a few adventurers here, so even sleeping outdoors shouldn’t be a problem. If anything, just watch out for the cold and thieves—but we’ve got ways to handle that too.”

Karzan got down from the carriage and gave the coachman some instructions. Nodding in response, the coachman tied up the horses and separated the carriage.

We didn’t set up a tent, but after lighting a small fire, the coachman said he’d sleep first and crawled into his sleeping bag.

He must’ve been pretty tired after driving all day. As for us, we decided to sleep inside the carriage.

I didn’t mind sleeping in the carriage, but sharing that space with Karzan felt unfamiliar and awkward.

Karzan, for his part, looked completely unbothered.

I felt like I absolutely couldn’t sleep in the same space as him. Even though we didn’t know each other’s identities right now, he was still the man I had married.

And to think I’d be sharing a bed—something we hadn’t even done on our wedding night—like this. It was unimaginable.

“It’ll be a bit uncomfortable, but you’ll have to curl up and sleep in the seat. Still, it’s warmer in here than outside.”

His tone wasn’t exactly kind or warm, but somehow, it felt gentle. I clutched the blanket he gave me tightly.

Since I was tall, I had to bend my knees to sleep inside the carriage. That meant I had to curl up facing away from the window—which meant facing Karzan.

Trying to fall asleep while facing him was incredibly uncomfortable. I twisted and turned, trying to find a comfortable position, and eventually Karzan suddenly sat up, wide awake.

“You really can’t stay still for even a second, can you?”

The truth was, I just didn’t want to sleep while facing you.

But I couldn’t say that out loud. I curled up even more, and Karzan glanced at me before heading outside with an exasperated expression.

Soon after, he came back and handed me something warm. It was a stone wrapped in a blanket. Why was he doing this?

“Wh-What is this…?”

“You kept tossing and turning, so I couldn’t sleep. If you hug this heated stone, your body temperature will rise and you won’t feel cold. So quit fidgeting and go to sleep.”

He must’ve thought I was shivering from the cold. Autumn nights were indeed chilly. Even inside the carriage, the air was cool enough to lower one’s body temperature.

Maybe the chill was one reason I couldn’t fall asleep—though Karzan’s presence probably had a bigger role.

Now that I held something warm close to me, my body relaxed, and I felt like I could fall asleep any moment.

I gently touched the warm stone he gave me. Was he always this kind and thoughtful? Then why had he been so cold to me back then?

Especially toward me, he had always been harsh.

Why had he treated me like that? Why had he always looked at me with such icy eyes?

I didn’t want to be moved by something like this, but I felt like I should at least say thank you.

“Th-Thank you.”

He didn’t respond, but somehow the warmth of the stone seemed to warm my heart, too.

Before long, as I was dozing off, I heard a faint sound outside the carriage. A soft clinking—someone was trying to open the door.

Then I remembered what Karzan had said earlier. Just watch out for thieves.

Because Karzan had covered the carriage’s windows with black cloth, I couldn’t see outside, but judging from the sounds and timing, it was clearly thieves.

“Why won’t this door open? You sure it’s just a couple of young nobles in here?”

“I’m sure. No servants, just two young nobles.”

They were whispering, obviously planning to rob us. I sat up, ready to scream. Screaming seemed like the only way to scare them off.

If they managed to open the door… I didn’t even want to imagine what would happen.

Because I was terrified Karzan might kill them brutally. That was the awful scenario I feared.

It seemed better to just scream and make them run away.

“Aaah—”

“Shh. Quiet!”

Karzan suddenly sat up and covered my mouth with his hand. I looked at him questioningly.

“They’re not getting in. Don’t be scared. Just sleep.”

How could he say that? How could the door not open…?

Then it hit me—there was magic that could prevent a door from opening. He must’ve cast it on the carriage.

Until now, I thought he only used magic to change his eye color or to torment me. But here he was, using it for something useful. Somehow, he looked different.

Outside, the clinking noises continued for a bit, but seeing Karzan lying calmly with his eyes closed, I felt reassured. He didn’t seem like he planned to kill them after all, so I was able to finally fall asleep.

“Thanks to the warm stone you gave me, I slept great through the night, young master.”

The coachman greeted Karzan cheerfully as he exited the carriage.

Karzan had helped, sure—but the coachman also seemed like a friendly person.

“Fetch some water. We need to eat before we leave. I need to make pancakes and boil some soup.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll get everything ready.”

“No, just bring the water. I’ll handle the rest.”

“You’re going to cook, sir?”

“While I’m making breakfast, take care of the horses. You can do that, right?”

“Y-Yes, of course!”

Karzan could cook, too? No wonder he always ran off like a vagabond—he really could do anything.

Near the basin was a stream, and as the sun rose, people started gathering water and preparing meals like we were.

It felt like a big group camping trip, with chatter and laughter everywhere.

“I’ll trade sugar for some flour!”

“We’re short on water—anyone have extra?”

“I’ll swap a loaf of bread for a bowl of soup!”

People chatted about their travel plans, trades, and all sorts of topics. Amid the lively chaos, Karzan silently made pancakes.

Taking the water from the coachman, he filled our drinking bottles and used the rest to start mixing flour. I had never seen anyone kneading dough before—especially not Karzan.

Though he was still a minor, his forearms were well-muscled, and he worked the dough with practiced hands. Once it was ready, he oiled a pan lightly and started cooking.

His movements were quick—definitely not his first time. The warm pancakes melted in my mouth even without syrup. Karzan then quickly made some syrup by melting sugar.

Maybe it was because we were eating outside, or maybe Karzan was simply a great cook—but it tasted better than anything I’d had at home or in the palace.

No one would believe the crown prince could cook like this. Even I was having trouble believing it.

Where had he learned all this? From palace chefs, maybe?

“Eat plenty. Starting tonight, we’ll only have hardtack for meals. This warm breakfast will be the last good one for the day.”