Escaping the Archduke of the North’s Obsession

“You are up already, Your Highness?”

Isabella asked and immediately covered her upper body with the towel she had placed on the rock.

She came in wearing a slip, but the wet fabric had clung to her body, revealing her curves.

A massive wall of ice was erected behind her back in an instant.

He seemed to have noticed that she was embarrassed.

“Enjoy it comfortably.”

When she heard his voice over the wall of ice, a smile spread across her lips.

“Thank you, but will you keep wasting your power on this kind of thing?”

She was grateful and worried that he was using his energy on useless things.

“Isabella.”

He called her name in a deep, husky voice.

“To me, nothing is more important than you.”

He was a cold-blooded man but, at the same time, shameless for saying good things like that.

She had no idea why it made her blush.

Isabella lifted her hands to touch her red cheeks.

“I think this place is nice.” Isabella sounded pleased as she stared at the snow-covered birch trees surrounding the hot springs.

“It’s a shame.
It would have been better if it snowed right now.”

Snow began to fall from the sky, and the warmth on her cheeks seemed to cool down a little.

The timing seemed terrific.

Raising her head heavenward, Isabella’s round eyes were wide as she observed the white snowflakes falling on her face.

Squinting,  Isabella asked him over the ice wall.
“You can make it snow, right?”

As she looked back at their conversation yesterday, she realized that the sudden heavy snow was his doing.

“I didn’t.”

His reply was relatively short and vague, as if he had no intention of owning his faults.

“Anyway, I still like it.
Thank you, Your Highness.”

It was a unique experience to soak in the hot spring while it snowed, but it was such a waste to use his ability for her comfort.

**

Thanks to Duke Kyar’s ice wall, she changed from her wet clothes into dry ones without a fuss.

Isabella entered the cabin while carrying her bag.

She saw that warm bread and milk were already placed on the table.

Isabella was just about to pick a cup of milk from the table, but Duke Kyar suddenly emerged from the bathroom.

“Thank you for preparing bread and milk.
I had no idea that we still had food left.”

“You ate better than I thought last night, so that’s all we have left.”

Isabella’s cheeks reddened when Duke Kyar smiled at her.

“Go ahead and eat the food.
I know you hate being hungry.”

Isabella slowly nodded.

He seemed to know her better than expected.

“Let’s eat together.”

“It’s alright.
The milk is enough for me.
I won’t steal the rest, so eat slowly.”

Was it because it’s their first time spending such a long time together?

Isabella felt like she was seeing a different side to him more.

Was he always this kind and considerate?

His personality must have changed a little after drinking the antidote.

Should she say that the atmosphere became much softer than before?

Anyway, Duke Kyar seemed to be a better person than she initially thought.

“I heard there’s a medicine seller nearby.
Do you know where it is? According to your butler, they sold a lot of amazing herbs there.”

His arm stretched out to reach her long flowing hair, and he tucked some stray silver strands behind her ear.

“I’ll take you after we are done eating.
We’ll go together.”

“Really?”

“You only thought about herbs and nothing else.” He murmured with a slight frown.

Then he quickly showed his palm to her.

“I swear that I’m not jealous, so don’t misunderstand.”

Isabella’s head lowered before she burst into a chuckle.

It appeared like he was genuinely bothered by her previous statement about jealous people being nasty and dangerous.

However, this man, much bigger than her, tried to look cute and harmless.

“I won’t misunderstand.” She replied.

Duke Kyar coughed low.

She ate with him in such a peaceful atmosphere after a long time.

If Duke Kyar was a little less jealous and obsessed, he might be a pretty good man, too.