TDDCS

Chapter 44 - Snow Sledding

“What are you doing?”

He tried to hide his embarrassment and asked, but in the ‘what’ part, his voice was a little strange. But Lena replied vaguely, as if she had not noticed.

“You have to cover it with your hands like this so that the cream is absorbed well.”

“Is…… it.”

He understood the action, but the sensation that tickled his stomach was now running down his spine. Because, as far as he knows, it’s like kissing…….

“It’s done.”

Just as Kahel was about to think about something bizarre, Lena’s warm hand fell off his cheek without any regrets. He had just hoped that this awkward moment would be over quickly, but when her warmth disappeared, the nape of his neck suddenly felt different. He stood up, stroking the back of his neck with his hand.

Then, he looked at Lena’s hand as she rubbed the remaining cream on the back of her hand to absorb it.

“Uhhumm! Are you ready to go out too?”

“Yes. I’ll pack your coat first…….”

“I’m going to wear my coat on my own, so you should put on your clothes and come out. Don’t forget your hat and muffler, and bring your fur shoes.”

“However…… Oh no. I’ll get ready and go out soon.”

Lena, who was about to say, ‘But I have to pack your coat,’ closed her mouth and hurried to her room. She rarely disobeys Kahel’s orders. How long has it been since he last scolded her? She kept being bothered by her cheeky mouth, and she wondered if Kahel would be offended by it.

Lena, who went into her room and put on a soft sable coat and hat, a muffler, cowhide gloves, and sturdy fur shoes, suddenly felt full, so she giggled alone and hurried away, thinking of Kahel who was waiting for her.

As the two went down to the hall on the first floor, the eyes of some of the maids working in the hall were strange. But they didn’t stare at Kahel and Lena for long. This is because when Kahel appears, the knights have sent the surrounding ‘common people’ away. Ignoring the glances of those who retreated far away, they went outside and found two sleds ready.

“Jeter! Are you ready?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. I will serve you, and Hayern will serve the maid.”

“No. I will drive the sled myself. I haven’t ridden a sled driven by anyone else since I was 15.”

“But as a knight, you cannot ride a sled driven by the person you serve.”

“I’m not telling you to ride my sleigh. Because Lena will ride on my sleigh.”

Lena’s face heated up as she thought the loyal-looking knight who spoke so would be very embarrassed. But as the knight looked at Lena’s blushing cheeks, he said, ‘Ah!’, and then made a small sound, ‘I see!’ and he backed away bravely.

The sled looked quite large and more sturdy than Lena had imagined. Not only the sleds, but also the white cloud-emitting reindeers were much bigger than she had imagined. Lena staggered behind Kahel unknowingly as she watched the four reindeer waving their heads with the big horns up and down, and she backed away. She has never seen an animal as big as that in Kerouac. She was delighted to see the strange animals of the bigger world, but she thought it would be terrifying if a reindeer pointed their horns at her.

But as Kahel knew Lena’s fear, he gently wrapped his arms around her back.

“Nothing to be afraid of. They’re trained, so they’re gentle. It is not an animal that attacks people.”