I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 213
However, it seemed that Fertina was not going to accept Iruel’s offer so easily.
“Then let’s make a fair trade.”
At that proposal, Fertina’s eyes widened in surprise.
“A trade?”
“Well, it’s getting dark soon, and I don’t have anywhere to stay. If you let me sleep at your place for the night, I’ll share some of these herbs with you.”
Iruel said casually, moving a bit closer to Fertina with a sly look.
“……”
Fertina seemed at a loss for words.
It was the reaction he’d expected. After all, it would obviously be strange for a woman to agree right away to let a man she didn’t know spend the night at her home.
“Oh, maybe that was asking a bit too much? If you’re not comfortable with it…”
He was just about to offer the herbs for free when—
“…Fine.”
A faint murmur escaped Fertina’s lips as she looked down.
Huh? Iruel momentarily doubted his ears.
“Miss Fertina, what did you say just now?”
“I-I said, alright! You can stay for the night!”
Practically squeaking her response, Fertina sharply pulled on the reins.
“And turn your face away—you reek of alcohol!”
Caught off guard, the horses let out surprised whinnies and abruptly picked up speed.
“Ah!”
The sudden acceleration threw Iruel off balance, and he smacked his head against the wagon’s backrest. Stars seemed to explode in his vision.
“H-Hey! Miss Fertina! Drive safely! Watch the speed!”
But Iruel’s words fell on deaf ears.
The wagon hurtled wildly through the forest path and came to a stop in front of Fertina’s house about ten minutes later.
And only a few minutes after that, Iruel found himself sitting on her bed.
“I-I’ll just wash up first, so please wait here!”
With a loud slam, Fertina shut the door behind her as she left.
“What is even happening…?”
Left alone in her room, Iruel was baffled.
—Just what was going on here?
He hadn’t intended to end up in her bedroom.
To be clear, Iruel had no desire whatsoever to spend the night with Doctor Fertina. He’d only wanted to share some herbs with her. But she seemed absolutely unwilling to accept the herbs freely, so he’d thrown in that suggestion on a whim.
‘Maybe I should have just forced the herbs into her hands.’
From the next room, he could hear intermittent splashes of water. Fertina was apparently washing up. Realizing this, Iruel’s thoughts began to spin.
‘Am I really about to end up… bedding her?’
It wasn’t the thought of a woman that made him feel uneasy. Women were hardly a mystery to him—he’d had his share of encounters and could separate personal feelings from mere physical closeness.
But he didn’t want to take advantage of someone who had approached him with genuine kindness.
‘What do I do about this…’
He was more confused than he’d ever been.
It was hard to say how long he sat there before the door creaked open. Iruel instinctively straightened his posture as if bracing for something.
“M-Miss Fertina!”
Standing in the doorway was Fertina, dressed in loose pajamas. Beads of water still clung to her damp hair.
“At least you’re not… well, undressed.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing. My apologies.”
Iruel quickly turned his head, strangely unable to look directly at her.
“Now, go wash up too, Sir Iruel.”
“Oh, no, I’ll be fine without—”
“Wash up.”
Fertina tossed a dry towel at him with a stern look.
“Now.”
Reluctantly, Iruel let out a small whimper and skulked off to the bathroom.
‘This is getting ridiculous.’
Rubbing the back of his head, Iruel surveyed the cramped bathroom.
The space was barely large enough for one person, and it looked nothing like the lavish bathrooms he’d known at the Eustice Viscountcy’s manor. There was no ornate ceiling decorated with crystals, no statues spewing herbal-infused water, and no fresh flowers replaced daily. It was a purely functional, almost harshly practical space.
‘Alright, let’s just get this over with.’
After a moment’s hesitation, Iruel took off his shirt.
He’d spent the whole day driving the carriage, so his body was coated in dust. It went against his pride as a demon to sleep in such a filthy state.
He was just reaching to pull off his trousers when—
“Achoo!”
He sneezed involuntarily.
‘What’s with the cold in here?’
The bathroom felt frigid.
It was strange. Fertina had just finished washing up, so the room should have retained some warmth. Normally, after a bath, the steam would linger in the air.
Puzzled, Iruel dipped his hand into one of the water buckets lined up against the wall. The moment he touched it, he jumped back in shock.
“Ack! It’s freezing!”
The water was so icy it felt like his fingers would fall off.
‘So I’m supposed to wash with this? To sober up or something?’
If she didn’t want him to stay, she could’ve just said so. Why go out of her way to humiliate him with freezing water?
Overcome with frustration, Iruel threw down the towel and stormed out of the bathroom.
