The Camellia Tattoo - Chapter 37
No, actually, Amber didn’t need to walk on her own. Igmeyer carried her.
“The path is a bit rough. Hold on tight.”
Igmeyer, taking confident strides, headed towards a corner she had never set foot in within the castle.
The dusty room seemed untouched by the servants, but one wall was filled with books.
“Achoo!”
As he clumsily moved some books, dust scattered. At that very moment, while Amber was stifling a sneeze, the bookshelf made a rumbling sound and opened sideways.
“A secret passage?”
“Yes. But not an escape route.”
Igmeyer chuckled when Amber mumbled in surprise. Amber was quite curious about his somewhat mischievous boyish demeanor.
Why was he showing such behavior? What could possibly be down there? Though it was natural, Amber hadn’t known about such places within the castle in the past.
‘Of course, I wasn’t acknowledged as the mistress of Niflheim in the past. He never brought me here.’
Now, while not feeling newly hurt, she found it somewhat distasteful. At the same time, she felt a bit pleased. The fact that so much had changed in this life already made her happy.
“How far are you planning to carry me down?”
“Weren’t royals not supposed to walk on their own?”
“That’s when they’re babies. When you can walk, you walk.”
“Oh, really?”
Dimly lit sconces on the wall prevented the passage from being too dark.
Even though there was a nauseating smell typical of underground places and it felt eerie, and though there was a wet sound with each step he took, well…
It wasn’t the most uncomfortable walk.
“Put me down.”
“Mm.”
“Igmeyer.”
“Can’t I hold you a bit longer? It’s cold here.”
What kind of trick was this?
Amber squinted her eyes and examined him.
Then, Igmeyer really shivered his shoulders. A soft chuckle escaped him unavoidably.
“You’re more mischievous than I thought.”
“Thanks for noticing.”
Now, Amber found it comfortable to exchange a few words with Igmeyer. Maybe it was because they had mixed their bodies not just once a week, but at every opportunity.
It wasn’t that she loved him or anything, but it wasn’t unpleasant either. Rather, he now felt somewhat like a reassuring presence.
‘I hope we can continue to get along like this.’
Since childhood, as a princess, Amber learned that the best relationship with a spouse was like that of ‘friends.’
Bearing heirs was an obligation, raising them well was a responsibility, enduring married life was about friendship.
Love, like a flame, might be intense but not enduring, while friendship and loyalty were like stars, shining with value for a long time.
Therefore, spouses were soulmates and life partners. It was more about a deep and enduring bond of friendship than the emotional love of courtship.
Anyway, Amber was satisfied with her relationship with Igmeyer because that was how she had learned it should be.
As long as it remained at this level, not too hot or too cold. After all, lukewarm tea was the most enjoyable to sip.
“We’ve arrived.”
Suddenly, a massive iron door appeared before them.
Even in this damp environment, Amber noticed that the iron door showed no signs of corrosion.
It was undoubtedly the characteristic of Litton iron.
‘But to make a door out of expensive Litton iron…?’
It was hard to believe without seeing it firsthand.
With the amount of iron used for this thick door, they could have made around thirty swords… There was no such wastefulness.
‘I glimpsed at the swords provided to the knights, and they definitely weren’t made of Litton iron.’
What on earth possessed the ancestors of Niflheim to do such a thing?
“Yeah, it’s a crazy thing to do.”
“!”
As if reading her thoughts, Igmeyer responded strangely, almost making Amber jump right there.
“Do you read minds?”
“No. I thought it was crazy too when I first came here.”
Finishing his words, Igmeyer gently lowered her. With her two feet firmly on the ground now, did Amber feel a bit awkward. She had been in Igmeyer’s arms for only about 10 to 20 minutes, but the ground felt unfamiliar.
‘This is why developing habits is scary.’
Let’s not read too much into Igmeyer’s actions.
Amber shook her head and cleared her mind. Anyway, the important thing was what was inside that door.
“…A monster?”
In a moment of thought, Amber muttered to herself.
“Haha, you think there’s a monster?”
Igmeyer chuckled as he reached for the iron door.
Amber glanced at him and voiced her reasoning.
“That seems plausible. Otherwise, why would we need such a sturdy door?”
“That makes sense. The inside is spacious enough to contain Nidhogg.”
“Nidhogg?”
It was an exaggerated expression.
The evil dragon Nidhogg was as long as a mountain range from head to tail. His head was the size of a lake, and his four legs were large enough to crush a tower.
But how could this possibly contain Nidhogg?
‘It feels like he’s treating me like a child.’
