Trapped in a Secret Room With the Magnificent Duke - Chapter 7
‘Could something have happened?’
With the coffee house now empty, Reyna couldn’t help but wonder if something was amiss.
Perhaps there had been an incident, like a pest problem. However, the tables and floors were spotless, leaving Reyna to think it might be better this way.
Duke Gerard was a man who drew attention wherever he went, and being alone with him in a coffee house could be problematic for Reyna if anyone happened to notice.
‘Even just drinking coffee, he looks like a painting.’
Reyna couldn’t take her eyes off Duke Gerard.
It was easy to understand why so many noble ladies, from lower nobility to high-ranking ones and even princesses, were entranced by his looks. Reyna’s own aesthetic sense was no different from others, and she found herself momentarily mesmerized by him.
But she soon pulled herself together. It was best not to even look at something unattainable. Clearly, Duke Gerard was too overwhelming for her, and even just admiring him caused her heart to race.
Reyna forced her gaze away from him and directed it to her teacup.
‘He probably has no idea about what happened while he was asleep.’
Once again, guilt began to creep in.
After all, it was mentioned that he took contraceptive tea. Although it might have been taken involuntarily, as if he had been given a sleeping potion, Reyna’s thoughts shifted to another possibility.
If he took contraceptives regularly, there must have been reasons for it, and perhaps Duke Gerard was more promiscuous than she had anticipated. Of course, knowing that didn’t lighten Reyna’s guilt.
“Lady Reyna, what are you thinking about?”
Unaware of Reyna’s troubled thoughts, Duke Gerard asked with a gentle smile. Reyna hesitated for a moment before carefully speaking.
“I wanted to ask for your wise opinion on a hypothetical situation.”
“Go ahead, Lady Reyna.”
Duke Gerard nodded as he placed his teacup on the table.
Taking a deep breath, Reyna began.
“Imagine being trapped on a snowy mountain with just one other person, a man and a woman.”
Duke Gerard blinked slowly and responded.
“Not going to the mountains during a snowstorm would be the better choice.”
Reyna was speechless. He was right.
“That’s true… but what if it wasn’t your choice?”
“Understood. Let’s assume you were forced to go to a snowy mountain during a snowstorm.”
Duke Gerard answered reluctantly, as if indulging Reyna’s hypothetical situation.
“There, you find a cabin that’s so cold you could freeze to death quickly.”
Reyna kept her eyes on Duke Gerard, trying to gauge his reaction and body language for any hint of his thoughts.
“Is there a fireplace in the cabin?” Duke Gerard asked with a rational approach.
“Probably not… And besides, while traveling through the snow, your clothes would be completely soaked. There wouldn’t be any spare clothes.”
“If you keep wearing wet clothes, you could lose body heat and die from hypothermia.”
Duke Gerard nodded in understanding.
“Exactly!”
“Is there no blanket in the cabin?”
Reyna nodded vigorously, her eyes widening.
“Yes! There’s nothing to warm you up.”
Duke Gerard, deep in thought, traced the edge of his teacup with his finger and said,
“Then the man and woman would have to undress to dry their clothes.”
Reyna felt a surprising sense of connection with Duke Gerard’s understanding of the situation. The frustration she felt earlier began to ease slightly.
“If you were in that situation, what would you do, Duke?”
Duke Gerard tilted his head slightly, looking at her with a genuine curiosity.
“What do you mean by ‘what would I do’?”
Reyna clenched her fists tightly. She wanted to tell him to use his imagination, but she bit her tongue and added,
“The cabin is so old that it barely protects against the wind.”
“…”
“You could try to gather snow to melt it, but doing so with bare hands risks frostbite.”
She then added, “Oh, and without a fireplace, you couldn’t even boil water.”
“Things to burn nearby… Oh, even if there were any, they’d already be soaked by the snow, so starting a fire wouldn’t be easy.”
Duke Gerard nodded as if the thought had just occurred to him.
“Exactly. So, what should the man and woman do to survive?”
Reyna looked at Duke Gerard with a meaningful expression. Rationally speaking, the obvious answer would be to use their bodies to warm each other. And as far as Reyna knew, Duke Gerard was a very rational thinker.
“It seems the most reliable method would be to increase each other’s body temperature through s-x.”
That’s what I meant. Reyna squeezed her eyes shut and nodded.
‘Hmm? Just now.’
Reyna tilted her head in confusion at the familiar term.
