Chapter 16: Night At the Inn

By the time the battered, doorless carriage finally dragged itself to a halt outside a remote roadside inn, Karina felt like she had aged ten years.

The building was a sprawling, rustic structure made of dark wood and stone, a warm yellow glow spilling from its windows into the fast-approaching night. It looked like a typical cozy tavern straight out of a fantasy RPG, but to Karina, it looked like the gates of heaven. She didn’t care if the beds were stuffed with hay and the floorboards squeaked; it had walls, a roof, and a distinct lack of rabid, flesh-eating zombie panthers.

The moment they pulled into the courtyard, the innkeeper, a stout, balding man wearing a stained apron, waddled out to greet them.

"Welcome, weary travelers, to the—" The man’s cheerful customer-service voice died instantly in his throat. His eyes bulged out of his head, dropping the wooden wiping rag he was holding straight into the mud.

He stared at the massive, blood-drenched man stepping down from the driver’s seat. Then, he stared at the woman in the ruined emerald gown helping a small boy out of the back. His knees practically gave out on the spot.

"Y-Y-Your Imperial Majesty!" the innkeeper shrieked, instantly throwing himself into a messy, face-first bow on the dirt. "K-King Leonidas! And... and the little Prince! T-To what do I owe the honor of this visit?!"

Leonidas didn’t even look at the trembling man. "Rooms," he demanded, his baritone voice rough with exhaustion. "The best you have. And hot water. Now."

"Y-Yes, Sire! Right away, Sire!"

The second carriage pulled up a moment later. General Aldric hopped down first, his boots hitting the dirt. He immediately turned and offered a steady, gloved hand to Lady Sophie. The young pink-haired woman hesitated for a fraction of a second before placing her small hand in his, her cheeks flushing a brilliant shade of crimson as he gently helped her down.

Karina would have normally found the time to internally squeal at the romantic progress, but she was too exhausted to play matchmaker.

She looked down at Valen. The six-year-old was standing slightly behind her, his small hands clutching the fabric of her skirt. He looked so painfully drained. His purple eyes were dull, and his dark panther ears were still flattened against his head. When Leonidas turned his gaze toward them, taking a hesitant step forward as if wanting to check on his son, Valen instantly shrank back, completely hiding behind Karina’s legs.

Leonidas stopped dead in his tracks. A flash of profound hurt crossed his stoic features before his jaw locked tight, and he turned his back to them, barking orders at the stable boys to tend to the horses. ℴ

Karina sighed softly. Valen was still so wary of his father, and honestly, she didn’t blame him. He was still cautious around her, too. Despite the lollipops and her shielding him during the attack, years of neglect couldn’t be erased in an afternoon or three.

She knelt down, ignoring the mud staining her dress, until she was at eye level with him.

"Valen," Karina said softly, offering a gentle smile. "I am going to have Lady Sophie take you to your room. She’s going to get you cleaned up, get you something warm to eat, and make sure you’re safe. Okay?"

Valen didn’t answer. He just stared at her. Finally, he gave a tiny, reluctant nod.

"Lady Sophie!" Karina called out.

Sophie immediately rushed over, curtsying quickly. "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?"

"Take the Prince inside. Feed him whatever he wants, even if it’s just honey cakes, and do not leave his side for a single second."

"Of course, Majesty. I will protect him with my life." Sophie gently extended a hand to the boy. "Come along, Your Highness."

Valen hesitated, casting one last lingering, uncertain look at Karina before taking Sophie’s hand and allowing himself to be led into the inn, completely ignoring Leonidas as they walked past.

Once they were gone, the adrenaline finally left Karina’s system, leaving behind a bone-deep ache. She felt filthy. Her hair was a tangled mess, her skin felt sticky with cold sweat, and the stench of panther blood from Leonidas still lingered in her nose.

She practically dragged her feet up the wooden stairs to the second floor, following the innkeeper to the largest room at the end of the hall.

The moment the heavy wooden door clicked shut behind her, she collapsed against it with a heavy groan.

Pop!

"Hello host!"

A pixelated burst of pink light illuminated the dim room, and Cheshire materialized in the air, floating cross-legged with a ridiculously smug posture.

"Incredible, host! Absolutely incredible!" the little robotic space-cat chirped, his visor flashing with congratulatory confetti graphics. "Talk about terrifying! The tension! The drama! You played the protective mother role perfectly! The King’s obsession level is practically vibrating from the shock of it all!"

Karina slowly lifted her head, her eyes filled with rage.

"Incredible?" she whispered, her voice trembling with rage. "Terrifying? You ignorant, irritating little mechanical demon! I could have been killed! My son could have been killed! Why didn’t you warn me there were zombie cats in the woods?!"

Cheshire did a little backflip, completely unbothered. "Oh, please. The system only tracks narrative progression and yandere statistics. Rabid wildlife is an environmental hazard! Besides, you survived, didn’t you? Builds character!"

"I am going to dismantle you and turn you into a toaster," Karina hissed, throwing a heavy velvet pillow from the armchair straight at him. It phased right through his holographic form, hitting the wall with a dull thud.

Cheshire mocked her with a robotic cackle. "Missed me! Anyway, you look terrible. You should probably wash up before you start smelling like a wet dog. Or, in this case, a wet cat."

He vanished with a pop before Karina could throw anything else.

She let out a frustrated scream into her hands, but Cheshire was right. She felt disgusting.

Thankfully, the innkeeper had already prepared a massive wooden tub in the corner of the room, filled with steaming hot water that smelled faintly of pine needles and lavender. It wasn’t the luxurious marble bath of the Imperial Palace, but right now, it looked like the Holy Grail.

Karina didn’t waste a second. She peeled off her ruined, mud-caked emerald gown, kicking it into the corner of the room. She undid her corset, slipping out of her undergarments until she was completely bare, shivering as the cool evening air hit her skin.

She stepped into the tub, letting out a long, shuddering sigh as the hot water enveloped her aching muscles. She grabbed a rough block of soap from the stool nearby and scrubbed. She scrubbed until her skin was pink, washing away the dirt, the sweat, and the sheer terror of the day. For a few blissful minutes, she closed her eyes, letting the steam clear her lungs and her mind.

Eventually, the water began to turn tepid. Karina reluctantly stood up, the water falling off her flawless porcelain skin. She wrung the excess water from her long, blood-red hair, feeling a thousand times lighter.

She reached out a hand toward the stool to grab a towel.

Her hand grasped empty air.

Karina blinked, wiping the steam from her eyes. The stool was empty. Panic flared in her chest as she quickly scanned the room.

There, sitting neatly folded on the edge of the massive four-poster bed across the room, was the fluffy white towel the innkeeper had brought up.

"Damn it," Karina muttered under her breath.

She looked at the door. It was locked. She was in her own private room. No one was going to come in.

Holding her breath, she stepped out of the wooden tub, her bare feet padding softly against the cold, creaky floorboards. She practically tiptoed across the room, completely naked, her skin glistening with water droplets in the dim candlelight. She reached the bed, her fingers just brushing the soft fabric of the towel.

Click.

The sound of the heavy iron door handle turning echoed through the silent room.

Karina froze.

The door swung open, the hinges groaning loudly.

Standing in the doorway, his massive frame completely filling the entrance, was Leonidas. He had washed the blood off his face, his raven hair damp and falling loose over his broad shoulders. He stepped into the room, his purple eyes filled with concern.

"Empress, are you alri—

The words died on his tongue.

Leonidas froze, his gaze locking onto Karina. He stood perfectly still, his breath catching audibly in his chest. His eyes slowly tracking over her dripping red hair, the elegant curve of her neck, and every single inch of her completely exposed, flawless body.

Time seemed to stop entirely. The silence in the room was deafening, save for the soft plop of a single drop of water falling from Karina’s wet hair and hitting the wooden floorboards.

"Uh oh!"

Cheshire’s robotic cackle echoed directly inside Karina’s skull, bouncing around her mind like a manic pinball. A translucent blue system screen violently flashed behind her eyes.

[SYSTEM ALERT: SCANDALOUS PLOT TWIST!]

[Target’s heart rate is spiking! Visual feast confirmed. Quick, host, strike a pose! We are hitting peak system progression!]

Karina’s brain snapped.

She snatched the towel from the edge of the bed, pressing it against her chest. It was a pathetic defense, it barely covered her torso, leaving her long, dripping legs completely bare to the cool air and his burning gaze.

Leonidas still hadn’t moved. He hadn’t even blinked. He looked like a man who had just been struck by a bolt of divine lightning, his jaw slightly slack, completely unable to tear his eyes away from her.

Panic and mortification exploded in Karina’s chest.

"GET OUT!!!!!!!!"