Chapter 14: Aphrodisiacs
Soleia expected her night to go poorly, but just when she thought her expectations could sink no lower, whatever deity above had decided to prove her wrong.
In what seemed like mere minutes after Lily and Soleia had tried to make themselves comfortable on the tiny mattress, the flimsy window pane shattered without warning, causing glass shards to rain over their heads.
"Oh dear!" Lily shrieked. "Your Highness, don't move, I'll pick up the shards first!"
Soleia shook her head free of the fragments like a wet dog, and then she sneezed like one too. With the broken window, the icy wind and snow had no qualms about rushing in, plunging their already cold room into freezing temperatures.
"Don't toss the shards away, I might be able to use them in the future," Soleia said through a sniffle. Lily shot her a helpless look, but together they proceeded to salvage what they could. But since Soleia couldn't do magic, she couldn't fix the window pane, nor could she generate warmth on her own.
Instead, Soleia could only huddle closer together with Lily on the thin mattress, shivering like drowned rats. The wind showed no signs of abating, and Soleia was worried that a snowstorm would be on the way.
"Your Highness..." Lily sneezed pathetically. "We can't go on like this! Let's go and ask Sir Byrone for help!"
Soleia shook her head. "Let's find some other room first. I refuse to believe we can't find another one to stay in!"
They left their room and made their way through the depressingly grim servants' quarters. There was only one room with candlelight, and that belonged to Jerome. Soleia made sure he had a working bed with thick blankets, but she would rather perish than kick him out and deprive him of a good night's rest, even if Jerome was willing to accept it.