Several villages dotted our path to the border, allowing me to snuggle up with Olivia on numerous occasions. Such cuddling, of course, led to uncontrollable, endless sex.
What’s that? You’re worried my wild urges put too much strain on my wife-to-be? Well you see, to break the curse on her, we had to be deeply emotionally connected when the time came, so such preparation was necessary. Come again? Sex isn’t the only way to connect with someone?
Well, we were young, and young people are horny, so there you have it.
Thankfully, with my inventory magic, it wasn’t much of an issue setting up camp for the two of us each night, and since I also had the ability to seal out people and monsters, it was, I assure you, quite safe.
That said, accidents do happen when traveling. One day, a glorious, sun-
soaked morning left us walking with a carefree spring in our step, but shortly after noon the sky grew dark and rain began to fall.
Likely built out in preparation for the expected flow of resources for the development plan, the road to the border was broad and easy to walk on.
However, it seemed they had anticipated most of their traffic to consist of covered carriages, as there were no roofed buildings to take shelter under.
One would expect such a well-traveled road to have places for travelers to stop and rest, but there we were, left completely unable to find one as the rain seeped into our clothes.
“Shame. I’d hate to walk in the rain, but I don’t know any hole-digging magic or anything.”
There was a certain charm to the thought of producing the umbrella from my inventory and walking arm-in-arm, but while such an idea might be appropriate in the city, it didn’t seem like the best approach for proceeding along this earthen road.
“Lord Chris, you’re going to get wet if you tilt the umbrella this way.”
“As a man, I worry less for my own well-being than I do for yours. I wouldn’t want you catching a cold.”
With how strong the rain was, umbrella or no, we were certain to get wet.
I wrapped my free hand around Olivia’s waist, pulling her closer to me such that I could feel her body’s warmth. Admittedly, walking became more difficult, but you see, the umbrella was only made for one person. I was absolutely not merely looking for an excuse to enjoy the feeling of her chest pressed up against me.
Had there been any large trees, we could have taken shelter under them, but our surroundings were an endless stretch of meadow. We could set up the tent and stop for the day, but I preferred to have dry ground to start a fire on.
As we trudged along the soaked, muddy road, we strained our eyes in search of a place to take shelter. Eventually, a plain cabin, apparently intended for workers to use during their breaks, came into view.
“Splendid! We can take shelter in that cabin.”
Umbrella still in hand, I hurried the two of us over to shelter. The building, made for the laborers who worked on the roads to rest and sleep, was surprisingly well made. When I opened a window, I found that there was even a well dug outside. However, it was a little dusty, presumably because nobody had stopped by for some time. I sent a gust of wind sailing through
the cabin, scattering the dust and brushing it out the window. Then I lit a lamp, revealing a simple bed and a small hearth.
“All right, this will do nicely. I say we stay here tonight. Shall we start a fire and dry our clothes?”
“Are you sure it’s acceptable for us to stay here? Won’t we startle the owners?”
Hm? Oh, I guess a highborn girl wouldn’t know about mountain and roadside cabins.
“Cabins like these are okay for travelers to use. It was built for people like road maintenance workers and hunters to rest in, but nobody minds if others use them for shelter or a one-night stay. But you can’t get too comfortable, because sometimes bandits will gather in them.”
Though visitors were free to use the furnishings inside the cabin, it was considered good manners to spruce up the place and to leave something useful behind, such as preserved food, towels, or old clothes.
I decided to leave a pelt. I’d made some mistakes in tanning it, so I wouldn’t be able to sell it anyway, but it would make a serviceable blanket for anyone who forgot to bring one. I’d slain and skinned a fifteen-foot-tall killer weasel to get it, but no matter.
Now that we’d gone over the room etiquette and started a fire, we tugged off our dripping-wet clothing and set it out to dry by the hearth. We then wiped ourselves with towels and changed into dry clothes, finally reaching some level of comfort. Perhaps, I thought to myself, I ought to put some tea on.
“Achoo! Excuse me.”
“Bless you. Did you catch cold while we were out in the rain? I’ll go start a bath, so you just sit down for now.”
“Oh, I’m all right. A little chill won’t—Achoo!”
She didn’t sound all right to me. When I gave Olivia my blanket, I registered again that she was wearing my clothes. Given how loosely they sat on her, it was no surprise that she was cold.
“I’ll just sit by the fire. I have this blanket besides, so—Achoo!”
I pressed my forehead to hers. Hmm. She didn’t have a fever, but nonetheless, she was clearly grappling with the beginnings of a cold. Though she’d been putting a brave face on it for days, Olivia was suffering from the built-up fatigue of our travels. I was ashamed I hadn’t noticed already.
But more importantly, what to do about it? She was already wearing the smallest clothes I had, and I had no more spares to let her layer up. And of course, I didn’t just carry around women’s clothing. In rural areas like those we’d passed through, clothes and fabric were scarce and expensive, and I mistakenly decided that we could wait to buy her better-fitting clothes until we made it to the city. To make matters worse, I had given the hunters’ hand-me-down fur clothing to some village kids we’d found. Warm furs were vital for living in the cold mountains, but I thought we would look out of place in the city, so I thought to hand them on to someone who could use them. Now that was a mistake.
Perhaps there were more suitable clothes in the cabin? I looked around and eventually discovered innerwear that was just the right size for Olivia.
The white, short-sleeved shirt was made from a soft, flexible material and bore some pattern on the chest that appeared to be foreign letters. The rounded, letter-like pattern was rather cute. The navy blue panties were elastic, making them easy to wear even if the sizing was off. Judging by touch, it seemed to be very high-quality material.
It didn’t smell musty at all, so I assumed the underwear to be clean. How strange. From what I could see, both were new and of quality material. Why had they been left in the cabin? Though I had my doubts, I decided the need outweighed the concern, and I handed the clothes to Olivia, which she then put on.
“Mm… It’s tight around the chest, but with another layer on I shall be much warmer.”
The sight of Olivia in those undergarments drove me mad with excitement. The shirt drew attention to her magnificent chest, and the panties hugged her skin, showing off her butt in its full glory. Why, it was even more erotic than seeing her fully naked. The desire to conquer my freshly-clothed fiancée flared to life in my mind, but I fought it down. I was no inconsiderate brute, to make an advance upon my partner when she suffered from a cold.
“Come over here, Olivia. Let’s get under the blanket and call it a night.”
“Yes, Lord Chris. Achoo!”
Snuggled together under the blanket, we chatted about nothing and ate some leftover stew which I produced from my inventory, and then, comforted by the patter of rain on the roof and the crackle of the warm fire, we fell asleep together.