The house the Governor prepared for Lyselle and Shall had only one bed.

Lyselle discovered this absurd fact first. Soon after, Shall noticed too.

But his first reaction was to turn, leave the cabin, grab the Bronze Lantern, and say without looking back, "Please wait here. I'll go ask the Governor."

His speed left Lyselle speechless.

It was like she was some calamity. Shall wouldn't pass up any chance to run from her.

But how could Lyselle let him get his way?

Hmph. Trying to run?

The sorceress cast a Blink Spell.

She vanished inside the cabin. A soft breeze brushed past Shall. Lyselle stepped out of the wind.

"I know you're in a hurry," she said. "But don't be."

She lifted a hand and pointed at the sea of white outside.

"Even if you carry that Lantern and ignore the city's fog, you don't know the roads. Are you sure you can find the Governor?"

"Besides, I don't think splitting up is a good idea right now."

Lyselle's face turned serious.

She glanced at the Bronze Lantern in Shall's hand, then looked into the deep fog.

As expected, she saw nothing.

The fog veiled everything, washing the world almost pure white. Only a few nearby buildings bled through as blurry silhouettes. They stood in the mist, just one step from the cabin. Yet a few steps forward, and the fog felt like it would swallow the only thing here that wasn't them.

Then the whole world would hold only the two of them and endless fog.

Lyselle turned back, drew a quiet breath, and looked Shall in the eye.

"All of Lundeheim feels wrong. You feel it too. The so‑called Matriarch, the Nursery Chamber, the Governor, and this white fog in front of us..."

"It all reeks of strange. For safety, unless we have to, we'd better not split up."

Maybe she sounded reasonable. After a short silence, Shall nodded.

"Then come with me."

"?

Lyselle couldn't help throwing out a big question mark.

Seriously? Why are you so fixated on that riddle‑spitting Governor? Am I not cuter? What, sharing a bed with me would be a hardship?

Enough already.

I haven't complained. You're not allowed to.

Of course she wouldn't say that out loud. She'd talk him down, nicely and logically.

"Do you even remember the way to that church?" Lyselle raised a brow. "Aren't you afraid we'll get lost in the fog?"

Shall said nothing.

Just as she'd guessed, he didn't remember the route back to the Governor's church.

The fog was too thick. Anyone wading through it would struggle to keep their bearings, much less recall a road.

He'd give up now, right?

To her surprise, Shall still wouldn't.

"I don't remember the road," he said. "But you probably do. If not, you can probe with magic."

Lyselle clicked her tongue, folded her arms, and gave him a sideways look.

"I suggest you drop it. I already tried. I don't know why, but my mana won't pierce the fog. It doesn't stop me from casting, but clearly this fog—or the one behind it—doesn't want us to learn the truth."

She paused, then finally asked, suspicious:

"Putting that aside for a moment—Shall, why do I feel like you're trying to distance yourself from me?"

She'd faintly felt it since she'd approached him as a sorceress and not as a priestess. Now his scheme to find Fawena and swap rooms pushed it to a peak.

Lyselle gave Shall a dark look.

He seemed to have made up his mind. At last he said,

"I think you and I should keep a certain distance."

"...Huh?"

"Because you're not married yet." He finished, then quickly added with a stiff face, "Of course, if you were married, we should be even more distant."

"Because I already have someone I love. She's... not by my side right now. But she'll return one day. And if an unmarried young lady stays too close to someone like me, gossip will start. It could stain your name..."

"So for my sake and yours, I think we'd better keep some distance."

His tone was humble and careful, almost apologetic. He sounded afraid of offending her. But Lyselle understood. This was his line in the sand, not to be crossed. She saw a hard glint in his eyes.

It was just too weird.

Lyselle bit her lip on reflex.

Suddenly the pure little virgin in front of her felt like a single father, divorced and struggling with a kid.

And her?

If she mapped it onto their delicate status, she became the bad boss lady. The one who lusted after a widower and harassed him at work.

Sir, you wouldn't want your child to grow up without a mother's love, would you?

She almost fed him that bizarre line.

Honestly, she was torn between a laugh and a sigh.

How did this even happen? Some people haven't married, haven't even defined a relationship, and they're already living like widows.

Still, teasing little widows is her favorite hobby—widowers work too.

The finest amusements in this world are to make the pure fall, break the proud, and drive the devout to sin.

Lyselle figured if she teased Shall now, he might give her a very interesting look.

But in the end, she didn't.

She only tilted her head, noncommittal, and said,

"Then what about tonight?"

After a brief pause, she added,

"Neither of us remembers the way back to that church. We can't go find Fawena for another room. And with this fog, we shouldn't split—so besides spending the night in this cabin with me, where can you go?"

Lyselle nearly burst out laughing as she spoke.

She felt like she was strong‑arming a decent man into indecency.

Of course, she felt zero guilt. She was downright pleased, with a harvest‑time thrill humming through her.

She even wanted to lean to Shall's ear, once he was forced to share a room, and croon,

"Brother, brother~ If your dead beloved learns we slept together tonight, will she be mad~?"

She couldn't wait to see his face then.

Honestly, she couldn't wait to see his face now.

What she didn't expect was the relief that flashed across his face the moment she asked.

He'd already picked his answer.

"You can take the room. I'm not that sleepy. And like you said, who knows what the night in Lundeheim will bring. I'll keep watch."

"...Huh?" Lyselle blinked. "Keep watch?"

"Mm." Shall nodded, deadly serious. "So you sleep. I'll stand guard."

He finished and sat down right there before she could react. He set the Bronze Lantern in front of him.

The Lantern shed a soft, tranquil orange glow, dutifully pushing the fog back. Shall closed his eyes like a meditating monk and kept watch at the cabin door.

"?

Another question mark popped up over Lyselle's head.

Am I really that unwelcome to you? Like I'm poison?

Does sleeping with me feel like prison?

So the moment you found a way out of sharing a room with me, you felt pardoned.

She could almost see his back shouting at her, Farewell, prison!

She was very not amused. Yet she couldn't do much to him. Maybe because he'd just sworn loyalty to Priestess Lyselle.

He’d be loyal to Priestess Lyselle forever, and draw a clear line from Sorceress Lyselle because of it.

Weird, isn't it?

So she was both annoyed with the Champion in front of her and unwilling to actually hit him hard.

Caught in that mixed mood, the sorceress only gave a cold snort, a warning shot, then ignored the Champion and turned back into the cabin.

If Shall wanted to keep watch, Lyselle wouldn't keep throwing warmth at a cold shoulder.

Her kindness wasn't that cheap. Since he wouldn't come in and make a bed on the floor, let him freeze alone in the fog.

Some people are truly idiots, she thought after lying down. Don't even know to beg me to start a fire. So dumb.

Of course, even if he begged, she wouldn't light one for him.

Some people deserve to clutch their dead beloved and drown in the fog of Lundeheim's streets.

With that thought, Lyselle pulled up the quilt, closed her eyes, and forced herself to stop the nonsense.

They still had to investigate Lundeheim tomorrow. She needed rest.

So under the Champion's watch, the sorceress drifted into sleep.

She hadn't slept long when, in her dreams, someone started calling her name. Loudly.

Her drowsiness vanished. She opened her eyes on reflex, ready to curse whoever ruined her nap.

Then she saw Shall.

"Wake up!" the Champion said, face stern. "The fog is gone!"

To be continued.