"Are you sure, you are okay?" The flaxen haired prince asked for the umpteenth time. His breath misted as he spoke.
"If…if you ask me…if… if I am already o…okay…which… which means I….I….am… am no longer dying due to near drowning… then I am..." Her teeth chattered as she muttered.
Although they were already out of the water, it seemed that the girl felt really cold. The prince frowned and moved even closer.
"Ho…However, I…I might die due to em… embarrassment, Your highness!" She stuttered while trying to move away. However, Briar did not allow her to get away from him.
"This ….is…is entirely im…improper!" She added under her breath while hiding her flustered face.
"We… we are so….so close in proximity and we aren't dressed well." She added in a muffled voice.
A grin spread on the prince's face as he embraced her tightly. "Embarrassment is the last thing we have to think about. I need to keep you warm or you'll suffer hypothermia."
When he noticed that she was still shaking, he adjusted the blanket that they were sharing and held her close. He also combed her hair soothingly as if he was trying to pacify her.
The two of them had to get out of their wet clothes and share a blanket which was the only thing Atropa was able to summon out of her dimensional closet.
It was quite unfortunate that she was not able to bring extra clothes amongst other things. But since the prince was used to traveling, it was quite lucky that he had a few spares.
Briar had lent her one of his shirts which was a bit big for her. Instead of a shirt, the button down looked more like a dress on her small frame.
He also made use of his spare coat as their temporary beddings and his other clothing were made into makeshift pillows.
"If you had just allowed me to cast spells, we could be warm enough without getting embarrassed like this." She muttered while burrowing herself inside the blanket.
For some reasons, her chills had subsided a little and Atropa could talk normally. But she was still trembling.
Briar's brows creased. "Don't be ridiculous." He knew that the girl could easily remedy their predicament if she cast spells, however he wouldn't allow her to take such risks.
"Your mana has been depleted and you had been exhausted due to almost drowning. If you have cast another spell, there is a high chance that you'll pass out or die." He reasoned out.
"Even just creating that small bon fire had already taken its toll on you." He said while trying to keep her warm so that she would stop shivering.
The girl simply kept silent. She knew that the prince is right. She had launched a small fire ball to start that bon fire earlier and it had her quite weakened.
But the girl did not regret producing a bon fire to warm them up. Although, the heat was not enough, it was much better than simply freezing to death.
Truth be told. She could still manage to cast a few more spells but that would be pushing her to her limits.
The prince sighed, misty cloud formed as he exhaled. "It seemed that you had already stopped shivering. It would be great if the temperature will no longer drop."
Since they were inside the dungeon, they could not tell the exact time. But for sure, with the way things are, it is most likely that it was at the dead of the night.
The air was getting a bit chillier on that part of the dungeon. Being near a water fall does not really help their situation. But they did not have any choice.
They were weakened due to the fights and the unexpected evening swim earlier.
In order to keep themselves warm and survive the rest of the night, Briar suggested to share body heat under the layers of blanket that they have.
Of course, Atropa refused at first, but the prince wouldn't take a no. Considering that the girl was already trembling like a leaf.
They were able to encamp for the night. Just a few hours rest may be enough for Briar who was used to traveling but it may not be the case for Atropa.
He did a little surveillance around the area and set up a barrier so they are considerably safe for the time being.
"I am sorry for being a hindrance…" she muttered after awhile.
"Why are you apologizing?" baffled, he asked while trying to discern her face. But since she hid from him he couldn't tell her expression.
"Because I am getting in the way."
"Well, if you haven't accompanied me, I might have died while navigating this place." Briar said as he soothingly combed her hair. He noticed that she was no longer that cold.
"But still… I made a huge blunder. I should have been more careful. I am putting his highness life in danger." She sulked.
He sighed and lifted her chin. He then looked at her eyes. "Atropa, it is not that of a big deal. You have helped me more than getting in my way."
"Besides if you are in trouble, I would be there to help you. I had promised to keep you safe, didn't I?" he uttered in a serious tone.
"You did." she quietly said.
"The things that you do is making me reluctant to kill you. You make me waver from my resolve for revenge." She added in a quiet whisper that the prince was not able to hear.
Changing the topic, the prince muttered. "I wonder, where we are…"
"It won't be easy to tell. The dungeon seemed to be vast. Although, we were in Marjoram, we got transported with a pentagram so it will be hard to guess, where we have been teleported to." she yawned.
"You are sleepy. We really needed to rest." Briar said as he snuggled close to the girl. She must have gotten over her embarrassment since she no longer gave any protest.
"I will try to know our coordinates tomorrow once I recover my mana." The girl muttered before finally allowing her consciousness to slip away.