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.
Of course, sharing such a small room was out of the question, unless they wished to stack on top of each other like a pack of playing cards.
Soleia and Lily continued their search with dismay. It seemed like Sir Byrone had not been lying when he claimed he had commandeered the best room for them.
The other rooms either lacked working doors or boasted similarly broken windows. Some had an infestation of mice that squeaked a welcome symphony, while others had spiders and all sorts of bugs for tenants. All of them were dusty, and all of them were freezing cold.
"Princess…" Lily said, worriedly glancing at Soleia. "Maybe there will be a guest room available in the main wing?"
"Unlikely," Soleia said with a sigh. "Lucinda and the others have laid claim to all the other rooms."
"Please, Princess," Lily all but begged. "You can't return to the servants' quarters. Or else…"
Or else, their cold, frozen bodies would be thrown out come morning into the woods for the thornhounds to feed on as a nice wintry treat.
Soleia could only sigh. They could keep warm and survive for one night, maybe miraculously two, but not forever. There was no other choice. Whatever scandals they might get caught up in, at least they would be alive still.
"Go back and gather our things, Lily," Soleia instructed. "I'll search for Sir Byrone."
Lily immediately enthusiastically nodded, dashing off in the direction of their tattered quarters, nearly slipping in her haste. Soleia could only watch her disappearing figure with a shake of her head. Her maid would've lived a much better life if she remained in the palace, serving one of Soleia's other sisters.
With Lily gone to pack their belongings, Soleia marched back into the main building, peering left and right in search of Ralph Byrone. She vaguely recalled him mentioning staying in an annex separated from the main wing, but still within the estate's compounds and wondered if she would be able to find him there.
Based purely on the memory of Jerome's tour when she first arrived, Soleia headed in that direction. However, before she could even exit the winding veranda, she heard a thump coming from a corner and veered her head to look.
Her eyes widened with alarm.
"Sir Byrone!"
The man was slumped against one of the benches, his upper body leaned against the cold stone. Upon closer inspection once Soleia neared, she realized that his buttons had been pulled open, revealing the skin beneath the fabric. He was pressed flush against the smooth surface, his cheeks slightly red, possibly tinged pink because of the cold air around him.
"Sir Byrone, are you alright?" she asked, kneeling beside him to have a better look.
His breathing was haggard and his eyes were shut. But the moment he heard Soleia's voice, his eyes cracked open. They widened significantly when he realized who was in front of him, and he pushed Soleia away.
She moved back slightly, but not enough to make a big difference. He hadn't put strength into that push― but it seemed more like he couldn't, rather than he didn't want to.
"Your Highness…" Ralph said breathily, struggling. "Please… stay away."
"You're burning up!" Soleia said, shuffling closer to help him up. He gasped when her fingers accidentally brushed against his skin, shivering. "What happened?"
"Aphrodisiac," was all he said, but it was enough to cause Soleia's eyes to widen with realization. That would explain why he had torn open his clothes― his entire body was burning up from within!
"I… Is there a cure?" Soleia asked, pushing a hand through her hair to comb it back in frustration. She looked back and forth. What was she even saying? Of course there was a cure― just that it wasn't something she could give.
"Unless you would like to risk your namesake for me, I don't think giving me the cure is a good idea, Princess," Ralph weakly said, trying to smile but pain seeped through every curve of his lips.
He suddenly shut his eyes, bracing his weight against the edge of the bench in an attempt to push himself up.
"The snow," he said, his voice breathy. A puff of white smoke emerged from his lips as he breathed out. "It should be able to cool me down. Enough to tide by."
However, Ralph hadn't the energy to stand properly. Whatever aphrodisiac he had been given, it had rendered his limbs weak and limp. Topped with the fact that he had been sitting on the floor for a long while, he lost his balance as soon as he got to his feet. If it hadn't been for Soleia's quick thinking, he would've slammed his knees against the stone.
"Careful!" she cried out, bracing his upper arm to offer some form of support. He nodded at her in thanks, and just like that, she supported him all the way down the veranda.
They were almost out in the open area when a particularly strong gust of wind blew over. Soleia shut her eyes in reflex, and a misstep forward quickly sent the two of them toppling onto the floor.
Instead of the rough stone against the palm of her hands, her fall was cushioned. Soleia hissed in pain, and when she tried to move, her hands brushed against something particularly hard, eliciting a groan from beneath her.
Her eyes immediately shot open, but to her horror, before she could scramble back up to her feet, a screech tore through the night.
"The scandal!"