Morning came quickly and filled Yunho's room with soft, blue light. He yawned as he stressed on the inn's bed. The youth slowly descended from the mattress and slightly recoiled as his bare feet hit the cold ground. Why didn't he think of getting slippers for his trip to the North?
Yunho gritted his teeth and bore it. After a while, he got used to the floor's temperature. He sighed and stretched. The light from the windows behind him basked him in the gentle rays of early morning. Yunho was thinking of leaving the room himself when he heard three, firm knocks at the door.
"Young master, are you awake? We have to depart in an hour," an older female voice called out from behind the door. It was Marella.
Yunho smiled and made his way to the door with a few yelps on the way. The floor was so cold! He reminded himself to wear socks to bed next time. Yunho opened the door. There stood Marella. She was already dressed and presumably freshened up. Yunho knew all the servants woke up hours before he did, probably even before the sun came up.
"Good that you're already awake, young master. There's a bathhouse beside this inn. Mr. Rizer gave me these coins to give you, so you could rent a private bath there," Marella rummaged in her dress's pocket and brought out six bronze coins. She placed them into Yunho's palm.
Yunho quickly thanked the woman but noticed something curious about her words.
"Thank you, Marella, but who is Mr.Rizer?" Yunho asked, holding the coins in his smooth palm.
The maid made a confused expression before chuckling.
"Mr.Rizer, well Rizer to you, is the butler. Did he never tell you his name?" Marella replied.
Yunho was surprised, and his face turned a hue of pink. The butler, well Rizer, had most likely told Iris his name, but Yunho didn't know it. He hadn't even ever thought about it either. Yunho rubbed the back of his neck.
"Oh, he probably did. I just forgot," Yunho said, feeling awkward. The butler had helped quite a bit after his transmigration to this world, not like the old man knew all that, but Yunho didn't even care to ask his name!
Marella took her leave after that, going down the inn's hall back to her room.
Yunho went back inside his room, grabbing a change of clothes and a coat before going down to the bathhouse.
---
The rented bathplace in the bathhouse was a sizable room with a large pool of water in the middle of it. The renting of the bathhouse went without a hitch. He gave the bathhouse's attendant the money, and the attendant gave him the keys to a private bath and a basket to keep his spare clothes.
Yunho walked along the edge of the pool. He could feel the warmth from the body of water and the steam that filled the room. He placed the basket beside the pool and stripped himself of his clothes. The warmth enveloped his body, making him feel at peace.
Yunho dipped himself inside the pool and sighed out of relief. The water was clear and was just warm enough to relieve himself of the cold but not enough to be muggy. The youth reached for the soaps kept beside the pool and lathered himself down, then rinsed himself down.
After he bathed, Yunho came out of the pool. Droplets slid down the youth's smooth, white skin, and his wet, silver hair stuck to his forehead and neck. Yunho's and Iris' bodies were quite similar, so Yunho didn't feel too dysphoric. He wasn't quite used to his skin being so smooth and unmarred though. Yunho's original body had a few scars and sun spots on his arms and legs and a certain weakness to it from sickness.
Yunho reached for a towel and dried himself off, then slipped inside his change of clothes. Yunho wrapped himself back into his jacket and left the private bath, holding the clothes he changed out of in his arms. After giving the bathhouse attendant the key, he left the bathhouse. He shivered as his still-moist skin was met with the chilly air.
He walked to the nearby inn and pushed the front door open. The clerk from yesterday was still sitting at the front desk. He was reading a newspaper and drinking a cup of tea. He paid no mind to Yunho as he went upstairs back to his room.
Yunho pushed open his room door and plopped down on the bed. There seemed to still be time before they had to leave, so Yunho decided to rest for a moment. Only a second or two…
Yunho was awoken by a knock on the door. He sat up on the bed and rubbed off a dribble that had leaked down in his sleep. Wait…how long had he slept? Yunho groaned. He only meant to rest his eyes for a moment.
"Young master, are you there? I didn't want to interrupt, but the coachmen were ready to go. The carriages are already loaded up," A voice said from behind the door. It was a young female's voice, probably another maid.
"Don't worry. It's fine. I'm coming right now," Yunho replied. He got up and opened the door. A brunette maid stood in the doorway. She looked nervous as she met eyes with Yunho and quickly took her leave.
Were the servants still that afraid of Iris?
Yunho watched the girl scamper down the hallway. She, soon, was out of sight, and Yunho was alone in the hallway. He sighed and made his way out of the inn to the carriages now stationed in the front.
---
Yunho sat in the carriage, tightening his hold on his jacket. The carriage rolled on and on. The sound of the wheels was rhythmic and reverbed in the carriage. Yunho rubbed his hands together, the deft fingertips red.
He looked out the carriage's window. He could see the delicate frosted flakes of snow falling to the already covered ground. He felt the chill on his cheeks and quickly backed from the window.
"Is young master too cold? We can stop to get another jacket out of your luggage," the butler said.
"No, I'm alright...Rizer," Yunho replied, the name feeling foreign on his tongue.
The butler still looked worried but dropped the matter. The youth in front of him was ruddy from the cold but also had a look of determination in his clear, icy eyes.
The carriage continued on its journey until it halted after what seemed like several hours.
Yunho thought they were only stopping for a bit, but then, he heard the coachman's words:
"We're here!"
Yunho looked out the window. Lo and behold, there it was, the lodge.
Yunho's eyes widened. He thought it was going to be small?!
The lodge was three stories tall with some surrounding land. It was by itself on the plot, and there was a dense forest with stables behind it. It was far smaller than the estate, but still larger than the average house.
The group exited the carriages, and some servants worked on carrying all the luggage inside. Yunho was about to offer to carry his things, but the few servants he brought were already carting everything inside. Despite looking like delicate maids, they could probably lift more than Yunho could.
Not like that was a particularly hard feat with the terminal illness in his previous life and the pampered lifestyle in this one.
The coachmen drove the carriages and horses to the stables as everyone else went inside the lodge.
When Yunho went through the front entrance of the building, he was greeted by a woodsy smell and interior. It reminded him of the snow cabins he'd see advertised on the hospital television. The lodge was still more tasteful than those and also bore well against the cold.
The before quiet lodge was now filled with a lively atmosphere. Servants took luggage up the stairs, and everyone was exploring the new environment.
Yunho took a deep breath and looked at what would be his home for at least the next year. Living in a new world hadn't been remotely easy, but Yunho was filled with a new confidence.
He'd get through this. He'd learn more about what the author left off the pages. He'd change Iris's, no, his fate... And this was just the first step.
Yunho caught his reflection in the window...
The same silver-haired youth as always stares back at him.
Iris. Yunho. Was there any difference now...?
"Young master, there are multiple bedrooms upstairs. Young master should pick one, so we can place your things in there," a servant requested, coming up to him.
Yunho turned to her, shaking the unnecessary thoughts away. He smiled.
"Sure, I'll go choose one," Yunho replied, following the servant up the lodge's stairs.
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End of Chapter 11
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END OF EXPOSITION ARC