Previously
A severe 'Snow Squall' traps the household indoors for ten days, during which Jeanne and Ana bond over roasted potatoes and apples by the fire. Jeanne realizes the isolation of a northern winter and discovers she has gained weight from the sedentary lifestyle and rich snacks.
‘Ha….’
Looking at it generously, one might say I had grown… voluptuous. Court ladies mocked and insulted Madame de Ventadour’s figure, yet secretly strove to imitate it. Stuffing oneself with food and strictly curtailing all movement had become the latest court craze.
However, I had no chance of becoming the King's mistress, nor any desire to be one. What was more, gaining weight like this posed a practical problem.
‘At this rate, I won't fit into any of my clothes.’
It meant I would have to replace the entire winter wardrobe I had just bought. Even at court, I had rotated through only five gowns, all bought at great expense before my entry into the palace. Clothes made by seamstresses and tailors were exorbitant luxuries, and I was in no position to waste coin replacing dresses with every shifting whim of fashion as court women did.
I had already spent a substantial sum on clothes here because each season brought completely different weather. To buy yet another set merely because my measurements had changed? Utterly out of the question.
‘I have to lose it.’
I squeezed the newfound softness clinging to my waist and made up my mind.
‘There is no other choice.’
What does one do to lose weight? The answer was simple: do the exact opposite of what brought it on. Eat less and move more.
* * *
Winter in the Skadi Territory was long, frigid, dark, and terribly dull. Whenever a snow squall set in, the residents had no choice but to bar the gates like a garrison under siege and wait until the blizzard blew itself out.
Because this cycle repeated throughout the entire season, everyone had their own method of passing the time. The maids gathered around hearths to sew quilts, bedcovers, and winter coats while trading gossip; the manservants sharpened and repaired farm tools; and the soldiers took a rare respite inside the barracks, quietly preparing for the summer’s campaigns.
This brutal season was also why the ducal residence boasted a library grand enough to rival a royal palace, and why Baldur, though a warrior, possessed the erudition and intellect of a scholar. When savage blizzards raged, there was nothing else to do but read.
Once winter took hold, Baldur chose a book from the library and spent his hours reading before the hearth in his study. In truth, winter was his favorite season. His study remained warm and snug, untouched even when the storm outside howled and clawed at the windowpanes.
Then, on a day when the heavy snow paused and a faint sun showed itself for the first time in ages, the situation changed. Though the snowfall had ceased, knee-deep drifts remained, and the wind scraped across the earth, kicking up a blinding ground blizzard. While the courtyard path had been cleared roughly for passage, it was by no means fit for a leisurely stroll—not unless one were an idiot longing to lose their ears, nose, fingers, and toes, or catch consumption.
And as the Duke sat idly reading, he caught sight of that very idiot. Glancing out the window, Baldur set his book upon the table and rubbed his eyes.
‘What is that? A bear?’
At first, he thought it was an actual bear that had wandered from the forest into the courtyard in search of food. If so, he had to drive it away at once for the household’s safety. But when he stepped closer to the glass to confirm—
‘Could it be…?’
The creature trudging through the whirling ground blizzard in the courtyard was not a black bear, but the tutor… draped in the bearskin hat and coat. Unconsciously, he pressed his hands and nose against the icy glass, staring out.
‘Has she lost her mind?’
He could not believe his own eyes.
‘What is that woman doing?’
The tutor continued her bizarre march around the courtyard for roughly thirty minutes before vanishing inside. The display was so far beyond anything he could fathom that the thought of stopping her never even crossed his mind. Even after she left, he remained completely baffled.
‘Is she truly mad?’
He could only conclude she had gone entirely out of her wits.
* * *
The black bear pelt was nothing short of miraculous. Fierce gusts whipped up crusted snow and lashed across my face like whips, stinging my cheeks, eyes, and nose until they went numb; but with the hat pulled snug over my ears, the long coat wrapped tight, and the fur-lined boots on my feet, every inch covered by the hide remained astonishingly warm. Even as sensation vanished from my exposed skin, the fresh air and open sky filled me with an exhilarating rush.
‘I can breathe again!’
Though the heavy coat and icy patches kept me from jogging, walking was perfectly manageable. I paced around the courtyard for as long as my stamina allowed. Moving my limbs with vigorous strides seemed to shake off the stiffness in my body and blow away the creeping lethargy.
‘Phew! I will do this again tomorrow!’
Before stepping back into the manor, I thoroughly shook the clinging snow from my coat and boots. Once the stroll ended, the piercing cold hit me all at once, shaking my whole body until my teeth chattered. Even so, it was a deeply satisfying outing. After brushing the damp coat and boots in my room, I jumped in place to warm my freezing limbs and stiff fingers when a knock rattled my door.
Opening the door, I found a young maid carrying a large tub typically used for drawing a bath. Steam billowed from the water, though it was hardly the hour for bathing.
I quickly took the tub from her, and the girl answered.
Though I was no longer shivering from the cold, the word ‘bath’ sent an icy dread creeping down my spine.
What terrifying demand was this?
I may have been an unwed maiden, but I was not entirely ignorant of the world. Catching sight of my expression, the maid wore a strange, knowing look, having apparently guessed the direction of my thoughts.
‘Could it really be? What on earth do I do if it is what I think?’
While the hot water thawed my frozen flesh, my heart turned to ice. Even immersed in the steaming tub, my body trembled uncontrollably. I lingered as long as I could, though if my suspicions proved true, delaying would solve nothing.
‘I never thought he was that kind of man.’
Along with my rising dread came an unmistakable sting of disappointment, as if I had harbored some grand expectation of him. Perhaps his aloofness had secretly brought me relief, reassuring me that he viewed me with no untoward intentions. Furthermore, Duke Baldur de Skadi was unmarried; at an age where he might have had several legitimate heirs, he had instead adopted his brother's daughter.
‘Yet in the end, he is just another man.’
Something felt as though it had shattered brittlely within my chest. I squeezed my eyes shut.
‘I cannot bear this. But does a rabbit's refusal ever stop a wolf from devouring it?’
…Had he been a mere employer, I would have packed my belongings and fled this very moment. But Baldur de Skadi was my guarantor lord, and I was an exile bound to his land. If escape was impossible… perhaps it was wiser to close my eyes and surrender, even if it meant weeping into my pillow for days to come.
Having finished the bath, I walked toward the study feeling like livestock led to the slaughterhouse.
“Have you lost your mind?”
The sight that met me was the Duke’s furious countenance.
He snarled the words with a grim scowl, sounding like a growling beast. It was none other than the Duke of Skadi directing such wrath at me. His utterly unexpected outrage made my heart freeze, and everything I had done that day vanished from my mind in a blank panic.
‘What did I even do?’
As I stood paralyzed with terror, he advanced toward me with flashing green eyes. When he drew near, I clamped my eyes shut.
‘Here it comes!’
he ordered.
At his sharp command, I hesitantly held out both hands. He glanced at me once, then cupped my hands inside his own. His hands were so massive and thick that mine looked like tiny mouse paws held in the grip of a bear. I shuddered as though trembling on a bee's wings.
‘At last!’
I braced myself, certain the inevitable was upon me. Instead, the Duke lowered his head to inspect every inch of my hands before letting go.