Orphan To Unbreakable Queen - Chapter 97: Chapter 97

As it turned out, it wasn't a joke after all.
As they stepped out of the Rose Garden, the snow was falling in thick, feathery flakes, blanketing the earth and sky in white. From the looks of it, this heavy snowfall showed no sign of letting up anytime soon.
Aubree stood outside the church gates, her face clouded with worry as the ceaseless snow fell. "Bowen," she asked anxiously, "is there no other way?"
She'd prefer to avoid being in the same room as Bowen, if possible.
Bowen stood under his umbrella, snowflakes dusting his shoulders. "I'll try to figure something out," he said. "Let's head back to the church for now. It's freezing out here."
Bowen made a call. Meeting Aubree's hopeful gaze, he could only shake his head. "The snow's coming down too hard. All the mountain roads are blocked. It's just too dangerous to try heading down now."
Aubree's face immediately fell, but she wasn't the type to make a fuss. Once it was clear they couldn't go down the mountain, she accepted it with a wry sense of humor. "At least it's winter, and I don't have to worry about changing clothes at night. If it were summer, that'd be much more awkward," she remarked, trying to look on the bright side.
A priest approached and said respectfully, "Mr. Turner, the pastor asked me to let you know that the roads are dangerously slippery because of the snow, so it's not safe to go down the mountain. The guest quarters we previously prepared for your father are still available and have been kept clean. Please stay overnight tonight."
"Okay, thank you for your trouble," Bowen replied respectfully.
The priest said, "You two may rest in the church for now. I'll come to invite you for the evening meal later."
The church only served vegetarian meals. Aubree remembered Bowen mentioning how famous their dishes were. She hadn't expected to try them so soon.
Bowen wasn't lying. The food had a unique flavor.
The priests went to their evening prayers after eating, leaving Bowen and Aubree alone.
Bowen fetched some warm water for the two of them to wash up.
With poor cell reception up in the mountains and heavy snowfall, they could barely make phone calls, let alone online gaming. With no real entertainment options, sleep was pretty much the only activity left.
Being a guest, Aubree avoided wandering off and instead followed Bowen back to the courtyard.
To call it a "courtyard" was generous. The truth was, it was just a single room with a patch of open ground and a stone table.
"Come in," Bowen said, pushing open the door. The mountain air was biting cold, and the priests lived a simple life, without heating or air conditioning, except in this guest room. The priests here had kindly turned on the air conditioning ahead of time for their guests.
As Aubree stepped inside, warm air enveloped her. The chill from the snowstorm soon melted away.
However, the room was small. Apart from a single table, there was just a bed pushed flush against the wall.
Aubree had considered sleeping on the floor, but now she had to abandon that idea. After all, sleeping outside in the snow wasn't an option.
Aubree stared at the room for a long moment, her gaze conflicted. Standing beside her, a subtle, knowing smile played on Bowen's lips.
Bowen said, "I'll go ask them for another quilt."
As soon as Bowen stepped out, Aubree started fidgeting nervously in the room. 'The bed looks only a bit bigger than a regular twin, barely enough for Bowen, a tall grown man, to sleep on. With me added in, crowding isn't even the main concern. But physical contact will be downright unavoidable.'
The priest handing the quilt to Bowen was fairly young and seemed familiar with him.
"I thought one quilt would suffice for you, Mr. Turner," the priest remarked with a teasing smile.
Bowen chuckled and said, "Still working on winning over her."
The young priest smiled and said, "Miss Miller has bright, intelligent eyes and a genuinely kind heart. She's truly blessed. Mr. Turner, if you and Miss Miller should form an attachment, you must treat her with the utmost care."
"Of course I will," Bowen replied.
Bowen walked back into the room, carrying a quilt. Aubree was still frowning, agonizing over how they would sleep that night. Seeing him return, she quickly stepped forward to take the quilt from him. "Bowen, let me handle it," she said.
With deliberate slowness, she straightened the bedding, yet even dawdling had its limits.
Bowen knew what was troubling her. With an amused smile, he stood by, making no move to hurry her as she fussed with the bedding.
Then he said calmly, "You should take the inside by the wall tonight. The bed's a bit narrow. Wouldn't want you to fall off." His face was the picture of composure, as if he didn't have a single ulterior thought.
Aubree sat on the edge of the bed, nervously fiddling with her fingers. "I'm not sleepy yet. I think I'll go to bed a bit later," she said.
Bowen didn't insist. Instead, he quietly began straightening the bedding himself. Before long, his phone rang. It was from Hugh, the family butler.
"Hello?" Bowen answered as he settled onto the bed.
"Bowen, when are you coming back tonight?" In Ellis Heights, Hugh glanced at the beautiful, doll-like girl on the sofa and felt troubled. 'This girl's brother is truly unreliable. How could he leave her here like this?' he thought.
Isla, sitting on the sofa, seemed to notice Hugh's gaze. She looked up with a sweet smile and asked, "Mr. Watson, when is Bowen coming back?"
Hugh rubbed his temples in frustration. He couldn't understand a word of Odionlandian, and the little girl's chattering might as well have been gibberish to him.
"I brought Aubree to Gracefield Church to fulfill my father's vow,' Bowen said. "The snow has blocked the roads, and I don't think I'll make it back tonight. Did something happen at home?"
Hugh frowned and said, "Bowen, your foreign friend said he had to go back to Odionland, but his younger sister wanted to stay. He asked you to look after her. He came to look for you but couldn't find you, so he just left his sister here.
"Carol and I don't understand a word of Odionlandian. What are we supposed to do?"
Bowen frowned for a moment, then seemed to have an idea and chuckled. "Hugh, go get Alvin and have him entertain our guest."
Hugh hesitated, his expression uncertain. 'Is it okay to call Alvin over?' he wondered.
Whether Alvin would come was another matter. At that time, the bed was already ready in the church courtyard.
Aubree tried to keep herself busy, stubbornly scrolling through her phone despite the terrible signal. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Bowen taking off his coat, and from the looks of it, he was about to shed more layers.
Aubree was instantly scared straight. "Bowen, what are you doing?" she blurted out.
"To get undressed for bed, obviously," Bowen replied matter-of-factly. "There's nothing much to do up here in the mountains, so we might as well turn in early, rest up, and see if we can make it down tomorrow."
Well, I guess that makes sense, but isn't this moving a little too fast?' Aubree thought and bit her lower lip. 'Honestly, it's not that I'm being dramatic. Anyone would feel awkward sharing a room with a guy she barely knew.'
"Are you getting sleepy?" Aubree asked.
"Kind of," Bowen replied, tilting his head at her. "Just do your thing, don't worry about me."
Hey, that's not the point,' Aubree thought frantically. She grew restless, unable to decide whether to sit or stand.
Bowen watched her agitation, a faint, knowing smile playing in his eyes as he feigned ignorance. He removed his outer garments, remaining in his shirt and pants, and lay down on the outer side of the bed.
Just as Aubree was still hesitating, a voice called out from outside the window, "Miss Miller, Mr. Turner, are you still awake?"
From the sound of it, it was the same priest who had arranged for them to stay.
"Yeah, is there something?" Aubree asked.
"No, nothing. The pastor was a bit concerned and sent me to check on you. I noticed your lights were still on, so I thought I'd come by and see if you needed anything. If there's anything you need, just let me know," said the priest.
"Nothing needed. We're turning in now," Aubree replied.
Not wanting to trouble the priests, she reluctantly switched off the light.
With the lights out, Aubree felt even more flustered.
Come on,' Aubree thought to herself. 'Bowen won't do anything inappropriate. We're not even under the same blanket, so what am I so nervous about?'
With a resigned sigh, Aubree took off her outerwear and shoes, then slipped into the inner side of the bed.
Bowen kept his eyes closed. It was only after a while that he sensed Aubree quietly slipping into bed.