Chapter 7

The next morning, Zenjiro woke up in the guest room of the palace.

The first thing that caught Zenjiro's eyes as he woke up was the luxurious canopy of the bed.

For a moment, Zenjiro's body trembled at the unfamiliar scene, but after a while, he remembered where he had slept the night before and relaxed his shoulders.

"Ah, right. This is another world, isn't it?"

Zenjiro put his feet down from the bed, which seemed wider than his six-mat room at home.

He slipped into the slippers prepared for him and, as he walked around the spacious guest room, he realized he was unconsciously scratching his side with his right hand.

"Ouch, it itches. I must have been bitten by bugs all over. I kind of agreed to the marriage on a whim yesterday, but maybe I was a bit too hasty..."

Zenjiro muttered this belatedly.

Just by living for one day, Zenjiro had realized how much more inconvenient this world was compared to modern Japan.

The meals served for lunch and dinner were quite delicious, but the water and wine served with them were abnormally warm.

Zenjiro, who had a rather poor palate and couldn't even tell the difference between beer and sparkling wine, was the type of person who would assert that "sparkling wine is best when it's ice cold."

For such a Zenjiro, the fruit wine served at dinner was not only a matter of taste but also unbearably unpleasant due to its warmth.

Speaking of warmth, the temperature itself was also a problem. According to what Aura had told him yesterday, the Kingdom of Carp was much hotter compared to the Kanto region of Japan.

Even in the coldest season, people hardly wore long sleeves when walking around the city, and in the hottest season, the temperature would rise above body temperature, so people would huddle together in small spaces to "cool off" by sharing body heat.

Zenjiro recalled a similar story about the summer in India, his face slightly contorted.

There were no thermometers in this world, so he couldn't be sure, but he should probably prepare for a minimum winter temperature of around 20 degrees and a maximum summer temperature of 40 to 45 degrees.

Moreover, there were no air conditioners in this world. For Zenjiro, who was only familiar with the summers in Japan with air conditioning, this heat would be a formidable opponent.

In fact, he had a hard time sleeping last night due to the heat. It was not yet the height of summer, but Zenjiro had tossed and turned for at least an hour on the king-sized bed before falling asleep.

However, the discomfort wasn't just due to the heat. Another factor that disturbed his sleep was the bugs.

It seemed that this world had no such thing as window glass. Therefore, all the windows were wooden shutters, and they were all left open during the day to let in light. Naturally, bugs could come and go as they pleased.

The bed canopy seemed to serve as a mosquito net, but it couldn't keep all the bugs out.

As a result, when he woke up in the morning, Zenjiro found himself covered in bug bites all over his body.

But what frustrated Zenjiro even more than all these inconveniences was the inconvenience of the night.

Honestly, he never imagined that a night without electricity could be so inconvenient.

The dining room where he had dinner with Aura was illuminated by a large chandelier with many candles, but when walking down the corridors, he had to rely on the lantern carried by the maid leading the way.

In the room, there was only one lamp on the desk.

If he tried to read by that light, he would surely damage his eyes.

"People in the past went to bed early and woke up early, I get it. Because, no matter how you think about it, there's nothing to do at night except sleep."

Muttering complaints, Zenjiro finished changing.

He had already declined the "dressing assistance" from the maid, which is a common trope in palace and mansion stories.

Zenjiro's current attire consisted of loose pants tied at the waist with a cord and a loose, knee-length robe similar to a negligee.

This was said to be the most common nightwear for nobles, but Zenjiro's personal opinion after using it was that he would sleep much better in just a T-shirt and boxers. Not being a good sleeper to begin with, he had ended up with his shoulders pinned by the negligee after tossing and turning multiple times.

After all, this was the palace, and Zenjiro was a special guest, unofficially betrothed to the queen. Everything from food to lodging was supposed to be the best, but it still couldn't satisfy Zenjiro, who was just a commoner in modern Japan.

The difference in era and level of civilization was significant.

After changing back into his familiar clothes, Zenjiro sat on the edge of the bed and waited for the maid to call him for breakfast.

"Thinking about it again, Japan was really blessed. Most homes have refrigerators and air conditioners. In comparison, there's no electricity here at all. But, I don't have to work here, and Aura is incredibly beautiful."

Despite the warm wine, uncomfortable room, and dark night, what still attracted Zenjiro was the charm of Aura Carp, to whom he had been informally betrothed the previous day.

When Aura appeared in front of him in a red evening dress with bold slits during dinner, she captivated him with her alluring smile and sensual figure.

Completely entranced by the queen's bold and seductive appearance, Zenjiro (in his own opinion) naturally kept his gaze on her ample cleavage and the thighs revealed by the slits.

Even now, when he thought about it, her buttocks, breasts, and thighs seemed worth giving up his life in modern Japan.

"That's right. Thinking about it, I brought my bicycle to this world. That means I can bring some things when I come back in a month, right? Alright, I'll make a list of what I need for my new life here when I get back!"

Just as Zenjiro snapped his fingers, the bell at the entrance rang.

"Coming!"

"Excuse me, breakfast is ready."

Hearing the familiar young woman's voice from outside the door, Zenjiro replied loudly.

"Coming right now!"

Zenjiro got up from the bed and hurried to the entrance door.