Chapter 25: Chapter 25

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Chapter 25

After recalling the memory, I looked at him in amazement and said,

“At that time, the child in the puppy mask was the Duke…?”

“…Yes.”

Perhaps it was because he knew I couldn’t remember, so there wasn’t much disappointment in Bleon’s eyes. But he did look a little sad.

“After that, when I met the children who had been tormenting me again, I mustered up the courage and did what Wife said. Then they really didn’t bother me after that.”

“…That’s fortunate.”

“After all, Wife is always right.”

“It’s because the Duke acted courageously.”

“That courage was also given to me by you, Wife. If I had not met you that day, they would have continued bullying me.”

“But not just anyone can do such a brave thing. I actually told the Duke that, but I couldn’t.”

Bleon, who knew what I meant, looked at me without saying a word and kissed my forehead lightly.

“Now I will protect you. So you won’t get hurt anymore.”

Bleon’s words brought a sense of dread. As I recalled all the moments when Astell had been indescribably lonely, the pain and suffering passed onto me. And finally, tears welled up in my eyes. Bleon ran a thumb across my eyes.

“Don’t cry…”

“…I’m not crying.”

“If Wife cries, I will die because it hurts so much here.”

Then Bleon took my hand and put it over his heart. Somehow, his heart was beating as fast as mine was before. I felt that he was not so different from me, so as soon as I felt Bleon’s heartbeat with my hand, the strange tingling feeling gradually stabilized.

What was this feeling? Did these feelings for him belong to Astell… or were they mine? I tried to deny that Astell’s feelings were assimilated with mine, but I was starting to get more and more confused. But that didn’t make me feel complicated. I just wanted to accept it, whatever it was. Whether they were my feelings or Astell’s.

“…Can I kiss your eyes?”

And Bleon approached me again, determined to cause a further ripple within my agitated heart.

“What?”

“…I can’t?”

A man who had heard many rejections from me until now was asking me carefully as always. Maybe on another day, if it weren’t for today, I wouldn’t have allowed him. But today was special. Because it was today, because it had to be today, I meekly nodded my head.

“…You can.”

As the words of permission fell on his ears, Bleon’s face came closer to mine. And his soft lips gently landed on my eyelids. My heart, which had been beating before, started to beat faster and faster, but at the same time, my mood became soft enough to put a smile on my lips.

Bleon couldn’t take his lips off my eyes for quite some time, and I kept my eyes closed until he was satisfied. And when the touch of his lips finally fell, some embarrassment came in and I hugged his neck tightly. This was purely from the shame of not wanting to show him my blushing face, I rationalized to myself.

“…Now go to sleep.”

Bleon smirked at my actions, then gently stroked my red hair as if counting the number of times he caressed me carefully one by one.

“We have to go to bed now because we have a long way to go tomorrow.”

I quickly urged Bleon to sleep.

“…I know. Good night, Wife.”

Fortunately, he didn’t say anything further.

“…Sleep well, my husband.”

And we fell asleep like that, and that day was the first warm and cozy night here.

When I woke up the next day, Bleon was still holding me in his arms, watching me as he waited for me to wake up.

“Are you awake, Wife?”

“Yes.”

“Did you sleep well? How is your body?”

Bleon asked me about my condition, and it was only then that I felt somehow heavy and stiff. It was probably because I hadn’t moved in hours. However, if I had to endure only one more day, we’d arrive at our destination. That’s why I tried to hide my expression as much as possible to avoid worrying about Bleon and pretended it was nothing.

“I’m okay. It’s not bad. What about the Duke?”

“I’m fine. But… Are you really okay?”

It must have been difficult from the beginning to deceive him, who was always watching me obsessively.

“Actually, I feel a bit unwell, but I can bear it.”

So instead of deceiving him, I just told the truth. And it was also true that it was tolerable.

“Would you like to rest one more day?”

“No. I can bear it.”

“But…”

It seemed that the words would never end, so I grabbed his cheeks with both hands, made eye contact, and said in a firm voice.

“If it’s really difficult, I’ll tell you then. Let’s just hurry up and get ready.”

As I spoke, Bleon nodded his head slightly, unable to remove his worried eyes.

“Alright… But if it’s really hard, you have to tell me right away.”

“Yes. Of course.”

So, after a light meal, we all departed for Kren together, and the atmosphere in the carriage was sweeter than yesterday, perhaps because I felt that I had gotten closer to Bleon. He was meticulous, constantly checking to see if I was okay or if I was in any pain, and I didn’t hate his attention either. We satiated our hunger by eating the bread and drink that Bleon bought yesterday.

However, I was still not in a good physical condition, so my back and buttocks started to hurt because of having to sit in a running carriage all the time. The carriage seats were padded with animal fur and leather, but the road was uneven, so it seemed to be caused by the constant shocks to my behind.

“Ha…”

The pain didn’t go away, so I let out a sigh. And Bleon, who didn’t take his eyes off me, noticed my discomfort again.

“Wife, are you having a hard time?”

“That… It’s a little hard to sit still.”

“Shall we go get some rest?”

“No. It’s only a short trip away, but if it gets too dark after resting, the road at night will be dangerous.”

We planned to arrive within today and had to go two more hours, so I had been more patient on this road. But once I was conscious of it, the pain got worse and worse, and it was hard to keep my face straight.

“Wife.”

“Yes?”

Bleon called me in a pretty serious voice.

“Wife, I can’t see you having a hard time anymore. We’ll pass by a village soon, so let’s stay one day there and leave tomorrow. That, or…”

Seeing him pause for a while, I thought he was going to say something serious again, so I was nervous for nothing.

“I’ll hold you.”

Again, unexpected words came out of his mouth.

“No, it’s not necessary… I can endure it.”

“Then we will rest one day in the next village. I will tell them that.”

However, Bleon didn’t take my patience into consideration at all in his options.

“Wait!”

I stopped Bleon from talking to the knights outside. And quickly shook my head. Although it had been a few hours, I was in pain like this, and I couldn’t tell how much longer I could stand it. However, taking an extra day off in the village would waste unnecessary time and money. But that wasted time was not only for me but for everyone who was moving with me now. Then it would be better to rely on the one closest to me.

“…Hold me.”

After reaching that conclusion, I was embarrassed and ashamed, and in a small voice I reached out to him and asked him to hold me. Because he was tall and strong, Bleon hugged me very lightly. I reflexively hugged his neck slightly.

“I’m not heavy…?”

“You’re not heavy at all.”

Bleon whispered in my ear in a soft voice.

“So, relax. If you tense up like this, you will have muscle pain later on.”

“But…!”

Again, I felt a firm center around my hips and waist.

“This is unavoidable, so don’t worry, Wife. I’m sorry that I am like this even though my wife is sick…”

“…….”

I had nothing to say, so I was silent for a moment. Suddenly, I felt the carriage’s interior felt warmer.

“I think it’s a little hot because we’re together. I’ll just sit down on the cushion and I’ll just have to be patient.”

I wriggled to get out of his embrace using the heat as an excuse.

“No. I’ll fan you, so stay here.”

However, Bleon showed his will not to let me go once I was in his arms and fanned me with his other arm that wasn’t wrapped around my back.

“Is it better?”

“Yes…”

There was no reason not to be cool when a strong man was fanning me. I nodded slightly and buried my head in his chest. As I was embracing Bleon instead, my back and hips did not hurt anymore. However, the uncomfortable body condition was still there, as if someone was pressing on my shoulder. That’s why, as Bleon gently touched my back, my drowsiness rushed through.

“I shouldn’t sleep…”

But I was already nodding away without realizing it.

“Sleep. We will be there when you wake up.”

And those were the last words I heard from Bleon before I went to sleep, and at some point, I fell into a deep slumber.

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