Chapter 4

Chapter 4

He was saying something he didn’t really know. It’s a good thing it’s only been a while now, maybe even if Astelle had been possessed even a little later, it could have been even more difficult to fix.

‘So… In the original story, did the female protagonist give Bleon the antidote and cure him?’

The female lead was a competent doctor. So when she accidentally cured Bleon, she immediately noticed that he was addicted to the drug. But at that time, he was already addicted for a long time, so no matter how much antidote she fed and treated, the effect of the drug did not go away easily, so she struggled quite a bit with that problem.

‘So in the end, the two of them got along well, but…’

“There is nothing good about living like this. And if you keep taking the antidote, you can live a happier life than you do now, so listen to me. Understand?”

“Happier?”

“That’s right. You will be happier.”

Probably to the extent that he can’t even think of the things we’re doing right now. No, he shouldn’t be thinking about it at all. Of course, that included me.

“But you haven’t slept at all while I collapsed, have you?”

How I knew this was because under his eyes where pale skin should be was visibly shaded…

“…Yes. I couldn’t sleep for fear that something would be wrong with my wife…”

“Then let’s get some sleep. This time I’ll keep an eye on you.”

“Can’t we just sleep together?”

“Would you like to sleep together?”

“Yes. If I sleep hugging my wife, I think I’ll sleep better…”

“Hmm…”

Well, I’ll just sleep next to you, okay?

“But instead of sleeping while hugging, let’s sleep holding hands.”

“…I want to hug you to sleep…”

“If you sleep with your arms around me, now that you have taken the medicine, it may not work.”

I persuaded Bleon by making up nonsense. To be honest, Bleon could believe everything I said.

“…Then, I’ll take the medicine, and when I’m okay, let me hold you to sleep.”

“Alright. I will.”

By then, Philia will be by his side, will he want to sleep with me?

I answered easily even with such a thought, then went back to bed and laid down next to Bleon. Bleon immediately grabbed my hand.

“Sleep well.”

“Sleep well too, wife.”

“Hmm.”

“I love you…”

“Huh?”

My eyes widened as I was about to sleep at the sudden confession, and my heart pounded.

“I love you. Astell…”

“Huh, yes. Me too…”

I couldn’t even ask why he said he loved me here, so I just said yes. I closed my eyes calmly, but somehow my heart was shaking a little.

‘Why was I so nervous when he’s not even talking to me?’

Let’s calm down. I tried to forget his confession, thinking about other things in case my heartbeat could be heard. After that, I tried to sleep somehow, but I couldn’t sleep easily because I slept all week and just woke up. So I kept tossing and turning. But unlike me, Bleon had been working hard and was quite tired, so I quickly heard the sound of his even breathing.

I didn’t want to keep my eyes wide open like this, so I applied a little force to retrieve my hand from Bleon’s grasp and to get out of bed. But at that moment, Bleon grabbed my hand and opened his eyes.

“Wife…?”

‘What. Weren’t you sleeping?’

I thought he was already asleep, but did he wake up so easily only with such a small movement?

“Are you awake?”

“I can’t sleep well because I’m still anxious…”

“What is my husband still worried about?”

I spoke playfully to ease his mind, but he answered in a worried voice.

“I think my wife will leave me alone and go somewhere…”

However, a surprising answer came back and gave me goosebumps all over my body.

Wow, what? Is that a hunch?

“Where am I going? I’m not going anywhere.”

I answered him, barely hiding my startled expression.

I hadn’t returned Bleon back to his original condition properly yet, so where would I go? Anyway, it wasn’t a lie because I didn’t plan on going anywhere yet.

“Right. Wife said that if I listen to you well, you will love me for the rest of my life.”

“Hmm. Bleon is still doing very good, so don’t worry and go to sleep.”

I stroked his hair with the hand that wasn’t caught.

“Never go anywhere. Never…”

He grabbed my hand a little tighter, trying to keep me from going anywhere.

“Hmm. I’m not going.”

After hearing my answer, Bleon soon fell asleep again. It was obvious that he’s tired.

‘What to do.’

I feel like he’ll wake up again if I move, but I can’t sleep…

‘But wow, he’s really handsome.’

Looking at his face so close, it was as if the most perfect creature in the world was in front of me. The skin was as transparent as white jade, and there were no pimples or blemishes. I stroked my fingers as if drawing a line from his forehead to his nose. Then I could see Bleon smiling softly as he slept, as if he felt I was touching him.

‘How is this angle even possible?’

The sharp nose bridge was clean and perfect as if it had been sculpted.

And…

‘Your lips are really red and pretty.’

His lips, which contrasted perfectly with his pale skin, were as if someone had poured bright red pigment on them, and were also superb in shape.

‘If the two of us are standing together, it will be quite a comparison, right?’

There was a reason why I thought this way. Astell was not a beauty. In terms of beauty in this world, she was not a beautiful person, and that is how it was always expressed in the novels. Even in the memories of her that came into my head, since she was a child, there were many times when she was teased for her appearance.

‘The ugly girl of Heines.’

That was the nickname that followed Astell all her life like a tag. Astell, who was sick and tired of hearing this, had a complex about her appearance. She came of marriageable age at 20, but three years after that, she was still a noble lady who had yet to marry because of her appearance. But there was a child who told her she was pretty.

‘You are so pretty.’

‘Older sister is pretty too.’

The child, who looked at Astell and told her she was pretty, was the young Bleon. So, when Bleon’s parents died in an accident, and his relatives flocked to the young child to take his inheritance and left him with only one title, Astell reached out her hand to Bleon.

‘I will be your wife. Don’t worry, I have a lot of fortune to inherit. I will protect you from the world.’

So that’s how the two got together. At that time, Astell was twenty-three and Bleon was ten.

When I regained consciousness again, I realized I must have fallen asleep. But suddenly, the sound of something rubbing and moving reached my ear, and so my mind became clear.

‘What is that sound?’

I was wondering where the sound was coming from, so I was just about to open my eyes when I heard a mix of shallow moans and quiet sighs.

“Haah, heup.”

For some reason, it occurred to me that I should not open my eyes now. I kept my eyes closed and focused on where the sound was coming from, and as soon as I realized what it meant, I was in shock.

‘C, crazy…!’

While my head was confused as to why he was doing this instead of sleeping and why I was awake now, I could hear the sound of flesh rubbing against each other.

“Haa…”

This room, where only the silence of the deep night has fallen, was filled with the sound of a sleeping person’s breathing—as naturally as possible so that she wouldn’t be found out that she had woken up to a certain moment—and the sound of comforting one’s body to relieve one’s desires and exhaling murky breaths and groans.

‘When the hell is it going to end?’

Quite a long time had already passed. He should have done it before I woke up, but he still hadn’t finished. It was when I thought it would be faster for me to fall asleep again. Suddenly, the sound of his movement accelerated, and the interval between all the small sounds in the room shortened.

And…

“Heuk, wife…!”

I heard him calling me and exhaling violently, and for a moment, my mind was on the edge and my whole body stiffened.

It seemed to me that it was over.

But at the last sound that called me, I forgot to breathe and concentrated all my senses on him. Then I heard Bleon get up from the sofa. And from the sound of footsteps, he seemed to be going somewhere.

‘Are you coming this way?’

My mind went blank with extreme tension.

What if he comes and knows that I’m awake, and I’ve been listening…!

Fortunately, the sound of footsteps got farther and farther away from me. Then there was the sound of running water along with the sound of the door opening and closing.

‘You went to the bathroom.’

Phew, it was only when I realized he wasn’t in the room that I opened my eyes and let out the breath I had been holding in. But still, my heart was pounding and the tension was not resolved. I didn’t move my head just in case, but I glanced around with my eyes slightly drooping to the side. Fortunately, Bleon was nowhere to be seen.

‘What to do…’

First, after wiping my wet hands on the blanket, I took a long breath to find my composure, and then exhaled. And if I stayed like this, he could have really found out that I woke up and heard everything, so I thought hard about what to do.

‘Please please…’

I wish I could fall asleep before Bleon got out of the bathroom, but now my mind was crystal clear. Then, even if I couldn’t sleep, I had to pretend that I was asleep. I closed my eyes again. And I tried to relax my body as naturally as possible. As I was pretending to sleep with all my heart, I heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, and Bleon’s footsteps got closer and closer.

After that, I could feel him lying on the bed as the bed wobbled slightly and the duvet rustled. He made sure to clean it up in the bathroom, so there was only a slight scent of his body.

‘…!’

But he gently grabbed my hand that was hidden under the blanket. I used my wits momentarily so that my twitching gestures did not show up involuntarily. If anyone was looking at us, they’d probably face each other.

It seemed that I could hear Bleon laughing at me, but I could have heard it wrong. But after that, one thing I knew for sure, he kissed the back of my hand.

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