Chapter 27

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“When I return from my snake form to my human form, it will sometimes affect my body. My foot has been injured lately.”

“…….Really?”

Nelia couldn’t put aside the suspicious feeling she felt for a moment. The duke raised his head while rubbing his instep.

“Do you not believe me, Nelia?”

When Nelia didn’t answer, the duke spoke again in a dejected voice.

“I’m telling the truth. Why would I lie to Nelia?”

He had a point. The duke has no reason to pretend his foot is hurting.

“Let me take a look.”

Nelia examined the duke’s foot. However, it was also hard to tell from the outside.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“It’s not that painful, but it seems like I won’t have a good night’s sleep.”

The duke sighed.

“I suffer from insomnia so I can’t fall asleep well…….”

Someone who suffers from insomnia will have difficulty sleeping even with a small amount of stimulation.

Hng. Nelia, who was feeling guilty, asked after much consideration.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“Anything that Nelia can do…….?”

Duke Hart slowly looked up after staring down at his feet.

Why does his appearance make her head swim?

Nelia blinked nervously and replied.

“Yes, since I made you suffer from the aftereffect of your foot injury……”

The duke asked in a soft voice.

“Then, can I ask Nelia for a favor?”

Nelia felt strangely deja vu at the situation. It felt as if she was caught in a trap.

However, it was too late to regret now.

Nelia concealed her anxiousness by asking.

“What favor?”

The duke smiled.

“Please sleep with me here.”

Nelia thought she was mistaken for a moment.

“What did you say just now…….?”

“I asked you to sleep with me.”

Cough. Nelia choked. She could barely held back from muttering, ‘Are you out of your mind?’ to him at that moment.

Duke Hart added after that, it might be because he read through Nelia’s astonished expression.

“Oh, I mean, literally sleeping together.”

He should have said so earlier. Nelia unconsciously glared at Duke Hart.

“To be specific, the gender of the man and woman that Delia came to mind…” “Specifically speaking, the one that came to Nelia’s mind must be the thing that happens between man and woman…….”

“Stop!”

Nelia cut Duke Hart off hastily.

“I never thought that way…….!”

Nelia urgently denied it out of shame. At that, the duke’s expression seemed relaxed.

“It’s a relief to hear. I was surprised to know that Nelia thought I was such a shameless person.”

Why is he so shameless like this? She wanted to eat him up if she could. However he was someone who would smile instead had he known her thoughts.

“You’re shameless now, though……”

“Pardon me?”

“It’s nothing.”

Nelia, who was muttering to herself, shook her head hastily at his voice. The duke must not have heard her judging from how he tilted his head.

Nelia returned to the duke’s audacious request again.

“But, Your Grace. Will you sleep better if you are with me?”

“Yes.”

The duke answered as if she said the right thing.

“How come?”

“I think it’s because of warmth from a human being.”

Then, it doesn’t necessarily have to be her, right? Nelia thought for a moment and spoke up.

“Then, shall I call Ton for you…….? It would be more comfortable since you are the same gender.”

Duke Hart frowned at that moment. As if disgusted.

But his expression was relaxed again.

“I woke up beside Nelia last time. It was the best sleep I’ve ever had in a while.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, there’s no need for…… Ton.”

The duke swept Nelia’s hair carefully.

As her wavy hair was swept gently by the duke’s hand, so did Nelia’s heart.

‘…….Okay, since he said that with a piteous gaze.’

Let’s return when the duke falls asleep. Is that okay?

Nelia finally nodded.

“All right…… then.”

Duke Hart smiled as if he already knew she would comply with his request. Then he got up.

“I will change.”

The duke took off the shirt he put on earlier.

It seemed that Duke Hart thought of her as a friend of the same gender. Otherwise, he wouldn’t take off his clothes just like that.

Nelia stopped the duke as soon as the duke’s hand was going to unbuckle his trousers.

“Wait for a moment…….! I’m going to return to my room and change, so you can do that after I go.”

The duke stopped his action after that.

“Oh my, I made a mistake. I understand.”

Nelia sighed and went back to her room to change into her night attire. Her room was only a few steps away, so it didn’t take long for her to reach his room.

When she returned to Duke Hart’s room, he was done changing his clothes.

The duke was wearing a loose-looking gown. Although she thought he would not wear teddy bear pajamas or anything of that sort.

And neither did she, although she didn’t wear anything sexy, she still felt awkward and uncomfortable lying side by side in night attire.

No, let’s not think that way, this is…….

‘Just helping someone who suffers from insomnia!’

Nelia pulled an attempt to comfort herself and laid beside the duke.

It was the beginning of her dark night.

***

“I’m……. telling you, don’t move around past this line.”

Nelia drew the line with her hand between her and Duke Hart. When Nelia’s hand passed through, a splitting line was formed on the trace of her hand.

The line fairly split the bed into a half.

Duke Hart stared at the line.

“I understand.”

The duke answered, and Nelia pulled up the blanket to cover up to her chin.

Although the duke’s was unfamiliar to her, it was the opposite for the bed, since the bed’s mattress and the bedding were the same as those in her room.

As the house owner, she thought he would use a blanket on a better bed, but it came as a surprise after she found out he was using the same one.

‘But why am I so uneasy?’

Even though she was lying on the familiar bedding, she was unfamiliar and nervous as if she was lying in the middle of the park.

While pretending to fall asleep and closing her eyes, her heart kept pounding immoderately. The sound of Duke Hart’s breathing beside her, the smell of his body, and everything were all too vivid.

In such a tight space, the presence of the duke right beside her was too much.

‘Is Your Grace already asleep?’

He asked her to sleep together while talking about her body warmth and insomnia and blah blah blah, so she just wished he slept well. That way, she would be able to return to her room.

Nelia opened her eyes to check if the duke was asleep or not.

But his silver eyes were gleaming softly right in front of her. The duke was lying on his side, eyes staring at Nelia.

The duke opened his eyes wide slightly when their eyes met.

“You’ve woken up, Nelia?”

Nelia leapt up her upper body out of panic.

“Since when have you been looking at me like that?”

The duke answered while raising his body accordingly.

“Continuously…….?”

So, he was lying on his side while staring at her like that?

Nelia was debilitated.

“W, Why?”

“Nelia’s eyelashes were fluttering a little, so I was concerned thinking that you might be having a nightmare.”

“That, That’s because I couldn’t sleep!”

Actually, she was nervous, but she couldn’t say that to the duke. Because she wouldn’t be able to explain the reason why she was nervous.

The duke smiled as if he was relieved.

“I’m glad to hear if that is the case.”

Nelia looked down at the sheets. Duke Hart was invading her respective place and extinguished the lines she drew earlier.

It was the same as now.

His body was too close.

“Nelia…… did I wake you up?”

The duke spoke and a short breath reached the edge of his neck.

Nelia lifted her head.

In the darkness, their eyes met again. A strange excitement flashed across his deep silver eyes.

Nelia felt a faint sense of deja vu.

There were times when the duke looked at her with that kind of eyes. And at that time, she felt like a small animal in front of a beast.

Moreover, he now exuded the mysterious energy that came out of nowhere. She wondered if she would be eaten completely like this.

She tried to assure herself that there’s no way the duke would have done that, but when she looked at his deep gaze, she gradually lost the assurance that she had given to herself earlier.

Nelia spoke up while trying to swallow through her dry mouth.

“…….Your Grace.”

“Yes.”

The duke replied and his frail breath caressed her skin again.

It felt as if his hot breath was making her head hot, too.

Nelia averted her eyes and alerted him about the situation.

“You’re too close.”

The duke would usually laugh it off and said, ‘I suppose so.’, but now he didn’t say anything.

He just stared at her.

A cool touch soon caressed Nelia’s cheek. It was the hand of the duke.

“Nelia, your face is hot.”

It felt as if he had discovered her true feelings. Nelia eventually lowered her head as she was unable to resist the feeling of embarrassment.

However, the duke didn’t spare her today.

“I think I know the reason why Nellia became so hot……”

His gentle voice whispered seductively in her ears. What was she supposed to say here so she wouldn’t be embarrassed meeting the duke again tomorrow?

When Nelia could not answer readily, he laid his hand on her forehead.

Despite his cool temperature, his body heat rose helplessly.

His head was swimming at that moment.

Nelia would rather close her eyes. She believed to escape this temptation if she didn’t gaze into his face.

“Nelia.”

But his voice alone was threatening enough for her. His pressuring voice was more than honey. Sweeter than it.

Nelia’s eyes trembled. The desire to open her eyes and check his eyes was tormenting Nelia because if she opened her eyes now, it would somehow be irreversible for her.

Chup. The soft touch landed on her lips and brushed against it.

Nelia finally opened her eyes. She could see the duke smiling relaxedly with the corner of her mouth raised.

“N…….ow.”

“Because Nelia, you don’t even open your eyes………”

There was a lack of probability in his words. He kissed her because she didn’t open her eyes. But Nelia already lost the strength to argue logically with him.

Badump, badump. Her heart was racing like it was about to explode at the unexpected ambush.

But that attack was just the start. The duke, again, peppered a kiss on Nelia’s forehead as she somehow looked like in a daze.

On the middle of her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and lastly her lips.

His act was so solemn and reverent that Nelia could hardly think that there were guileful intentions behind it.

Duke Hart pulled away a little after finishing his deed.

“Nelia, look at me.”

Nelia looked at the duke as if she was possessed. She could not resist him when he gave such a gentle order.

The duke’s hand felt a little hot at that moment. The coldness of his usually cool hands was gradually fading.

The soft touch that caressed her cheeks gave a strange sense of anxiousness.

“I know how to treat Nelia’s fever…….”

Nelia barely stared at the duke with her hazy eyes.

‘What should I do…….’

She knew what he was implying to, and she knew that there was no turning back if she decided to cross this river.

And at the same time, there was a desire that told her to put aside her rational thinking.

She thought that she would be able to make the heat that engulfed her body subsiding only if she followed the current flow and let it as it was.

“Nelia, do allow me.”

Nelia eventually nodded at the pathetic voice.

The gesture was very small, but right after she granted him permission, Duke Hart quickly climbed on top of Nelia.

Then he lowered his face and kissed her. Following her rough breathing, her quickened breathing began to go out of control.

By the time she felt as if choking, he detached his lips from hers.

Duke Hart raised his upper body and immediately took off his gown.

His chiseled body was revealed in the darkness.

As she thought last time, his body shape was immoderately good. She felt that way in this situation.

“Nelia, you can take a rest tomorrow.”

The duke smiled.

“Because you won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

It was such a strange laugh.