Episode 95

How much time had passed since I fell asleep?

I had been so exhausted that I must have fallen asleep immediately after wishing him goodnight. I slowly woke up to the feeling of someone gently stroking me.

A familiar and pleasant warmth surrounded me, and as I felt the soft touch on my hair, a smile crept onto my lips.

“Mmm…”

“Go back to sleep.”

Lloydin must have noticed I was waking up, as he gently patted my back.

Since he was still in bed with me and telling me to sleep more, it seemed it wasn’t morning yet.

I thought about following his advice but suddenly wanted to see him, so I opened my eyes slightly.

The sight of his perfectly handsome face, smiling as if drawn from a painting, filled my view.

The moonlight was particularly bright tonight, making his face clearly visible even in the dark.

As I gazed at his handsome face, mesmerized, his soft voice echoed in my ears.

“Are you awake?”

“…Yes.”

My voice was hoarse, so I cleared my throat with a small cough.

“Are you alright? I’ll get you some water.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m fine now.”

I quickly grabbed his arm as he started to move away to fetch water. I didn’t want to break this serene and peaceful moment.

It felt as though we were the only two people left in the world, and I wanted to savor this feeling for as long as possible.

“Stay like this, just like this.”

“…Alright.”

Lloydin pulled me closer into his embrace, and I hugged his waist tightly, not wanting to let go.

“Didn’t you sleep?”

“No. I woke up early.”

Seeing no trace of sleep in his eyes, I suspected he might have stayed up all night, but he denied it.

‘It doesn’t seem like it.’

Well, he said he didn’t, so there was no point in arguing. I decided to let it go.

“What were you doing after you woke up early?”

“I was watching you.”

“You were just watching me?”

“Yes, I was.”

“You must have been bored. You could have woken me up instead.”

“Not at all.”

“Oh, I see.”

Come to think of it, I never realized how time flew by when I was looking at his face either.

Knowing that he felt the same way about watching me filled me with a sense of pride and warmth.

The gentle stroking of my back by his hand made me feel drowsy and cozy.

“This feels nice…”

I didn’t realize I had spoken out loud.

“Does it?”

“Yes, very much.”

I was happy with Lloydin, and I was happy in this moment with him. Smiling, I buried my face in his chest, breathing in his cool, soothing scent.

As I reveled in his presence, I noticed something.

“…Oh?”

Through the slightly open robe, I saw a small reddish scratch on his chest.

I pulled away from him, looking up with a serious expression.

“What is it?”

“This, what is it?”

“Oh, just a scratch.”

He answered casually as I pointed to the mark.

“From what?”

I couldn’t bear the thought of him having even a minor injury.

“I scratched myself while taking off my armor.”

“Are you sure? It’s not from a monster, right?”

“Yes. Why would I lie to you?”

He answered so clearly and without hesitation that I felt reassured.

“Phew…”

“Just as I promised, I didn’t get hurt this time. Do you remember last time when you said you’d check for yourself?”

“Oh, yes. I remember.”

Understanding what he meant, I couldn’t hide my embarrassment.

“Will you check now?”

“Now?”

“Yes. But only if you want to. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

“No, I’ll do it now.”

For some reason, his words felt like a challenge, prompting me to respond quickly.

Lloydin chuckled softly and stood up from the bed.

As he lit the lantern, the room brightened, and I followed him, sitting determinedly at the edge of the bed.

“I’m going to take off my robe.”

He grasped the belt of his robe, and I nodded, feeling tense.

As the belt untied and the robe opened, I kept my gaze fixed above to avoid any inappropriate thoughts. Luckily, he only removed the robe to his waist.

I carefully inspected his body, holding the lantern close. His body was covered in numerous scars from past battles.

Even though I had seen them before, being faced with the evidence of his struggles again made my heart ache.

When I asked him about the scars before, he couldn’t remember where each one came from.

‘He must have been in so much pain when he got these.’

Many of the scars were old, indicating he had been injured as a child.

Especially the prominent scar in the center of his chest—it looked like it had been incredibly painful.

“Madam?”

Lloydin called out to me when I didn’t say anything, sensing something was wrong.

“Oh, sorry. I’ll keep looking.”

I focused on the task at hand.

“This one…”

“That scar is old.”

“I see. And this one?”

“…Yes, it’s old too.”

As I continued inspecting his body, his voice seemed to grow hoarse.

I looked up to find him staring at me with a hardened expression.

“Are you alright, Duke?”

“…Yes, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Despite his assurances, I noticed his unease but continued my examination.

Fortunately, aside from the scratch I had noticed earlier, there were no new injuries.

“As you said, there are no new wounds. Now I’ll check your back.”

As Lloydin slowly turned around, his well-defined back muscles caught my attention.

‘Focus.’

This was not the time to be admiring his physique, yet distracting thoughts crept into my mind again.

I scolded myself and refocused my attention.

Bringing the lantern closer, I scrutinized his back with intense concentration.

Just like the front, his back bore numerous scars, both large and small.

As I carefully examined his broad back, I realized he couldn’t see me at the moment.

This realization gave me a sense of freedom, making me feel bold.

I reached out and playfully poked his back with my finger.

Lloydin flinched in surprise.

“…Ha.”

His deep sigh made me regret my playful action.

I held my breath, intending to quietly retract my hand and pretend nothing had happened.

But suddenly, Lloydin turned around, and his intense, lowered gaze met mine.

“Duke, that was—ah, mmph!”

My hurried explanation was swallowed by his urgent kiss.

Startled for a moment, I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck, welcoming his lips.

Today, he was different—more forceful.

His insistent exploration of my mouth left me breathless.

The peculiar sensation of his hand tracing my spine made my mind go blank.

I couldn’t even breathe, completely consumed by him, until I was finally gasping for air.

“Ha, ha…”

As soon as our lips parted, I panted heavily, trying to calm my racing heart.

When my body and mind finally settled, I noticed Lloydin.

Like me, he seemed to still be caught up in the heat of the moment.

When he moved closer, clearly still wanting more, I quickly stopped him.

“Wait a moment, Duke.”

“Ha.”

He sighed, slightly furrowing his brow.

“Can’t we continue…?”

“Excuse me?”

“I want to kiss you.”

His heartfelt plea made my heart race.

“It’s not that I don’t want to…”

The reason I stopped him wasn’t because I didn’t want to kiss him.

“Slowly. We have plenty of time.”

He seemed so urgent, and I wanted to calm him down a bit.

“…Understood.”

Lloydin resumed kissing me, still with a hint of urgency in his eyes, but his movements were gentler this time.

Although the earlier kiss wasn’t bad, this one allowed me to breathe much more easily.

We lost track of time, exploring each other’s lips, until we finally regained our senses, realizing that morning had arrived.