Side Story ~ 12
“…A dreadful nightmare.”
Sereniel couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of what she had just heard. Was he saying that marrying her was a nightmare?
And regardless of Sereniel’s confusion, Lexion continued with a desolate expression.
“I’ve had this dream often. Dreams like this.”
Lexion sighed bitterly.
“Until now, there were no doctors coming, no memory loss, but it’s not that different. It’s similar.”
“…”
“I casually call your name, freely… and you recognize me. Just like you said earlier. Always like this.”
Lexion’s voice, quietly continuing, was now becoming increasingly fragmented.
“I reach out because I want to touch you when you smile at me, because I want to hold you, and then I wake up abruptly.”
That was how Lexion’s dreams always unfolded, without fail.
“When I open my eyes, I’m back in hell.”
“…”
“But this dream, it’s the worst one I’ve ever had.”
Lexion looked at Sereniel with sorrowful eyes.
“I never dared to hope for this. To see you like this.”
At most, freely calling her by name was all there was.
Even if he wished for it, it was only reaching out cautiously to hold her.
But how could I become Sereniel’s husband?
We got married.
It didn’t make sense.
“After waking up, it would be the most painful dream, incredibly cruel.”
She couldn’t figure out what to say.
The man in front of me wasn’t someone Sereniel knew.
It was impossible to approach him recklessly.
Sereniel faced the Lexion of that time.
“…”
Her small, white hand slowly reached out. Sereniel cautiously grasped Lexion’s large hand, which had been lying limply on the sheet. Lexion twitched slightly, but he didn’t push her away.
Holding Lexion’s hand like that, Sereniel gently pressed it against her cheek.
“Look.”
Then she said to Lexion.
“It’s warm. Is this a dream?”
It wasn’t a lie. The warmth on Sereniel’s cheek from Lexion’s hand was endless, like the sunlight in spring.
But that couldn’t be true.
Such a dreamlike thing… it couldn’t happen to me.
“And this.”
Before she knew it, Sereniel was holding Lexion’s hand tightly.
“It’s a ring.”
On Sereniel’s and his ring finger, there was a similar-looking ring.
While Sereniel’s ring glittered with a dazzling gem, Lexion’s was a slightly simpler design, but it was clear at a glance that they matched. This ring signified that they had made a commitment together.
“It’s a wedding ring.”
“…”
“When we got this, the Duke went through a lot of trouble. He put a lot of effort into it.”
Did I…?
Lexion’s black eyes reflected the moonlight shining on Sereniel’s wedding ring.
“Anyway, what I want to tell you is that this is definitely not a dream.”
Sereniel said as she gently wiped Lexion’s cheek.
“And even when the Duke wakes up and gets up, I want you to know that I’ll still be by your side.”
“By my side?”
“Well… for now, Duke, do you happen to have a headache or something?”
“A bit… I feel groggy.”
Lexion murmured, slightly grimacing.
“But it doesn’t hurt.”
Would it be better to give him the sedative the doctor prescribed?
However, it was uncertain when Lexion’s memories would fully return. The doctor had said it could take about a week, but Sereniel wasn’t inclined to keep administering sedatives until his mind cleared.
Of course, if Lexion seemed significantly disoriented, there wouldn’t be much choice. However, it didn’t appear to be that serious.
“I should probably monitor his condition until tomorrow.”
After pondering this, Sereniel looked at Lexion and spoke in an affectionate voice.
“Duke, perhaps you should rest a bit. It’s quite late. Oh, right… if you happen to be hungry…”
“I’m not hungry.”
Lexion shook his head.
“And you?”
“…”
“Are you… staying here too? I mean, in this bed.”
In her heart, she naturally wanted that. After all, the accident had happened not long ago, so she needed to keep an eye on his condition just in case.
However, Lexion might find it uncomfortable, sleeping in the same bed every day had been Sereniel’s decision, not something Lexion would have agreed to.
“If it makes you uncomfortable…”
“No, it doesn’t. I was just curious.”
Lexion turned his head, his cheeks now noticeably redder than before.
…How should I handle this man?
She wanted to embrace him tightly right away, but if she did, Lexion might get even more confused.
Thank goodness Ernest had taken Elsie with him.
He can’t even believe we got married, and now… there’s a child involved.
I can’t even imagine how he’ll react.
“Duke, come here.”
Sereniel, who had been agonizing, cautiously took Lexion’s thick arm and led him.
Without any resistance, Lexion followed obediently. He was like a very gentle lamb.
“I’ll tuck you in.”
“W-wait…”
Lexion was taken aback by Sereniel suddenly making him lie down, but she was relentless.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, feel free to tell me. If your head hurts or anything. Understand?”
With one arm extended to Lexion, Sereniel looked down at him and…
Lexion, unsure where to place his gaze so close to someone he hadn’t seen in ages, briefly exhaled.
It was because of Sereniel’s warm touch, so affectionate and kind, patting his back.
It was quite strange. As her regular touch continued, the pounding of his heart that had felt like it would burst suddenly began to calm down. It was as if such days had always existed.
“It’s all right, Duke.”
Sereniel, who had been brushing Lexion’s head, whispered softly into his ear.
“I’m here by your side. So don’t worry about a thing.”
At Sereniel’s infinitely warm words, Lexion, who had been in her embrace, wore a slightly dazed expression.
[… Get away!]
The Sereniel in his head was stuck with memories from that time.
After that, the duke went to find her and took her away, but it was one-sided. It was the first and last time we exchanged glances and conversations.
[Will you dance with me…?]
Sereniel, patting me on the back and hugging me in her arms, gave a slightly different feeling than when I first saw her in the debutante ball…
But I didn’t dislike it.
No, on the contrary, I felt even warmer. I felt stable. It felt like I was being protected.
These were emotions I had never felt before in this damn mansion, even in the past.
But falling asleep like this, when I wake up… Won’t I just lie down alone on a narrow bed?
But it was an unknown affair. I couldn’t remember anything yesterday.
Moreover, Lexion had just seen it with both eyes. Except for the scars from previous injuries, his smooth body had not sustained a single new wound.
It was something that could not happen to me during the time I was roaming the battlefield to survive.
Is the doctor’s statement really correct?
I had no way of knowing for sure. I couldn’t believe anything. Not even that I was nestled in Sereniel’s arms, or that Royden and the Former Duke of Rosenvester were dead…
However, Sereniel’s breath, regular and settling on the nape of his neck, was remarkably warm. Strangely, the warmth, gentle as it was, felt strangely familiar.
“…”
Thus, Lexion, despite his flushed face, kept burying himself in Sereniel’s embrace. Then, he listened intently to the pounding of her heart, beating fast.
For Lexion right now, this was the only reality touching his skin.
But Sereniel’s warm embrace was more than enough to calm Lexion’s confusion and fear.
Just that alone, as it always had been.
