RVMPT Chapter 44

Chapter 044

“Gasp!”

I sucked in some breath and pulled my foot back. Did Harold just kiss the top of my foot?

Unlike my shocked reaction, Harold tilted his head nonchalantly.

“Why, Master. Was that not enough? Shall I bow even lower?”

“N-no! That’s not my thing! It’s just… your gaze was too intense! I’m weak to eye contact, so I covered your eyes!”

My heart was racing, my head was spinning, and I had no idea what I was even saying anymore as I shouted in a panic.

“And stop! It doesn’t suit you at all!”

“It doesn’t suit me? I think I do everything well.”

Well, that was true. There was no denying that. Even lying on the bed with just his pants on, kissing the top of my foot, he didn’t seem awkward at all. And on the other hand, his eyes were covered, making the scene all the more provocative. Yeah, provocative…

“…Ugh.”

I’m terrible. I pressed my hot ears, relieved that Harold’s eyes were still covered.

But his skill and what suits him were entirely different.

“Hmm. Well, I’ve never really been anyone’s subordinate,” Harold mused.

I quietly nodded in agreement.

Maybe that’s why, even when Harold called me “Master,” he felt more like the one in charge. More like a beast pretending to obey, hiding his claws and teeth…

“Diana.”

Suddenly, Harold gently grabbed my chin and tilted my head up. Even though his eyes were covered, he found me so easily that I doubted the blindfold worked at all.

“I can do even better than before.”

“T-this isn’t about preferences! I’ll just treat you, so please stay still!”

I was so frustrated that tears welled up. But luckily, Harold loosened his grip slightly and stayed still.

For a moment, I felt both irritated and relieved by his calmness. I let out a long breath, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath to calm myself.

Now that Harold’s eyes were covered, I wouldn’t be conscious of him like before. I just needed to adapt to this situation. I could do it.

This is just a sacred act of healing.

Opening my eyes, I quickly realized the problem wasn’t his gaze.

 Just covering Harold’s eyes wasn’t going to solve anything.

The masculine physique I had tried to avoid was right in front of me. 

Thump, thump, thump—

My body was getting hot, and my heart was pounding. I could vividly recall his earlier actions of kissing my foot.

Ugh! Stop thinking about it!

Smack! I slapped my cheek, but thanks to my holy powers, the pain vanished immediately.

“What happened?”

“…Nothing. Nothing at all.”

“But, Diana, if you’re struggling with eye contact, shouldn’t we cover your eyes instead of mine?”

…Oh. That made sense.

As Harold lowered the cloth covering his eyes, I stood frozen, still extending my arms to embrace him.

“Want to give it a try?”

His dark blue eyes, which were fixed on me, gleamed mischievously as they peered through the thick fringe of his lashes.

“…Fine.”

If it helped me stay focused on healing, it was worth a shot.

As I agreed, Harold took the cloth and tied it over my eyes.

“Wow, I really can’t see anything. It’s pitch black.”

I had doubted him earlier, but now it was clear—nothing was visible through the cloth. Surprisingly, not seeing him helped calm my nerves, like a peaceful, still lake.

I should’ve done this from the start.

Feeling more confident, I reached out to hug him.

But instead of his back, my hands landed on firm, warm muscle.

“Huh?”

“That’s my chest.”

“…!”

I flailed my arms like a startled chicken, stumbling backward before falling flat on my back.

“Why are you so surprised? You touch this body every day.”

Harold, chuckling as his throat bobbed, picked me up and placed me on his lap. He wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned his head on my shoulder.

“You wanted your sight to be blocked, right? There you go, Diana.”

…An hour later, I realized something.

‘Sleep is impossible tonight.’

I realized I wasn’t just weak to sight—I was weak to everything.

Kicking the blanket furiously, I glared at the peacefully sleeping Harold next to me.

How was I ever supposed to get used to this?

---

Later, Harold returned to the bedroom after showering. Diana, who had been furiously kicking the blanket earlier, was now fast asleep, even drooling a little.

“Sleeping well, I see.”

After walking all day, she must’ve been exhausted. Holy powers couldn’t cure physical fatigue, after all.

Harold brushed her cheek gently, a soft smile tugging at his lips.

Over the past few days, under the guise of treatment, he had learned something about Diana: she wasn’t just weak in vision. She reacted much more strongly than expected. When he touched her lightly, she responded more intensely.

While it seemed she had only just realized this, Harold had caught on much earlier.

Harold gently pressed her cheek.

“Ugh…”

Diana mumbled in her sleep, her lips parting slightly to reveal her front teeth.

Harold’s hand, which had been gently stroking her cheek, hesitated as it moved down toward her lips. Just a little more and it would have reached her lips.

His eyes, darkened with desire, were already fixed on her lips. At that moment,

She must have felt the tickling sensation around her lips, because, in her sleep, she took his finger into her mouth. Her soft lips gently wrapped around his finger, her teeth grazing it. and for a moment, Harold’s pupils dilated. His throat tightened with a throaty laugh. He pulled his hand away.

“You really test my patience in so many ways.”

You have no idea how many times you tested it just today.

Especially when Diana let go of his hand and ran to the child—it felt like his importance in her priorities had dropped, and his patience took a major hit. Not just once, but twice—she grabbed his hand again only to break away and run back to the child. Just recalling that moment dragged his mood into the mess.

‘She must care more because of her own experience. I get it.’
Diana had lived through the lives of the lower class, abandoned by the Empire, with no shelter to block from the rain or protectors to guard her. Because she had experienced it firsthand, she paid extra attention to those children. But knowing that in his mind didn’t align with his feelings.

If Harold hadn’t been raised to endure for the best outcomes as a ruler, Diana might not be peacefully sleeping beside him right now.

Harold gently pressed her cheek again.

This time, instead of muttering or moving her lips, Diana let out a soft, bashful giggle.

 She’s got such a range of expressions. Before Harold realized it, his own expression softened to match hers.

Out of nowhere, a vivid memory came to his mind—Diana’s tired face lighting up with wonder as she looked at a sky filled with bursting fireworks. At that moment, Harold wasn’t watching the fireworks; he was watching Diana. He hadn’t even needed to tilt his head upward. Her radiant smile and the reflection of the fireworks in her large, sparkling eyes had been more than enough.

“…Chicken. Yum, my drumstick,” she mumbled in her sleep.
“What kind of sleep-talking is that?” Harold shook his head, pulled the blanket over her, and left the room.

It wasn’t as though he wasn’t tired. On the surface, he might appear fine, but he felt as though his entire body was weighed down by stones. He hadn’t kept to his usual sleep schedule for days.

Still, Harold had no intention of resting just yet.

As mentioned before, Harold was a man raised as a ruler, trained to endure anything for the best possible result.

But he didn’t like that Diana cared more about others than him.
If he didn’t like it, then there was only one thing to do:

Remove whatever reasons she had for focusing on something other than him.

‘It’d be ideal if that old, unpleasant emperor just dropped dead tomorrow.’

Even if that didn’t happen, there were other ways.

With that thought, Harold entered the study and closed the door behind him.