Ch.75Chapter 75: Sleep Well, and Did You Sleep Well?

#

Peaceful and quiet.

So peaceful and quiet that.

Sss- Hoo-

The silence of the space was so quiet that even the faint breathing of a sleeping person could be heard clearly.

“Mmm…”

The stillness was broken by a thin moan, presumably from a woman who had just awakened from sleep.

As she moved her head slightly while waking up, her beautiful long hair—which gave the impression of being made by melting pure gold and pouring it into a mold—cast its presence around her.

It created an illusion of being the only thing glowing in this room where the appropriate darkness had fallen due to the lights being off.

Precariously balanced on the boundary between a young girl and a mature woman, even in her just-awakened, disheveled state, the beauty that appeared on her face showed no signs of fading.

“It’s morning…”

Looking out the window, though it was still a bit dark, she could sense that morning had arrived from the reddish hue entering through the windowsill. The woman began preparing to greet the morning.

First, to clear her drowsy mind after just waking up.

“Uuumm!”

After sitting up, she tried to stretch by raising both arms above her shoulders as the first ritual of the morning, but.

“…Huh?”

She suddenly felt the strange sensation of her right hand being held by something, causing her to fail in her stretching attempt.

“…What is it?”

Barely collecting her still drowsy mind, she turned her head to see what was holding her right hand.

“…!!”

She barely managed to swallow a gasp, stopping herself from making a noise as she almost cried out involuntarily.

She saw that not one but two fairly large hands—with finger joints one to one and a half times longer than her own—were overlapping her right hand.

The unfamiliar touch meant that someone besides herself was in this quiet and cozy room.

As this naturally registered in her mind, her drowsy consciousness instantly shifted to a state of alertness.

There was a difference—it wasn’t the refreshing kind of awakening but rather one accompanied by a static tension—but at least she was now fully awake.

Gulp

Swallowing dry saliva without realizing it, her brain began working vigorously, belying the fact that she had just woken up.

Where am I?

Why am I here?

And what are these hands wrapping around my right hand?

All sorts of questions began to expand their territory as they made their way through her mind, but.

“…Phew.”

Along with a light sigh soaked in relief rather than tension.

Her complex mental rotation came to an end.

It wasn’t that her defenseless body and mind, having just awakened, were prevented from continuing their mental rotation.

It was because the tension in her heart instantly dissolved as her gaze, which had been focused solely on the hands holding her right hand, turned toward where the root of those hands should be.

At the end of her gaze, she saw someone sitting in a chair, dozing with their head buried in the bed.

There was no need to lift their head to confirm who it was—it was someone she knew well.

Even though the head was buried in the bed, the color of the hair revealed their identity.

It was red.

That color, reminiscent of the red sunlight that rises from the horizon after piercing through the long dawn to announce daybreak, was not only her favorite color but also.

The hair color of the person she cherished more than anyone else in the world.

“…Cal?”

The woman, Lilianshiz Proxian, called out to her precious fiancé in a soft voice.

But as if her soft voice wasn’t enough to wake him from sleep.

Hoo- Hoo-

From her fiancé’s mouth came not a warm response but only steady breathing.

It was such a quiet movement that it barely made the bed sheet ripple.

Only then could Lilianshiz, who was called Shiz by her fiancé, carefully observe her fiancé who was holding her hand.

It was quiet.

So very quiet.

With breathing that was so small yet very well-regulated that one could barely notice he was breathing.

Looking at how he had carefully placed his hands over her right hand, as if worried he might wake her up.

Shiz could easily recognize that every small action taken by the sleeping man was infused with consideration for her.

“…Cal.”

Once again, her fiancé’s name came out softly from Shiz’s lips.

In a much smaller voice than when she first called him.

Not with the intention of calling him.

But to express gratitude that couldn’t be fully conveyed by the voice contained within, small as it was.

“You stayed with me the whole time.”

After carefully freeing her right hand from Cal’s grasp.

Lilianshiz, with her eyes closed, caressed her chin with her right hand and slowly recalled what had happened yesterday.

What had happened last night, which hadn’t come to mind clearly when she was drowsy, was gradually becoming more vivid as she focused her mind while looking at him.

Though it wasn’t his intention, she had become somewhat upset when she saw him turn his head toward someone else—another woman at that—and had deliberately gotten drunk by drinking strong alcohol in succession.

Then, to ease his heavy heart as he expressed his apologies to her, she had acted spoiled while completely intoxicated.

“…”

As soon as she recalled it, changes occurred on her face, which had been as calm as the surface of a lake, like ripples forming.

As she remembered how she had hugged him tightly with both arms and buried her face in his chest.

A red glow, reminiscent of a well-ripened apple, formed across her face, which had been as white as jade.

As she recalled how she had laughed giddily while speaking with a slurred tongue.

“Uuugh…”

Unrefined, embarrassed moans flowed without restraint from her lips.

-Cal’s embrace is hard but comfortable.

When she clearly remembered what she had said while burying her head in his chest.

“Uuuugh…!!!”

Unable to contain the rising embarrassment, her hands covered her face, which had gone beyond being heated and was now like a volcano about to erupt.

If her fiancé hadn’t been sound asleep right in front of her, she would surely have been rolling around on the bed and eventually burying her face in the bed sheets, not knowing what to do.

“Hiing…”

She made a sulky sound, unable to handle the embarrassment that showed no signs of subsiding.

But even in the midst of feeling such embarrassment, a few things came to mind:

The image of Cal, who had looked at her steadily with a kind expression without showing any sign of dislike despite her acting spoiled while completely drunk.

The warmth she had felt in his embrace, which, as mentioned earlier, had only a hard sensation due to various trained muscles, yet was strangely comfortable.

“…It was cozy.”

And lastly, what came to mind was the truly enormous warmth she had felt from his large and broad back as he carried her, even when her mind was in a half-asleep state due to the alcohol.

“He… carried me.”

As Shiz accelerated her thoughts again, she recalled what had happened yesterday afternoon.

While spending such a warm and happy time together exploring the streets of Night Haven.

Shortly after they first met, when she had been crying in the rain, he had carried her on his back, and when she mentioned this, he had said he would carry her again sometime when he had the chance.

Then he had smiled gently at her.

He had kept his promise to her less than a day after making it.

Even though it must have been very difficult to carry her when she was drunk, unable to control her body, and her consciousness was hazy.

-You’re not heavy at all.

That moment when he had carried her with a voice filled with dignity and affection, saying it wasn’t heavy or difficult at all, came back to her more vividly than what she had heard in her sleep.

Thump thump

Just recalling it made her heart start racing uncontrollably.

Lilianshiz placed her hand on her chest, carefully closed her eyes, and tried to calm her heart, which was beating endlessly like her heated face.

“Phew…”

A soft sigh escaped from her lips as she sensed that her heartbeat had returned to normal.

It was a sigh she had often let out yesterday afternoon as well, but its nature was different.

If yesterday’s sighs were to control the warmth gradually rising in her chest.

“I’ve… only been receiving again.”

The sigh she was letting out now was to expel not warmth, but the regret and apology that rose in proportion to that warmth.

Shiz always felt sorry toward her fiancé.

It was a feeling she had harbored since she first met him.

He had taken good care of her without showing any dislike, even when she had some quirky aspects.

When she had cried after he finally exploded once, unable to endure her strange behavior any longer, he had looked after her kindly with an expression filled with even more apology.

Except for a brief period a few months ago when they had grown distant, he had always given her more of what he had.

She felt she hadn’t properly given him anything in return, a long-standing emotion and feeling.

Except for a few months ago when he had suddenly become cold and their relationship had grown distant, he had always sacrificed for her.

His eighteenth birthday, which they had celebrated a few days ago, was no exception.

Not only had she failed to give him a proper birthday present, but she had also injured his head with a sword.

And when an unidentified mage who had slipped through the time axis to harm her tried to hurt her, he had not spared his body to protect her, resulting in him losing consciousness.

With a worried heart, she had watched over him as he lay unconscious as if falling asleep, and when he regained consciousness, she had sincerely apologized and cried profusely.

Even in a situation where he could have been justifiably angry, he had instead warmly comforted her and thanked her.

Lilianshiz always carried apology in her heart.

As much as he cherishes me.

I want to let him know that I cherish him just as much.

But the unfortunate circumstances always interfered whenever she tried.

Yesterday was no exception.

She had wanted to ease Cal’s apologetic heart for his mistake by acting spoiled with the help of alcohol.

“…A fool who can’t even gauge her own alcohol tolerance…”

Instead, she had been controlled by the alcohol and had only acted spoiled toward him without any restraint, ending up doing things she should apologize for.

“Sigh…”

Another sigh came out to lessen the apology filling her heart.

How could she alleviate this apology in her heart by doing something for him rather than just sighing?

She closed her eyes for a moment and fell into thought, but when no significant idea came to mind, she was troubled.

“…Let’s try.”

As if she had thought of something, Shiz opened her closed eyes, and her expression showed a firm determination that appears when one has made a resolute decision.

What had she resolved to do that made such strong will emanate from her voice and appearance?

It was not difficult to figure out from the action she took after nodding her head slowly but vigorously.

After carefully raising her body and head, which had been against the pillow until just now.

She approached where Cal was sleeping, stretched out her arm.

And with an even more careful touch than when she had raised her own body, she lifted Cal’s body, which was sleeping bent over in the chair, and laid him down on the bed.

Then she got back on the bed and placed her thigh under his head as a substitute for a pillow, completing all her actions.

Yes.

She had now taken the classic lap pillow position for her fiancé.

Although his appearance was fine, he had been showing signs of accumulated fatigue while undergoing physical training that was incomparably more rigorous than before.

This was something she had wanted to do for him someday.

“…”

Having successfully placed his head on her thigh, Shiz carefully examined Cal from above with a satisfied expression.

During the series of actions, he should have woken up.

But as she had predicted that his body was quite tired, making it difficult for him to wake up easily.

Sss- Hoo-

Whether he was too tired to detect these actions or not, Cal not only didn’t wake up but actually breathed more evenly than before.

A pleased smile appeared on Shiz’s lips as she carefully examined Cal’s sleeping face, and.

“So cute…”

An appreciation filled with affection was expressed through her voice.

Although others occasionally said that her fiancé lacked cuteness and looked fierce.

His sleeping face now was so cute that anyone who saw it would raise no objection.

Thump thump

Shiz’s heart began to beat hotly again as she looked at her sleeping fiancé like this.

Although she had seen him sleeping several times in the past few days.

This level of loveliness was a sight she was seeing for the first time, naturally making her heart race.

As she watched his sleeping expression become more comfortable using her thigh as a pillow, Shiz’s expression also added more satisfaction, but.

When she thought about what she had received from him and how much what she was doing now could give him in return.

“Is… this enough?”

A bitter look appeared again on her expression, which had only shown satisfaction.

“I want to give more…”

All I can do for him now is just this…

Swallowing the unspoken words, Shiz adjusted her posture to ensure that her soundly sleeping fiancé could have as comfortable a sleep as possible.

If she could have her way, she wanted to reach out with her right hand and gently stroke his head.

Going further, she wanted to slightly extend not her arm but her face toward him and overlap her lips with his lips or forehead to express her affection for him.

“For now, I should let him sleep comfortably…”

She effectively controlled the desire rising in her heart and resolved to focus as much as possible on the sound sleep of her fiancé resting on her thigh.

“When he wakes up… I’ll apologize for what happened yesterday first.”

She made a commitment to apologize so cleanly that the words “I’m sorry” wouldn’t reflexively come out of Cal’s mouth as soon as her apology dropped.

During this series of events, as the sunlight gradually rising over the horizon shone through the window.

Shiz carefully turned her body to prevent the sunlight from disturbing his sleep.

Although it was minimal, this was a natural action she took because she wanted to convey to him the gratitude she had only received, even in this small way.

“Even if it’s just for a moment… Sleep well.”

This was the last thing Shiz said to the sleeping Cal before he woke up and opened his eyes.

And when he wakes up, she will say one thing.

A commonplace greeting of “Did you sleep well?” but.

She would deliver these words with warmth that wouldn’t lose to the morning sunlight gradually rising now.

Until then, Lilianshiz didn’t know.

Although she was excited about expressing gratitude and apology to Cal when he woke up.

She didn’t know that once again, she would be beaten to it by him when he woke up and would only receive gratitude again.

Moreover, she certainly wouldn’t have known that what she would receive would be related to the sweet temptation that had been echoing in her own heart until just now.