Chapter 23

In my embrace, Asulin’s sobs quieted, and I moved on an odd thought that if I wanted to stop her crying, I needed to do something bad enough to make her angry.

I pulled her upper body into my lap while sitting in this chair, and five minutes passed.

If things went as planned, this was about the time—

“What—what!”

Asulin, showing signs of panic, shouted,

“Let go of me at once! You’re being terribly rude to me right now!!”

She poured out her words with a tone as cold as the weather outside before breaking free from my embrace.

“Even so, what are you doing all of a sudden?!”

At the same time, she raised her right hand, ready to strike my cheek with a sensation like a flame rising.

Initially, I believed she would certainly do so, but surprisingly, there was no reaction from Asulin.

Her initial panic was as I had anticipated, but I expected her to break free from my arms and scold me any moment.

Instead of the cold storm, all I heard from her was—

“…”

She stayed quietly in my embrace, and my attempt failed.

No, actually—

“Ugh…”

Though she showed signs of panic, her sobs had completely ceased, which was a success… a success.

But even if I succeeded in the end, the confusion from not understanding the situation calmed my heart that had been racing since holding her.

‘Why?’

I repeated countless times in my head, trying to find the reason.

It was as if mocking my efforts—

“Guh…”

From Asulin’s lips within my embrace, only a soft whine could be heard, not a storm of anger.

Chirp chirp—

The cricket’s sound pierced through the silence of the bedroom window, indicating that it was still early morning, far from dawn.

Chirp chirp—

The cricket’s sound flowed in like a lullaby, soothingly.

Along with the warmth that filled my body, Asulin’s voice softly emerged from her lips, a sound that seemed to come naturally, almost a whimper.

This gentle form of a whimper surprised even herself.

Given how much she was showing that her body and mind were at ease, despite her surprise, she longed to close her eyes and fall asleep right then and there.

But an instinctive defense mechanism kicked in—

“Ah!!”

With a single cry, she pushed away from me with both arms, creating space.

Although she put effort into pushing me away, it didn’t require much strength.

The warm embrace that had given her comfort effortlessly made way, allowing her to escape easily.

However, despite feeling justified in her actions, Asulin felt regret as soon as she realized who had provided her with such warmth.

‘Oh…’

Asulin sighed inwardly, reevaluating the size of her self-loathing as she reflected on the situation again.

Her actions were too ugly, leading to layers of self-hatred, yet she couldn’t help but feel she should have been more considerate when leaving his embrace.

‘I’m such a fool.’

As Asulin’s gaze shifted toward Andymion, her thoughts replayed the moment he had smiled at her contemptuous question, reassuring her he didn’t feel that way.

When tears welled up in her eyes and a sob escaped, it was because of the immense relief she felt.

But unlike emotions, expressions can convey different meanings.

Recalling that his expressions often mirrored his feelings honestly, Asulin knew his expression would reveal a different emotion than his words.

‘I must endure.’

Certainly, even if his expression revealed his true feelings, it wasn’t a reason for Asulin to be angry.

She didn’t feel the need to, nor did she think it justified to be angry.

Such a look was nothing compared to the many wrongs she had committed against him.

She knew well that it wasn’t wrong for him to show his honest feelings.

“…”

Lifting her head and opening her eyes, she prepared to face whatever expression Andymion might have, but her view was obstructed by his large hand covering her forehead.

“…Huh?”

Surprised by the sudden obstruction, Asulin felt the coolness of Andymion’s hand on her forehead.

“Huff… Looks like you’re not sick.”

His warm voice brought a sigh of relief.

‘What?’

Before she could process, he spoke,

“I got worried thinking you might have overexerted yourself when you suddenly went silent, and your temperature rose.”

Despite the casual tone, his words carried warmth she couldn’t hide.

Asulin, known as Asulin Blatt Caladborg, felt her heart pounding fiercely in her chest.

“…My fever is back. Is there something wrong with my body?”

“No, no!”

As she felt the warmth of Andymion’s hand on her forehead, she also sensed the heat.

Normally, in such a situation, she would control her metabolism using advanced breathing techniques, but—

“…I feel like it got warmer suddenly.”

“…The window is closed.”

“…It must be my imagination.”

Without needing to guess her intentions, Andymion’s sincere response was more important than adjusting her metabolism.

“Thank you…”

Rather than calming her restless body, she chose to express heartfelt gratitude for his kindness.

Comparing this to how difficult it was to apologize, expressing thanks came much easier.

“…There’s no need to thank me so much. It’s only natural to help someone who saved your life.”

Seeing Andymion’s modesty, despite his warmth, Asulin found herself wanting to continue looking at him with both eyes.

She wouldn’t know—

How Andymion, who seemed like a saint, could smile casually after offering water to someone in danger without making a big deal of it.

Afterward, every time she longed for him, her heart would fill with warmth.

But now, Asulin couldn’t understand the effect of this accumulating warmth.

“…Is she calm now?”

Even though I believed her emotions would replay in order, fortunately, such intense actions didn’t occur.

Asulin’s sobs and constant unease had subsided, and she even thanked me for my unexpected action.

While I outwardly dismissed her gratitude, inwardly, I was quite surprised.

Her behavior, feeling sorry for trivial matters and grateful for even smaller ones, was rare among the people I had seen.

“Even though I just spoke my mind and cried recklessly, you’ve been so kind to me despite everything. I’m really grateful.”

Even now, her unending gratitude was strange.

Strange as it was, it didn’t feel unpleasant; rather, it warmed my heart.

But since I wasn’t one to rely on others’ kindness,

“Your gratitude is so excessive that I want to scratch my face out of embarrassment.”

“I’ve been holding back the urge to say ‘thank you’ until bedtime.”

“It’s perfect timing. It’s already late.”

I suggested she go to sleep, and she agreed.

“Ahhh…”

She yawned, combining fatigue and emotional fluctuations.

Even her carefree yawn was impressive.

Though I wondered if I needed sunglasses to look at her, the fact that our conversation ended smoothly without her exhaustion was a relief.

I wanted to tell her to go to sleep and get into bed immediately, but first, I needed to confirm something.

“The way you talk has been inconsistent lately…”

“…I noticed. I try to speak more gently, but my usual tone keeps coming back.”

“If it’s comfortable, you can keep talking like that.”

“…But.”

“I understand my situation. Usually, I use this tone, and changing it abruptly feels strange. Don’t worry; it’s fine to use this tone when we talk.”

“…”

“Or maybe I should address you with more formality…”

“I don’t want to treat you that formally. Don’t make me seem like a bad person.”

“This seems a bit extreme…”

“…Alright. Let’s talk like we did during the war.”

“…When will you call me that?”

“…Never mind. I need to work harder.”

“…I hope you succeed.”

“…Thank you.”

“…Today, it feels like I’ve heard it a thousand times.”

“…I’ve been holding back the urge to say it every breath.”

“…Alright, let’s sleep. Unlike last time, I won’t lean against anything unusual while sleeping.”

After agreeing on how to address each other, we lay down on the bed.

“Good night. Thank you…”

“…”

As Asulin whispered something to me, her voice faded.

Exhausted from our late-night conversation and emotional fluctuations, Asulin fell asleep quickly.

“Good night.”

I closed my eyes, feeling the day had finally ended, even though it felt like it had just begun.

Wouldn’t it be peaceful to see Asulin drinking liquor before bed and enjoying a tranquil life?

No, it wouldn’t be.

“…Asulin? I know you’re pretending to sleep.”

“Mmm…”

The problem wasn’t the day, but the night.

I hadn’t realized how troublesome Asulin’s sleeping habits could be.

Asulin, listen, I’m not a toy.