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~Chapter 15~
Thump.
Yujin’s head, having fallen completely asleep, slumped heavily. And just as she tilted sideways and touched the shoulder of the person next to her…
Flicker.
Crown Prince Michael’s eyes opened. They were clear eyes, showing no trace of sleep.
Michael looked down at the girl’s head, now leaning against him and sleeping soundly.
The way her head was deeply bowed into the carriage already seemed like she was in a deep slumber.
He had been awake since the moment he felt the slight movement of the seat beside him being depressed by the weight leaning on him.
However, to avoid startling his puppy who had quietly approached, he had kept his posture still.
He waited patiently, holding his breath, until the breathing of the girl who had cautiously approached became steady and even. And only when the head of the girl, finally fully asleep, touched him, did he open the eyes he had closed.
‘She’s deeply asleep.’
She relaxed her weight and leaned against him. The area where she leaned against him gradually widened, as if she was sinking deeper into sleep.
Crown Prince Michael blinked once at the unfamiliar situation. As the area of contact grew, the warmth transmitted from beside him intensified.
‘Body heat…’
It was hot. Although the actual temperature was just ordinary body heat, Crown Prince Michael felt a heat like holding fire with his bare hands from the point of contact.
Sssuruk.
And then, tilting further and further sideways, Yujin finally fell completely over, tumbling into Crown Prince Michael’s lap.
“……!”
At the sight of the girl collapsed onto his lap, Crown Prince Michael, flustered, instinctively raised his arms, but then…
“Mmmph.”
He froze completely at the sound that escaped from below.
Yujin, who let out a discontented groan as if the sprawled position was uncomfortable, still without opening her eyes, fidgeted a bit and then…
“Hhuuuuung…”
As if she had finally found a comfortable position, she lifted her head which was tilted sideways, laid it back down, and escaped again into the comfortable world of sleep.
Crown Prince Michael, frozen in his initial state, unable to move a single finger during this entire sequence, only slowly lowered the two arms he had been holding up after hearing Yujin’s unchanging breathing.
*Swish-swish. Swish-swish.*
His lap, where Yujin still rested her head, remained immobile, unable to move.
Having stayed motionless like that for a long while, Crown Prince Michael, reassured that Yujin was deeply asleep, relaxed a little.
As the tension eased slightly, something that had been stealthily tempting his gaze came into view.
‘White.’
Hair the color of clean, pristine snow. Those strands of light flowing down over his legs rose and fell ever so slightly each time the girl exhaled, tickling his knee area.
Twitch.
Crown Prince Michael felt his fingers wriggle unconsciously.
“…….”
He checked once more on the girl sleeping deeply.
She had completely relaxed her head and was so deeply asleep that it seemed unlikely she would wake easily. After all, this was the girl who never woke up even once when he stopped by on his way from work, back when she used to fall asleep in the gazebo.
Recalling those memories, Crown Prince Michael gained a little confidence and stealthily raised his hand.
And then, ever so cautiously, he brought his hand to the snow-white hair and gave it a very gentle stroke.
*Sararak.*
The texture that met his fingers was soft. Crown Prince Michael gently stroked downward, starting from the very ends of the hair far from her head.
Crown Prince Michael reached out with a bit more confidence and gently covered Yujin’s head, where the round bun was.
“……!”
In addition to the soft hair, he could feel the warmth transmitted warmly into his palm. Crown Prince Michael, for some reason overcome with emotion, paused like that for a moment.
Having composed himself, he raised his hand again and stroked gently downward, following the flow of the hair cascading from the bun.
He raised his hand again, stroked down, and repeated that, stroking her hair.
Having almost fallen into a trance like that, Crown Prince Michael regained his senses at the groaning sound that came from below.
* * *
Yujin was dreaming.
It was a nightmare she hadn’t had in a while.
*Tatadada-. Dan dan dan.*
The alarm went off.
Yujin struggled to get up.
She managed to get out of bed, washed her face, and changed clothes. She grabbed her bag and stepped out the front door, thinking she’d luckily made it to the station on time, when…
*Tatadada-. Dan dan dan.*
The alarm went off again.
Suddenly, she was back in her initial room. The time she checked was cruelly far later.
She must have heard the alarm and turned it off without getting up. Blaming her lazy self, she hurriedly got up.
Unaware that she had actually made a “mmph” sound out loud, Yujin was still wandering in the nightmare.
She trembled with anxiety and thought.
‘I have to go to work…’
It’s terribly unpleasant, but she must.
There was no other choice.
‘I have to get up.’
Strangely, her eyes wouldn’t open. As she, still trapped in the nightmare, writhed in agony, unable to move…
“……?”
A voice calling her from somewhere was heard.
‘What is it?’
It was a familiar voice from somewhere. As Yujin pondered, at some point she became aware of her body being gently shaken and opened her eyes.
“……!”
Their gazes collided without warning and tangled.
For a moment, Yujin couldn’t comprehend the situation. She was clearly sitting watching the fireplace, but now she was lying down, and above her, an inhumanly beautiful boy was looking down.
‘Huh?’
Her mind, just awakened from sleep, slowly recognized the surreal scene.
‘…Michael?’
For some reason, she saw eyes staring intensely at her.
“……!”
The moment she became conscious of that gaze, Yujin unconsciously held her breath.
Golden eyes, as if containing melted sunlight, poured down toward her, frighteningly close.
With his back to the fire, the shadows cast on his face strangely evoked a dangerous atmosphere.
The side of his face lit by the bright light was an untouchable nobility, and the side darkened by shadows was a seduction seemingly capable of corrupting anyone.
Either way, it was a form far too tempting for a mere human.
Staring at that face dazedly as if bewitched, Yujin belatedly noticed his lips moving.
“Are you awake?”
“……!”
Only then did she clearly realize her current state and flinched. As Yujin suddenly moved, she almost rolled off his lap, but Crown Prince Michael firmly caught and held her in place with the two hands that had been touching her.
“……?”
Yujin, still not understanding the situation, raised a big question mark above her head.
Why was she, who had been perfectly fine sitting, now lying with her head on Crown Prince Michael’s lap, and why was the hand now resting on her shoulder patting her at a steady pace?
“Shhh-. It’s okay.”
As if calming down a frantic animal, Crown Prince Prince Michael patted her slowly in a low voice.
Ridiculously enough, as that voice combined with the repetitive rhythm, her momentarily panicked mind gradually returned to its place.
Yujin, her excitement somewhat subsided, relaxed the tension in her body.
As the tense muscles relaxed, Crown Prince Michael could also tell from the sensation on his lap that she was once again comfortably entrusting her body to him.
“…….”
And after watching Yujin stay quietly leaning against him even after waking, the Crown Prince carefully raised his hand again and stroked her head.
“……?”
Startled by the sudden touch, Yujin reflexively raised her hand to cover her head and glared at the hand targeting it.
Crown Prince Michael, feeling her body stiffen rigidly again, waited until she relaxed.
A moment later, as Yujin relaxed her body and lowered her arm, the Crown Prince’s hand slowly descended again.
Watching the hand moving slowly enough for her to fully perceive its approach so as not to startle her, Yujin, feeling a bit absurd, relaxed the tension in her neck again, laid her head back comfortably, and thought.
‘Sigh. Special favor, I suppose.’
Go ahead and pet me as you wish. The drowsiness still lingered, and moving separately was bothersome anyway. Yujin handed over her white hair to the Crown Prince and thought.
‘Anyway, since I’m your pet.’
Sometimes, you get to enjoy the perks of having a pet, right?
It was with such a condescending mindset that she intended to endure the bothersome touch while sleepy.
“…….”
But actually, being stroked so gently with a regular rhythm by that hand…
‘…Soooo drowsy.’
Her momentarily prickly nerves all settled down, her mind softened, and her heart became calm.
She hadn’t known Crown Prince Michael’s genius would extend to this area, but his hands deserved to be praised as divine technique.
She was convinced that not just her, but any other prickly animal brought before these hands would, without exception, a hundred out of a hundred, flip over and show its belly.
‘Feels good…’
Her mind began preparing to drift back into the hazy world of sleep. Yujin leisurely closed her eyes, enjoying the pleasant sensation on her head, when…
‘Ah!’
Remembering she had something to say to Crown Prince Michael, she quickly opened her mouth before being swept away by sleep.
