IRMDH 15

Chapter 15

A faint, frightened voice echoed quietly.

The moment I froze stiff upon hearing the voice and the presence, Blake’s hand, which had been covering my mouth, slowly fell away.

“……D-Did I hear wrong?”

From the sound of it, it was a young boy priest.

It must have been the very priest we had been chasing.

The young priest, sounding like he was about to burst into tears, looked around here and there, his footsteps moving several times.

It seemed he rummaged through some things before putting them back in place……

Maybe he left something looking odd.

I prayed desperately that he wouldn’t open this wardrobe, and peered carefully through the small crack.

Then, another sharp voice followed.

“Why did you suddenly come in here in the middle of a conversation, Martin?”

“I thought someone was here……”

“There’s no one. And if you’re going to stomp your feet like this, just ask His Highness the Crown Prince since he came to the temple anyway!”

“H-How could I ask His Highness the Crown Prince about the Saintess? I don’t believe you.”

“Fine, think what you want. But I definitely saw that woman disappear together with His Highness the Crown Prince in the middle of the night.”

Speaking to Martin, the boy priest, the girl priest’s voice was dripping with annoyance as she called Seira “that woman,” clearly displeased with her.

Blake disappeared with Seira?

But Blake himself said he didn’t know where Seira had gone.

Whose words were true……?

“Not only me! Belleteon saw it too. He was on watch duty at the temple gates that night.”

“That makes no sense…… Why would the Saintess disappear together with His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“I definitely saw it and told the High Priest too, but why does no one believe me?”

“And His Highness the Crown Prince…… h-he died and then came back to life……”

“That’s true. Then why does he say he doesn’t know, when he was with that woman?”

“You must have seen wrong, Mary.”

“Whatever, think what you like. Anyway, no one’s in this room, so let’s go. If the High Priest finds out, we’ll just get nagged again.”

“……Mm.”

The boy and girl priest’s voices gradually grew more distant.

When the sound of their presence had completely vanished, Blake finally released his grip on me.

At the same time, I stumbled forward, tumbling out of the wardrobe and collapsing onto the ground, panting.

Only now did I feel the heat rising in my body, locked so tight with tension.

I had even held my breath so they wouldn’t hear me breathing, and now my head spun.

“Phew, I thought I was going to suffocate.”

The two priests’ conversation was filled with incomprehensible things.

Blake and Seira disappeared together?

But from what I knew, Blake had been in the palace the whole time during the period Seira supposedly vanished.

He hadn’t gone out at all……

And then afterward, he even died.

“What do you think their conversation meant?”

“…….”

“Your Highness, do you really not know where the Saintess is? They said they saw you disappear together.”

“I haven’t been to the temple recently. More importantly……”

Watching Blake awkwardly squeeze himself out of the wardrobe made me wonder how on earth the two of us had managed to fit inside in the first place.

Especially considering Blake’s build rivaled that of seasoned knights.

Yet he looked entirely unfazed, his expression strangely unreadable as he placed his hand on his chest and muttered:

“My heart…… it feels like it’s beating.”

“Really?”

His heart was beating all of a sudden?

I was certain I had felt no pulse from him before.

I didn’t know the reason, but it was definitely a good sign.

I reached out my hand toward his chest.

Through the thin shirt, I clearly felt the small, steady thump-thump of his pulse—only for Blake to suddenly recoil in shock.

What? Is he being modest now?

“……Your hands move so boldly, master.”

“What? Oh, come on. Don’t get all shy suddenly—it’s confusing. And besides, you’re my husband, so what’s wrong with that?”

Blake hesitated before replying.

Good grief, it didn’t suit him at all.

He had such a decadent, dangerous aura, yet here he was flinching just because I touched his chest.

Not to mention, he was usually the one boldly grabbing my hand first, and now this?

His face turned pale as he opened and closed his mouth several times, before finally forcing out words.

“You shouldn’t say things like that, Ariel……”

“People will think I was harassing you. Anyway, your heart really was beating just now, wasn’t it? Why all of a sudden?”

What could’ve caused a dead heart to start beating again?

Thinking back, I remembered being crammed tightly into the wardrobe with him.

Oh—maybe because of that close contact?

But what would that have to do with his heart?

As I puzzled over it, Blake shook his head again.

“It’s stopped again.”

“Already? That was too short. Hmm, what did that book say? Something like—if there’s sustained contact, things improve…… or something like that.”

“…….”

“Honestly, I didn’t really understand what it meant.”

“Oh, no way……”

Muttering under his breath, Blake suddenly turned even paler, like someone confronted with a shocking truth.

“Do you know something?”

“It’s just……a guess. No, it shouldn’t be……”

His voice was strangled, as if forced out, and he shook his head in torment.

The unsteady tone, paired with the way he hung his head in anguish, made him look pitiful.

I moved closer with concern.

When I did, Blake, who had been gesturing for me to stay away, finally sighed deeply after raking his hands over his face.

“I’m the problem. That’s all. Don’t worry about it, master.”

“I don’t understand. How are you the problem? You just said you think you know why your heart beat—what is it? Can’t we try again?”

“…….”

Why wouldn’t he just say it instead of clamming up?

As I tilted my head, Blake hesitated for a long time before muttering a curse under his breath.

It startled me, but what struck me most was that the curse seemed aimed at himself.

“What if you run away?”

“Why would I run away? What is it? Tell me.

Do I just have to cram myself against you like in the wardrobe again?”

“…….”

Blake stared at me for a long time, clearly torn.

Then, as if deciding it might be fine, he drew in a small, steadying breath.

He reached out with a trembling hand and cupped my face.

“I told you not to worry……”

But how could anyone not worry, seeing him in such pain?

Of course, I kept that thought to myself.

I only blinked at the cold hand against my cheek.

Because right after his small warning, Blake’s face drew closer to mine.

His troubled blue eyes, heavy with hesitation, half-lidded beneath long lashes, stared at me. I swallowed hard without realizing.

Then, that strikingly alluring face closed the distance.

‘……Huh?’

Warmth brushed against my slightly parted lips.

If it had stopped there, I would’ve just felt embarrassed.

But Blake’s lips parted, and a hot tongue entered, exploring my mouth with hungry intensity, as if he had been starved for ages.

For someone so cold-bodied, the heat of his tongue and saliva shocked me.

I was completely unprepared, frozen stiff, while he moved with practiced ease.

It was as if he already knew the inside of my mouth, skillfully exploring every part, drawing out humiliating sounds.

At some point, his other hand had wrapped tightly around my waist, keeping me from escaping.

The kiss was so overwhelming, it left me unable to push him away—or embrace him back—just floundering.

My body tingled all over.

Without thinking, I clutched at his clothes, tangled up with him.

Unable to keep up with his pace, I gasped for breath, and only then did he finally release me.

But he immediately pulled me into his arms.

My face buried against his chest, I suddenly heard the fierce pounding of his heart and widened my eyes.

‘His heart is beating again?’

But before I could even look at his face, Blake murmured, regret heavy in his voice:

“I’m sorry. That’s why…… I told you I was the problem…….”