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Chapter 65
Under the hood, sleek black hair fell softly, and a small body was wrapped in a long robe.
My face froze in shock.
The person sitting on the windowsill right now was undoubtedly As!
I jumped up and hurried to the windowsill.
“As… As… you!”
“Long time no see, Einra.”
“You… you… what are you doing coming here in a body so young…!”
I quickly picked As up and sat him on the bed.
Carefully lifting the hood that partially covered his face, I met his gaze—red eyes staring directly at me.
He gently blinked.
“But when I opened my eyes, Einra wasn’t by my side.”
“Uh…?”
“So I came to find you. To find Einra.”
His small hand took mine and pressed it to his cheek.
I stared blankly at As’s face.
‘…Wasn’t this all settled yesterday?’
He had promised to wait until my curiosity was satisfied, hadn’t he?
As my mind was flooded with question marks, I suddenly remembered when As first experienced a fever from side effects recently.
Excited by the fever, he didn’t even know what he was saying.
In the end, his little body couldn’t withstand the heat and he had fainted.
‘Could this be a similar situation to that fever now?’
Although As’s cheek felt warm under my fingertips, I carefully examined his face.
Sensing my persistent gaze, his crimson eyes slowly blinked.
…Looking closely, his eyes seemed somewhat off.
‘Did he really catch a fever this time too?’
So that’s why he had come running here so recklessly?
Worried, I quickly checked As’s forehead.
The small forehead beneath my palm felt moderately warm.
I couldn’t tell if it was a fever or not.
As I tilted my head, pondering,
“Einra.”
At the quiet call, the hand on his forehead was gently pushed aside.
At the same time, his small hands pulled my face toward his.
“…!”
Our foreheads touched.
Startled, I inhaled sharply, and he smiled again at me from close proximity.
“It’s easier to check my temperature this way than with your hand.”
“…”
“How does it feel? Do I have a high fever?”
A faint scent of soap brushed past my nose.
For a moment, in his entwined gaze, I caught a glimpse of Akes.
In the quiet where only the sound of insects filled the air, my heart raced violently.
Staring blankly at As, I snapped back to reality.
“…Ah, no. Only a mild fever, it’s mostly gone now.”
“Ahh.”
“Did it hurt a lot?”
I hesitated, pulling back slightly before asking, and his face filled with sorrow.
“It did. A lot.”
“…”
“Because Einra wasn’t there.”
His crimson eyes shimmered as if tears might fall at any moment.
As I anxiously reached toward his eyes,
Knock. Knock.
“Einra, are you in there?”
A voice from outside interrupted.
A sharp, deadly glint passed through As’s eyes, which had been filled with sorrow.
“Ha… that pest…”
He murmured quietly and stood up.
Startled, I quickly covered As’s mouth and pushed him backward onto the bed.
“…!”
As the hood slipped off, jet-black hair spilled across the white blanket.
His eyes widened in surprise as he looked up at me.
I pressed my finger against his lips and whispered:
“As… As, let’s pretend to be asleep. If we stay quiet, maybe they’ll leave…”
“There’s no answer. Hmm, I’ll go in for now.”
As soon as the words ended, the doorknob slowly began to turn.
I covered As with the blanket just as he was about to draw his sword from his waist.
His small body was completely hidden under the white blanket, and at that exact moment, the door swung open.
“Oh? Einra, you weren’t asleep.”
“Uh, uhm, I just woke up from the door sound. Haha.”
I quickly turned and faced Lloyd, forcing a smile as I shielded the blanket around As with my body.
Lloyd tilted his head slightly, then smiled and closed the door.
Click. The door shut.
“Did I wake Einra?”
“Ah, well… um… haha…”
I hoped he would leave, but Lloyd, who had now sat beside me, showed no intention of going anywhere.
I swallowed a sigh and smiled again.
“What brings you here at such a late hour?”
“Since this afternoon, you’ve been avoiding me, Einra.”
“Ah, haha…”
Flustered, I averted my gaze.
I had tried so hard not to let him notice, but I was immediately caught…
“I thought maybe you were worried about Miss Ayla, or rather, Baroness Kenesit. I came to tell you there’s nothing to worry about since it’s completely over with her.”
“Uh, yes… I see…”
I replied while slowly shifting to the side.
Lloyd had been subtly trying to initiate contact all this time.
“Please believe me. The only person who will become my wife is you, Einra.”
Lloyd, with melancholic golden eyes lowered, moved closer and sat beside me.
“We’re going to be married soon, after all.”
He brushed my hair flowing over my shoulder and slowly lowered his head.
“So, we…”
“E-Excuse me!”
I jumped up and shouted.
“E-Einra…?”
Lloyd looked up at me, surprised by my sudden action.
From inside the blanket, As stirred, seemingly understanding the situation from the sound.
“…?”
As Lloyd’s head turned toward the rustling, I panicked, grabbed his shoulders, and pushed him onto the bed while shouting:
“I… I’m keeping my virginity until marriage!”
Confusion flashed across Lloyd’s face as he fell onto the bed.
I climbed on top of him, holding his shoulders firmly to prevent him from looking toward As.
“So! You should refrain from late-night visits!”
I glared at him.
His face, blankly staring at me from beneath, turned bright red instantly.
“Ah, what to do… so cute…”
He mumbled, covering his face with his hands.
‘Haven’t I heard this mumbling before on the terrace…?’
While I furrowed my brows, he muttered a few more incomprehensible words, then whispered:
“…This is cheating.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re too cute, Einra, I can’t do anything else.”
“….”
Goosebumps ran over me.
As I tried to slowly back away, Lloyd was faster to stand.
Reaching out to me, he patted my head and smiled.
“Alright, I’ll hold back until the wedding. So you don’t need to be nervous.”
“…”
“Good night.”
Saying this as if granting a favor, he left.
Click.
Only when the door shut did I finally relax.
“Ha, finally…”
At that moment, a soft sound and a chillingly cool voice brushed against my ear.
“…How dare you.”
With a cold laugh, As brushed back his hair.
Under the scattered strands slipping through his small fingers, his eyes, engulfed in darkness and looking completely off, appeared.
His crimson eyes glinted with murderous intent toward the door Lloyd had exited.
Startled, I quickly cupped As’s cheeks with my hands.
“As… As? It’s okay. Really, it’s nothing. Nothing happened.”
“…Nothing happened?”
“Yes, truly nothing happened. And besides, he’s a person who will soon disappear from this world anyway.”
“A person who will soon disappear? Then it’s fine.”
Normally, this would be a moment to laugh off, but As’s gaze seemed unusually serious.
Seeing the lingering hostility in his eyes, I didn’t know what to do and tightly shut my eyes.
Then, I pressed my lips to his soft cheek.
Smack.
A cute sound escaped as our lips parted.
“…”
When I looked at As again, he blinked, looking dazed.
The previous hostility had vanished completely.
His expression was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.
I cleared my throat and spoke.
“As, As, I’m going to borrow Undine’s help to check the Dante lab now.”
“…”
“If you stay calm until then, I’ll do it for you in other places too.”
“…Other places?”
Curiosity shone in As’s crimson eyes.
