🔊 TTS Settings
CHAPTER 72….
Memory? What Memory?
When I looked at him as if I truly didn’t know what he was talking about, an awkward sigh slipped through his teeth.
“You said you’d take responsibility…”
“Re…sponsibility?”
Now that I thought about it, Idris was wearing a robe.
A loosely tied robe that slightly revealed the muscles beneath.
Seeing his body—something I’d always found a little attractive—an electrifying thought flashed through my mind.
I had no memory after Idris brought me back to my room last night.
I thought it was just because I’d fallen asleep…
No way…
Wait, no. That can’t be it, right?
The thirst and headache that had been torturing me earlier vanished, and cold sweat began to drip down my back.
As I stood there in confusion, Idris looked at me with a conflicted expression and sighed.
“Last night, I tried to leave after bringing you back… but you wouldn’t let go.”
…I did?
Okay, sure, I always thought he was absurdly handsome and ridiculously well-built, but…
I never had such indecent thoughts!
I swallowed hard, feeling like I was about to open Pandora’s box.
“…And then?”
“And then…”
Idris casually took the cup I was holding.
Our fingers brushed, and despite the light touch, I instinctively flinched.
He silently watched me for a moment, then set the cup down on the bedside table and continued.
“Well… just what you’re thinking.”
Thump!
That was the sound of my heart dropping.
No way… was I that… that desperate?!
This couldn’t be real.
There’s no way this is real!
I tried to remember, to deny it somehow—but last night’s memory was wiped clean, as if erased with a rubber.
I felt like fainting…
Then—
“Heh…”
Idris, who had been watching me, suddenly started laughing.
When I looked at him with eyes that were practically about to cry, he burst out laughing.
“If I keep going, you really might pass out. I’ll stop the joke here.”
It took me three seconds to fully process what he said, thanks to the shock I was still reeling from.
As I sat there, stunned, replaying his words in my head, Idris began laughing so hard that his eyes welled up with tears.
And that’s when I realized—
It was all a joke.
“IDRIS!!”
If he weren’t a duke, I would’ve slapped him!
No, one slap wouldn’t be enough.
I couldn’t hold back—I grabbed a pillow and smacked his huge body with it.
“Ow.”
He wasn’t even hurt. He just pretended like it hurt. That made it even more infuriating!
I kept hitting him with the pillow until I ran out of strength and accidentally let it slip from my grasp.
And then, unable to counter the rebound, I nearly fell off the bed.
“Ah!”
Just then, Idris quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
When I came to my senses…
Idris was pinning my arms down, hovering over me.
His robe had fallen open even more, revealing his body—but in that moment, I couldn’t see anything.
Except for his golden eyes staring down at me.
Sunlight streamed into the room, casting shadows over his eyes.
It hit me then—
This man is a man.
That simple fact, which I had somehow forgotten, suddenly struck me, and I unconsciously held my breath.
In the silence, where even the sound of my heartbeat seemed loud, he was the first to speak.
“…You should really be more careful.”
He quickly got up, then handed me the cup from the bedside table.
Now I saw it—it wasn’t just water. It was honey water.
In the suddenly strange atmosphere, I stayed silent, sipping the drink.
Trying to change the mood, I asked,
“So, why did you come find me so early in the morning? Did His Majesty send you again?”
Idris, who was now sitting beside me, didn’t answer. He just stared.
When I looked at him questioningly, he gave a small smile and finally answered.
“I just… wanted to see you.”
A simple answer.
I stared at him blankly.
I knew there was a hint of teasing in that answer too, but somehow… my fingertips started to tingle.
Unable to say anything back, I quickly took another sip of honey water.
Hoping the sound of it going down would drown out the sound of my racing heart.
