Chapter 14

But that wasn’t the only thing that confused him.

“…I know how guilty you feel about just letting me sleep beside you.”

“You felt sorry and blamed yourself because all you could offer me was your arm as a pillow.”

“…What?”

They were married, but they only slept together? And why was he only able to offer his wife an arm as a pillow?

None of this made sense.

Suddenly, he lowered his hand from his face.

An idea began to form in his mind.

“Could it be that I’m… impotent?”

Time seemed to stop, and he was struck speechless by the shocking possibility.

After all, this body wasn’t originally his, so there might be circumstances he was unaware of.

But still…

“This can’t be.”

He rubbed his face in confusion, pacing around the room with one hand covering his face.

Why hadn’t he noticed sooner?

Despite the body being different, its basic functions hadn’t felt unusual, so he never considered such a possibility.

“Me, impotent…?”

It seemed like this place wasn’t a reward for saving the world after all.

This was another tremendous trial.

System reward, they said. No money, no house, lost title, and now this…

And to think he never even used it in his past life!

He placed his hand on the window ledge, trying to remain calm.

There might be some misunderstanding.

There must be a reason why he hadn’t engaged in a normal relationship with his wife…

Could he have been impotent before his soul changed?

Or was he a homosexual who couldn’t engage with a woman?

Or was it something else entirely?

Without Alec’s memories, he couldn’t uncover the truth.

“D*mn it.”

He clenched his teeth and turned to check the door.

Satisfied that no one would come in, he cautiously glanced down.

Now that he thought about it, earlier…?

He had a vague sense that he instinctively responded to the sudden hug…

“…”

The suffocating silence hung in the air.

Swallowing once, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

He then slowly lowered his hand.

There was a palpable, warm pulse and an undeniable sense of life.

“Perfectly normal…”

There was nothing wrong with his function.

He’d have to verify again tomorrow morning, but it was clear there was nothing wrong with his ability now.

Just to be sure, he checked his condition once more.

An electric shiver ran through his body, spreading like wildfire.

“!”

The acute sensitivity overwhelmed his senses, making him quickly withdraw his hand.

This was not just healthy; it was hypersensitive.

Was he always this responsive to stimulation…?

He ran his fingers through his hair and headed to the bed.

Feeling momentarily pathetic, he wondered what he was doing.

Before he had taken more than a few steps, he felt a sense of unease and halted.

“…”

The brief embrace had caused his blood to rush in a certain direction.

It felt like all the blood in his body had surged there, making him acutely aware of the sensation.

His body usually didn’t react so quickly.

In fact, his body was not typically responsive to s*xual stimuli.

No matter how beautiful the person, he wasn’t easily drawn to them. Accidental touches felt like nothing to him.

Even deliberate seductions felt dull and cumbersome.

This didn’t mean he couldn’t love someone of the opposite s*x. He just hadn’t met anyone who could stir his instincts.

But now, his body was reacting easily to female stimulation.

Alec stood still, absorbing this revelation.

* * *

“Ah, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

A wave of futile regret washed over me.

After staring at the spot where Alec had disappeared, I returned to reality.

There were still candles lit in the second-floor hallway.

“…Embarrassing. I’m going to kick myself under the covers.”

I never thought Alec would reject me so outright.

It felt like I had pushed too hard for something he didn’t want.

His dignified voice echoed in my mind.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ll go in first tonight.”

“…”

So why did he say he would become the perfect husband?

Unless he planned to be a ghost husband after dying.

I clutched the hem of my dress in frustration.

I tried to understand his situation, especially after he attempted to poison himself following the suggestion of divorce.

I thought he intended to make things work since he unexpectedly found us a new home.

But refusing to even sleep beside me…

It was hard not to feel a sense of defeat.

“Alec. Does he dislike me?”

Or maybe he was just too exhausted from finding us a home?

Yes, that must be it.

He couldn’t possibly dislike me…

As I comforted myself, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

“Come to think of it, we’ve never once said we liked each other, have we…?”

Neither of us had ever expressed romantic feelings for the other.

We simply acknowledged our roles as husband and wife and tried to fulfill those duties.

I had no idea if he loved me or if he had any romantic feelings for me at all.

If we hadn’t been married, would he even have glanced my way?

“…I don’t know.”

Sigh.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips.

But then, I wondered.

“Do I love him?”

I couldn’t deny that my husband, Alec, was completely my type, but I wasn’t sure if what I felt was love.

It was just that, since we were married, he was the only person I could potentially love.

I let out a soft sigh and raised my hand to the candle with a snuffer.

I should just blow out the remaining candles and get some sleep.

The snuffer neared the flame.

Whoosh.

But before I could extinguish it, the candle went out on its own.

…Huh?

Did I blow too hard when I raised my arm?

I didn’t think much of it and walked a few steps to the next candle.

Again, I brought the snuffer close to the flame.

Whoosh.

“…?”

The candle went out again on its own.

Was there a draft somewhere?

I looked around, trying to feel for a breeze, but the air was still.

There were no open windows.

I brushed it off and moved to the next candle.

Then I remembered what Alec had said.

It seems there was a ghost in the house, scaring away everyone who entered.

Oh, no.

No way.

It couldn’t be…

I looked around with a stiff neck.

There was no one.

I didn’t want to encounter a housework-specialized ghost on the first night in our new home.

I wanted to run to Alec, but my frozen legs refused to move towards my indifferent husband.

“Maybe it’s just a draft from somewhere.”

Trying to reassure myself, I approached the still-lit candles with the snuffer.

There were about five more candles illuminating the hallway.

If these went out on their own too, I wouldn’t be able to deny the ghostly presence.

I took a deep breath.

The small flame flickered as wax dripped down the candle.

“Please, let me be the one to extinguish you.”

Finally, as the snuffer enveloped the flame, it went out.

I let out a big breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“Oh, thank goodness. It was just my imagination.”

After snuffing out the remaining candles, I returned to my room.

I quickly discarded my outer garments and slipped under the covers, closing my eyes.

Sleep, I just need to sleep.

But why couldn’t I fall asleep?

The first night in this house.

The cozy bed felt strangely unfamiliar, and the room seemed foreign.

“Just think of it as a hotel.”

I resolved to wake up early tomorrow to wash the bedding.

And I needed to take down the curtains to clean them.

Plus, I had to prepare breakfast for the three of us, so I would be busy.

“Sleep. I need to sleep…”

But my mind was filled with too many thoughts, and my nerves were on edge.

The echo of his rejection kept resurfacing.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ll go in first tonight.”

“…”

I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time after that.