Dade clicked his tongue lightly and carefully removed her robe. She might catch a cold sleeping in a wet robe, and that would be quite troublesome.

However, Dade deeply regretted removing Nian’s robe immediately after doing so. The sight of Nian in only a thin slip that revealed her body’s curves was enough to test his self-control.

Blissfully unaware of his predicament, Nian slept comfortably, completely defenseless. He found her slightly irritating. Dade bit his lip, stared at her for a long time, then carefully lay down beside her.

Then he cautiously took her in his arms. A faint herbal scent wafted from her. Dade closed his eyes with a groan.

How much time had passed? It was still too early for the sun to rise, as faint moonlight was streaming through the window. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Nian finally opened her eyes.

“……!”

Nian almost screamed. She had definitely fallen asleep on the sofa, but for some reason, she had woken up on the bed, in his arms.

And in this indecent outfit!

He seemed quite tired. Despite the startled Nian fidgeting several times, he didn’t move at all. Eventually giving up, Nian quietly gazed at the man sleeping so peacefully, it was hard to believe he was usually so cold.

Was it because his disheveled golden hair looked so pitiful? Or was she intoxicated by the abundant moonlight?

Whatever the reason, Nian found herself unconsciously stroking Dade’s lustrous golden hair. The soft strands tangled between her fingers.

Perhaps after their first encounter in the herb garden, the relationship between them had already become irreversible. It felt like building a house on thin glass that could break at any moment. Fleeting affection was piling up on top of their hatred for each other.

Even the slightest impact would shatter the glass into pieces, and the house built layer by layer on top would collapse in vain.

She moved her hand to caress the corner of his eye, where those piercingly blue eyes would be, then traced his nose bridge, which seemed to emit a familiar scent.

‘What should we do? Your Majesty.’

Just as she gently touched his lips, the corner of his mouth turned up slightly.

Nian flinched in surprise and tried to quickly withdraw her hand, but Dade had already caught her wrist. Still with his eyes closed, he slightly stuck out his tongue and licked the tip of her thin fingers.

“You can touch me.”

Dade said in a slightly amused voice. As if under a spell from his words, Nian caressed his soft lips. Still with his eyes closed, he reached out and embraced her waist.

“Your taste in nightwear seems quite bold.”

“……”

Nian blushed at his mischievous words and tried to remove his arms that were holding her. When she pushed his arms slightly, he pulled her closer instead and said.

“Stay still.”

He hadn’t been asleep from the beginning. Though he too was tired from the day’s journey, he wasn’t insensitive enough to fall asleep while Nian slept quietly beside him.

“Your Majesty.”

When she called him in a remarkably pleasant, clear voice, Dade finally opened his eyes. At a distance close enough for their noses to touch, her black eyes met his blue ones.

He slowly lowered his gaze to examine her. His eyes traveled down the bridge of her nose and eventually reached her lips.

Dade carefully asked Nian.

“May I kiss you?”

Perhaps he was concerned about their earlier quarrel by the lake. He who had always rudely stolen her lips was now politely asking for permission.

Nian bit her lip slightly in embarrassment, then closed her eyes gently instead of answering. At her consent, Dade felt his heart pounding as if this were their first kiss, despite having shared quite a few. He carefully pressed his lips against Nian’s.

He briefly touched her lips and pulled away, then pressed against them again. He stuck out his tongue to lick her lips, then sucked on them.

When the inexperienced Nian still kept her mouth closed, he raised his hand to hold her chin and pulled it down slightly, opening her lips. As he pushed his soft tongue through the gap, she trembled slightly.

After slowly exploring her mouth, he pulled away and looked at her with deep eyes. Nian half-opened her eyes and blushed.

Ah, Ilena. I hate you. That hasn’t changed. I still hate you, yet you make me want you this much. What have you done to me?

“Ilena.”

He called in a low voice.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Nian responded in a calm voice.

“Let’s sleep. Now.”

Dade started to say something but stopped and pulled her closer into his arms.

His relationship with her felt like playing a cruel game of chess. Unable to move forward or retreat, yet unable to surrender.

‘It seems I’m the one who’s fallen into hell, not you.’

He thought as he closed his eyes.

Perhaps because he was tired, Dade fell into a deep sleep for the first time in a long while.

* * *

Morning sunlight fell on Nian’s sleeping face through the transparent window. Frowning slightly as if annoyed by the sunlight, Nian finally couldn’t bear it anymore and opened her eyes.

An unfamiliar room, an unfamiliar bed.

Eventually realizing this was a guest room in the Kingdom of Rund, Nian raised her stiff body. The blanket covering her upper body slid down, revealing her white shoulders. Nian, still half-asleep, rubbed her heavy eyelids.

“You’re awake.”

A low, deep voice. When she turned around suddenly, Dade was coming out of the bathroom, having apparently showered, shaking water from his hair with his upper body bare. Nian looked at his firm chest and then pulled the blanket up, seeming somewhat embarrassed.

“Did you sleep well?”

“No, the Empress snored so loudly all night that I couldn’t sleep at all.”

“I…… I did?”

Nian’s face turned pale.

Did she snore? No…… Was it because she was so tired yesterday? Seeing Nian’s obvious distress, Dade smiled.

“I’m joking. I slept well for a change.”

“Ha.”

Nian glared at him resentfully. Dade smiled broadly and approached her. While it was a lie that Nian had snored during the night, it was true that he had slept well for a change.

He had fallen asleep without realizing it while holding her small, warm body. He slept so deeply that he didn’t even dream, which was quite rare for him. Thanks to that, although he woke up early in the morning, he felt refreshed.

Unlike him, she seemed to be quite a late sleeper, like a languid cat on a spring day, only waking up much later. Despite sleeping for quite a while, she still looked drowsy, which somehow made him want to tease her.

Having approached Nian on the bed, he held out the towel he was carrying to her.

“It seems you haven’t fully recovered.”

At his words, Nian’s expression immediately darkened.

Clearly, the doctor had said she was almost recovered. Rushing toward him anxiously, she didn’t even notice that the blanket covering her body had slipped down as she asked in a trembling voice.

“Where are you unwell?”

His gaze fell on her snow-white shoulders.

Ah, how can you be so defenseless?

“Yes. I’m very unwell.”

“Wh-where? Wait a moment, Your Majesty, I’ll call a doctor……”

As Nian visibly panicked and started to rise, he smiled and grabbed her arm. When Nian turned around in surprise, Dade held out the towel again.

“Dry it for me.”

“?”

“I can’t lift my arms. So I’m asking you to dry it.”

“What, what is this.”

When Nian looked at him as if she couldn’t believe it, Dade replied in a slightly sullen voice.

“Surely you can do that much for the person who saved your life?”

“No……”

“Hurry.”

At his urging, Nian took the towel in a daze. He sat down on the bed and lowered his head toward Nian. Seeing this, she hesitated for a long time but finally began to dry his wet hair. Only then did he smile with satisfaction.

Nian thought it was fortunate that he had his head lowered. Otherwise, he would have seen her completely flushed face. Of course, she was also worried that he might hear her uncontrollably pounding heart.

The familiar scent of his skin and soap made her feel dizzy somehow. Unaware of her feelings, he eventually reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist.

As she got even closer to him, she who had already been moving her trembling hands unnaturally, visibly stiffened.

Dade silently let her hands work on his hair, then pulled up the blanket that had slipped down to her waist and draped it over her.

Though her delicate shoulders and elegant figure in the slip were quite pleasing to look at, just being close to her on the bed was already a precarious situation.

He had made up a ridiculous excuse out of the desire to see her up close on this sparkling morning, but this was already his limit.

Ah, if only I could push you down on this bed right now. If only I could kiss you, so dazzlingly white. Of course, that would undoubtedly make you cry again.