Chapter 44

ARC 4: The Woven Relationship

Yuichiro was jolted awake by a touch on his forehead. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Temeraire’s face reflected in the haze of his vision. The man was apparently dabbing at his face with a washcloth.

Temeraire’s eyes drew in and his face scrunched up as if he were about to cry. “Yuichiro-sama… Thank goodness, you’re awake!” A gravelly voice called out to him causing him to scratch his head. Within this moment, Yuichiro remained in a daze as he accepted Temeraire’s embrace.

Temeraire, with tears welling in his eyes, opened his mouth. “You’ve been asleep for seven days. I thought you would never wake up again.”

Seven days, Yuichiro thought in his head. However, he couldn’t think straight.

“I’m injured…,” his words came out slurred.

Temeraire answered with a small nod, as one would to a young child. “All of your injuries have healed,” he said. “The coma was probably a side effect of drinking dragon’s blood. The doctor said that your cells regenerated so quickly that your body probably couldn’t keep up.”

Yuichiro took a deep breath out rather than responding. Temeraire asked as he placed a palm on Yuichiro’s chest, which was moving slightly up and down, “Are you feeling any pain?”

Yuichiro shook his head from side to side.

“If you like, I can bring you some water and food,” Temeraire asked him in a motherly manner.

When Yuichiro gave a small nod, Temeraire told him to wait and scurried out of the room. When Yuichiro gave a small nod, Temeraire told him to wait and scuttled out of the room. A few minutes later, the door was opened with a heavy thud. Standing in front of the door was Noah, with his eyes bright red.

“Yuichiro!”

Noah ran up to him, crying, and wrapped his arms tightly around his head. Yuichiro groaned deeply in his throat in response to the strong embrace. Immediately, Noah’s body jerked away as if in a panic.

“I-I’m sorry. I was just so happy…”

Yuichiro slowly raised his head and blinked at Noah, who muttered something incomprehensible.

“Are you all right?” Noah asked, peering into Yuichiro’s eyes. “Are you feeling unwell? Where does it hurt?”

The thought of Noah asking the same question as Temeraire made Yuichiro smile a little. When the corners of Yuichiro’s mouth lifted slightly, Noah’s mouth relaxed, as if relieved. Noah then reached out with both hands and wrapped one of Yuichiro’s hands around the other.

Yuichiro opened his lips, feeling a faint tingling sensation as he felt Noah’s touch, which appeared to be touching something fragile. “I-zrael…” His throat sounded rattled and croaky, probably because he hadn’t spoken for a few days.

Hearing this, Noah lowered his eyebrows sadly. “Iz is still not feeling well. He says he won’t die, but he groans in pain every night, so I feel sorry for him and try to keep him company at night.”

Yuichiro was relieved to learn that the dragon had not died. Izrael must have been in a difficult situation, but Yuichiro was relieved that Izrael was still alive.

“You don’t have to be concerned about the people of the Yellow tribe either. More than half of the forest has been destroyed by fire, I’ve arranged for the Yellow tribe’s children and elderly women to be housed in a town far from the royal capital.”

Yuichiro was surprised. He hadn’t expected Noah to be so involved in the situation at hand. Noah continued speaking, oblivious to Yuichiro’s rounded eyes and expression.

“People who can fight like Kiki have joined the army I also told Goat not to mistreat the Yellow tribe’s people, and I made sure we had enough accommodations for everyone. So you can rest easy.”

Noah wasn’t like Noah, and on the contrary, Yuichiro couldn’t feel at ease. As Yuichiro stared at Noah with a dumbfounded expression, Noah tilted his head curiously.

“You… Are you really Noah?” Yuichiro asked fearfully to which Noah responded with a frustrated look on his face.

“You’re my wife and you don’t know your own husband?”

“I didn’t mean that…”

Amidst all the confusion, Temeraire walked in through the door that had been left open. His hands were clutching a tray containing a meal. When Noah saw Temeraire, he jumped to his feet.

“I’ll be right back. Yuichiro, take a good rest,” Noah said, kissing the back of Yuichiro’s hand.

Noah’s thoughtful gesture perplexed Yuichiro even more. Then, he saw Noah’s light wave toward him before leaving the room with light footsteps. After staring at the back of Noah’s head in amazement, Yuichiro muttered to himself.

“That guy… Is there something wrong with him?”

At Yuichiro’s terrible remark, Temeraire raised one eyebrow while placing a tray on the side table.

“Noah-sama has hardly slept since you collapsed. He not only attends to Izrael and decides on the treatment of the people of the Yellow Tribe, but he also visits the wards and speaks to the wounded soldiers… I believe Noah-sama is attempting to fulfil his responsibilities as king in his own unique way.”

In response to Temeraire’s words, Yuichiro buried the back of his head deep into the pillow without replying.

[Was that whiny, egoistic child trying to change?]

When he thought of this, he felt a deep emotion well up deep within his chest.

“Please open your mouth.”

Yuichiro frowned irritably as he listened to the words spoken to him. Temeraire was in front of him, offering him a spoon with porridge on it.

“I can eat by myself now.”

“You said this, but didn’t you knock the plate over during the day as well?”

Temeraire had probably noticed that he was becoming irritated, hence his cheeky retort toward him. Nonetheless, Temeraire was correct. Earlier in the day, when Temeraire was about to feed him by hand, Yuichiro took the plate and said he could do it himself before dropping the plate because he lacked strength in his hands. Everything from the bed quilt to the sheets became soggy and dirty as a result of his actions, and the attendants had to change everything.

Yuichiro continued to stare silently at Temeraire. Temeraire, on the other hand, refused to back down. Later, Yuichiro’s lips pursed into a pout before he opened his mouth. The spoon was then carefully inserted into the open mouth. A soft, warm taste quickly spread across his tongue.

“Please take your time eating.”

Temeraire’s soft voice comforted him while he chewed his food. Temeraire then blew another spoonful of porridge into the air. The spoon was inserted again when Yuichiro opened his mouth. The plate quickly became empty after several repetitions of the process.

Temeraire complimented him as he placed the empty plate on the side table, “You ate very well. Are you full?”

“Are you my mother or something?” Yuichiro’s sarcasm elicited a small chuckle from Temeraire.

“Last time you asked me if I was Noah-sama’s mother. And now I’m your mother?”

“You have been meddling in too much.”

“You’re too unconcerned about your own affairs. That’s why it’s better if I meddle in your affairs.”

Temeraire’s tone suggested that he completely understood him. Yuichiro pursed his lips even tighter in response.

Temeraire’s smile widened when he saw Yuichiro’s obvious sulky demeanor. “You really are a pain in the ass, aren’t you?” Temeraire’s voice, contrary to his words, radiated undeniable affection. Immediately after, Temeraire’s narrowed eyes revealed unmistakable feelings of love.

In return, Yuichiro was taken aback by the expression on Temeraire’s face, as if the man was offering his heart straight to him. Temeraire reached out his hand to Yuichiro’s cheek. The moment his hands were about to make contact, Yuichiro quickly seized Temeraire’s hands as if to reject them causing Temeraire to widen his eyes.

Translator’s Notes

A new arc is finally here, my readers! Did anyone guess the new arc’s title right?

This time, just like the title, in its literal sense, we’re gonna be hopping on for another roller coaster ride, albeit more emotionally… uhuks🤧🥲.

p/s: The next chapter is probably one that u ppl have been looking forward to the most… Hehe :blobhyperthink: