Chapter 95

A moment of silence passed. I covered my body with my hands and turned around, shouting loudly.

"…I, I’m going out! T, this is for women to use…!"

"…!!"

The moment my shout ended, Terdeo must have left, for the door slammed shut.

‘What just happened…’

I glanced at the door he had left through, my expression flustered. Fortunately, the bathtub was filled with steam thanks to the hot water.

‘He probably couldn’t see me through the steam, right?’

Hugging my knees, I blushed, and Terdeo’s voice came from beyond the door.

“Sorry. I was thinking about something else and forgot that you were bathing. It’s my fault.”

His voice was calm, but there was a hint of shyness in it.

“It’s, it’s okay… It was a mistake….”

My face felt like it was going to turn red from embarrassment.

“Take your time bathing. I’ll guard the entrance so no one else comes in.”

“You’re going to guard the entrance?”

I was pretty sure he had taken off his shirt and was only covered by a towel below…?

“…It doesn’t matter.”

His delayed response confirmed that I hadn’t imagined it.

“It’s fine, Theo, you should hurry and bathe too.”

“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“But standing there….”

I’m embarrassed.

“Then shall we bathe together?”

Huh? I suddenly lifted my head, which had been lowered. It was quiet on the other side of the door. Did I just hear something I wasn’t supposed to?

“…What did you say?”

There was no response from the other side of the door. Of course not. I must have misheard….

“…Let’s bathe together.”

“Bathe together?”

I shouted so loudly that the bathtub seemed to echo. Then, from the other side of the door, I heard Terdeo’s low laughter.

“You don’t need to be so scared. I was just joking.”

His voice, tinged with amusement, sounded quite pleased.

‘…Is he crazy?’

Terdeo’s pleasant laughter clung to me, making me feel even more embarrassed. I almost responded without thinking. When I didn’t respond, the laughter from the other side of the door abruptly stopped.

“Perechati, are you angry?”

I was too embarrassed to answer.

“Sorry. I went too far with my joke. Forgive me. When you come out, you can stomp on me if you want.”

I buried my face in my palms, my cheeks burning. …When I returned to the inn’s bedroom, I lay on the inner side of the bed, turning my back to Terdeo before he came in. I didn’t want him to see my flushed face. A moment later, I heard Terdeo’s footsteps as he came out of the bath. An awkward atmosphere filled the bedroom.

“…Good night?”

Terdeo asked, trying to gauge the situation. But I pretended to be asleep, not moving or responding. After a moment, Terdeo turned off the light and approached the bed where I was lying.

“Good night.”

The bed creaked. Terdeo slipped under the covers and lay down, facing me.

“Huh…!”

I could feel his solid body behind me, and I involuntarily took a deep breath. I was a fool. The bed in the Lapoleon duchy was so wide that even when two people lay down, they rarely touched.

‘Too close.’

The inn’s bed was different. It was already narrow, and with two people lying down, it felt extremely close. His skin touched mine directly.

“…Perechati.”

I could hear Terdeo’s rough breathing above me.

“Are you still angry?”

He knew I wasn’t sleeping. After all, he had been through countless wars and was naturally good at reading people’s movements.

“…No.”

I answered in a small voice. As he heard my voice, he moved even closer.

“Then look at me.”

“….”

“After all, it’s been a few days. I missed you.”

Oh… really! His voice was so meltingly sweet. I carefully turned around, trying to keep my body from touching his. His face seemed unusually red, perhaps because he had just bathed. Seeing Terdeo in a different place and in different clothes gave me a new appreciation. He looked at me with a lowered voice.

“…I missed you too.”

My heart pounded heavily. I couldn’t think of anything, almost forgetting to breathe. I quickly lowered my head to hide my flushed face. Then I saw his chest, which was touching my face.

“Sorry.”

“…For what?”

“It’s just… too close….”

I tried to pull back, but there was nowhere to go. I bit my lip, trying to keep my face from touching his chest. My heart was beating faster than usual. Was it because I was aware of my love for Terdeo? Every breath he took, every small gesture, every slight movement made me react.

‘And just a moment ago, he saw my body….’

Wait… thinking about it, I had already slept with him before I left with Cersia for the Artuny Empire!

‘Oh, I forgot!’

Recalling that day, my face heated up. I glanced at Terdeo. His tightly pursed lips and somewhat ascetic yet wild expression made my heart stop. I felt like I was about to die from these emotions. Even though it wasn’t the first time I had loved someone, this was the first time I couldn’t control my feelings.

“T, Theo. Um….”

Terdeo looked down at me with his sleepy, red eyes. For a moment, I thought I heard a ringing in my ears. I couldn’t think of anything, trapped in those red eyes. My face felt unbearably hot, as if the blood was rushing to it.

“I, I… I also….”

My voice trembled. Was it so hard to open my heart to someone? I squeezed my eyes shut.

‘I love Theo….’

The feeling I couldn’t suppress burst out. Before I could tell him that I loved him, I was overwhelmed with the urge to kiss those red lips.

‘No, I can’t.’

I quickly sat up on the narrow bed.

‘I’ll confess after putting some distance between us.’

If I stayed this close, I felt like I would die before I could confess. The bed creaked loudly.

“I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“What?”

“You haven’t slept well since you came looking for me, so you should sleep comfortably in the bed tonight….”

As I tried to get out of bed, Terdeo, with a pained expression, quickly grabbed my waist with one hand.

“I told you to stay beside me.”

His deep, resonant voice stirred my heart. All my nerves were focused on his strong arm around my waist. As my body trembled with tension, Terdeo let out a small breath and released his hold.

“…If you don’t want to sleep with me, I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“It’s, it’s not that.”

I tightly held his fingers, which were about to leave.

“Perechati?”

Terdeo’s red gaze turned back to me. I felt a wave of embarrassment, as if I were completely exposed in front of him. I needed to muster my courage. At the same time, emotions I couldn’t hide any longer burst out.

“…I… miss you….”

“What?”

“I… I…!”

My whole body, including my voice, was trembling.

“I… miss you too.”

Terdeo’s eyes widened in surprise, filled with shock, joy, and burning desire. Seeing those emotions made my body shiver.

“…I love you.”

“…!”

The words slipped out of my lips before I could stop them. My hand, which was holding his fingers, trembled, and my lips felt cold and dry.

“Did you… just say…?”

“Being apart made me realize… how much I love you….”

Terdeo leaned down and kissed my parted lips. Each deep breath he took seemed to swallow me whole. We entangled like a knotted thread. The kiss broke with a soft sound.

“I didn’t hear you. Say it again.”

Terdeo said, his lips still touching mine. His voice was trembling with ecstasy, just like mine.

“…Theo, I love you.”

The moment the words left my lips, Terdeo grabbed my wrist, which was covering my lips. He turned my head and pulled me roughly, kissing me with a wild, fiery passion that was completely different from before.

“Can’t you tell… even from the kiss?”

Terdeo’s eyes widened. Usually so perceptive, why was he so clueless in this situation…? It seemed he needed me to say it out loud. I turned my head and barely managed to glance at Terdeo, speaking softly.

“I….”

Terdeo’s prominent Adam’s apple bobbed.

“I want… you, Theo….”

“…!”

Terdeo’s red eyes were overwhelmed with desire. Seeing his uncontrollable passion, I felt a surge of heat.

“Hug… me.”

The moment I finished speaking, Terdeo grabbed my wrist, which was covering my lips, and turned my head, pulling me roughly. He kissed me with a wild, fiery passion, like a beast, completely different from before.