Chapter 35
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Chapter 35
"While I was away, I had someone clean the house, but... it seems there was a miscommunication."
"So what do we do? We can't exactly have the furniture brought back at this hour."
Dale regarded me with an awkward expression.
He deliberated for a long moment before speaking carefully.
"It's my bed, so it may be uncomfortable, but if you don't mind, Enya, I think it would be best if you used this one."
"I'm fine with that. But if you're giving it up for me, where will you sleep?"
"The sofa in the living room will suffice."
But the sofa in this house's living room was remarkably small.
At best, one could barely stretch their legs out?
It was almost too embarrassing to call it a sofa. To lay Dale's frame on it, he'd have to curl up considerably, even after folding himself in half.
There were only two choices in this situation.
One person sleeps on the floor.
Or we both sleep in the bed together.
'Suddenly I'm wide awake.'
The weather was nearly winter now, and the floor was bitterly cold. There was simply no way one person could sleep on it.
I stared at Dale, who maintained his silence with what seemed like mild irritation on my face.
"Dale."
"Yes?"
"Should we sleep together?"
In that moment, Dale's mouth fell open.
"The bed is spacious enough. Even if we lie down together, we won't touch each other."
"That's not acceptable."
Dale refused flatly.
"But isn't it more practical than sleeping uncomfortably on a cold floor with a sore back?"
The more I spoke, the darker Dale's expression became.
He looked at me with tension etched across his face.
"Dale. Surely...?"
He took a step back, avoiding me.
"Are you worried I might try to harm you?"
Could that really be it?
Admittedly, the idea of me harboring sinister intentions toward him was far more plausible than Dale laying a hand on me.
Seeing the flustered look on Dale's face, I knew I'd struck a nerve.
"No, that's not it. Absolutely not."
Now I understood.
Dale was undoubtedly worried that I might touch him in my sleep.
"I won't touch you at all. You can tie me up as tight as you want!"
"...."
"Or should I use a pillow to divide the bed in half? If the boundaries are clear, wouldn't Dale feel more at ease?"
"...."
"Dale?"
Confusion and bewilderment swirled across Dale's face.
"You really don't seem bothered by this at all, Miss Enya."
"But you're Dale. My reliable contract partner."
I retrieved the contract from my magical pouch.
"There's a clause right here. We absolutely will not engage in any physical contact that we haven't mutually agreed to! I promise I won't lay a hand on Dale. I swear it."
The penalty for breaching the contract was astronomical.
Of course, it wasn't as though I refrained from touching him solely because of the penalty.
"I would never overstep boundaries with someone who dislikes it."
"...."
My Dale was my precious contract husband.
It's difficult to find someone like him.
'I must protect Dale no matter what.'
Dale gazed at me intently.
"If I don't dislike it, will you overstep?"
He looked at me with slightly reddened eyes, his expression noticeably flustered for some reason.
Dale spoke in a low voice.
"I'm curious whether you would overstep if I didn't dislike it."
"Why would you dislike it?"
It was a question I didn't quite understand.
Perhaps out of sheer kindness, he was considering various scenarios.
Dale's face grew increasingly flushed as he looked at me.
Then came his quiet sigh.
"...I was joking."
"Oh. You startled me."
So Dale was capable of making jokes.
I marveled at his acting ability.
"I really thought you were serious."
"...Is that so?"
"You're really good at acting, Dale."
"...."
"Yawn..., I'm so tired. Don't you think? Today seems especially exhausting with everything that's happened."
Perhaps it was because we'd teleported here from Grunvalt in an instant using a magical scroll—today felt particularly draining.
I crawled onto the bed and lay down.
"You're not going to sleep? The bed is really soft here."
He stood there with a flushed face, utterly still. Dale's eyes trembled uncontrollably.
"Enya. As I thought, I..."
"Don't think too hard lying on the floor like that. You'll hurt your mouth."
I patted the spot beside me repeatedly.
"Come on. Turn off the light and sleep here."
Dale regarded me with a wary expression before carefully lying down at the edge of the bed.
He seemed to be on high alert around me.
'There's no need for that.'
Once Dale had settled, he looked at me.
"...Sleep well."
"You too, Dale."
I turned off the light.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, Dale's features became softly blurred.
Usually he was so dazzling, but now it felt just right.
I gazed at Dale quietly.
"..."
"..."
"Is there something you wish to say to me...?"
Dale spoke to me in a hushed voice.
"What will you do tomorrow, Dale?"
"I seem to need to go out for a brief errand in the morning."
"You're busy tomorrow too?"
I felt Dale's gaze upon me.
He was looking at me with narrowed eyes.
"Ah, this?"
On my wrist, which he was staring at, there was a small scar.
It wasn't particularly noticeable, but if you paid attention, it was quite distinct.
"I got it when I was young."
I had no memory of how it happened.
"I don't remember how I got it. Maybe I scratched myself or fell and tore the skin? Something like that."
When I glanced at Dale then, his expression seemed a little sad.
"Are you worried it hurts? It doesn't hurt at all. Don't worry."
He really does have a kind nature.
I smiled brightly at Dale.
"I really don't remember. If I did remember, it would have been more painful, wouldn't it? If a scar formed, it means I was hurt badly, so I think it's fortunate that I forgot."
Then Dale turned slightly.
He propped his head up and gazed down at me gently.
"Sometimes oblivion can be the greatest blessing of all."
"That's right."
I looked at the scar and smiled softly.
"Sleep well, Dale."
* * *
Dale lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, and sighed.
"...."
I wasn't sure how we'd ended up sharing a bed, but one thing was certain—this wasn't the kind of intimate arrangement between a man and woman that I understood it to be.
Enya seemed to regard me as nothing more than an exceptionally long pillow.
A pillow with limbs. An inanimate object.
"...."
Enya had fallen asleep, but I hadn't managed a moment of rest.
Sleep wouldn't come—lying beside Enya only left my eyes bloodshot and burning.
Though I'd always struggled with insomnia, this was torture of a different kind.
My mind remained achingly awake while my heart smoldered.
"Mm...."
Hearing Enya's steady breathing beside me, Dale exhaled a silent sigh.
How had I come to this state?
My advisors would laugh themselves senseless if they knew.
Of course, they wouldn't live long enough to spread the tale.
Removing all the furniture was undoubtedly the work of Getty, that peculiar advisor who seemed to relish such schemes.
"Please, Your Majesty, allow me to handle this! I know the perfect strategy to bring the Lady and you closer together!"
I hadn't realized that "drawing closer" meant literally closing the physical distance between us.
This was far from ideal.
Simply standing beside her already consumed my thoughts, and watching her sleep only tormented both body and mind.
Dale couldn't hide his turbulent emotions as he gazed upon the deeply slumbering Enya.
'I should pretend indifference.'
With her beside me, my senses grew increasingly sharp. Yet Enya slept soundly regardless of whether I was there or not.
Dale's eyes fell upon the scar on Enya's left wrist.
"It would be better to forget it forever."
He carefully traced her wrist before rising from his seat.
I could feel my health deteriorating more noticeably than before. Lately, the cold seemed to bite deeper.
I needed to tell Enya of my true identity as soon as possible, yet greed kept pulling at me.
When I placed a single finger against her cheek, a torrent of burning emotion overwhelmed me.
Her resolute words echoed in my mind: "I won't cross the line."
"Why..."
Dale's lips drooped as he gently brushed her wrist.
"It would be fine if you crossed it for me."
His gaze was filled with longing. He couldn't cross it first—he retained at least that much restraint.
Dale stared at the sleeping Enya with evident frustration, his expression growing sullen.
The corners of his eyes drooped with unusual melancholy.
Dale unfastened another button of the nightwear he had loosened for Enya.
"What should I feed her..."
Dale murmured softly.
"Will she notice?"
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