32 – 32. Late Evening Meal.
It was a strange feeling to wake up and find it still dark, even though I had fallen asleep in the morning.
And the unpleasant sensation filled my entire body.
To have slept in such a situation was unbelievable; my whole body was sore and aching.
I tried to get up from the bed, but I couldn’t. My arms were tied.
My back muscles felt like they were tearing, and my head was throbbing as if it had been struck hard with a hammer.
I couldn’t properly focus on what was in front of me; my head was shaking back and forth.
But I would have been better off if I couldn’t see what was in front of me. The current situation was terribly horrifying.
The return of sensation in my lower body, which I had forgotten, was truly bizarre and terrifying.
I was lost somewhere between the unpleasant dampness and heat.
And the weight must surely belong to her. I couldn’t see her clearly, as her form was out of focus.
Perhaps she had fainted too, and it wasn’t my chest – wait a minute, my posture… ugh…
My back was bent backwards… Did I pass out? Really? Is it dangerous… or not?
“Ah… ugh… cough, cough, cough!”
Why was my throat so dry and cold?
“Irene, Irene? Hey, wake up.”
Twisting my waist left and right, I tried my best to wake her up.
But she only twitched slightly, showing no signs of adjusting her posture or regaining consciousness.
This is really bad. My body is in pain and my mind is confused.
And I just realized, the air is really stuffy.
This room is quite spacious, but how much time has passed for it to be in such a terrible state?
“Ugh…”
I’m not sure if my head is starting to clear up a bit, or if my focus is gradually coming back.
The problem is the increasing intensity of the pain.
After sitting in the same position for hours, a terrible pain began to flood in.
Not only were my arms in the wrong position, but there was also a sound coming from my neck that shouldn’t be happening,
And the bones near my buttocks are really hurting. It feels like a real pain, like being stabbed with a needle.
“Hurry… Please… Get up…”
It feels like I’m mustering up strength to speak.
Not a good feeling, please.
I’m not really going to die like this, right? If I die in this state, I won’t even be able to complain.
No, seriously, I’m not joking.
But how did she end up like this? She couldn’t possibly be in that state, right?
I can’t imagine she’s doing well when I’m like this.
“Irene, Irene, are you okay? This isn’t a joke, right? Irene!”
As expected, there’s no response.
“What should I do about this? Excuse me! Is there anyone here?!”
I screamed until my throat went hoarse, and my body thrashed more violently.
“Irene, wake up. Huh? Are you okay…? Is that a flinch just now?”
There seems to be a reaction. Good. I just need to move a little more.
“Irene, wake up. Are you coming to your senses?”
Ah, she flinched again.
“Come on, get up. It’s okay -“
And then, an indescribable scene unfolded before my eyes.
So, let’s say a situation arose where a separate bath had to be prepared.
*
Fortunately, she managed to fully regain her senses afterwards and released me from confinement.
The problem was that I couldn’t move properly due to muscle pain, so she had to carry me to the bath.
The bigger problem was that it took quite some time before I could bathe.
For an unplanned bath, with water heated for two people,
and thanks to her design of a separate room cut off from the outside, it took quite some time to transfer the water to the bath.
Even without allowing the servants into the room and always leaving buckets at the stopover, she effortlessly carried them in her hands and poured them into the tub,
but it seemed impossible to hide her flushed face.
Meanwhile, what was I doing?
Leaning against a chair with only a towel covering my lower body, I was barely managing to support myself, trembling all over. With trembling fingers.
According to her, she said she lost consciousness after enjoying herself on top of my body (…).
I couldn’t even fathom the aftermath.
There was another problem that was giving me a headache, which was the crows that shared emotions with her, apparently causing a ruckus in the room.
It was because of the same issue as my disheveled lower body.
So, the room was immediately ‘closed’. If we can call it closing the door and leaving it at that.
I should have seen her face when she saw the inside of the room.
Her face turned pale, and she kept apologizing to me, her voice trembling, which was quite adorable.
Look, even now, she’s sneakily pouring water into the tub while glancing at me.
“Um, excuse me…”
She came closer to me, wearing a simple bathrobe and bowing her head deeply.
“Yes, what…? Are you ready?”
By the way, my voice completely lost its flavor. It doesn’t sound like I even made a sound.
“…!”
Ah, did I make a sound? I don’t remember, but her face seems to suggest that.
“….!!!”
Oh my, now she’s covering her face as if she won’t get caught.
“Ugh… how mean.”
Even if she looks at me with that expression, I can only think she’s cute.
“But really, you’re too much. What’s the point of saying anything if you’ve already heard it all before I even speak?”
“Still, it’s fine. Isn’t it a privilege to be able to read the heart of someone you like? Even if it’s always hearing pleasant things from that person’s heart.”
“I can’t say I fully understand…”
If I were to read her heart, it would probably be even more burdensome than it is now.
“If you know, then treat me a little better. I’ll do my best too.”
“…The person who never wanted to say they were embarrassed is now saying embarrassing things.”
“Mm…”
He’s like a lifeless puppy. I wonder if he has a bean pod over his eyes.
A feeling of warmth filling my chest. A warm sensation.
Just a simple conversation with the person in front of me, yet it brings a smile to my face.
It’s truly warm and happy.
Not too long ago, I was clearly trying to figure out how to survive with that man –
“Hey.”
Wow, I suddenly found myself being embraced by the princess.
“Um, isn’t it heavy?”
“If you knew how many swords I handle on a daily basis, you might faint.”
“But that doesn’t explain this feeling.”
“Well… that’s true… Ah, never mind. Let’s go take a bath. And… hehehe.”
Wait a moment,
Why are you smiling while looking at my lower body?
Hey, don’t cross the line. No, not that.
“You’ve already crossed the line. The first time… I took it all.”
“Well… that’s true… No, that’s true…!”
“This time, let’s do it with a clear mind, the both of us. Weren’t you upset about that?”
No, it’s dangerous and reckless and I might die…
“I’m not joking about dying. It’s real.”
If you say it like that with a stern face, there’s nothing I can say.
But still, this isn’t right. How could someone who fainted once do this?
“I’m doing this because I love you.”
No, I understand that, but I understand it a hundred times, a thousand times –
“Then I’ll do it a hundred times, a thousand times.”
“This is so anno – um, um um!”
“Calm down, just stay still. If the wife says she’ll love the husband, why isn’t the husband happy, huh?”
With that, the bathroom door closed.
Fortunately, I didn’t lose consciousness this time,
But seeing the words “obligatory defense” come to mind… sigh… my fortune…
*
My stomach is stuck to my back, and it feels like my cheeks are sunken in, you know?
“It’s not that extreme.”
“No, really, my cheeks won’t stick to my hands. How did this happen…”
“It’s really okay. You’re fine. Come quickly and have some soup or something. You need to eat something, right?”
“Ugh, my face! How much did you squeeze it – “
“…I didn’t squeeze it that much… um…”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Hey, you were worried just now!”
By the way, I wonder if it’s right to be chatting like this after letting go of the horse.
As long as she’s happy –
“I don’t mind. If our husband says it’s good, we should listen.”
“…Don’t cheat. It’s hard to see that face.”
“Yeah, is your heart pounding?”
“Oh, please.”
“Well then, go ahead. Should we eat soup?”
“I can eat it…”
“Oh.”
“Yes…”
Sometimes, I wish there was a way to handle these forceful outbursts, but I understand their intentions, so whatever.
But wait a moment.
“When did we become husband and wife?”
“From the beginning, I guess?”
“No, we didn’t even get married.”
“Do we need to?”
“It’s an important ceremony that we announce to others, at least.”
“…Heh.”
“So, what do they call marriage… um, would you like me to ask the crows? They might be able to explain better than me -“
“We can listen to them later… maybe while they’re cleaning. For now, I’d like to hear your explanation. What is marriage?”
“Well… It’s when two people who love each other meet and have the certainty that they can spend their lives together. And then, they enter into a contract called marriage. From both sides.”
“Isn’t it fascinating how people who haven’t shed blood can become a family through the emotion of love?”
“It’s amazing. Well, before I say anything else, let me take a sip…”
“Thank you. Um…gulp. So, what I originally thought was that the world doesn’t just revolve around that. Like marrying for wealth or status, or one person only considering the other person’s conditions in marriage. There are cases where emotions are ignored. I think. Those marriages always end up being tragedies.”
“Then we must be happy, right?”
“…Do we really have to say it out loud to know?”
“Should we say it one more time then?”
“No, we shouldn’t.”
“Who says we shouldn’t?”
“No, really. I already… Wait, what did you just say?”
“It’s nothing important.”
“No, seriously, this isn’t right.”
“Aren’t you always saying that while enjoying it? Do you think I don’t know?”
“And then you always complain about how hard it is, please, spare me…”
“How many times do I have to tell you that you shouldn’t say such things recklessly?”
“No, don’t take off my pants while saying that, oh, please!”