I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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24 Chapter

The moment I discovered Didi’s true identity, countless calculations sprang up between us.

Though we had met only twice, I found myself fond of Didi. Our conversation flowed well, his calm and elegant demeanor, and his warm personality were not unwelcome in this lonely cabin.

“So, just remain Didi in front of me. So I can see you as you are.”

In an instant, Didi’s pupils dilated. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then remained silent for a while before biting his lips tightly. A reddish hue seeped into his ears like red paint slowly spreading over clear water.

“…Damn it.”

Didi lowered his head and roughly rinsed his face. The side effects of the antidote had him drained, and I could only watch him in silence.

“You…”

His white ears turned bright red in an instant. Didi buried his face in his hands.

“People can make you really strange.”

Taken aback by his clearly odd reaction, I poked his cheek. He flinched noticeably. The left side of his cheek, which I touched, flushed oddly red.

“Staying up late makes one strange.”

He continued to hide his face in his hands. I had no idea why he was acting this way, but I was too dazed to care anymore. I gazed at Didi blankly before lightly brushing it off.

“Are you going to stay over?”

I asked again as I tidied up the bedding. Sneaking a glance out the window, I saw the fierce snowstorm blowing outside.

“I guess I have to. It’s hard to get through this blizzard.”

After I stated that, Didi suddenly looked up and tightly closed his eyes. I let out a long yawn.

“You say that so casually!”

“What? Should I say it while crying instead?”

Watching him look somewhat flustered, I got off my seat. My drowsiness made my feet feel glued to the ground.

“…I’ll impose on you for just one night.”

He whispered faintly while watching the snowstorm that was so intense it seemed to make the ceiling sway a little. It seemed Didi felt returning through this blizzard was unrealistic.

I barely opened my sleepy eyes and muttered, “You can sleep in the bed. I’ll take the chair.”

Didi, having barely calmed his face, looked at me with disbelief.

“Shouldn’t the patient like you sleep in the bed?”

“Even if I’m sick, I’m much stronger than you. It’s only right for the weaker person to rest in bed.”

Didi seemed to have a lot to say as he opened his mouth slightly but ultimately didn’t retort.

“It’s true that I’m weak, but saying it like that may hurt my feelings, you know?”

‘What can I do about your weakness?’

I clicked my tongue while looking down at Didi’s muscular body. He seemed fine physically, but there was no sense of power in him. In front of me, he was just a gentle puppy.

“Do you wish to put me to sleep in the bed?”

“Isn’t it natural since you’re the owner of this cabin?”

“Well, it can’t be helped then.”

“Right. That’s only fair.”

“Let’s sleep together.”

“Sure. What?”

Didi’s body stiffened immediately as he nodded. His puzzled question echoed like a reverberation.

It was as if the spirit had left his handsome face.

‘I’m sleepy.’

I slowly blinked at Didi, who was frozen, and plopped down onto the bed. My brain wasn’t functioning well. I felt I should let the frail one sleep in the bed, but tonight, I didn’t want to give up my spot either.

‘It feels like anesthesia for a wisdom tooth… like being put under for a sleep endoscopy…’

Remembering my past life, where I had a pile of embarrassing memories stacked up because of anesthesia, I tossed and turned in bed. Normally, I wouldn’t be in such a state for just one herb going into the antidote, but in this worst state while trying to overcome the disorientation effect, it was just too much.

My head felt foggy, and sleepiness enveloped my whole body.

“What are you doing? Lie down already.”

Rolling my hazy eyes, I patted the space left on the bed. It was technically a single bed, but if we both lay sideways, we could fit.

“□ O X ”

-r “TTT ”

Didi’s expression, which had seemed dazed, began to heat up, turning his blue eyes to a depth of color fitting for a perfect reversal. His pupils spun restlessly.

“…Are you okay?”

As I stared at his ears, which looked like they would burst, I leaned my face closer to him. Didi, seeming to panic, quickly withdrew from me with gritted teeth.

“Are you really… really insane?”

“Not really insane, but… maybe half?”

My head was muddled, and I didn’t even know what I was saying. Struggling to blink my sleep-heavy eyes, I could see Didi who seemed like he was about to lose it.

“It’s not like I’m of an age to get fluttery just from sharing a bed.”

Of course, I was at a very lively twenties. But mentally, I was about fifty years old—a young-looking old man on the outside. Though I had never dated in this life, I had plenty of experience in the past, so just sleeping in the same bed as a younger guy didn’t stir any excitement in me.

“Turn off the light and come here. I won’t pounce on you.”

Lying flat, I tilted my head back and rolled my eyes towards him. My hair fell and revealed my neck, which had been hidden beneath it.

From my half-lidded eyes, I caught a glimpse of Didi’s Adam’s apple moving rhythmically.

“If you don’t lie down now, I’ll kick you out.”

I felt annoyed that I had to say this much and scratched the back of my neck.

Didi let out a chuckle. He shuffled his soft, light brown hair restlessly before shooting up.

“I really hate you.”

“Yes, yes.”

What truly mattered to me right now was getting some sleep. He slowly extinguished the cabin’s fire and perched himself on the edge of the bed. The single bed creaked heavily under the weight of two people. The close vanilla scent tickled my nose.

Having sat down, he hesitated to lie down. I waited for a few minutes, thinking he was probably too shy.

“Just lay down! Sleep!”

“What…?”

Finally, I pulled him by the arm with a sudden yank. Didi’s stiff body leaned in and collapsed beside me. I held his frozen neck gently by the chin. Furrowing his brow, he expelled a hot breath. The vanilla smell enveloped my senses.

I turned my head slightly and brought my lips close to his ear, whispering.

“If you don’t sleep right now, I’ll turn the sleep into eternal rest.”

My tired, gloomy voice echoed throughout the air. Didi squeezed his eyes shut.

The sense of a sword master is absolute. Even if my senses were dulled and my instincts were dull, it shouldn’t have been possible for me to sleep when someone was so close and still breathing.

“Sleep, sleep.”

Due to the difference in height, my head rested near his chest. He let out a deep sigh, repeatedly rinsing his face.

“Seriously, you… ah…”

Honestly, I wondered if I could sleep with the loud heartbeat right beside my ear, but after hearing it for a while, it felt almost like a hip-hop-style lullaby, and I blinked sleepily.

I placed my hand on Didi’s head, who didn’t seem like he intended to sleep and gently stroked him. He held his breath. Didi was hot to the touch. Instinctively seeking warmth, I leaned my head against his chest and slowly closed my eyes.

“Good night… sweet dreams…”

And then I fell asleep. Deeply.

‘Am I going to die?’

Diego Solaritine, the imperial crown prince, thought continuously as he was crammed into that small single bed, unfit for his stature.

Long, soft black hair tickled his neck. The quiet breaths reaching his chest. A faint scent that tickled his nose. Delicate arms wrapped around his waist.

He desperately tried to calm his racing heart. This sword master was overly sensitive, and if he made even the slightest noise, he would awake immediately. Trapped in this situation, Diego truly wished to die.

So slowly, he tilted his head slightly.

His long, fluttering hair brushing his waist. Pale, almost translucent skin beneath the black mask, covered with taut muscles. The rough hands still upon his head as he fell asleep. The breath slipping through the strands of lashes. Those coral-pink lips pressed together.

‘Damn it!’

Diego squeezed his eyes tightly shut. Even as he tried to cool down his flushed body, the small figure in his arms kept radiating warmth. It felt like every part of him that touched was igniting.

This was torture.

It felt like the fresh sprout of emotion was being mercilessly doused with nutrients and fertilizer. Having sought to know what this feeling was, he returned to this place, yet he never wished to know so quickly.

It was absurd to fall in love at first sight, and now to become restless due to such instinctual urges made him feel incredibly trivial. Amidst guilt, questioning, and a wildly beating heart, he struggled to keep his sanity.

‘Oh, please…’

The snowstorm was thick outside, dimming the sun’s light, yet the cabin felt like a different world. Diego wished he could vanish.

Not long after, the small hand of Kashmir crept up over his neck. Long fingers brushed over his nape. Diego’s face flushed entirely from his neck up. He truly wished to die.

‘…Looks like someone is sleeping well.’

Diego glared at his overly familiar body, feeling resentful. The small figure he saw as a five-year-old was peacefully sleeping, wrapped around the imperial crown prince like a body pillow.

He wanted to pinch that carefree face, but touching the mask so recklessly could very well end his life.

Diego heaved a deep sigh. Soon, light began to filter through the window.

‘I’ve slept enough.’

That night had felt incredibly long for him.

*

“Ugh…”

I rested my forehead against the tree for a while, catching my breath. My hair, soaked and clinging to my skin like seaweed, tickled my face.

‘Sleeping together…’

“Ah! Ah! Crazy bastard!”

Bang! Bang!

I slammed my head repeatedly against the rough wooden pillar. After being in the well for a while, water dripped from my hair, splattering all around.

‘Turn off the lights and come here. I won’t pounce on you.’

I spun around and plunged my head straight into the well behind me. The icy water was so cold it felt as if my bones would freeze.

Recalling last night’s wild antics under anesthesia made me want to bite my tongue out of embarrassment.

‘Crazy bastard! Why did I say that!’

Although my mental age surpassed fifty years, my embarrassment and sexual concepts hadn’t vanished. Remembering Didi’s expression made it hard to face him.

‘ Sorry.’

I glanced back at the cabin and quickly turned away. I had awakened around late morning to find Didi, who was almost fainting, cradled in my arms, and instead of waking him, I chose to escape.

[I was thankful and sorry for last night. Please rest as long as you want, and when the blizzard calms down, feel free to head back.]

A little while later, I could only hope that Didi wouldn’t be too furious when he read the note.

I shook out my hair that was wet just moments ago but had frozen into ice strands due to the biting cold.

“Sister! You’re back?”

As I opened the door to our small, shabby home, Aria greeted me cheerfully as she prepared a meal in the kitchen. Her smile faltered just a moment at the sight of my state.

‘Oh no.’

Hiding my bandaged left arm behind my back with an awkward smile, I cautiously approached Aria, who was visibly apprehensive.

“…I’m back.”