"Fuck..."
I could feel the buzzing vibrations whenever he spoke because I was holding him. I could feel it with my whole body. Dante was so angry right now. His muscles were tense and his breathing was rough and quiet, proving it. I tried to move my stiff neck and slightly shook my head.
"This much, it's okay..."
I was really surprised when Lucas grabbed my collar, but it was okay because you showed up at that very moment. Every moment I was held down by Lucas was so horrible that it made me shiver, but it's okay now. Because you came to save me in the end. I wanted to say that, but my frozen lips could barely spit out a few words.
Dante frowned when he heard me stutter.
"You're okay?"
The muscles in his arms that were holding me bulged fiercely once again.
"What did that son of a bitch do to me? How can you say it's okay?"
Ah. I bit the inside of my mouth in frustration. I had said those words with great difficulty to calm down, but they seemed to have only made him even more angry. Embarrassed, I gaped.
"Why, that, is that...?"
"Why?"
But even that seemed like a handshake. He glared at me, laughing in vain.
"Why are you asking me now? Why am I so angry?"
"..."
No, that's not it. It seemed like I was only making Dante's mood worse with every word I uttered. Suddenly, an old saying came to mind.
"The eyes are the windows to the soul."
In times like these, let's trust the unspoken language rather than imperfect words. With that thought in mind, I stared at Dante as if I was going to pierce through him. I filled it with the message that I had no intention of hurting his feelings. Did my intention get through even a little?
Dante's eyes quickly shook as they met my gaze, and soon he clenched his teeth hard.
"What the hell are you...?"
He muttered roughly and let out a breath. After a while, Dante, who seemed to have finally calmed down, spoke in a low voice.
"Never again. Don't use your body as a means."
I blankly looked up at him. Don't use my body as a means. This man kept saying unfamiliar words to me without hesitation. Just like when I faced Rio, who was sobbing, a strange feeling pounded in my chest. And at the same time, somehow my heart kept pounding so hard...
I had to do my best to calm myself down so that Dante wouldn't misunderstand that there was something wrong with my heart. It didn't go well, though.
***
As soon as I entered the Duke's residence, the servants. who had seen me in Dante's arms ran out.
"Master! Oh my, Master!"
Even the always calm butler Oren showed his shock. After a while, the attending physician came running in, out of breath and began to diagnose me.
"It seems you were exposed to a large amount of anesthetic. Fortunately, it's not harmful to the human body since you only get one injection... The problem is."
"The problem is?"
Dante pressed for an answer in a dry voice.
"You can use a medicine to wake up your body, but it won't make the effects disappear, so it could be a strain on your body, madam. So, think of time as the medicine, and rest well while waiting for the effects to wear off."
"... I understand."
Dante rubbed his temples and answered in a low voice.
"Everyone, please leave."
All the servants, including the attending physician, politely left.
Click.
The door closed, and the air in the bedroom where only two people remained became heavy.
"Don't act recklessly again."
I froze in shock. Dante muttered in a hazy voice that would have been lost in the wind if it had been outside. His fingertips swept my forehead, the tip of my nose, and my cheeks as I lay there.
"This is the body I saved. Even you, I cannot tolerate using it carelessly."
Thump, thump.
My heart began to beat rapidly again. The surroundings were so quiet that I was worried that my heartbeat might reach the man's keen ears. A sweet yet warm smell lingered at the tip of my nose. The sleeping incense that my doctor had left behind was giving off a tired aura, making my consciousness disappear. Dante must have noticed this as he closed my eyelids.
"Okay. Enough nagging."
Dante's voice hummed through my consciousness which was quickly sinking in.
"Good night. Don't even dream."
As if those words had been the trigger, I fell asleep the next moment. A deep sleep where not a single dream came to mind.
***
How much time had passed?
I blinked my eyes slowly. The warmth enveloped my entire body to the point of suffocation.
'How long have I slept?'
The sleeping incense seemed to have had a greater effect than I thought. Considering that I had fallen into a deep sleep despite the unpleasant incident. That was the moment I thought about it.
"You're awake."
A low, sleepy voice tickled my ear.
"Duke..."
I unconsciously moved my lips and was momentarily surprised.
"Ah."
Not only my lips, but my entire body was now moving freely. Just as the doctor said, the anesthetic seemed to have worn off while I was sleeping soundly.
"Now, now my body can move."
I had no idea that it would be such a relief to be able to move my body as I wanted. Dante answered briefly.
"I know."
His voice was strangely subdued.
"You tossed and turned all night."
That's what I did. Ignoring my slightly flushed cheeks, I looked up at Dante. Unlike me, his eyes were not even slightly sleepy. Rather, the area under his eyes seemed a little hollow. I asked carefully in a blank voice.
"You... didn't sleep?"
"I didn't sleep."
Dante blurted out as he looked down at me.
"I was being tortured with my eyes open the whole time."
"Yes?"
Torture? What the...
I looked down in confusion and was suddenly shocked. I saw my arms and legs wrapped around Dante's body like snakes.
'Oh my. What did you mean when you said you tossed and turned so much...?'
I had fallen asleep while hugging Dante like a giant blanket. But the shock did not end there.
'The clothes...'
I was definitely in my uniform before I fell asleep, but now I was wearing only a thin negligee.
'... Who took it off?'
A maid came in for a moment and then left. Maybe it was Sophie or Linda. As I thought that, my eyes widened and turned to Dante. Dante narrowed his brows when he felt my gaze and opened his mouth.
"I took it off because it looked stuffy."
He said bluntly and added after a while.
"After that, I covered you with a blanket, but you kept picking at it and clinging to me."'
I couldn't deny those words. It was right after I saw my arms and legs wrapped tightly around Dante's body.
"I'm sorry."
I apologized politely and carefully pushed myself away from Dante. Then I brought the blanket that I had kicked away in my sleep and covered it over the negligee.
"..."
An awkward, suffocating silence descended on the bedroom. I lay straight and stared at the ceiling, but of course, I couldn't fall asleep again. All my attention was focused on the sound of breathing right nearby. After a few more minutes of silence, I opened my mouth slightly.
"Have you not been able to sleep at all?"
A soft answer came from the darkness.
"Yes."
My heart thumped at the indifferent voice. It was a tone that seemed familiar as if sleepless nights were nothing unusual. Suddenly, I remembered the voice of a boy I had heard a long time ago.
"Don't bother me and just go home... I can't sleep anyway."
"Do you have insomnia?"
"I don't know about that. I just haven't been sleeping well."
"Since when?"
"Well, it was the day my mother died."
I felt like a heavy stone was being formed in my chest. I moved my lips without realizing it. In fact, I was going to explain myself once the anesthesia wore off. In our last conversation, before I fell asleep, Dante got so angry because of my half-assed remark. So I was going to make an excuse for that first...
"When was the last time you slept?"
My mouth suddenly blurted out a completely different story. Then, at first, I heard an answer that sounded indifferent.
"Well. I don't know."
I bit the flesh inside my mouth and glanced at the window. Judging from the pitch-black darkness outside, it seemed like there was still a long way to go until daybreak. The night was long. It was too far to make it through with my eyes wide open. How many times, hundreds, thousands of times had that person been chewing over that night?
"Aren't you going to sleep, brother?"
"If you both sleep, who will watch the net?"
Again, old memories came rushing back like ghosts. I opened my lips and whispered faintly.
"Close your eyes and try to sleep from now on."
After hesitating a little, I continued.
"... I will watch the net today."
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