At those words, Carcel squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and then opened them.
He briefly overlooked the fact that Asha would be this cute.
"It's just that my heart is beating too fast, so I'm bleeding."
"Weren't you very tired because of us all this time?"
"Even when I ran around the battlefield all night for three nights and four days, I didn't get a single nosebleed."
"Oh."
At those words, Asha was surprised and covered her mouth.
Carcel awkwardly covered his nose with a handkerchief and made a tickling confession.
"It seems my heart was under a lot of strain from touching Asha."
At those words, Asha also blushed like pomegranate seeds and bit her lip.
Then, she reached out and poked Carcel's cheek!
"Carcel, you're going to bleed from your face."
"Asha's face is also flushed like a spring strawberry right now."
"I know."
Asha smiled shyly.
"Because I am conscious of Carcel, too."
"Asha, I'm really happy."
Carcel raised his hand.
"If I become any happier than this, I feel like I will die young from a heart attack. I'm sorry, but I would appreciate it if you would stop being so sweet now."
"Don't you think Carcel is going a bit too far?"
"It's because I have no tolerance for this kind of thing. As I get used to it... I will get better."
Carcel wiped away the nosebleed that had stopped before he knew it.
"I will give you a new handkerchief soon. I am sorry for dirtying it."
"It's nothing special, so you don't have to give me a gift. I have an extra handkerchief."
Of course, his mind was full of the thought of buying a whole lot of handkerchiefs, but Carcel did not bother to say it out loud.
"How about we really get some sleep now? We have plans for tomorrow."
"I think we should. I'm so tired today that I feel like I'll fall asleep as soon as I lie down."
Still, Asha lay down in bed first, as if used to it, since they had slept together yesterday.
On the other hand, Carcel approached the bed slowly due to his experience of having already stayed up all night.
It still felt strange to share a bed with the woman he loved.
Moreover, with a hug yesterday and even a kiss on the cheek today, the stimulation was gradually increasing. As Carcel turned off the light, he tried hard to hide the sound of his heart pounding heavily.
"Good night, Carcel."
Asha nonchalantly held out her palm to him as if telling him to take her hand.
And poor Carcel, unable to even resist, had to meekly take her hand.
'How could I refuse Asha's hand? Even though my heart is pounding as if I were on the verge of death.'
Having chosen death rather than losing it, he carefully wrapped his arms around Asha's hand with firm resolve.
"Good night, Asha."
Not long after, Asha fell into a deep sleep.
On the other hand, Carcel tried to sleep, but due to the surge of dopamine, he ultimately could not fall asleep.
As the sleepless night ended and morning arrived, Asha opened her eyes, feeling refreshed.
"Hmm."
Carcel could feel everything, even the moment she turned her body to look at him.
He couldn't sleep a wink.
Asha naturally reached out her finger and poked Carcel's cheek with a look of complete disbelief.
As Carcel tried hard to pretend to be asleep, the corners of his mouth began to curl slightly.
'Cute.'
Who wouldn't have their heart melt when a soft, sweet woman with a pleasant scent is acting cute right beside them?
When he opened his eyes, Asha opened her eyes wide in delight.
"Are you awake? Are you awake, or are you sick?"
"What..."
Carcel merely trailed off, fearing that if he said he couldn't sleep at all thanks to Asha, she might declare that they would sleep in separate rooms.
"Carcel, are you sick? Your eyes are red, and it looks like you have some dark circles."
She looked at Carcel's face with a worried look.
Carcel somehow managed to suppress the urge to tightly embrace this rabbit-like woman who had a worried expression because of him.
He clenched his fist tightly.
"It looks like it hurts. What should we do?"
Asha touched Carcel's forehead, which remained silent, and quietly approached, half-hugging him.
Carcel, dizzy from the sensation of being held by the warm little Asha since morning, spouted lies with ease.
"Cough, cough. I think I'm a little sick."
"You say it hurts? I should have thought something was off since you started bleeding from both noses yesterday!"
Carcel had never been sick in his life.
'What were the symptoms of a cold?'
He struggled to recall the symptoms of a disease he had never experienced before.
'High fever, cough, runny nose.'
Among them, what he could do was cough.
"Huh? Carcel! You really have a fever."
“Is that so?”
It was just burning the body's energy to raise the temperature.
It is obviously difficult for an ordinary person to do, and they wouldn't go out of their way to do something like this, but...
Being a man of few words, he could have done anything to pretend to be weak and lean on his wife.
"Cough, cough."
That cough sounds really awkward. Like someone who has never been sick.
At the very keen observation, he avoided Asha's gaze.
"What should I do? Are you sick because you suffered because of me?"
"It's cold; I wish I could give you a hug. Cough, cough."
Asha's eyes narrowed even more at the sound of a genuine cough.
Carcel's body was burning hot, and he seemed to be in pain, but for some reason, she couldn't completely shake the suspicion that it was a trick.
However, it didn't seem like he was just being dramatic, so Asha hugged him and patted him on the back.
"But when you have a high fever like this from a cold, shouldn't you be putting ice on it because it's hot, not cold? Why are they saying it's cold?"
Suspicion filled Asha's round eyes more and more.
In the end, Carcel could not stand the gaze and burst into laughter.
"Carcel, it doesn't hurt, does it?"
"The fever is boiling like this?"
"You weren't pulling another weird stunt, were you?"
The bewilderment and worry in Asha's gaze as she looked down at him were lovely.
He had never been sick before, and even if he were to catch a cold, there was no one to worry about him.
It was because everyone knew the constitution of the Lakan ducal family, so they knew she would recover quickly.
"...Seeing the look in Asha's eyes as you worry about me makes me want to be sick often."
"It's just a drama queen, of course!"
"Asha is clever. You know that too."
Carcel teased Asha and wrapped his arms around her waist, as she was already half-climbing into him.
"Carcel! You're making people worry!"
He grinned gleefully, baring his teeth, as he watched Asha scream in anger.
His life, which had nothing to laugh about, became enjoyable.
"I did it because I wanted to be held by Asha."
This time, unlike before, Carcel looked up at Asha seriously.
The moment his gaze tightened fiercely.
For some reason, the atmosphere changed in an instant.
The subtle look of resentment remaining on Asha's face also gradually faded away.
As if nothing remained but each other, much like the stagnant air.
Carcel raised his hand and cupped Asha's cheek.
Asha also did not resist the touch that wrapped around her hair and ears.
She couldn't help but sense something from the look in his eyes that had already gone mad.
Even though she knew that Carcel would kiss her if she remained still, Asha stared at him as if she were trapped.
Her throat kept getting dry, so she felt thirsty.
Asha slowly closed her eyes.
Although she was bothered by the fact that she hadn't brushed her teeth, the atmosphere was somehow becoming seductive.
She couldn't capture this atmosphere.
It was that moment.
Knock knock knock.
"I apologize for coming so early, but an important guest has arrived. You will need to come out."
That sound belonged to Matt, Carcel's closest aide.
The atmosphere was shattered in an instant.
At this, Carcel let out a frustrated sigh and gritted his teeth.
His jaw tightened.
Asha came to her senses belatedly and hurriedly got off Carcel.
Embarrassed, she scrambled to come up with an excuse.
"Ah. Look how late it is already! Linea must be awake by now."
"... Yes."
"I'll wash up first! Carcel, you should go out too, since you have an urgent guest!"
And just like that, Carcel's chance for his first kiss vanished like a daydream.
***
"Are you angry with me?"
Matt asked, glancing nervously at Carcel.
"No."
Carcel denied it while focusing on the documents.
However, Matt could not take his words at face value.
That makes sense, considering where Matt is right now.
"Th-then why are you making me do push-ups as soon as I arrive?!"
Because he was being punished in front of the guests, sweating profusely!
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