Eve steeled herself. There was a long way to go.
To tell this man, whom she liked just by holding his hand, about imprinting, she had to pull herself together first.
It was then.
"Ah!"
Startled by the stinging sensation that grazed her wrist, Eve instinctively recoiled as if pulling her arm away.
"I'm sorry. I saw a wound here..."
Noelier made a tearful face as if he were apologetic.
Eve followed Noelier down. Although it was hidden by the hem of her clothes and not clearly visible, there was a fine wound on her wrist.
"It seems you got hurt when you hugged me. Dragon scales tend to be prickly."
Noelier said that with a sad look on his face. He seemed extremely sorry that she had been hurt because of him.
"It's fine. I'm not seriously hurt, and there's no blood..."
Eve could not speak. It was because he, having gently pulled her wrist, had kissed her palm once.
It was a cautious kiss, as if asking for permission. Eve stared at him blankly.
As she remained still without pulling jer hand away, perhaps sensing her permission, he slowly moved his lips.
Hot lips landed on the wound on the wrist.
A tongue exposed between the lips licked Eve's wrist. She flinched at the stinging sensation.
“Shh... sorry.”
Then Noelier whispered quietly, as if soothing a child. Yet, he did not stop the act of hurting. Eve watched his actions as if entranced.
Come to think of it, she had heard of it.
It was said that if a dragon wounded you, it would heal completely.
The wound on the wrist wasn't very deep. It would heal on its own if left to the passage of time. A wound so deep you wouldn't even know it was there.
However, Noelier carefully stroked Eve's wound. She even kept her eyes closed, as if she were concentrating. His long eyelashes were pretty, and she almost reached out my hand without realizing it.
Much later, Noelier opened his eyes. He blinked slowly, checked her wound, and smiled brightly.
"Look at this, Eve. You're all better.'
"..."
"Eve?"
Eve could not answer. Her heart was pounding violently. Her face flushing red was likely not solely due to his heat.
"..."
Noticing that Eve's expression had changed, Noelier's smile also slowly faded.
They fell silent as if by prior agreement. Through the window where sunlight was pouring in, the sound of Zion's laughter could be heard.
Her wrist was still being held.
“Noel.”
It was Eve who broke the silence. Noelier looked at Eve with trembling eyes.
“You have a severe fever.”
Eve reached out her other hand and stroked his cheek. Touched by Eve's coldness, he involuntarily rubbed his cheek against her hand.
“Do you need my hand?”
The voice asking that trembled. Noelier opened his eyes and looked at Eve.
Eve's face was flushed, just like his. She looked like a child hoping for the answer she wanted.
Noelier seemed to know what she wanted.
The heat that had been subtly swirling around Eve intensified. Eve, trembling slightly, cautiously moved her arm.
"Ah..."
However, Noelier did not let go of the wrist he was holding.
Hold firmly, but gently so she doesn't feel pain.
"..."
Eve swallowed her breath.
This wasn't the usual Noelier. If it were his usual self, Noelier would have apologized and immediately kept his distance.
Their eyes met. She felt like she knew what he was going to say.
Noelier slowly opened his mouth.
“Yes, Eve.”
"..."
“I have a severe fever.”
He turned his head and gently kissed Eve's palm. He looked up at her with a flushed face.
"It's so hard..."
"..."
"Why is it so hot even though Eve's hand touched it?"
When asked pitifully, Eve bit her lip tightly. Then, as if she had been waiting for those words, she immediately opened her mouth.
"...It's because it can't be solved by hand."
"Is there anything else besides hands?"
Eve swallowed hard.
Things were going as she wanted, but on the other hand, she wondered if it was right to do something bad to such an innocent person.
However, the wrist he was holding was incredibly hot. It felt as though it were about to go berserk at any moment.
'Right, this is for him.'
Eve, having steeled herself, stood up.
When she nudged his shoulder, Noelier collapsed onto the bed as if he had been waiting for it.
Since her wrists were being held, it was only natural that Eve's body moved along with them. Her body leaned toward Noelier.
Black hair was disheveled on the white sheets. A feverish face was staring only at Eve.
Eve swallowed hard. The scene she had only imagined was unfolding before her eyes. She felt as though she might lose consciousness at any moment.
'No! How could I let this opportunity slip away!'
Eve shook her head vigorously and hesitated before climbing onto Noelier's body.
As Noelier opened his eyes wide, Eve stammered her answer.
"I'm trying to figure out the situation."
"..."
"Uh... It's because I can see it better this way. Really. Doctor... yeah, other doctors treat patients like this too."
It would have been better if she had at least told a plausible lie, but she said something completely nonsensical.
"Surely I haven't been caught, have I?" Eve glanced at Noelier.
There was no mockery on the face staring intently at her. Fortunately, he seemed to believe her without any suspicion.
Eve secretly let out a sigh of relief. She felt as though she had instantly become a wolf devouring a lamb.
Eve scanned Noelier.
The blue eyes swept down from the neat black hair to the smooth bridge of the nose, red lips, and sharp jawline.
The end of her gaze was his neck.
Beyond the shirt buttoned up to the neck, a black restraint was visible.
It was something Noelier wore himself to control his overflowing magical power after his second awakening.
'Of course, later on, he runs wild to the point where even those restraints are useless.'
Eve reached out and gently stroked the keyhole in the middle.
Undoing this and biting Noelier's nape. That was the imprint.
'Then you can become his real partner.'
Aria had certainly said so, too. That the color of her soul was similar to Noelier's.
Eve stared intently at the restraints.
Noelier believed her to be human.
Given his personality, it was obvious he would push her away, saying that imprinting wouldn't work.
Because it was said that if someone without a dragon's heart gets the mark, it is extremely painful.
'How should I phrase it so that he willingly hands over the key?'
She was pondering sweet words to seduce the dragon when she suddenly felt a hot hand on jer waist.
"...?"
As she lowered her head, she saw Noelier holding Eve's waist with his large hand.
"It looked uncomfortable."
"Ah, I see."
Eve nodded nonchalantly.
She climbed onto Noelier's body as he lay there. It was just as she was feeling a little uncomfortable with jer upper body tilted.
As he held onto her waist for support, she could examine it much more easily. Eve shifted her gaze back to his restraints.
Hmm. No matter how she looked at it, it didn't seem like there was any other way to solve it.
'Since things have come to this, let's ask them directly.'
Eve lifted her head. Noelier was still looking at her.
“Noel.”
“Yes, Eve.”
"Where are the keys?"
“...A key?”
"Yes. The key to unlock this."
Eve nodded. Then he hesitated and answered.
"...It's not here."
“Then where is it?”
"I don't really know either. After all, all I had to do was just fill it in."
To think there is no key in this world. Then, imprinting becomes impossible.
What should I do? Eve bit her lip in anxiety.
Meanwhile, Noelier's heat was growing increasingly intense. It seemed that even Eve's ice magic would not be enough.
Is there no way to cool down his fever, even if it is just a temporary measure?
"..."
Noelier's red lips came into view of her wandering eyes.
...It seemed like there might be another way.
Eve swallowed hard without realizing it.
Noelier clearly liked her own hand.
She used to murmur to his pretty face that it felt like his fever was going down because it was cool. When the fever was too high, he would even hug her. Then the fever would go down.
'...There was another way.'
Eve gazed intently at his red lips.
Come to think of it, imprinting was just that kind of thing.
'But we haven't even had our first kiss yet.'
Eve blamed herself for her foolishness.
She almost got into big trouble. No matter how urgent it was, there was a proper order.
Eve lifted her head with a trembling heart.
Looking into Noelier's red eyes, she had the illusion that he, too, might be thinking the same thing as jer.
It was then. Noelier, grimacing as if in pain, pulled Eve's hand.
"...Eve."
He rubbed his cheek against Eve's palm again.
Noelier, who repeatedly closed and opened his eyes as if in pain, let out a hot breath.
"It is so... hot."
"..."
"At times like this... what should I do? Even Eve's hands feel insufficient."
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