A desperate wish to stop Aslin’s sobbing.

And a peculiar thought that perhaps, to achieve that, even doing something improper to make her angry would suffice—a strange mix of ideas drove my actions.

Now, here I was, sitting in a chair, pulling Aslin’s upper body into my arms. Five minutes had passed since then.

If things had gone as planned, by now…

- “Wh-What are you doing!”

Aslin, showing signs of utter shock and embarrassment, would have…

- “Get away from me this instant! You’ve done something unbelievably rude to me!”

She would have lashed out in a voice as cold and harsh as the weather outside, pushed herself out of my embrace, and…

- “How dare you do this without warning!”

Alongside such a rebuke, her right hand would have swung up to leave my cheek stinging as if struck by fire.

That was the scenario I had fully expected.

But contrary to my belief, Aslin showed no such reaction.

The initial surprise and confusion on her face matched what I’d anticipated, yet instead of breaking free and hurling icy words at me, she remained silent, merely staying nestled in my arms.

“….”

She didn’t utter a single word, and my bold attempt ended in failure.

Or perhaps…

“Mm... Mm…”

Her trembling had subsided, and the sobbing that had driven me to such measures had completely stopped. In that sense, perhaps I had succeeded.

But even if the outcome was technically a success, I couldn’t shake the confusion about the situation.

Holding Aslin close, my racing heart began to calm as I tried to understand.

‘…Why?’

I replayed the moment in my mind over and over, searching for answers.

But as if mocking my efforts, all I could hear from Aslin, still nestled in my arms, was a soft, gentle murmur, not a storm of anger.

.

.

.

“…Mm.”

The sound of her murmurs mingled with the peaceful chirping of insects outside the window, filling the quiet of the bedroom. It was still early morning, with plenty of time before dawn.

The soothing chirps of insects gently reached my ears like a lullaby.

Paired with the warmth enveloping her, Aslin let out a soft hum.

“…Mm.”

The earlier tension was nearly forgotten as her body and mind found peace. Unconsciously, a contented murmur escaped her lips—so gentle that even she was surprised.

The sound reflected how much her body and soul had relaxed in the comforting warmth.

Though startled by her own reaction, Aslin couldn’t help but feel tempted to close her eyes and let sleep take over.

But her instincts, warning her not to fall asleep here, kicked in.

“…Hmph!”

With a short, sharp noise, she mustered the strength in her arms and pushed away the warmth that had been cradling her.

In truth, it didn’t take much strength. Her groggy state had left her effort half-hearted, yet the warmth seemed to part willingly, almost as if waiting for her touch.

Breaking free from the tender embrace wasn’t difficult.

Yet, instead of relief or satisfaction at doing the “right” thing, all she felt was regret.

It was only after she escaped his arms that her hazy mind registered the kindness and comfort Endymion had provided.

‘Ah…’

Letting out a soft sigh internally, Aslin felt her self-loathing swell again as she replayed the moment in her mind.

She had wept bitterly, overcome by her own perceived flaws and mistakes. And despite the pain her actions may have caused, the man before her had offered words of comfort and warmth.

Yet she had pushed him away so abruptly, without showing proper gratitude. She should have been gentler, more cautious, as a way to repay the warmth he had given her.

‘…Fool.’

Scolding herself, Aslin’s gaze turned toward Endymion.

Her head slowly lifted as her imagination began to paint what expression he might wear.

When she had asked him before if he found her despicable, he had smiled and reassured her he didn’t feel that way.

The relief had been so overwhelming that tears spilled, and her voice quivered with emotion.

But while words could mask feelings, expressions often betrayed the truth.

If she were to face him now, his expression might reveal emotions far different from the kind words he had spoken.

‘…I must accept it.’

Her heart braced itself, ready to endure whatever awaited her.

Of course, even if such emotions were reflected on his face, Aslin had no reason to be angry about it.

There wasn’t any justification for feeling that way, nor did she believe she had any right to be upset.

It was just an expression, after all—a trivial thing compared to the countless wrongs she had done to him.

She knew better than anyone that calling his honest expression of emotions a “mistake” would be entirely unreasonable.

“….”

As she lifted her head and opened her eyes, prepared to face any expression Endymion might show, she resolved to accept it calmly.

However, before she could see his face, her vision was suddenly obscured by his large hand as it approached and covered her view.

“…Huh?”

Momentarily startled, Aslin froze, surprised by the sudden loss of sight.

But that surprise quickly faded as she became aware of the coolness of his hand resting gently on her forehead.

“Whew… No fever. You’re not unwell.”

His warm voice, infused with relief, followed his sigh of reassurance.

‘…What?’

Her flustered mind barely had time to catch up before he spoke again.

“You were just sitting there silently. I was worried you might’ve overexerted yourself and spiked a fever.”

Though his words were casual and nonchalant, there was no hiding the warmth and concern embedded in them.

At that moment, Aslin—Aslin Blath Caladbolg—became acutely aware of her heart pounding within her chest.

Thump, thump.

Her heart raced inexplicably, its strong beats echoing in her ears.

“Oh… Your forehead feels warm again. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“…N-No, I’m fine!”

As she became conscious of Endymion’s hand gently resting on her forehead, she also noticed the growing heat spreading across her skin, as if her forehead had been set alight.

Under normal circumstances, she would have relied on her family’s traditional breath-control techniques or their derivative body-strengthening methods to calm her runaway metabolism immediately.

“…I think it’s just that the room feels a bit warmer all of a sudden.”

“…The window’s closed, though.”

“Which is why I said it’s probably… just my imagination.”

“…I see.”

Regardless of the excuse she made, if Endymion saw through her true feelings and responded with kindness, controlling her body’s reactions seemed far less important.

Responding sincerely to his warmth and care mattered far more to her in that moment.

“Thank you…”

Instead of calming her racing body, Aslin chose to express heartfelt gratitude for his concern.

Oddly enough, while it was so difficult for her to apologize for the things she’d done to him, showing gratitude for his kindness felt surprisingly easy.

“Don’t mention it. This much is nothing for someone who saved my life.”

Even as he brushed off her thanks, his words, though modest, were wrapped in the warmth of a man who couldn’t quite conceal his sincerity beneath his casual demeanor.

Looking at him, Aslin couldn’t help but feel a strange desire to keep gazing at him.

She wouldn’t realize it yet.

To her, Endymion seemed like a saint—offering life-saving water to a person dying of thirst and laughing it off as if it were nothing.

In the future, she would find herself longing for him in every spare moment, yearning to see the same expression on his face.

Each time she caught even a glimpse of him, a warm light would settle deep in her heart, layering upon itself.

And eventually, that warmth would begin to shape her in ways she couldn’t yet comprehend.

For now, Aslin was blissfully unaware of the transformation taking root within her.

…Calmed down now?

When she pushed away from my embrace, I had no doubt that everything I had envisioned would unfold sequentially as if preordained.

Thankfully—or maybe miraculously—such drastic events didn’t transpire. Instead, Aslin, who had been visibly restless and tearful, gradually regained her composure.

As if that weren’t enough, she even went so far as to thank me for my impulsive actions.

I played it cool, pretending it was no big deal, but internally, I was genuinely taken aback.

It’s rare—almost unheard of—to meet someone like Aslin. She feels guilt over the smallest things and expresses gratitude for what most would consider insignificant.

Even among the countless types of people I’ve encountered, her nature stands out as a unique and rare kind.

“I just said what I wanted without thinking… cried like a child… and caused nothing but trouble, yet you still took care of me. I’m truly grateful.”

Even now, despite my casual assurance that it was nothing, Aslin continued to express her gratitude like an overflowing spring. It felt unfamiliar—alien, even.

But not in an unpleasant way. It was the kind of unfamiliarity that brought a gentle warmth to a corner of my heart. The kind I wouldn’t mind encountering again.

Still, I wasn’t thick-skinned enough to let myself grow reliant on someone else’s goodwill.

“You’re thanking me so much over something so trivial, it’s starting to make me feel embarrassed.”

“I’m holding myself back from thanking you all the way until bedtime.”

“Well, good. It’s about time for bed, anyway.”

I suggested she rest, noting the lateness of the hour.

“It is late… I suppose I should…”

Aslin agreed, letting out a yawn that blended fatigue and fading emotions. She covered her mouth as she did.

Even the way she yawned, so unguarded, was dazzling to me.

It was enough to make me wonder if I should wear tinted glasses just to stand in front of her.

But aside from being blinded, I was relieved. The endless conversation we’d shared without exhaustion had finally reached its natural conclusion.

I wanted to tell Aslin “good night” and collapse into bed immediately, but there was one last thing I needed to confirm.

“Lately, when we’ve talked, your tone hasn’t been consistent…”

“…I’ve noticed. I try to speak in a softer, more casual tone, but when I’m not paying attention, this formal way of speaking keeps slipping out.”

“If that’s more comfortable for you, feel free to stick with it.”

“…Even so.”

“I know my place. For someone like me, who usually speaks this way, flipping that on its head just for me would be difficult. Don’t feel pressured. It’s fine to use your usual tone with me.”

“….”

“Unless you’d prefer I start addressing you more formally—”

“I’d never ask that of you. Don’t make me out to be such a bad person.”

“It’s a little strange to think you’d consider yourself villainous over something like—”

“….”

“Alright, alright. Let’s just talk like we did on the battlefield. No need to overthink it.”

“One day, when I call you—”

“What are you trying to say?”

“…Never mind. It’s too soon for that. I’ll put in more effort.”

“…I don’t know what effort that entails, but I wish you success.”

“…Thank you.”

“I’ve heard that word so many times today, I feel like it’s stuck in my ears.”

“I’m barely managing to hold back saying it every time I breathe. Please understand.”

“…Fine. Let’s just get some sleep. And no more collapsing on me like last time—I’ll trust you to go to bed properly.”

After settling how we’d address each other, I lay down on the bed.

“Good night. And… really… thank—”

“….”

Aslin’s voice, soft and fading, didn’t reach the end of her sentence.

Her body, weakened by illness and drained from the late-night emotional turbulence, succumbed to sleep faster than I expected.

“Good night.”

Though she couldn’t hear me, I murmured the words and closed my eyes.

Thus, the long day that stretched far beyond sunset came to a quiet end.

For a while, I could look forward to uneventful days—ones without seeing Aslin gulp down spirits before bed.

·

·

·

·

·

It wasn’t.

“…Aslin? I know you’re just pretending to be asleep.”

“Mmm…”

To be precise, while the days passed with relative ease, the nights were a different story entirely.

I hadn’t realized just how terrible this delicate, mysteriously beautiful woman’s sleeping habits were.

Aslin… listen, I’m not your personal cuddle toy.