Ch 78
“You get better if you pass on a cold.”
At Killian’s brazen words, Aria pushed his shoulder away and glared at him. It seemed like the weak appearance she had seen in the bathroom was nowhere to be found, so she was able to deal with him rationally again.
However, Killian was unknowingly smiling at her glare, which didn’t seem threatening at all.
“If you come any closer, I’ll bite you.”
“I’d prefer it to be your neck like before.”
“…….”
He didn’t want to force her any further. He had already made enough progress with her to be sure.
At first, he had tried to use her, but being with her made him realize that he wasn’t doing this to her just because of such a feeling.
He was just a little impatient because it seemed like Aria didn’t feel the same way as him. But if Aria really hated him, she wouldn’t have accepted him like that in the bathroom.
“Aria.”
“Yes.”
“The kiss…….”
“…….”
“Let’s do it after we wake up.”
“……Yes.”
Aria, who had been nervous, sighed in relief at his step back. She was trying hard not to change her expression because she absolutely didn’t want to show that she was a little disappointed even as she sighed in relief.
On the other hand, he tightened his arms around Aria, feeling a little impatient. It was as if he was creating a cage for her so she couldn’t fly away.
“I’ll sleep in the bed, and Killian will sleep on the sofa, right?”
“After what happened earlier, are we sleeping separately?”
“Ah, what happened earlier?! I don’t remember!”
His heart fluttered again as Aria spoke with her face flushed and lowered.
“Yes, well. If you don’t remember like that, I guess I’ll have to make you remember.”
“I remember! I remember well!”
“You just said you didn’t remember.”
“I’m joking!”
He laughed again at Aria’s disgusted shout.
“I don’t think so.”
“I am!”
He found her shrill scream cute, so he picked her up as she was and went to the bed.
“No!”
“What do you mean?”
“No, anything is no!”
“…….”
Killian wasn’t going to do anything to her, but rather, seeing her reaction, he felt like it would be unfair not to do anything. Besides, she already had a face that seemed to be expecting it while saying she didn’t like it.
“Yes, I understand.”
He said that and then sat Aria on the bed.
“I’m so cold.”
“Yes, it seems like you have a cold.”
“It’s because of Killian. Because I washed in cold water…….”
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
He said that, but he was still smiling. Aria thought that she would get caught up if she talked too much, so she decided not to talk anymore.
He was about to sit nearby, watching Aria sitting on the bed glaring at him with sharp eyes. But Aria tried to get up, so he remained standing instead of sitting.
“I’m here. Killian is over there.”
“Alright.”
He chuckled at her firm words and went to the sofa. Aria, who was watching him go to the sofa, was surprised because the sofa in his house looked very new but also similar to the one in her room.
Besides.
“Uh…….”
“What’s wrong?”
Now that she looked again, the things and structure of the room she was in were strangely similar, and it finally caught her eye.
“Could it be…….”
The golden map of Kalendia and the shape of the capital marked with rubies that were in her room.
Besides, even the sky-blue curtains hanging on the balcony.
It must be a coincidence.
She thought that and shook her head. But.
“Do you like the interior?”
“This, could it be…….”
“Yes. I referenced what was in Aria’s room.”
“Why?”
“Well, I liked it.”
Aria didn’t feel so bad that he had copied the things in her room. She was just looking because she didn’t know why he had copied them when there was no need to.
“Is it perhaps because you found stability in my room when you lost your memories?”
“……Yes.”
He wasn’t lying. He really did lose his memories when he was hit on the head at first. He found them again soon, though.
She felt like she understood why he was doing this to her at his words.
It was clear that the reliance he had on her at that time had unconsciously remained. Like a baby duck that saw its mother duck for the first time, the imprinting effect remained.
That was why he was doing this to her. Otherwise, it was impossible for Killian, who had been prickly even at the touch of others, to play these kinds of pranks on her.
Even if he was a psychopathic mastermind, even if he didn’t hesitate to kill for his purpose, there was no mention of him being skilled in bedroom techniques. So, the way he had shown himself to her couldn’t be said to be the way Killian was in the original story.
Then it was clear that it was really the influence of when he had lost his memories.
Self-inflicted.
No, in this case, I didn’t do anything wrong, but I have to clean up other people’s messes.
Aria was speechless at the thought that what she thought had been barely resolved was serious again.
“Aria.”
“Yes?”
“Would it be okay if I stayed by your side, even just until Aria falls asleep?”
“No, it’s not okay.”
She said firmly and hid herself under the sheets on the bed first. He found her cute, like a wild rabbit hiding in a rabbit hole.
Aria felt like she would be caught if he came closer and heard her heart pounding. She felt like she would be caught if he came closer while she was pretending to dislike it. Especially since her body was shivering.
“Then have a good dream.”
“Yes.”
Aria said that and pulled the sheet up to the top of her head.
She couldn’t fall asleep easily.
Perhaps it was because she had washed in cold water, her body was shivering, and she kept coughing.
“Cough, cough!”
Aria was suppressing her coughs, but she ended up coughing loudly.
She thought Killian might have heard her cough, so she carefully lowered the sheet and looked toward the sofa.
The sofa at her feet was not clearly visible because the canopy’s banner was lowered, but she was relieved, thinking that he must have fallen completely asleep since she couldn’t hear any sound.
Her chest was ticklish. Her lungs were ticklish, but it hurt too much when she coughed. Besides, her body was shivering as if she would be bedridden tomorrow.
This was definitely a cold.
She couldn’t stay here in this condition. When her fever rose, it would be better to be nursed at the mansion. She felt like her lifespan would be shortened if she stayed next to Killian for no reason.
“Hiss…….”
She tried hard to suppress her cough again and closed her eyes. But she couldn’t fall asleep, perhaps because she was completely awake from the cough.
She tried to fall asleep for quite a long time.
As expected, she couldn’t fall asleep. Rather, even though she was wrapped in the blanket, her chills only worsened, and she only felt dizzy.
“……Ah.”
“…….”
“Aria.”
She was shivering, forgetting to respond to the voice calling her.
“Aria.”
“…….”
Someone pulled back the blanket and checked her face.
It was Killian.
“Aria.”
“I’m, I’m cold…….”
It was clear that Aria had caught a cold. Well, she had been in cold water for such a long time.
“You’re shivering.”
“Cold…….”
Aria’s eyes were wet. She was shivering so badly from the chills that her back hurt. Killian soon took off the thin shirt he was wearing and took off Aria’s thin clothes.
“It’s cold…….”
“It’s warmer this way.”
Aria was remembering that Killian’s body was usually cold. He was warm when his poison was less neutralized.
However, she had a fever now, and he had returned to his original cold body temperature.
“Cold……!”
“We need to bring your fever down.”
“Ugh…… Let go!”
“When your fever goes down.”
Killian was holding her tightly like that because Aria’s body was seriously hot. Perhaps because their bare skin was touching, she felt cold, as if she were rubbing ice against his bare chest.
“Cold…….”
“Yes.”
He patted her and waited for her to calm down.
“It’s really…… all because of Killian. All of this.”
“Yes.”
He was feeling a little guilty, but he was still happy. It was because she had allowed him to get on the bed using this as an excuse.
“It’s better for Aria if your fever goes down.”
“Yes…….”
“Or should I call a doctor?”
“…….”
Even in the midst of it, Aria was conflicted. Now was not the time to be caught that she had slept here.
She hadn’t properly broken off her engagement with Lionell yet, and even though she didn’t love Lionell, she wanted him to become emperor.
It was too dangerous for the Second Imperial Prince to take the throne, and Lionell had enough qualities to be emperor. But if I spread rumors of an affair with Killian. That would be fatal to Lionell’s position.
Besides, there’s etiquette when breaking up.
Even though Lionell had repeatedly not listened to her rejections, she was still connected to Lionell on paper.
“No.”
“I understand.”
He wasn’t someone who couldn’t predict what she was worried about. So, he quietly smiled and hugged Aria even tighter. She felt cold, as if an ice statue was hugging her, but she also felt strange because of the gaze that was looking at her tenderly when she raised her head.
His eyes were warm, but his body was too cold.
It seemed like it didn’t suit him.
Above all, even though it was night, his violet-like beautiful eyes were clearly visible.
“Killian.”
“Yes.”
“What if I give Killian a cold too?”
“There is a sure way to pass it on.”
“What is it?”
“A kiss.”
He was saying it seriously. She also knew that kissing was the surest way to pass on a cold. Perhaps that was why she was trembling now, and even though she was in pain from touching his cold chest, it felt like her jaw was trembling because of that.
Again, her mind was trying to deceive her. In reality, she wanted to feel that good feeling of touching him, even with her body exhausted from the cold. It felt like she would get better if she did.
“I’d like Killian to get it too.”
“With pleasure.”
He took Aria’s lips, which were resting on his arm, into his own.
Then he immediately pulled away and said.
“There’s an even surer way than a kiss.”
“What is it?”
Then he climbed on top of her, stroked her cheek, and said.
“Would you pass it on to me?”