Chapter 53 - Volume 2 (2/2)

「……You idiot.」

Once again, that’s a strong way to say it. He caresses my cheek so gently, it’s unimaginable considering his tone of voice. His hand is ticklish, as if fawning on me.

I can’t help but smile at that childish response of his. A single tear falls along his cheek from his eye as he glares at me sullenly. Making sure that’s the last tear, I try to sit up from my lying down position.

「Oi, wai—」

「——?!」

Almost at the same time I hear his restraining voice, a pain runs through my body. My entire body trembles. I can’t sit up, ending up having to once again lower my upper body back into bed. As I silently fall back in agony, he moves my hair from my cheeks, his voice growing concerned as he looks down at me.

「Don’t push yourself too hard. Right now there’s only painkillers working on you, that doesn’t mean your wounds have completely recovered.」

「Al…right…」

I see, so that’s why my entire body has been feeling sluggish and fatigued the entire time since I woke up.

That reminds me, this question is a bit overdue but just where am I? I look around; realizing my intentions, he nods once, 「Oh.」

「This is the White Lily Court’s healing room. The healer’s away right now. Your wound’s calmed down one way or another with the healer’s treatment, and the princess’s and my magic. But it was a risky gamble whether you’d wake up or not since you’ve been cursed.」

He says that indifferently but there’s an eerie echo in his words. Instinct tells me that it would be a bad idea to continue this topic, but there’s something I just have to ask.

「Edi, this is just a hypothetical question, but…」

「What?」

「If I didn’t wake up, what would you do?」

Those sunrise-colored eyes widen at my question, then after a moment, slowly squint.

「Who knows. I have no idea either.」

「Wow, so there actually are things you don’t know too?」

「That doesn’t really sound like a compliment.」

「Is that so?」

「Yeah. It sounds sarcastic.」

Well, that’s rude again. I try to smile my way out of it; looking displeased, he entwines his fingers in my hair scattered over the pillow, playing with it.

How long does he keep doing that? Finally, he smiles. That smile is certainly beautiful enough to fascinate me, but for some reason… A definite chill runs down my spine.

「——But, that’s right.」

「W-what?」

It’s cold. The room is supposed to be at a moderate temperature thanks to magic, but for some reason, I feel like it suddenly gets colder. I timidly look at him, my gaze clashing with his flickering sunrise-colored eyes that have a cold light in them. At the same time, I feel like the temperature gets even lower.

「If you didn’t wake up. I would’ve become the second demon king, and even if I didn’t destroy the whole world, I might have at least destroyed one or two countries.」

「…………That’s a joke, right?」

「Only half.」

「……」

I can’t help but grow silent. Looking at me, he laughs throatily. He laughs like a child that just successfully pranked someone; I realize he was teasing me. I laugh a little late, 「Ahahaha,」 but my laughter turns dry.

Thank goodness. Reaaaaaaaaaaally, thank goodness I woke up. Now that I think I’ve had a job change from ‘the wizard’s fiancée’ to ‘the hero of the world’s wife’, I can’t laugh at the thought of having a job change to ‘the demon king’s wife’.

I feel like pinching his cheek as he looks so nonchalant. But my body can’t move freely, as if it’s been tied down to the bed, so I can’t do that either. His hand reaches out and gently caresses my cheek. Making do with just that, I look up at him. ‘What?’ He returns my gaze.

There’s something I just have to ask him. I know for sure that he doesn’t want to hear it, but it’s something that I just have to ask.

「——What about Sir Celves?」

The atmosphere freezes at that question. I felt the air around him stiffen the moment I spoke Celves’s name.

「Does that worry you?」

I wordlessly reply with a nod to his question. It would be crazy if I wasn’t worried at all. I’m in this state right now because of the curse he cast on me, but I know nothing about what happened during the time I was unconscious. His atmosphere really says ‘I don’t want to talk about it’, but perhaps he realizes I have no intentions of dropping the topic. So he opens his mouth in a half-sigh.

「He’s under the custody of the chivalric order of knights. He’s probably being interrogated right now.」

「I see…」

I nod to his reply, which is as I feared. Even I know that his reply is an appropriate way of dealing with Celves. Making a contract with a demon is a serious crime. He’ll receive an appropriate punishment for that crime. And then, a peaceful daily life would return to me. Without ever meeting him again.

That’s all completely obvious and natural, but for some reason. My chest hurts. It’s not strange at all for him to be punished, but my heart – not my body, my heart hurts.

「Edi, um……」

What am I trying to say? I blurt that out, not even knowing that. But I’m not allowed to say any more than that. His white hand covers both my eyes.

「Sleep for a bit.」

「But—」

「I’ll be right beside you. I’ll tell you everything later too. So rest now.」

I feel him brushing away my bangs, then a soft sensation on my forehead. At the same time as I realize I’ve been kissed, sleepiness gently comes closer to me. Now I have no way of resisting anymore. Even though what I really want is to hear more, my consciousness won’t allow that as sleepiness gradually invades it. I’m so sleepy I can’t bear it. I don’t know if that’s because of his magic or because of the warmth covering my eyes. I’m thankful for his hand, hiding my tears that are about to overflow for some reason.

I’m not scared of sleeping. Because I know, I won’t see the nightmare anymore.