Chapter 34: CH 34

Chapter 34 (A Sleepless Night)

Asrazan looked down at Lariette with trembling eyes. It was to determine if she was joking or if she was really serious.

But in most cases, her shocking remarks were sincere, and this time was no exception.

Lariette’s purple eyes were as pure as if there was any problem. There was not even a trace of slyness on her face.

“Really. I won’t do anything else, I’ll just hold your hand. Asrazan?”

Lariette whined out his name with Asrazan-. Then she reached out his finger and dug into Asrazan’s hand.

Asrazan trembled as a tiny finger wiggled over her palm. Even though they had already kissed, it was still a very naive reaction.

Asrazan thought he should refuse. Because this was a request he couldn’t dare to grant.

“I’m not really going to do anything….”

As he bit his lip to refuse, Lariette asked again with a pitiful expression on her face, as if she had expected this. Then she insisted that she was a harmless person and had no intention of preying on him.

It was a really absurd and meaningless argument. What matters now was that it wasn’t her intention.

‘I don’t know if I can control myself.’

Asrazan bit his reddish lips and swallowed.

It had not been more than ten days since we had such a naughty kiss. Just recalling the memories of the past made his body weird and hot, and because of that, he had to take a cold bath three times today.

He didn’t think it was time yet, so he decided to be patient and persevere, but in some circumstances he could not keep up with his instincts.

And it was, no doubt, that situation that he and Lariette lay in the same bed and went to sleep.

So the only way Asrazan could keep his will at the moment was to avoid the situation itself.

“Lariette, I guess….”

But just as he was about to reject again, a loud thunder roared again and interrupted his speech.

Creeek-!

“Ahhh!”

Lariette finally couldn’t stand it and let out a short scream. This was because the thunder was particularly loud and long.

Desperately, she closed her eyes and tried to erase the face of the Duke of Blanche from my mind. She wrapped her arms around him to keep from trembling, but to no avail.

The thunder continued to ring, and the more it did, the faster Lariette’s breathing became. It was pathetic that she was weak with only such memories, but there was no difference.

But the thunder that had been loud enough to tear the eardrums suddenly subsided. A warm feeling was felt on both cheeks.

Asrazan covered her ears with both hands.

When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw the face of Asrazan, who was looking straight at her in the dark.

As usual, he had an expressionless face, but Lariette saw the kindness hidden in it. His blue eyes were full of worry about her.

When I met those eyes, my heart started to feel at ease again. The tremors gradually subsided. Asrazan remained firm until the thunder stopped completely.

“… I’m fine now.”

Lariette smiled softly and took the large hand that covered her ears. Then, as a token of appreciation, he lightly lit the fire.

Asrazan looked around the place with a serious gaze. It looked like he was checking to see if it was really good.

“I’m really fine now.”

Lariette spoke again with a playful smile. There was definitely more red on her face than before.

But it was equally worrying. Even if she had calmed down now, it might be repeated again when thunder strikes.

He couldn’t let her go like that.

“Sleep in my room.”

Asrazan said with a calm face. It seemed like guilt was coming out of the lightly trembling eyelashes. Lariette’s condition was so serious that he suddenly felt pathetic, thinking about other things.

“Really? Can I really sleep here?”

“Yes, you can.”

“Can I hold your hand?”

“Yes.”

Lariette’s face brightened in an instant. I didn’t expect him to do this kind of favor!

She smiled broadly like a flower in full bloom and jumped up from the sofa. And without hesitation, she threw hersely onto the bed.

She felt a soft blanket. Thinking it was a quilt that Asrazan was using, even the texture was lovely.

“Welcome, Asrazan!”

Lariette sat on the bed with her legs spread out and motioned for Asrazan to come quickly. Asrazan got up from the sofa and stood stiffly and looked at her like that.

Even though I tried not to think strangely, it was hard to see her on my bed. It was a terrifying thought that came to my mind.

Asrazan bit his lower lip again. He felt his skin heat up with tension.

Each step towards the bed was so heavy. Because he was thinking too much, he was walking as slow as a turtle.

“Hahaha, what are you doing?”

It was funny to see him almost crawling, and Lariette laughed out loud. Then, without hesitation, she pulled Asrazan’s wrist, who was hesitating as he stood by the bed.

It was a weak power that could be ignored enough. However, Asrazan did not ignore it, and was dragged along as she intended.

Swoosh!

His posture changed in an instant. Suddenly, Asrazan was lying on the bed, and next to him was the woman he loved the most.

The playful eyes gleamed under the pink eyelashes. It was the eyes that captivated Asrazan.

“I’m really not going to do anything, so don’t be afraid.”

Lariette giggled and whispered softly. Because of that, Asrazan frowned slightly and answered in a similarly low voice.

“I wasn’t scared.”

“Lie, you’re scared now.”

It’s so obvious Larriet added, poking her finger into his chest.

Asrazan hurriedly covered his chest with his hands as if he had been harassed. Then, he stared at Lariette with dreary eyes.

“Don’t do this.”

He agreed to hold hands, but he looked so flustered because of this. It was very awkward and cute to see him in a calm posture with a large body like a mountain.

“Look! You was scared!”

Lariette smiled and began to poke at places he couldn’t bear to cover. They were areas like shoulders and collarbones.

Asrazan moved around to avoid it. But in the same bed, even lying close, it was impossible to avoid the touch.

Haah. A short breath escaped between his lips.

And when Lariette closed her eyes and opened her eyes, all of a sudden, both of her wrists were held by Asrazan.

Lariette opened her eyes wide in surprise and looked at him. It was as if something was burning in Asrazan’s eyes.

“Stay still.”

Asrazan slowly opened his mouth and let out a low, subdued voice.

“Please, so that I may not do anything to you.”

His eyebrows twitched patiently. Wrinkles were gently captured on the pretty forehead.

Lariette blushed and secretly avoided his gaze. Because the kiss from before came to mind again.

Asrazan gently released her wrist. Then, slowly, he put his finger between her fingers. I felt like I could hear the beating of his heart from my clasped hands.

‘Can I sleep today?’

Lariette deliberately turned her head to stare at the ceiling and closed her eyes. I was so terrified that I couldn’t sleep.

But, to the disappointment of such worries, the fear and anxiety that plagued her disappeared, and excruciating fatigue set in. It was such a lonh day, so that was enough.

Eventually, within a few minutes, her breathing grew louder. Asrazan stared intently at Lariette, who was sleeping with a sad and funny face.

Naturally, he couldn’t sleep that day.

* * *

“Why aren’t they coming?!”

A loud shout resounded throughout the Duke of Blanche’s residence. A squeaking sound was heard one after another. It was because the enraged Duke of Blanche threw the dishes on the table.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I tried to contact them again, but the only answer was that there are no Priests available right now…”

“This makes no sense!”

The Duke of Blanche grabbed the servant’s shoulder roughly and shook it and shouted. The servant didn’t respond at all and just shook his head.

As a servant, it was just embarrassing. He contacted the temple as the Duke ordered it, and he only delivered what the temple said.

A few hours ago.

Lariette followed Asrazan and left the mansion, and the Duke of Blanche, who woke up belatedly, said that he had dared to take his daughter and ran wild on the road.

But when Gerard, who was left alone, opened his mouth and spoke, he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

– The Duke of Blanche’s daughter had a lot of wounds.

Gerard raised the corners of his mouth and smiled softly.

– Obviously, it wasn’t there until yesterday.

The guilty Duke of Blanche trembled and quickly inferred the disadvantage he would return to Blanche if it became known that he had assaulted his daughter.

He didn’t seem to have hit her that bad  from his memory, but the girl was quite injured. He wanted to get away, but it was impossible because many people had already seen her escape with handcuffs on.

The Duke of Blanche coughed heavily and looked at Gerard. From the looks of it, it didn’t look like they would report it if they just sent her to the Duke of Kandel.

It was a waste to send his daughter away like this, but it was beneficial to pass it on when considering the budget. Gerard, who grasped his thoughts, looked away with a cold expression as if he knew it.

His gaze was directed to the stairs of the mansion. To be precise, it was Raon, who was standing there and observing the situation.

When Raon made eye contact with Gerard, he moaned, “Ugh!” It was because he was the one he saw when he was kidnapped by the Duke of Kandel.

Gerard looked at Raon proudly despite what he had done. It was the boldness that came from not leaving any evidence.

He moved his lips slowly, and to Raon, who was in fear, that small movement seemed to be big. It was easy to understand the meaning.

‘Mercy is over.’

At that moment, the voice of Asrazan heard in the burning pain echoed in his ears again.

– The only reason I have mercy on you is that Lariette didn’t give me permission. The permission to kill you.

Raon’s face turned pale in an instant without any blood. When I remembered the dreadful life that the monster Duke had with a maddened face, his legs collapsed.

And since the place he was standing on was a high stairway, Raon was helpless and fell and rolled down the stairs.

– Ugh!!

– Ra, Raon!!

The Duke and Duchess of Blanche screamed and ran to their precious son. And Gerard left the Duke of Blanche with a smirk.

After that, Duke Blanche quickly sent a telegram to the temple, and the temple replied that he would send a priest soon.

But strangely, no matter how much time passed, the priest who had come, did not even show his nose. Fortunately, Raon’s condition was not serious enough to die, but both legs were broken and the pain was intense.

The Duke of Blanche hurried to attend, looking sadly at the miserable appearance of his son, who was crying for him to leave the mansion.

However, after a few hours, the only answer I received was, ‘There are no Priests available now.’ It was nonsense. If they are called by a high-ranking family, it’s normal to come.

‘If only she was here…!’

The Duke of Blanche thought, biting his lips.

The fact that Lariette was born with excellent magical abilities was a fact he already knew. He knew that her innate ability itself was superior to Raon as well as himself.

However, the reason she did not develop her abilities by properly educating her was solely for the sake of Raon. Because Raon is a precious heir to Blanche, and he couldn’t see him dazed by his sister’s outstanding abilities.

Besides, no matter how much education I gave, she was just a girl. It was a waste of money to invest money to educate a girl who would end up having a good marriage.

But right now, Lariette’s healing powers were needed. He wanted to bring her back and heal Raon, but it would not be easy as long as she was under Duke Kandel’s protection.

In the end, Duke Blanche decided to take Raon and visit the temple himself. It was not polite to visit late, but he didn’t care because they weren’t polite in the first place.

* * *

In the middle of the night, there was a small commotion in the Temple of Alteon.

It was because the Duke of Blanche suddenly came in furiously and yelled at the Priests to heal his son.

“There are so many priests, but there are no possible priests?! How dare you ignore the Duke of Blanche!!”

The Duke of Blanche grabbed one of the lower priests by the neck and shouted. The other lower priests were sweating profusely and were busy making excuses.

“You have misunderstood, Duke. We’re not yet capable of healing anyone….”

“I can’t get treatment right away! These cheeky bastards…!”

Duke Blanche’s loud voice rang through the temple. Raon was carried by a servant next to him and shouted together.

‘It would be comfortable for us to heal and send them back.’

The lower priests bowed their heads, not knowing what to do. It’s not because they don’t want to heal.

Although Duke Blanche has recently been experiencing financial difficulties, it was still a high-ranking Duke family to the general public. It is not a rank that only a lower priest can defy.

Still, the reason they refused to heal was because the command came from a higher rank than them. To the lower priests, he was like a god.

“What kind of disturbance is this in the holy temple of Alteon?”

Duke Blanche’s head turned to the side at the sudden voice. He was ready to shout at any Priest.

What came into sight was a surprisingly beautiful man. And he was wearing a dress embroidered with colorful embroidery. It was the high priest’s attire.

Illustration

“H,High Priest Mikhail…!”

The lower-ranking priests inhaled gasps and bowed their heads.

‘Mikhail?’

Duke Blanche’s eyes widened in an instant. It was a name he had heard many times, even though he had few connections in the temple.

‘The next Pope, Mikhail Doha Bellion?’

It was the appearance of the next Pope among priests. The power of the Temple of Alteon in the Empire was enormous, and the Pope had more power than the Emperor.

In other words, he was faced with the person who would soon become the most powerful person in the empire. Even in a very bad situation!

“High Priest Mikhail, I, Your Grace the Duke of Blanche….”

A lower priest opened his mouth as if trying to explain the situation. Then the Duke of Blanche’s face turned blue in an instant. I couldn’t blush with the person who was going to be Pope over this.

So the Duke of Blanche hurriedly cut off.

“There were a lot of mistakes. My son needs healing, but the priest didn’t come, so we came here in a hurry and rudely.”

“Father…!”

Raon frowned at the sudden change in his father’s attitude and muttered. The Duke hurriedly pinched his arm to keep his mouth shut.

And Doha, the criminal who prevented them from sending a priest to the Duke of Blanche, opened his mouth with a soft smile.

“Ah, something like that happened. It seems my subordinates made a mistake.”

Even though it was something he had done, it was an eloquent voice as if he knew nothing. He rolled up the corners of his lips and smiled.

“As an apology, I will heal him myself.”

In the wildly curved eyes, Doha’s golden eyes flashed with a strange light.

An ominous energy drifted around them as if warning them, but the Duke of Blanche and Raon had not yet noticed.