1333-chapter-47
Ugh…
I was sprawled out on the bed, exhausted, when Frii quietly climbed up. It seemed like he came to check on me, but as soon as I touched the soft and cool comforter.
“Ppi—! Kkukkuk-kkukkukku! Kkukkukkukkuk!”
He started hopping around, making pigeon noises again. It looked like he was enjoying this, didn’t it? This was exactly what you’d call a ruckus.
While enduring being stepped on by Frii, I had this silly thought.
“Frii… don’t step on me too much. I’m getting tired.”
How was it that a study session felt more exhausting than a hike?
Well, Enfrise kept his promise. I didn’t feel any weapon on my back like in the novels, and he seriously taught me the letters, holding my hand. I managed to get a grasp of it, but honestly…
I could have done better, but I was so distracted by Enfrise.
I mean, how could a man smell that good? I thought it was just the scent of the forest, but there was this sweet, fruity scent mixed in. No matter how much I tried to focus on studying, the fragrance kept distracting me and making my heart pound.
The pounding made it hard to hear. The sound of my heart beating inside me and Enfrise’s low voice by my ear seemed to be battling it out, alternating and then merging at some point.
Eventually, it turned into a chaotic mess where I couldn’t tell if it was my heartbeat or Enfrise’s voice that was making me flutter or if just hearing his voice was enough to make me flutter. Despite trying to focus as if aiming for a top score in the Korean SATs…
“…Sigh…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, it’s nothing… Can you repeat that last part? Which way does the stroke extend?”
It didn’t seem intentional, though the hand around my waist kept fidgeting. Was it because I seemed like I might fall?
As I tried to shift away from the touch, Enfrise adjusted his hand and pulled me closer, probably thinking I was slipping. This kind of contact… for someone not used to physical intimacy. It could be quite… um, ticklish? Or something akin to irritation?
Whatever it was, it stirred an indescribable feeling inside me, making it hard to concentrate. However, it was still easier to understand than studying alone.
It was just that…. it drained all my energy.
“I need to master these letters quickly. That way, I can end these torturous lessons soon.”
As I murmured to myself, Frii approached me. He glanced once at my face and then at my limp hand and delicately moved towards my fingers.
Then, he popped my finger into his mouth and started chewing.
“Frii?!”
It tickled!
While his fangs were sharp, he didn’t bite hard enough to hurt. It ended up feeling like someone was poking my fingertips with an acupressure tool. It hurt at first, but after experiencing it multiple times, maybe I got used to it now since it was just ticklish.
“Is this some kind of massage? Do you have a massage feature, too?”
“Ppi—?”
“Ah—! That hurts!”
“Ppi!”
Oh, I hadn’t gotten used to it. Frii had just been gentle before.
I almost cried out in pain.
“Magic.”
I wonder if the magic produced in excess from me just dissipates into the air. It would be nice if I could transfer it to someone else.
The fact that Enfrise has those markings means he can use magic, right? It would be great if he could take on more magic and become stronger so that no one could ever say anything about him again, so that he wouldn’t have to put up his defenses and could afford to be more open with others.
Or maybe giving it to Frii would be good as well. Since he was a magical creature, maybe having more magic would be beneficial for him.
“Take my magic, Frii.”
“Ppi—?”
“If you could take my magic, I could live without worrying about my life.”
And I wouldn’t need to take that strange medicine either.
Enfrise referred to it as an herbal remedy, but in simpler terms, it was essentially a poison. What was potentially lethal to others just happened to extend my life due to my unique constitution. A slight miscalculation in dosage could be fatal for me as well.
It wasn’t exactly terminally ill, though it was pretty close to terminally ill.
“…Huh?”
Wait a minute…
Didn’t they say that flesh contact could also discharge magic? Then, with Enfrise, um, um…
Didn’t that mean even actions that were more R15, rather than R19, could help manage my magic? If flesh contact expelled the magic necessary for life, humans in this world would have been extinct by now. So, it must only expel excess magic.
“Frii, do you want to go to Enfrise?”
“Kiyuu!”
‘Ah, guess not.’
As soon as I finished speaking, Frii darted under the bed. He really treated that spot like his home.
I should probably build a proper house for him. Knowing his habits would help in building him a home and a hideout. I’ve noticed he liked dark, cramped spaces like under the bed or behind the wardrobe, and he kept sneaking into drawers.
“I wonder if you’d like something like a cat tower. You climb up on the bed and tables easily.”
No response. Was he sleeping again?
Did weasels usually sleep this much? Frii seemed to sleep almost fourteen hours a day, except when he was playing or eating.
“I’ll be back later, so keep the room safe.”
Still no response. He must be asleep.
I quietly opened the door and stepped out, careful not to wake Frii.
* * *
“Grand Duke!”
“Why are you here… You could have just called for me.”
“It’s faster for me to come to you now that there are no chains. Or do you not want me coming here?”
“No, not at all. I just thought it might be inconvenient for you. For now… please, take a seat here.”
Hmm…
I could see why not many people come here. There was only one chair. So, if he gave me the chair, then where would he sit? Hmm.
“No, Grand Duke, please sit.”
“I couldn’t just let you stand…”
“I could just sit on the Grand Duke’s lap again, couldn’t I?”
I joked.
Of course, I intended to decline today, at least. It felt like being a character whose physical stamina was full but emotionally drained to zero.
“…I’ll just stand.”
Ah, so it wasn’t just me who was feeling drained.
“What brings you here? Should I call Tambor for tea or something…”
“We just had tea together. I’m fine, thank you. There’s actually something else I wanted to ask.”
Enfrise looked curious and moved towards the window. Reluctant to sit alone, I stood and started the conversation.
“About my condition.”
“Yes.”
“Um, you mentioned flesh contact could also expel magic.”
“…Yes.”
“So, if we were to, um, engage in that kind of contact regularly with the Grand Duke… could I avoid taking the medicine?”
“Yes?”
I caught him off guard.
Naturally, he’d prefer I take the medicine rather than engage in, uh, k-ki, flesh contact with him, though my thoughts were different. Logically, if you weigh the options between a potentially deadly poison and a harmless kiss… the latter seemed like the obvious choice, right?
Especially since it wasn’t with someone I hate, it was with Enfrise.
“You explained before that the medicine reduces the magic in my body. That includes the excess magic and the magic needed for life.”
“That’s correct.”
“So if the dosage is wrong, it could either fail to remove all the excess magic, or it could even reduce the vital magic, right?”
“…That’s correct.”
Just as I thought.
“Then… does the lips have the same risks?”
“….”
Enfrise fell silent.
Was it the shock of the unexpected topic? Or was there another issue? Maybe he was thinking, ‘That wouldn’t be enough for me! I wasn’t quite ready to deal with that yet!’ It hadn’t even been a month since our first kiss!
“…I will be honest with you. For me, it would be more than welcome, but are you sure you’re okay with it?”
No, that wasn’t really how I’d phrase it. It was just a treatment, after all.
It was like CPR.
“We’ve already done it once. Doing it two or three times won’t change much… and it’s better than dying.”
I might have once said it felt good, and I was fine with it, but saying that now might make things harder for Enfrise. It seemed better to be straightforward, even if it appeared cold.
“If you ever feel uncomfortable or disgusted…”
“When have I ever said I disliked it?”
“Not liking it isn’t the same as disliking it. Why must you see things so black and white?”
“Such skinship would normally be reserved for lovers, something I wouldn’t dare to share with you. So, if it displeases you… I wouldn’t mind at all.”
‘Don’t lie. You look like you could cry at any moment.’
And he was saying it was fine? I might actually want to see Enfrise cry, just a bit. It would probably be beautiful.
His golden eyes, glistening with tears…
….
No! Snap out of it! What good would it do to make someone cry for such a reason?
“You haven’t answered my question yet. Does that method have any side effects?”
“There are… not entirely without.”
Oh my God. Did that mean people in this world couldn’t even kiss casually? Was it really a life-or-death situation where magic is expelled?
Would kissing reduce their lifespan?!
“There are no side effects for you. However…”
So, nothing for me meant…
No way.
Enfrise looked at me with heavy eyes as he began to speak.
__
