Upon realizing she had lost consciousness, Weed, not knowing what to do, cautiously began to clean up. He was overwhelmed with guilt, so he quickly carried her to the bathroom to wash her sweat-soaked body.

Even as he awkwardly scrubbed her body with trembling hands, Hana showed no signs of waking.

He first dissolved the rose scent in the water. No, she seemed to prefer lavender, so he opted for that instead.

Weed soaked her sweat-drenched hair in the water, gently untangling it while intently observing the still-unconscious Hana. Then, almost involuntarily, he leaned down and enveloped her red lips with his own. Only to be startled by his action.

‘My God. What am I doing? This is madness… I’ve gone mad.’

His face flushed as he saw the stark traces of their affair. He couldn’t keep his eyes on the slick fluid trickling down from her lower body, so instead, he meticulously checked elsewhere. Bite marks crowded her shoulder, and bruises covered every corner.

It looked as if she had been battered.

Despite him being the cause, Weed felt his face burning with heat.

‘I promised to treat her with nothing but care, and what have I done?’

Weed lowered his head to press his lips against the small red marks dotting her neck but hesitated. Despite his self-reproach, he somehow found satisfaction in it.

‘But still… maybe it’s all right to leave it as it is…’

The marks he had left were all over Hana’s body. The skin’s color had only changed slightly, but there was no pain. He quite liked that. It felt as if he owned her, someone who belonged nowhere in this world.

If she suddenly disappeared, at least like this, he could find her quickly. Or rather, by marking her this way, she seemed less likely to disappear.

The red marks would heal and vanish too soon with each lick.

That was disappointing.

Weed decided not to wash away the marks on her body in the water. He only tended to the parts that were certain to ache after their intense affair and waited until her sweat was completely washed away before bringing Hana back to bed.

After drying off every drop of water from her, he gently laid her on the freshly fluffed bed and slowly kissed her.

He kissed the tense muscles on her shoulders, her hips that had been spread to take him in and were now creaking. He moved methodically, kissing her waist, knees, arms, wrists, ankles, waist—ah, he had just done the waist.

Well, he could always kiss again.

After thoroughly kissing her to his satisfaction, Weed took his time admiring the heat blooms he had engraved.

‘Where should I leave my mark next?’

The nape of the neck was easily exposed when wearing a dress. Chest or thighs were areas Hana could readily see. The back. Maybe the back would be suitable. But then again, a more visible spot seemed better. It wouldn’t matter if she saw his marks on her.

Weed, who initially wanted to leave at least one subtle sign on her, couldn’t decide on a single spot.

‘And then, I just cuddled her and fell asleep.’

Now. After waking up from a cozy and comfortable sleep, he found Hana in his arms, with her body covered with his marks. Has he ever felt a greater sense of fulfillment?

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw her. An indescribable emotion welled up within him, and he couldn’t control it. Weed carefully traced her delicate features with his finger, yearning to cover her entire body with kisses again.

It was when he couldn’t hold back any longer and kissed her lips with a soft touch…

“Weed…”

She opened her eyes.

“Yes, Hana. I’m right here.”

Weed put on the brightest smile he could muster.

“Weed.”

“Yes.”

“I’m…”

“Yes? Are you in pain? Where… is it here?”

Although he immediately asked in concern, Hana pushed him away and distanced herself from him. The warmth he had been enveloped in instantly vanished, leaving him staring at her in confusion.

“Hana?”

“Go away.”

She edged further away, towards the edge of the bed, narrowing her eyes with a displeased face.

“Listen to me, Weed.”

“Hana…”

Hana spoke firmly, her demeanor somewhat chilly.

Weed felt a sharp sting in his heart. Seeing her displeased face, it felt as if his heart was sinking. He hurriedly pondered what might have caused her anger, what wrong he might have done. He wanted to lighten her mood quickly.

But there was a problem.

As he pondered, his face turned pale as he couldn’t pinpoint the exact issue. To be honest, there were too many mistakes he might have made.

Weed pleaded desperately with an almost crying face.

“Hana, I was wrong. Please don’t push me away.”

Hana’s gaze slowly shifted from Weed’s face to her own body. After a while, she looked back at him. Weed’s mouth went dry. Hana suddenly covered her face with her hands. Seeing her ears turn bright red, it was clear she was very upset.

Weed’s face became even more despondent. He got up from the bed, knelt in front of Hana, who was still lying down, and pleaded pitifully.

“Hana, Hana… Do you hate even looking at me? I was truly wrong. Hana… please forgive me.”

Why was he so greedy when he should have just bathed her peacefully? Why had he acted like this? No, why had he bitten and sucked as if to devour her? Could it be, could it possibly be that she hated it all along?

As Weed was nearly panicking, Hana spoke in a hoarse, cracked voice, uttering unexpected words.

“…I’m hungry.”

“Oh, right.”

Weed hurriedly left the bed. Hastily, almost forgetting to dress, he rushed to the table and fetched a glass of water.

Watching Hana struggle to drink while lying down, he fidgeted.

Thinking back, he had missed her during their time apart and worried incessantly about her well-being. He had fretted over whether she had eaten properly, but upon seeing her, all such thoughts had vanished.

Feeling utterly lacking in the responsibility he should have taken on, he was overwhelmed with guilt towards her.

“What have you been eating all this time?”

Hana spoke slowly, but her voice still sounded sleepy.

“Kalden… cooked…”

“Kalden? Cooked?”

“Yes. Kalden, ah, I’ve never seen a man cook so well… Uung…”

Hana’s words trailed off into a yawn. Having finished her glass of water, it seemed she was ready to drift back to sleep.

On the other hand, after hearing her words, Weed couldn’t find the words to ask more. Instead, the mention of another man in her words unnerved him. He couldn’t quite understand the rising discomfort within him.

“…I’ll bring your meal shortly. Please sleep a bit longer.”

He left the room hurriedly without even adjusting his clothes properly.

The meals served to Hana here had always been prepared by the priests. Weed, who did not require food to survive, had no interest in such matters. Cooking, did she say? He would have to find a priest and ask about cooking.

He flung open the door and was about to get out. He had rushed out without looking when he almost collided with someone standing right outside.

“Weed.”

Weed glanced at the figure. It was the priest Rutis, recognized by his green eyes and red hair.

“Rutis.”

“Yes, Weed. Did you need something? I have a question. Um, there’s something I need to discuss with you about…”

Rutis spoke first before he could say anything. It was typical of Weed to listen more than he spoke, and Rutis didn’t wait for him to initiate the conversation.

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