Chapter 75
Luna blinked as she stared at Khalid, who was breathing heavily. As her heart pounded anxiously, the air around them seemed to thicken.
She swallowed dryly without realizing it, and his piercing blue eyes came closer as if to see straight through her.
Khalid twisted one corner of his mouth, brushing against the redness in her eyes. Then, with his injured lips, he slowly traced a finger downward, dragging it languidly.
“What were you doing, leaving Umgeum behind and coming here?”
The man’s voice, looming like a mountain, was hardly a question. He bent slightly at the waist, bringing his face close enough that his breath barely touched her.
Luna shrank her shoulders and sharply turned her head to the side.
“Ugh!”
But soon her wrist was grabbed, and her entire body pressed against him.
His colorless face narrowly avoided her lips. Then, as if flowing like water, he lowered himself, burying his face in her neck.
Luna’s lips parted in response to the unfamiliar, heated breath, and her body stiffened. His strong arm muscles held her tightly, making her racing heart beat chest to chest.
Her face turned crimson with embarrassment, but her helpless body only trembled slightly.
Bang! Bang!
“Khalid! Open the door! How can you just leave me standing here!!”
Camilla was desperately banging on the door outside, her loud voice cutting through like a scream of fury.
Still, Luna’s ears felt increasingly distant. Her uncontrollable heartbeat, paired with the other intense rhythm pressed against her, was so raw it nearly made her lose her mind.
“Y-Your Highness?”
Luna barely managed to speak, her voice trembling. If his current state was because he was overwhelmed by the cloying scent around him, she had to find a way to bring him back to his senses.
But Khalid was fully aware. He just couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the sight in front of him—far more potent than any shadeflower potion. The frustration of being able only to admire her quietly deepened his torment.
“This is maddening.”
Khalid muttered low curses. Lifting his head slightly, a deep crease appeared between his brows.
He let go of Luna and sent a terse message via the waiting messenger line: “Send her back.”
To Camilla, he even tossed his wife’s belongings as a gesture, the last mercy after his prolonged patience.
Luna turned her gaze to the shattered glass bottles in the distance. Clearly, they had been illegal stimulants made from excessive use of shadeflower.
Fortunately, they only affected a few exposed initially, so she was unharmed. Yet the thought that Camilla had deliberately used them on the Highness was horrifying.
“Your Highness, are you okay?”
It was a futile question. Khalid walked to the nightstand and drank water straight from the bottle.
He paid no mind to the saliva trickling down his chin, calmly drinking as he sensed the now-quiet presence at the door.
Rumble—
Finally, the empty bottle rolled across the floor. Yet his eyes remained unsettlingly bright, as though his condition hadn’t improved.
“You go through all sorts of things, huh.”
Khalid let out a short laugh at the ridiculous situation. He brushed the imposed desire from his face, from his forehead down to his sharp jawline.
“If you don’t want to see something unpleasant, my lady, you should leave now.”
His flat voice froze Luna.
“We just met, and he’s saying this after holding me so close…”
A shadow passed over her face. Leaving would have been proper, but her feet wouldn’t move. She was irritated as the gray walls seemed to block her, a result of his capricious actions.
Khalid read her expression and approached. The man, who opened the door himself, silently requested her to leave. Cold, but for both of their sakes.
Luna shook her head like a rabbit, puffed up, refusing to comply. For some reason, she didn’t want to leave just yet.
“…”
Click.
After a brief silence, the door closed simply.
Khalid lingered, smiling faintly as though entertained. Without further urging, he skillfully lifted Luna into his arms.
“Let me go!”
The man, unaffected by her struggle, ignored her flailing and set her down at the edge of the bed. His handsome face was twisted in a frown.
“Are you planning to torture me? Why are you so stubborn?”
“Torture? I just—!”
Before Luna could finish, Khalid laid her on the neatly made bed. He grabbed the thick gray blanket and rolled her up snugly, like a perfectly rolled cake.
“What are you doing?”
Luna, bewildered, only poked her head out to protest, looking like a cocoon trapped inside the winter blanket.
Khalid smiled lazily. Despite how absurd it looked, it was a tolerable act for someone clinging to sanity.
“If you’re not helping, stay put.”
He walked away, leaning by the door with his eyes closed, seeking relief from the overwhelming heat.
Luna pressed her lips together. Helping him now required significant courage.
Her head spun—not from dizziness, but from her racing heart. She struggled to free herself from the blanket, feeling guilty for acting rashly.
She exhaled softly and watched Khalid. Even from a distance, his uneven breathing reached her ears relentlessly.
A simple glass of water wouldn’t suffice. Was Camilla in a similar state? If she hadn’t been there tonight…
Her face flushed, and she realized it wasn’t her head spinning—it was her heart.
Luna exhaled forcefully, letting her hair whip wildly.
Unaware that her husband was awake and watching, she strained and rolled about on the bed.
Her hair full of static, she finally rose from the bed. Lifting her arms freed her from the rolled-up blanket, which slipped off like a shed husk.
Khalid placed a hand on his forehead, taking in the ridiculous sight of his wife in full. The subtle movement of her shoulders confirmed he had silently laughed.
Luna, hair disheveled, approached boldly and bent her knees.
“Your Highness, may I ask you just one thing?”
Khalid only nodded lightly.
“How’s your body? Are you feeling much better?”
“As you can see. Much better.”
He answered plainly to the trivial question. Right now, listening to the playful tone of a woman was more pleasant.
“Then why not call me first? Why forbid visits? Did you mean for me to come in just now, or did you intend never to see me except during purification?”
Luna unleashed the words she’d been holding back. Her voice cracked, revealing genuine disappointment.
Khalid lowered his gaze. His jewel-like eyes trembled as if on the verge of tears.
A slight frown crossed his brows. The accumulated discomfort added to his fatigue.
“You ask too many questions. Didn’t you say just one?”
Luna bit her lip habitually, caught off guard by his sly retort. His skill with words was as impeccable—and irritating—as ever.
“I’ll go. Please move.”
She had debated helping him until just now. If he had been honest, maybe she could have shown more…
Luna swallowed her quickened breath and rubbed her warmed eyes. She was always the one who ended up hurt, and she no longer wanted that.
“…”
Khalid watched silently. Even as she spoke of leaving, she didn’t move from the door, not even a little.
He restrained the damnable desire within, closed his distant eyes, and extended a gentle hand to her.
He gathered her trembling body in his arms, carefully smoothing her static-laden hair, beginning a tug-of-war with self-restraint.
“I didn’t want you to see me weak. That’s why.”
His lowered voice whispered like a tide in Luna’s ear.
