Chapter 36
Maya had arrived in the room first and changed into her pajamas, sniffing the air curiously.
The bathtub, sprinkled with flower petals, had a pleasant fragrance, and even after her bath, her body still smelled wonderfully.
“Seems like roses.”
It wasn’t overwhelming, which she liked.
“And I like these pajamas too.”
The lacy dress pajamas were just the right balance of flashy and neat. It was strange how two contrasting elements suited each other so well.
“I wonder when Tristan will arrive.”
Maya perched on the bed. The plush softness already felt amazing. She had a feeling she would sleep very well tonight.
It wasn’t that the places she had stayed in before were bad—just that there was a noticeable difference compared to the luxurious beds in a real mansion.
“This is the real thing.”
Relaxing on the bed, Maya waited for Tristan.
Finally, the door opened.
“Tristan!”
Maya stood up cheerfully.
“Maya.”
Tristan, who had also just finished bathing (though it had been a very long bath), had dried his face and now stood before her.
Seeing Maya in pajamas, her hair still slightly damp, Tristan felt the tension he had been holding back rise once again.
“Please, sit here.”
Maya patted the soft spot beside her on the bed.
“The bed?”
“Yes. We can talk as well. This is really comfortable.”
Tristan silently sat down.
“Maya, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“Do you have to? Let’s sleep together, Tristan. The bed is big enough.”
“….”
“And I’ve been thinking—it’s best if we increase our contact with each other.”
At Maya’s determined words, Tristan smiled.
“I have thought about how to increase our contact. I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t be burdensome for you.”
The journey to the capital had been filled with Tristan’s inner deliberations. He admitted his feelings for Maya but had deliberately kept his distance to avoid crossing a line. He didn’t want her to pull away using his curse or his desires as an excuse.
…Honestly, he also lacked experience.
One had to have liked someone before in their life.
“The contact we’ve had so far hasn’t been burdensome at all.”
Was he supposed to take that as a good thing?
“We need to be closer.”
Tristan also agreed; it had been a concern of his.
“Exactly.”
“I’ve thought about ways…”
There were limits to holding hands or hugging.
Unless it involved kissing or something more, the options were surprisingly limited.
“I concluded that sleeping together is best. Simply sleeping, that’s all.”
…That was also Tristan’s conclusion.
He hadn’t expected Maya to say something so straightforward, but that was just like her.
“Is it really necessary, though?”
Tristan replied with a smile. This was his confession before accepting Maya’s suggestion—a last bit of honesty to a crush about something he didn’t fully understand.
“Hmm?”
Tristan lowered his gaze, letting it trace Maya’s eyes, nose, and finally her lips.
“I was thinking we could sleep back-to-back while working, or I could just follow you when you’re in the mansion.”
“That’s fine, but my method might lift the curse faster. Let’s do it that way.”
Maya wasn’t wrong.
Sleeping together naturally increased contact—an excellent method.
The problem wasn’t Maya—it was him.
‘Can I really control myself?’
Maya seemed to keep forgetting this fact, but Tristan was a grown man.
A man who couldn’t hide his desires in front of someone he liked.
‘Even now, I want to get closer.’
Maya grabbed Tristan’s hand.
“And I’ve thought about this too…”
Maya gave Tristan a quick kiss on the cheek and pulled away.
What had just happened?
Tristan, in disbelief, touched his cheek to confirm it had really happened.
“Hmm, I think I can do things like this. Was that okay?”
If she hadn’t shown any expression before, he might have felt hurt. But this seemed like a big decision for Maya too; her flushed face made that obvious.
“This is because it’s embarrassing. Not because I dislike you… I’ve just never done something like this before.”
Even on her first try, her bold and confident demeanor was impressive.
Maya made him nervous.
“It wouldn’t be fair if only you got to learn about contact.”
Tristan slowly drew closer to her, extending the last word, and lightly kissed her cheek before pulling back.
The warmth from Tristan’s lips was gentle, different from the flushed look on her face.
Tristan realized something.
With Maya initiating contact like this, he could probably suppress the desire rising from within him.
He could act a little crazy and do everything she wanted.
The trembling voice. The shy smile looking at him. The movements she made for him—it all dissipated his pent-up desire.
The heat that had risen in his body flowed in a good way.
“Maya, I swear to you—”
“To what…?”
“I’ll only hold your hand while sleeping.”
Maya burst into laughter at Tristan’s determined words. Hand-holding only, he said.
“You can hug me instead of just holding hands.”
Hearing Tristan joke, she relaxed. With some mental preparation, she felt she could accept a hug.
“I’m ready.”
“I’m not.”
Tristan groaned, covering his face with both hands.
Maya quickly lay down beside him.
“Then let’s hold hands while sleeping, Tristan.”
They intertwined their hands.
The warmth from her hand felt nice. Her breathing beside him made his heart race faster.
The earlier promise melted like spring ice.
‘We said just holding hands.’
Feeling the heat rising in his body again, Tristan silently sighed.
Would Maya ever notice?
‘Suppressing myself is so hard.’
It was a night filled with torment and happiness.
That night, Tristan returned to his true self.
Cradling Maya in his arms, Tristan realized how small her frame was.
Walking beside her or traveling together felt different now.
‘You’re huge, yet small.’
There wasn’t a single part of her he didn’t find adorable.
“Mm…”
Feeling Maya nestle into him, Tristan was filled with satisfaction.
‘I hope you stay like this for me alone.’
For the first time, he felt possessiveness.
He never wanted to let her go.
He wanted to lift the curse as soon as possible.
Revealing his true self as the Grand Duke Beiadin became more urgent.
‘Who knows what the Emperor might say?’
Though Maya was married, the Emperor wouldn’t care about such things.
‘Even I can see how radiant she is.’
Tristan now understood why Kendrick had been so wary of him.
Kendrick had known.
He knew Tristan would fall for Maya.
Though he had a contract marriage with Maya, Kendrick and Tristan were in similar positions now, since hearts had yet to connect.
‘At least Kendrick is stuck in the Magic Tower, that’s a relief.’
But as Maya came into contact with more people in the capital, other worries emerged.
‘I have to watch over her.’
Emperor Liserfield had been the greatest adversary in Beiadin’s life.
Even if nothing happened between Maya and the Emperor, he couldn’t just let him pass.
‘If it weren’t for Maya this time, Alec might have been in danger.’
The Emperor’s presence always brought trouble into his life.
‘…My parents’ deaths were also suspicious.’
The sudden carriage accident that killed the Duke and Duchess at the same time left no evidence. Tristan was convinced the accident had been orchestrated by Emperor Liserfield.
It wasn’t just personal revenge at stake.
Even from the news he had heard on the way, it was clear Liserfield had caused problems.
Disasters struck not only in the north but in various regions, yet nothing had been resolved properly.
‘I can’t participate directly, but…’
Tristan’s curse couldn’t be hidden even with a wizard’s disguise.
He brushed Maya’s hair from her face, deep in thought.
Her curly chestnut hair was like a tree supporting him.
In a low voice, he spoke words he still couldn’t say to Maya.
“If the time I spend with you increases, and the curse is lifted even more…”
There were things he wanted to say.
