**Episode 13**
“I was a bit surprised,” he said casually. “You were so passionate, I wondered if you were already ready to accept me.”
“I—I only meant it in a medical sense…”
Sharie’s voice trailed off, her face flushing a deep red.
She looked like a volcano on the verge of eruption—just one more word and she might start spewing steam.
Caissa, who had at first watched her with amused eyes, now began to worry she might actually explode.
Then, hesitantly, Sharie spoke again.
“On our wedding night… you asked me to warm your body.”
She remembered the moment—the cold touch of his hand as he pulled her into his arms.
How his touch had gently eased her stiff, nervous body.
Had he already known then how useful a bride could be?
“I didn’t understand at first. But if what the priest said is true—if your health really has improved since then—then I must have helped, right?”
With firm resolve, she continued, “If that’s the case, then I want to try my best.”
A heavy silence fell over the bedroom.
She had hoped that telling him she wanted to help would please him.
But his reaction was unexpected.
Only the soft crackle of firewood echoed through the room.
Finally, Caissa opened his mouth.
“My condition,” he said, “isn’t something you need to worry about.”
What?
He asked for her warmth every night, and now he was drawing a line?
Sharie blinked in surprise, trying to read his expression.
Caissa wore a smile she couldn’t quite understand.
“Why are you so concerned about it?” he asked.
She couldn’t possibly say it was for a safe divorce.
She didn’t want him to see through her motives.
As she struggled to come up with a convincing excuse, something honest slipped out.
“I just… want to help. If there’s something I can do for you, I want to do it.”
Caissa smiled, clearly pleased. “That’s very kind of you. May I ask why?”
She hesitated.
She couldn’t just blurt out, “Because I like you.” He wouldn’t believe it.
Still…
“Because we’re married,” she said softly.
She lowered her gaze, embarrassed.
They were bound by oath, in the name of Gaia, the Creator.
Even if it was just in form, they were husband and wife.
“I’m your wife, after all… of course I’d be worried if you were sick. I’d care.”
Her cheeks felt warm. Did she say something weird?
“Is that… wrong?” she asked nervously.
Usually, Caissa would make a teasing remark by now.
But he said nothing, and the silence only made her more anxious.
“…Caissa?”
She cautiously looked up—and froze.
His expression was completely different from before.
No trace of a smile, just a quiet, cold stillness.
His golden eyes held a storm of unreadable emotion.
Before she could grasp it, he had already wiped the look away.
“Of course it’s not wrong. I always think of you, too,” he said, smiling as usual.
“My bride is so thoughtful—how could I not be on board?”
Something felt off.
She had meant to help him, but somehow the roles had reversed—now it felt like he was helping her.
“Um… thanks for your cooperation?”
Was that even the right thing to say?
She frowned slightly at the strange shift, and Caissa chuckled, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
As he gently brushed his lips with his hand, he reached for his robe’s belt.
“Well then, since you said we should undress, I’ll start.”
Without a hint of shame, Caissa began to undress.
Sharie stared.
From broad shoulders to his chiseled chest, and long, muscular legs—his body was like a sculpture carved from stone.
As his robe slipped lower—
“Gasp…!”
She nearly made the same mistake again.
Just before his body was fully revealed, Sharie turned away and squeezed her eyes shut.
The memory of their first meeting, when she’d stared at him in awe, still haunted her.
She didn’t want to embarrass herself again.
The soft rustling of fabric falling to the floor sounded all too loud in her ears.
Her rabbit-kin hearing, usually a gift, now felt like a curse.
‘What do I do now?’
Looking back, she had probably walked right into his trap.
Aside from their wedding night, Caissa had always treated her gently. She never truly considered what it meant to be husband and wife.
‘If tonight…’
Even if they were to part someday, until then, she had decided to fulfill her role.
So if Caissa wanted it, she wouldn’t refuse.
But her heart pounded so hard she could barely breathe.
‘Do I… need to undress too?’
Just as she was hesitating, fingers brushed the knot at her waist.
“It’s your turn now.”
Before she could turn around, his voice was right behind her.
“Sharie, you…”
His fingers brushed her heated cheek.
Soft, almost featherlike.
And yet her heart threatened to burst from her chest.
“As I thought…”
The moment she felt herself stiffen in place, he let out a quiet chuckle.
“You should stay dressed.”
His hand slipped from her cheek.
“I’m not noble enough to lie next to a naked wife and stay composed.”
With that, he walked away.
When she turned her head, he was already in bed.
Only her pounding heart proved that she had just been thoroughly teased.
“It really is a bit chilly. I’ll get under the covers,” he said, casually tucking himself in.
She had meant to be serious—but now, watching him act like nothing happened, frustration bubbled up.
“Actually, they said it’s more effective if both people undress. I’ll take mine off too.”
And so, in a burst of impulsiveness, she acted.
Her sleeping gown, though made from thick fox fur, came off easily.
With only her undergarments left, she dove beneath the blankets.
A small bump appeared on the bed, far from Caissa—her curled-up form hiding.
Her boldness faded as quickly as it came.
‘Am I crazy…?’
Now that she was actually undressed, she regretted everything.
She wanted to pretend to fall asleep.
But the room was too warm. The fire still burned in the hearth, and thick canopies kept out the chill.
With her naturally high body temperature, she was starting to feel dizzy.
Like a burrowed animal, she hid under the covers—but finally peeked her head out.
“Phew…”
Face flushed, she scanned the room—only to freeze again.
Caissa was watching her intently, propped on one elbow, chin in hand.
From the moment she started undressing until now, he hadn’t said a word.
“You’ll fall off the bed again like that,” he finally murmured.
Ahem. Realizing his voice cracked, he cleared his throat and reached toward her.
“Come here.”
The bed was wide—large enough for several grown men.
There was no way she’d fall off.
That was just an excuse.
But as she looked at his face, calm and smiling gently, her body moved on its own.
Before she realized it, he had pulled her close, her back to his chest.
‘Just like the first night.’
She remembered how tightly they had clung to each other.
The coolness of his skin, the firmness of his muscles—his strong arms and powerful legs.
It had been too much for someone like her, unused to physical contact.
And this time, she was nearly naked.
Just as she tensed, not wanting to show her bare back, he spoke.
“Your complexion… looks much better than when you first arrived.”
“R-Really…?”
