Chapter 56
Thump—thump—
The sound of my heart pounding beneath my left ribs rang unnaturally loud in my ears.
But right now, I didn’t care if Lycian could hear it.
More than embarrassment, what filled me was something else entirely—the overwhelming emotion of the person standing beside me, with me, being Lycian.
Not anyone else.
Lycian, who hadn’t been swayed by rumors and had looked at me exactly as I was.
“Lycian….”
“Muriel, I thought you were asleep….”
“I woke up and you weren’t there….”
At that, Lycian asked, a smile woven into his voice,
“You couldn’t see me, so you came looking?”
“…Yeah.”
In that strange, indescribable state—heart swelling, relief washing over me—I let the words that surfaced spill out before I could stop them.
“You’re like a gift God sent me.”
Lycian froze.
And so did I.
I’d blurted it out on impulse, the moment it crossed my mind—but as soon as I came back to my senses…
Heat surged straight to the top of my head. I burned with embarrassment.
I pulled back from him slightly, flustered, my face blazing red.
“N–No, I mean, what I meant was…!”
“…….”
While I floundered, Lycian tugged me back into his arms and locked me there. He hugged me tight enough to steal my breath, then slowly loosened his hold and let out a deep sigh.
“I thought I was going to die.”
“W–What…?”
“You can’t just say things like that out of nowhere….”
His hand traced slowly upward, almost hesitantly, brushing along the back of my neck. The ticklish sensation made me shiver.
“I thought my heart was going to explode.”
He whispered it like a breath against my ear.
A tremor shot up my spine. I tensed like a cat with its fur bristling.
“You do that to me too.”
“Huh…?”
“To me, Muriel… you’re a gift God sent.”
Thump—thump—
A heartbeat echoed between us.
It wasn’t just mine.
Lycian’s heart was racing too… as if it might burst.
“…Yeah.”
I answered softly and pulled him into a tighter embrace.
How long did we stay like that?
Whispered voices drifted over from somewhere nearby.
“Newlyweds….”
“They’re newlyweds….”
“…!”
Only then did I snap back to my senses.
My body went rigid as the realization hit me—
We weren’t alone in the hallway…!
‘Aaaah!’
An internal scream exploded in my head.
‘What the hell were we doing in front of everyone?!’
I shoved Lycian away in a panic and, without even properly checking who was nearby, bowed stiffly.
“S–Sorry!”
Then I bolted without looking back.
“Muriel!”
I heard Lycian call after me, but I just ran.
I thought I might actually die of embarrassment!
‘Why do I keep forgetting other people exist?! It happened last time too!’
Like a hamster escaping its cage and making its owner chase it, I darted into my room and tried to slam the door shut.
Or I would have—
“…!”
—if a man’s foot hadn’t suddenly wedged itself into the gap.
The owner of that foot, of course, was Lycian.
Slightly disheveled, breathing hard, he shoved against the door I was desperately clinging to.
Compared to him, my strength was chick-level at best. I didn’t stand a chance.
He forced the door open and slipped inside through the gap.
Bang.
The door shut with a heavy sound, and silence fell over the room.
“…….”
“…….”
Avoiding his gaze, I slowly edged backward.
Watching me, Lycian lifted a brow.
“Muriel…. I’m not going to eat you. Why are you running?”
That was not the look of someone who wasn’t going to eat me.
It was the gaze of a fox that hadn’t eaten in a thousand years!
I trembled like a bite-sized hamster.
“Um…y-you know what I said earlier, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t take it too seriously…!”
“…….”
What am I even saying?
Is this really the best I’ve got? Seriously?
I kept retreating. Lycian kept closing the distance in long strides.
Then the back of my knee hit the edge of the bed, and I dropped onto the mattress.
A large shadow fell over me.
Lycian climbed onto the bed, one knee planted, trapping me beneath him.
I clasped my hands together tightly.
My heart pounded.
He gathered a fistful of my hair in his hand and spoke as if he’d been wounded.
“I was happy….”
“…….”
“That you said it first, Muriel.”
I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, so I squeezed my eyes shut. His voice turned almost sorrowful.
“Did it not mean anything?”
“What? No!”
Still with my eyes closed, I blurted it out immediately. I couldn’t let him misunderstand.
A low laugh brushed over my skin.
Then, warm fingers touched my cheek. They stroked gently upward, brushing aside the bangs that covered my forehead.
And then—
Something soft, warm… pressed lightly against my forehead.
“…?”
What is—
Don’t tell me—
‘His lips…?!’
My eyes flew open.
The sensation on my forehead had already vanished. All I saw now were golden eyes filling my vision.
“Y–You just….”
“…….”
My lips moved uselessly. Lycian only stared at me.
He looked like he might devour me at any second.
And yet, there was tenderness there too.
Roughness and gentleness coexisted in his gaze.
“…Muriel.”
“Y–Yeah.”
“If I go any further, I think I’ll get scolded, so I’ll stop.”
I hadn’t been planning to scold him at all. I just blinked at him in confusion.
“But can you tell me one thing?”
He drew back slightly and asked, his voice brushing against my ear.
“Did you hate what I just did?”
“…….”
My entire body burned red as I avoided his eyes.
“…No.”
Lycian let out a low chuckle.
“Then did you like it?”
“Why do you keep asking?”
“Muriel, are you embarrassed?”
“Stop asking…!”
I squirmed and shoved at his shoulders with both hands.
In an instant, he caught my wrists and pinned them down. Before I could react, he lowered his head.
“…!”
Soft lips brushed lightly over my eyelids.
As if soothing my rigid body, his lips moved downward, careful and unhurried.
Peck, peck, peck.
Light kisses dotted from my cheeks to the edge of my jaw like a constellation.
“…….”
Lycian slowly lifted his head and gazed down at me.
I could only blink at him, dazed.
My wrists were released with a soft slide. Even after he shifted to sit beside me, I remained frozen on my back, staring at the ceiling.
“Muriel….”
“…….”
“You didn’t faint with your eyes open, right?”
“…….”
When I didn’t answer, he reached out and poked my side.
I flinched slightly. Then he began tickling me in earnest.
“Ah—w–wait, hah—!”
When I tried to escape, Lycian wrapped his arms around me from behind and mercilessly tickled my stomach and sides.
I burst into helpless laughter, twisting and writhing. I barely managed to roll away to the other side—but he followed immediately and attacked again.
“S–Stop…!”
Only after what felt like forever did the assault subside. We were both completely disheveled. After all the rolling and grappling, we were tangled together like seaweed, ragged breaths slipping from between our lips.
“…….”
“…….”
Sensing the strange undercurrent thickening between us, I couldn’t take it anymore. I shoved him away.
Then I rolled aside and shot upright.
“Muriel….”
“I have something to say!”
The words burst out impulsively. Lycian, who’d been about to approach me again, stopped mid-motion.
I did have something to say.
The problem was… it would take a lot of courage.
“What is it?”
He asked, inching closer.
Sitting face to face, I hesitated before answering.
“…It’s really important. I just didn’t have the courage to say it until now.”
“What is it? It’s okay. Tell me.”
“…….”
Honestly, I was terrified.
Terrified he’d be disappointed in me.
That he’d… condemn me.
But I couldn’t keep hiding it like this.
I had to tell him before it was too late.
…About the Husbandry Skill.