Chapter 15
“What are you going to do? This little one looks like he’ll fall asleep soon.”
Caldeon pointed toward Hayden with his chin as he spoke.
Enria looked between Caldeon and Hayden with a slow gaze before finally letting out a long sigh and climbing onto the bed. Fortunately, the bed was large enough for four people to lie comfortably, so she lay down as close to the edge as possible, keeping her distance from him.
“You’re being quite obvious about avoiding me.”
Caldeon looked down at her.
“Isn’t that natural? I’m sharing a bed with a married man against my will.”
“……”
“It’s uncomfortable. Feels like I’m sitting on a bed of thorns.”
“Seems you’ve forgotten you used to share a bed with me for years.”
“That was different—you had your reasons then, and you weren’t married…”
“I’ve said it countless times, but my marriage is a misunderstanding.”
Honestly, the way he insisted on calling it a misunderstanding made Enria wonder if Caldeon had some kind of illness that made him deny being married.
‘If such an illness even exists, that is.’
She sighed shortly and looked down at Hayden.
“How long are you planning to hold him like that?”
“Until he’s deeply asleep.”
“He sleeps perfectly fine even if you lay him down.”
“But right now, it seems he wants someone’s warmth.”
Caldeon’s calm voice filled the room as he looked down at the sleeping Hayden in his arms. For a brief moment, a tenderness crossed his face, and Enria’s eyes widened slightly. She hadn’t known he could make such an expression. The strange tickling in her chest made her unconsciously turn her body away from him.
“Don’t turn your back to me, Enria.”
Caldeon’s voice stopped her mid-motion.
‘What now?’
Was he seriously going to complain about which way she faced? She turned her head sharply to glare at him, but he only stared at her with those deep, black eyes that looked like they could pull her in forever.
“For every time I couldn’t see you, I’ll look. For every time I couldn’t touch you, I’ll touch. For all the time I couldn’t feel you, I’ll feel it now—completely. So turn back toward me.”
Caldeon spoke those unbearably intimate words with a perfectly calm face. Enria’s cheeks instantly burned red.
‘W–what is wrong with him? How can he say something like that with such a straight face?’
She turned back toward the window, not wanting him to see how flustered she was. But that only seemed to draw out his obsession.
“Show me your face.”
“What’s with you?”
“Show me your face.”
“I said no.”
“Enria.”
Unable to move freely with Hayden still in his arms, Caldeon reached out a long arm to play with strands of her hair.
“I’ve missed seeing you for too long. Let me see your face.”
His tone was that of a man who didn’t know what to do with his own love, and it threw Enria into turmoil.
Before he abandoned her, he used to say things like that too—words that made her believe, foolishly, that he truly loved her.
Of course, she’d only realized after being cast aside that it was nothing more than her own stupid delusion.
‘Don’t fall for it. Get a grip, Enria. You can’t fall for his sugarcoated words. He’s married. Even if he weren’t, he’s still the male lead destined to end up with the original heroine. Don’t forget that.’
Enria tried her best not to be swayed. Though with her heart pounding so hard it hurt her ears, rational thinking was proving difficult.
“Enria.”
He kept calling her name. If she didn’t turn around, he’d probably go on all night. With a resigned sigh, she finally turned her body back toward him.
Caldeon’s hand fell away from her hair as she did. He looked down at the hand that had been touching her, clenched it briefly, then reached it out toward her again.
“Your hand.”
“What?”
“Give me your hand.”
‘Now what?’ she thought. First, he told her to turn over, now he wanted her hand.
When she looked at him in disbelief, he wore almost the same pleading expression Hayden did when he wanted something—opening and closing his palm repeatedly.
“I’ll feel at ease if I hold it.”
‘…Was he always like this?’
Come to think of it, this was the same man who had come all the way to the library just because she wasn’t there when he woke up. He always had to see her first thing upon waking.
It struck her that Hayden’s stubborn streak came entirely from his father.
Since she wasn’t as obstinate as either of them, Enria gave up and placed her hand in his.
It wasn’t ideal—she felt guilty toward Roseanne—but at this point, just being here was already causing trouble.
‘As long as I don’t defy Roseanne like the original Enria did, it’ll be fine.’
In the original story, Enria, deluded into thinking Caldeon belonged to her, had openly provoked Roseanne several times. Thinking back, it was a miracle anyone could resist being misled by this kind of flirting.
‘In the end, he’s the real problem.’
Even knowing how things were supposed to end, she couldn’t stop herself from falling into it. By the time she realized it, she was already drowning too deep to escape.
‘Stay sharp, Enria.’
She reminded herself not to end up abandoned or doomed like before.
But despite her resolve, her hand felt hot in his—so hot that it spread through her whole body. Her heart pounded violently, threatening to burst from her chest.
“Hayden seems asleep now. Shouldn’t you put him down?” she said, trying to break the unbearable tension. “He’ll be uncomfortable sleeping in someone’s arms like that.”
At her words, Caldeon finally released her hand and carefully began lowering Hayden toward the far edge of the bed.
“Are you serious? What if he falls? Put him here, in the middle.”
“What? Then I can’t sleep next to you—”
“It’s safer for him in the middle.”
“I already compromised by not putting him in his crib.”
“That’s not a compromise, that’s common sense.”
Enria’s firm tone left no room for argument. Caldeon sighed shortly, then carefully laid Hayden down between them.
Then he turned to her and reached out his hand again.
“Then at least hold my hand.”
“Why do you need to hold hands to sleep?”
“If you refuse, I’ll move over to your side.”
“…”
Realizing that not holding hands would just destroy the fragile peace, Enria reluctantly placed her hand in his once more.
Over Hayden’s sleeping head, their hands met.
The lights went out, leaving only soft moonlight spilling into the room.
Caldeon absentmindedly stroked her hand with his thumb as he looked at her shadowed face.
Enria, meanwhile, gazed at him. The moonlight made his already perfect features seem almost divine—his high nose, sharp yet elegant eyes, flawless skin, and soft pink lips.
She thought, with a strange swell of emotion, that if Hayden grew up to look like his father, she would be happy beyond words.
Though appearance wasn’t everything, the thought warmed her heart.
But sharing such a gaze with a beautiful man while holding hands made her heart race uncontrollably.
Despite knowing she shouldn’t, she couldn’t stop the feeling from growing stronger.
“Caldeon.”
“Mm.”
“Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“I will.”
“Then why are you staring like that? Close your eyes.”
“No.”
He said he’d sleep but refused to close his eyes.
Enria frowned faintly.
“It’s dark. Can you even see my face?”
“I can.”
Another instant reply.
She blinked awkwardly. Silence fell between them again.
Enria blinked sleepily as she continued to stare at his face, while Caldeon stared back at her almost without blinking at all.
The silence stretched until drowsiness crept in.
“I’m getting sleepy now,” she murmured.
“Then sleep.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll sleep too.”
“You know, staring at someone’s face like that will chase away your sleep.”
“I’ll stop looking once you’re asleep.”
His quiet, deep voice made her chuckle softly.
“Then it won’t matter, because I won’t know if you do or not.”
“Then go to sleep.”
“My hand’s getting sweaty. It’s uncomfortable.”
“I’ll make it comfortable.”
Suddenly, a cool breeze flowed between their joined hands.
Startled, Enria opened her eyes wide and looked. Around their hands, pale white currents of wind swirled gently.
‘What the—can elemental wind magic even do that?’
She thought, impressed, as her heavy eyelids began to close again.
“Sleep, Enria.”
Caldeon’s deep, pleasant voice wrapped around her like a lullaby.
And she did.
It was the first truly peaceful, deep sleep she had ever known.
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Torryy
This is, honestly, not romantic at all. Just uncomfortable. I’d feel so siffocated. Plus she’s such a pushover, it’s very irksome.