Dear Contract Husband, I Didn't Know You Were Like This? - Chapter 102
With a gentle smile, Tristan wrapped her in his arms, his heart pounding as he recalled how dangerously close she had come to harm today.
The warmth of life, the surge of blood, and body heat—these are privileges that only the living possess.
“The power of Bayarden is meant to keep you alive. So next time, we’ll fight together.”
This time, she made sure he couldn’t even think about fighting alone.
“Don’t try to do it by yourself.”
Tristan’s eyes and voice were so warm that Maya eventually nodded.
“Yes, I promise.”
As he released her from his embrace, he intertwined their fingers, a smile spreading across his face.
It was a moment that was special—yet perhaps not—as they began to naturally blend into each other’s lives, touching, talking, and now even sleeping beside one another.
Maya couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason for her feelings.
Was it the contrast between the anxiety she felt while fighting the wolf monster today and the happiness on Tristan’s face now? Or maybe it was simply the comforting warmth of his embrace?
Whatever the catalyst, in that familiar moment, Maya realized the truth.
Maya Pendragon liked Tristan Bayarden.
‘I like you.’
She liked him very much.
Now that she’d recognized the feeling, she knew this was just the tip of the iceberg. With a name to her emotions, every moment she’d felt something peculiar toward Tristan seemed to glow with new colors.
‘Even though I just denied it.’
It hadn’t been a recent development—she had treasured this man, warm like sunlight, since the very beginning. Perhaps even in her previous life, when she had chosen death, Tristan was the only one who had wished her well.
“Maya?”
She knew acknowledging her feelings wouldn’t change anything.
She was still just his contract wife.
But maybe because she had admitted her feelings, she found herself fidgeting with Tristan’s hand, feeling happier with each passing moment. She was willing to step aside for his future if necessary, but her own resolve had shifted.
‘I’ll indulge in these feelings, even for just a little while.’
Who wouldn’t want to be close to someone they loved? She would savor these moments of touching him and holding him close. So later, she could look back fondly on them, without regret.
With that determination, Maya tightened her grip on his hand, her face beaming with a smile. Tristan gazed at her for a long time as she intertwined their fingers, her full attention on the warmth radiating from his hand, oblivious to his intense gaze.
The two of them were alone in their own little world, only vaguely aware of each other’s feelings.
Soon, they lay down side by side on the bed. The familiar scent and the sound of his breathing nearby made Maya’s eyelids feel heavy. She turned onto her side to take a closer look at Tristan.
Only then did she realize something strange about his actions today.
It was nice that Tristan had come to meet her at the terrace with the wyvern… but she hadn’t asked why or how he got there in the first place!
“By the way, why were you at the palace today, Tristan? If you were coming, you should have told me.”
“I wanted to see if the Imperial Library had more information on dragons.”
Ah, it made sense if he’d gone there to seek answers for the curse.
“Did you find anything? Like, maybe we need to extend our contact time for the curse to lift?”
Maya hoped that whatever Tristan wanted, he’d find it. It wouldn’t be surprising if he discovered that they needed to intensify their contact for the curse—perhaps something like a peck… or a full kiss.
“No, I couldn’t find anything. Perhaps the Imperial Family has simply erased any information they didn’t find useful.”
“…That’s unfortunate. I mean, not that kind of unfortunate…”
“I understand.”
Tristan nodded, though her quick clarification pricked at Maya’s tiny conscience. Truthfully, she did find it unfortunate.
She fidgeted with his hand again.
“Maya.”
“Yes?”
“Were you alright today?”
“You mean fighting the monster? That wasn’t too hard.”
“No, I meant the banquet. You mentioned there were faces you didn’t particularly want to see.”
At that, she recalled the faces of Reserfield and the troublemakers from House Pendragon.
“Seeing you made it all better.”
And she truly meant it.
“Because of me? That makes me happy.”
Seeing Tristan’s smile made her want to keep saying nice things to him.
“You had a hard day, too. Thank you for everything.”
But as always, that sentiment ended up coming from Tristan instead.
