If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 77
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
read more chapters on luna kofi
“Do you have nightmares?”
“Yes, not often, but on days like today when I’m really exhausted, I inevitably have them.”
“What sort of nightmares are they?”
His face as he asked that question was serious that even the doctor hadn’t shown when listening to her symptoms. Agatha almost laughed, pressing her lips together tightly to suppress it.
“They’re not as intense as the ones the knights have. Just, well…”
“It doesn’t matter whether they’re more or less intense. The magnitude of suffering is relative.”
“Just sometimes, I dream about my father.”
“The Duke?”
“Yes, and my mother and the courtiers from my childhood…”
“Do they say anything to you in these dreams?”
“No, they don’t speak. They just look somewhere and then fade away, and it’s unbearably painful, so I wake up.”
A silence fell for a moment. Cain, who had been brooding with a look of concern, straightened up. From her position lying down, Agatha found his towering frame somewhat imposing.
Before she could ask what he was doing, Cain climbed onto the bed. His weight sank one side of the mattress significantly. His physical presence was startling.
Agatha tried to turn to look at him, but he was quicker. He came up behind her and laid down in place.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
His firm chest pressed against her back as he lay down behind her. Surprisingly, Cain, who had been asking about nightmares, had suddenly climbed into bed and hugged her from behind.
“Sir?”
“This is the quickest way to relax when you’re troubled by bad dreams.”
His arm swept around her slender waist. What is this startling situation?
“Sharing body heat can significantly soothe the mind and body.”
His whispered voice at the back of her head carried a warm breath.
Is this supposed to help me relax? Really? Agatha blinked rapidly.
“Even if it’s uncomfortable, try to focus only on the warmth you feel. You’ll find comfort in it soon.”
How could that be possible? Her husband, whom she hadn’t seen in two years, was now lying in bed with her, pulling her close against him.
“How do you know… about this?”
Agatha managed to extract a question from her blank mind. It was undeniable that the advice came from experience. To hug someone while having nightmares could bring comfort.
“I used to do it a lot when I was a child.”
“You had nightmares too?”
“No, I wasn’t the one receiving; I was the one giving.”
“To whom?”
“My… little sister.”
Cain hesitated for a moment before mentioning his sister, the hesitation conveyed through his breath.
“I mentioned it before, Agatha. You remind me of my sister.”
“Right, you did say that. But you used to hold her like this to help her sleep?”
“My mother was strict, so she wouldn’t indulge us like that.”
“I see.”
With each word, a gentle vibration from his chest transmitted through their contact. Indeed, the warmth from another person was effective. Although Agatha was still aware of his hands wrapped around her waist, she felt a comforting fullness growing inside her heart.
“I was worried the makeshift bed might be too small for both of us to lie down, but it’s actually quite comfortable this way.”
“So, you were sitting up because you thought you might wake me?”
“Not exactly. Seeing you sleep so soundly, I didn’t want to risk waking you by lying down next to you.”
That makes sense. Before long, Agatha found herself syncing her breathing with his. His once seemingly oppressive voice now provided a comforting resonance. The warmth from his waist, back, and the nape of her neck stabilized her, who was still shaken by the effects of the medication.
Eventually, she couldn’t resist the heaviness of her eyelids any longer and closed her eyes.
While her breathing remained even, Cain’s heartbeat quickened, unbeknownst to Agatha.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
The next day dawned clear. The sky was much brighter than the somewhat cloudy day before and lifted Agatha’s spirits.
Even Liana’s fussing seemed reasonable under the gentle breeze that made Agatha smile spontaneously. Whether it was the beautiful day or the good night’s sleep, it was undeniably a refreshing morning.
“Where did Sir Cain go?”
“I’m not sure. It seemed like he left early in the morning to tend to his duties. I saw him leaving the tent in armor just before dawn, and I haven’t seen him since.”
“I see.”
Agatha remembered talking with him in the early hours of the morning, but there was a gap in her memory. So she may have fallen asleep again unknowingly.
As Cain had mentioned, the comfort of sharing body heat with someone else felt both strange and exhilarating. She still felt his warmth clinging to her, so Agatha gently stroked her arm and waist where they had been in contact through the night.
It was the first time the married couple had shared a bed since their wedding. Liana seemed to have something she wanted to ask, repeatedly glancing at Agatha and pursing her lips.
Agatha, however, deliberately ignored her and took another sip of her tea.
