Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 176
This wasn’t how Burt would die. Irene placed her hands over his wound and focused her power. Thankfully, whatever barrier had been around them was gone, allowing her to channel her divine energy.
The gruesome wound began to close, and some color returned to his skin. But his body remained cold, and Irene knew that if left as he was, it would be dangerous.
She needed to warm him.
‘If I could just get him in the sunlight…’
She hurried back to the cave entrance and looked up at the sky, but it was no use. The clouds had darkened even more, and it looked as if rain could fall at any moment. She tried to calm herself, but it wasn’t working.
The fact that Burt still hadn’t woken up terrified her. Not long ago, he had smiled and said he wanted to abandon his throne and spend his life with her. She couldn’t lose him like this.
‘Think, think!’
She must have learned this in her lessons—how to warm a person. Finally, Irene recalled one method. First, she removed her own clothes and laid them on the ground. Her bare body was exposed, but she didn’t feel any embarrassment. Saving Burt was far more urgent.
Irene pressed herself close to him, hugging him and rubbing their skin together, trying to warm him up as best as she could. How long had she been doing that?
A faint groan came from Burt. He had finally regained consciousness.
“Burt!”
Irene called his name urgently.
“Are you okay?”
“…Irene.”
Cough. Burt coughed weakly, and his pale face made Irene’s heart sink.
“This…”
“It’s okay. Don’t talk. It’ll be too hard for you right now.”
“No.”
It seemed Burt wanted to say something. Afraid it might be his final words, Irene instinctively covered his mouth with both hands. She didn’t want to hear anything like that.
But then, his eyes softened, and he smiled. Burt was smiling.
“Why… why are you smiling?”
He was gravely injured because of her, yet he was smiling. Overcome with emotion, Irene raised her voice, but as she did, she felt his lips move beneath her hand. Her face flushed red at the sensation.
This wasn’t the time for such thoughts! Scolding herself, Irene pulled her hands away from Burt’s mouth. Perhaps he had something important to say. If that was the case, she had a duty to listen.
“It’s okay. You can speak now,” she said gently.
“Irene.”
It was the first time Burt had called her by name without any formal title. He spoke, as if in disbelief.
“Is this a dream?”
“What?”
Irene had no idea what he was talking about.
“My body still aches, but…”
“You’re still in pain?”
Panicking, she prepared to use her divine power again, but Burt gently took her hand.
“This feels like a dream.”
“It’s not a dream. Why do you keep saying that?”
The tears flowed down her face uncontrollably. It sounded like he was on the verge of death, talking about dreams. Was he no longer able to tell the difference between dreams and reality?
“There’s no way this isn’t a dream.”
“Why do you say that?”
“If it’s not a dream, there’s no way Irene would be undressed in front of me.”
Burt explained with surprising clarity. It was only then that Irene realized she wasn’t wearing her clothes. She had removed them to raise his body temperature, but had forgotten to put them back on. She had been too focused on him regaining consciousness to notice.
“To be honest, I never imagined something like this, but it seems I am still a man after all.”
Irene’s face flushed a deep shade of red, even more so than before.
“So…”
“Yes?”
She quickly raised her hand to cover Burt’s eyes. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts.
“This is a dream.”
“As I thought?”
“Yes, it’s a dream.”
“In that case…”
Burt gently stroked Irene’s hand before wrapping his arm around her waist.
“If it’s a dream, I suppose I can act a little more freely.”
With that, he pulled her into his arms. Though they had already been pressed against each other for warmth, being held like this felt completely different. Irene instinctively tried to wiggle free, but when Burt let out a groan of pain, she immediately stopped.
“It hurts.”
She settled down again.
“Why does my body feel so heavy, even in a dream?”
As he spoke, Burt pressed his lips against the nape of her neck. The warmth of his breath made the fine hairs on her skin stand up.
“Sometimes, dreams like this aren’t so bad.”
Yes, please, keep thinking this is a dream. Irene prayed fervently.
