Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Witch of Fate’s Great Call - Chapter 41
Kalynia found herself in a rather difficult situation.
“Queen.”
“……”
“Kalynia.”
“……”
“Kalynia. Kalynia.”
“Why do you keep calling me?”
“Look over here.”
“……”
“Kalynia, please look at me.”
That’s right. For some reason, since they returned from the hunt together, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him.
Before, whether he looked at her with a gaze filled with murderous intent or one overflowing with desire, she could always meet his eyes confidently, regardless of how he looked at her.
But lately, that had become difficult. He kept looking at her softly, sometimes with an intense, smoldering gaze that made it hard for her to endure.
Do you know what the biggest problem is?
It was that he knew she was struggling. He knew it all too well.
“Kalynia, just how much do I have to beg for you to look at me?”
The word “beg” didn’t match his voice at all, which was filled with laughter. He was clearly enjoying himself.
“Please, look at me.”
“Why? What do you want to do?”
“It’s not about doing anything—I just want to see your face properly.”
When she glanced back reluctantly, he wore an indescribable, subtle smile. If she didn’t avert her eyes, he would soon grab her hand and press gentle kisses onto its back. Every time he planted a kiss, every time their eyes met, he closely observed her reaction.
His gaze was so intense that Kalynia felt warmth spreading everywhere his eyes touched, again and again.
But if she avoided his gaze too quickly, he would only ask her to look at him again.
“Stop looking at me.”
“Staring at the person I love has become my greatest joy lately. You can’t ask me to stop.”
When she responded with a voice filled reluctance, he countered embarrassingly with words dripping with sweetness.
“Stop saying weird things.”
“What? Is it that strange to tell my wife I love her?”
Kalynia lost the words to reply and bit her lip. Her cheeks, like fruit ripening in the sun, were gradually turning redder by the day.
How could she escape this situation? She actually knew a very easy way to get away from him.
No matter how you feel about me, I don’t love you. It’s annoying, so stop it.
A cold response, brushing away his hands as if they were precious things. Such a cold rejection wouldn’t even take a minute.
But the reason she didn’t try this was that Kalynia wasn’t a fool.
Before, she’d endured the intimacy like a task, then turned her back to sleep. Just seeing his face had made her uncomfortable.
But at some point, even when he clung to her more, he no longer acted rough. He no longer treated her high-handedly as if her opinions didn’t matter at all.
“Kalynia, I love you.”
Drawn by the change in his attitude, she found their time together no longer unpleasant.
Even when they lay facing each other, her heart didn’t feel uncomfortable.
It wasn’t that she felt entirely at ease either, but the difference between her heart pounding and feeling heavy was significant.
“Kalynia.”
“Stop calling me. Aren’t you a bit too obsessed with me?”
Even when she said something so unpleasant, he laughed.
“I think so, too. If I have a wish, it’s that you’d fall for me as much as I’ve fallen for you.”
Maybe… she’d already fallen for him, too.
Kalynia felt there was no other reason to explain why she didn’t find the man who rubbed his cheek against her hand unpleasant.
“If it’s too much to like me as much as I like you, then just halfway would be enough.”
“Hmph. Keep dreaming, Your Majesty.”
No, I think I like you too. I do. So, please don’t say that.
For some reason, whenever these thoughts formed in her mind, they turned unpleasant when they came out of her mouth. Vylon’s expression grew bitter after hearing her prickly words.
Finally, Vylon loosened the grip of his persistent hand that had refused to let go. Before he could release her completely, Kalynia climbed onto him.
“……”
“……”
When she suddenly straddled him, he looked rather surprised.
Even without words, the widening of his eyes showed his surprise.
Kalynia, feeling nervous, approached him slowly to avoid any mistakes. Without any clumsy moves, she leaned in and gently nipped his lips.
“Ah.”
Vylon made a sound, and Kalynia flinched, pulling back.
“Did it hurt?”
She’d tried to be careful but might have bitten a bit harder than intended. Her worried eyes wavered.
Vylon wasn’t hurt at all. But he pretended to grimace in pain as he placed his hands on her waist and back, pulling her closer to him.
“It’s your punishment for attacking your king, Witch. You’re staying like this until morning.”
Only after noticing the smile in his voice did Kalynia feel relieved. She squirmed a bit, settling into a comfortable position on his chest.
“Don’t call me a witch.”
“But you are a witch.”
“…I don’t like it when you call me that.”
“How strange. Why don’t you want me to call you a witch?”
He knows, yet he keeps teasing.
Kalynia narrowed her eyes at the sweetly tormenting man.
He deserved punishment. She lifted her head slightly and gave his chest a little shove. This time, Vylon let out another feigned “ow.” She wasn’t fooled and pressed her head firmly against the center of his chest.
