Nighttime Encounters - Chapter 32
With his arm draped around her neck, she supported him firmly with her legs. She could feel his lean sides and toned abs through his thin nightshirt. The blend of alcohol and the man’s scent in the air made her head spin. Clenching her teeth, Trinity fought against her fading consciousness.
“The bed is over there.”
It wasn’t far, obviously. But in the moment, the distance seemed never-ending.
“You’re getting there, just keep going.”
Barely reaching the bed, which seemed as distant as heaven, Trinity pushed onto it as if she were throwing him.
Huh?
She was pretty sure she only pushed the man in…
“S-sir.”
With her neck ensnared in his arm, Trinity was pulled into the bed like she was caught by a huge wave. Thoroughly caught off guard, she unwittingly buried her face against his shoulder. The scent of lavender emanating from the sheets rose and enveloped them like a cloud.
As silence settled around them, Trinity cautiously lifted her head. “Sir?”
He still had his arm around her neck, although his eyes were shut tight. The light glinted against his eyelashes, but he showed no signs of moving.
Was he really asleep?
Trinity tried calling out to him to make sure that he was. “Siiiir?”
He was completely unresponsive.
“Are you sleeping right now?” Trinity’s tender voice faded into the quiet.
Getting a little bolder, she craned her neck and whispered in his ear, “Sir, I’m actually not a maid but Trinity. I came to find my hair ribbon.”
Even after making such a bold confession, he showed no signs of a response—just the regular rise and fall of his breath, filled with the scent of wine.
“Ha.” Trinity breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Feeling drained, she gazed up at the canopy over the bed and murmured weakly, “He really did fall asleep.”
Of course, he must have been completely out of it considering that he ate all of the soup that had enough drugs to knock out a bear in one go. He must have attacked her in a state of confusion, unable to distinguish between dreams and reality.
“No matter how you look at it, how could he have eaten all that?”
And two bottles of wine, too. But he eventually fell asleep, and it took all her strength to get him into bed. Once she realized the situation, a sense of relief washed over her.
“Crazy freak!”
However, basking in an unusual calm, Trinity couldn’t summon the strength to push the freak away. His chest rose and fell before her eyes as she leaned helplessly against the man’s shoulder.
Did she get drunk on his breath? Her mind was foggy, and the man’s arm around her neck like a shawl made her feel warm all over.
Lethargy settling in, she looked at him and said, “Your ear seems to have gotten better.”
The bites she had taken on his earlobe had mysteriously healed, now just a vague memory.
Her eyes turned glassy. Like a mother who had just put her baby to sleep, she felt herself drifting off.
Then she heard a voice that quickly drove away her drowsiness.
[What are you doing laying in bed?]
Trinity widened her startled eyes at the sound of Luperne’s voice. From his point of view, a man and a woman were lying on a bed close together in a bedroom shrouded in darkness.
Realizing the situation, Trinity stiffened. “Oh. I was trying to help him and… I lost my balance.”
Even though it was the truth, it sounded like she was making up an excuse. Feeling embarrassed, Trinity scrambled to her feet. His arm slipped from around her neck and fell back on the bed. A chilly draft crept up the back of her newly exposed neck.
[I figured out which coat the ribbon is in. Let’s get it out of here.]
Shivering, Trinity stopped Luperne in his tracks. “Wait.”
He’ll be cold if he sleeps all night like that.
Luperne watched Trinity tidy up the bedding
[What are you doing? What if he wakes up?]
“It’s okay,” whispered Trinity, pulling the blanket up to the man’s neck. “He’s already deep asleep. The medicine will have him sleeping soundly until morning, but he’ll catch a cold if he doesn’t get covered up, especially in the winter.”
Just as Trinity finished adjusting the covers and prepared to leave the bedside, the man grimaced and let out a faint groan.
“Tsk, tsk, trying to catch me in your sleep, huh?”
Clicking her tongue at his insane reflexes, Trinity placed a hand on his chest. “Shh…you’re dreaming now. This will all disappear once you open your eyes.”
She whispered in his ear, her voice as soft as a lullaby. “So, no need to try so hard.”
With a slow stroke across his chest, she felt his heartbeat gradually steady.
Trinity leaned closer. “For tonight, forget everything and sleep soundly.”
It was her earnest wish.
Trinity’s breath permeated into his ear. Soft and cozy as a cloud, her breath drifted into the silent room. Her faint smile formed in the darkness, her eyes twinkling like stars in the night.
