The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 60
The scratch on my cheek had left nothing but a bloodstain, but if scraped a little, it would bleed again.
‘I said the cheek wasn’t good earlier.’
Maybe because it feels like a kiss.
What about another place?
“Ah.”
A stinging sensation on my neck, and when I touched it, my palm came away with blood.
“When did this wound happen?”
It seems this injury was from the dungeon, leaving a cut on my neck.
‘The neck is better than the cheek, I suppose.’
While I was contemplating, I heard Hedonia’s voice.
“…It hurts.”
It was almost like sleep talking. Startled, I crouched beside Hedonia.
“Lady Hedonia, are you in much pain?”
Hedonia’s face, half-opening his eyes, was enchanting. I swallowed hard, struck by his sudden beauty.
“Karina.”
His voice was lower than usual, distinctly different from his typically androgynous tone.
There was a strangely thrilling feeling that tingled to my toes.
I never get this nervous even when meeting other Espers…
Hedonia knows exactly how to captivate all my nerves.
“Your cheek.”
He raised his hand, then touched my cheek, which was near him.
“Your face has gotten uglier.”
The sincerity felt from his powerless smile was irritating.
I never just let things slide.
“…You should be more concerned about your own condition, Lady Hedonia.”
When I responded with a sullen face, Hedonia blinked.
“You need to drink blood.”
“…We can do that at the mansion.”
Hedonia said, but both of us knew we didn’t have the time to wait.
“Not the cheek…”
I pointed to my neck instead of my cheek.
“What about here?”
“….”
Hedonia blinked in disbelief at my suggestion.
“Do you realize how strange that would be?”
“No, you said you didn’t like the cheek. And there’s still blood here—”
“You’ll be going to guide those Espers later, won’t you?”
His question came out of nowhere as he looked at me.
“…It’s only natural while I’m in this role.”
Hedonia was silent for a moment.
His eyes, intently looking at me, grew deeper.
I couldn’t guess what he was thinking.
He doesn’t easily reveal his true feelings.
Unless he wants to.
Hedonia slowly lifted himself up. He didn’t ask for my help, and I didn’t insist on helping him unnecessarily.
Once seated, Hedonia brushed his hair behind his ear and gestured to me.
“Come here.”
Why does it sound like he’s pleading?
“Sit beside me.”
…It seems there’s no bargaining with pain.
Hedonia’s fingers traced the still-bleeding wound on my neck.
“Karina.”
His Adam’s apple moved.
“You gave your permission.”
“Yes, I did.”
That affirmation was the final cue.
Hedonia’s face came closer as he grasped my forearms.
The boundary that had been maintained broke.
His lips touched my neck.
The breath I felt between his lips was ticklish, a completely different sensation from a kiss.
…It kinda felt arousing.
The moment his tongue moved, it was like electricity coursing through my body.
My senses seemed to sharpen further, a peculiar, indescribable emotion rising within me.
It was a similar yet different feeling from when I looked at his face.
My face flushed red.
‘Pure thoughts, pure thoughts.’
Hedonia might be doing this thoughtlessly, but it’s wrong for me to think this way.
However, I couldn’t stop the physical reactions of my tensed body.
Just like he had done, I eventually swallowed.
“……”
Hedonia, who had been silent, lifted his head.
He stared at me intently after wiping the blood remaining on his lips.
“……”
“……What are you doing?”
I was the one who couldn’t help but ask first.
“Why are you shaking?”
His face, asking as if he truly knew nothing, made me even more flustered. By now, my face must have turned not just red but beetroot.
“…How could I not tremble in front of Lady Hedonia?”
Who wouldn’t tremble in front of this person?
At my words, Hedonia’s expression softened.
“So you get nervous because of me too.”
His voice was more generous than I expected.
But the ‘too’ part…
‘Does Hedonia get nervous around me?’
“Lady Hedonia.”
I called his name, intending to ask, and his smile deepened.
“It’s not over yet.”
“Uh, I think that’s enough emergency treatme—”
Hedonia’s lips moved towards my neck again.
“Ah.”
But my words melted away again with the warm breath I felt.
It wasn’t just the breath that was warm.
The sultry air inside the carriage, the heat enveloping us, was too intense.
It felt like I could suffocate.
A completely different feeling from when we kissed.