Villain, Let Me Touch You! - Chapter 27
Helios pulled the chair near the bedside and took a seat. He gazed silently at the sleeping Rienna. She didn’t stir. She was beautiful in her sleep. Not even her morbid coloring could take away from her beauty.
When she opened her eyes, her eye corners rose charmingly. While asleep, they were serene. Her eyebrows were neatly set, as if painted by an artist. His gaze traveled from her nose to her lips, down her slender neck, and rested on her rounded shoulders.
She was genuinely a person of fine character. Helios couldn’t tear his gaze away from her for too long.
Of all things, why did the curse of the imprint fall upon her? The gods were cruel indeed.
With his health restored, Helios could do anything. Frankly, given time, he could have taken the throne. But against the imprint, he felt utterly powerless.
No amount of brains, no amount of princely status, no amount of money, no amount of information, could cure a one-sided imprint. It was Rienna who was sick, and Helios felt like he was back in the days when he was terminally ill.
He wished he was the one who was imprinted with Rienna. If that were the case, she wouldn’t have to suffer and he could have been able to pursue her to his heart’s content.
Why her and not him?
Helios lowered the hand that had been near Rienna’s face. She seemed uncomfortable, furrowing her eyebrows slightly and letting out a heavy breath, making an odd sound between her lips as she exhaled. It was just a breath, but the sob that escaped her lips sounded e****c.
Helios found it exhilarating. Something must have gone wrong in his head when he heard that Rienna had been imprinted. He frowned and intertwined his hand with hers. His warmth made her breathing easier. His body temperature, on the other hand, rose slightly. He desired to touch more places than just her hands. It was Rienna who had been imprinted, but it was Helios who was feeling the urges common to imprintees.
Helios realized something else. Imprinting drives people crazy. So no matter what happens, whatever it takes, he vowed to fix Rienna’s imprinting problem. If any misfortune befalls her, he will take care of it. And if that doesn’t work, he’ll stay by her side throughout it.
When he came to that conclusion, the stone weighing down his heart disappeared. Relaxed, Helios closed his eyes, still holding onto Rienna’s hand.
***
Why was my arm numb? And why does it feel so heavy like a stone was placed on it?
A tingling sensation brought me back to consciousness. I opened my eyes, refreshed by the absence of the headache that had been plaguing me lately.
But I almost screamed at the sight before me. Helios was sitting on my bed, asleep, using my hand as a pillow.
Was that stone Helios’s head? I wondered why he was sleeping here and why he was holding my hand.
I squirmed to free my hand. Then I felt a strong grip. Helios squeezed, tendons springing up on the back of his hand.
Was he awake? I stopped moving and watched him. The grip on my hand had eased, but Helios’s ragged breathing remained. He was sleeping so deeply that I was sorry to wake him. But I couldn’t afford not to wake him now; it would soon be time for Jamie to come over, and if she saw Helios asleep against the bed, she’d go ballistic.
Doctor in bed, her employer on the floor—what kind of nonsense was that! I had no choice but to lightly shake Helios with my free hand.
“Your Highness, wake up.”
Helios mumbled something in his sleep. He couldn’t hear me. I leaned toward him a little more and called out to him.
“Your Highness, it’s morning, and sleeping like this is bad for your back, so get back to sleep in your bed…huh!”
Helios opened his eyes and half-raised his upper body. The sudden movement caught me off guard, and I missed the moment to step back and got so close that our noses almost brushed against each other.
I stiffened and blinked, surprised in more ways than one.
The most surprising thing was Helios’s face. Why does his face glow when he wakes up? Why are his eyes free of bags? Why isn’t he drooling? And what’s with the crazy elasticity of his skin? As I watched the marks on his cheeks disappear in real time, I could only marvel.
“Did you sleep well?” His voice was sweet with a slightly husky touch.
And why does it not smell? I was about to ask, ‘Isn’t it an eternal truth that people wake up with an unpleasant odor coming out of their mouths?’
That’s because Helios was very healthy! Bad breath is caused by oral and gastrointestinal diseases, but Helios had none of those.
Because I took care of him. My self-esteem as a doctor soared. I had protected this perfect man. Now that’s patriotic service.
“Why are you laughing?” Helios asked, still in front of me.
I froze, unable to pull back, and wondered why he was so close with his face pressed against mine.
When I came to my senses, I was about to slowly pull my head back. A large palm touched the back of my head. Suddenly, I was trapped between Helios’s hand and face.
