Chapter 35
“Mmm…”
Warm and soft, the small figure snuggled closer, murmuring sleepily in his arms. Iscarion had expected sharing his bed to be uncomfortable, as he had never done it before, but to his surprise, it felt quite nice.
‘…It feels like I might actually fall asleep soon.’
Rosen, who had been waking up crying every night lately, slept soundly and deeply in Iscarion’s arms that night without any nightmares. This was also true for the young grand duke, who had long been plagued by chronic insomnia.
The next day, and the day after that, Rosen insisted on sleeping in his bed every night. Even after the nanny, who had taken a long leave for treatment, returned, the routine remained unchanged. What was supposed to be a temporary arrangement for the child’s stability became permanent, lasting until Rosen experienced her first menstruation a few years later.
One evening, after they had watched a play together,
“Did you enjoy the play?”
“Mm! It was so… fantastic.”
“Fantastic?”
Iscarion laughed softly, repeating her words as he lifted her into the carriage. Recently, Rosen often tried to sound more mature, calling him “Dear Brother” and using words she hadn’t before, which he found particularly amusing.
Instead of lifting her into the carriage as usual, Iscarion extended his hand to her as if she were a distinguished lady. Rosen’s small face turned red to her earlobes as she took his hand.
“Didn’t you enjoy it, Brother?”
“It’s not that. I liked it too.”
In truth, what he had enjoyed was watching Rosen’s eyes light up as she followed the performance. He couldn’t really remember much about the play itself.
At an age where rational emotions were just starting to awaken, the play, tailored for young teenage girls, was honestly boring to him. But Iscarion hid it well, listening attentively to Rosen’s excited chatter about the play on the way home.
“Good night, Rosie.”
“Mm, good night, Brother.”
After returning home, Rosen, tired from the outing, yawned and headed to bed. She looked like an angel in her white nightgown, her clear face radiant. Iscarion noticed that his young fiancée seemed to have grown a lot in the few months he had been away, assisting an allied nation with civil war suppression.
As he absentmindedly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, the small earlobe his fingers brushed turned bright red. Finding it amusing, he touched her other cheek, causing her face to blush like a ripe apple. This behavior was new to him.
“N-No!”
She covered her face with her hands, trying to cool down the heat, shaking her head as if to clear the air. Iscarion watched, amused, and made a soft humming sound.
“Why are you doing that?”
“Abbot said… She said not to blush in front of you, brother.”
Abbot was one of Rosen’s maids.
“She said if I keep doing that, I wouldn’t be able to sleep with Brother anymore…”
Stifling his laughter, Iscarion patted her small head. He glanced at the clock on the wall before nodding toward her pillow.
“Go to sleep. Sweet dreams.”
“Mm… Don’t go, Brother.”
“Where would I go without you?”
“Kiss me goodnight.”
“Alright, come here.”
It was now a familiar bedtime ritual. Iscarion tucked her in and held her until she fell asleep, soothing her gently. As Rosen’s eyelids drooped, she snuggled closer, her fingers twitching slightly.
‘My heart… it’s pounding weirdly…’
In Iscarion’s warm and spacious embrace, Rosen felt a strange fluttering. She wasn’t in pain, nor did she have a fever, but the spots where his hands and lips had touched were all hot.
Why do I feel like this? It’s been happening whenever I’m with Brother Isca lately…
The steady rhythm of his heartbeat and the strong chest against her back gave her a sense of security. Without understanding the new emotions stirring within her, Rosen fell into a deep sleep.
That night, she dreamt of the male lead from the romance play she had watched, but with Iscarion’s face.
In the dark hours of early morning, Rosen woke up feeling strange. Her body felt heavy and sluggish.
Her lower abdomen ached and she felt a damp sensation below. As she reached down to check, she was horrified to find her nightgown and the bed sheets near her hips soaked with an unknown liquid. Rosen, alarmed, quickly sat up.
‘What do I do!’
No matter how deeply she slept, she wasn’t a child anymore to have such an accident. She needed to take care of it before Iscarion woke up.
“Rosen.”
As she was about to step off the bed with a pale face and a wet skirt, she heard Iscarion stirring beside her.
“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
“N-no, it’s nothing…”
“Nothing?”
Though she had been shy recently, Rosen was usually cheerful and bright. Seeing her so noticeably flustered, Iscarion paused and then…
…The smell of blood?
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