Chapter 212
“Sue?”
He blurted out her nickname before he could stop himself, then quickly covered his mouth, embarrassed. Hopefully, she hadn’t heard. They were close enough now, but every time he tried to whisper something sweet, his heart still raced uncontrollably.
‘How does she always say she loves me so easily?’
He wondered, a little enviously. Ashtel never seemed to hesitate.
“Uuun…”
Right then, Ashtel twisted her head and frowned in her sleep. Hastily masking his own expression, Payne reached out to gently wake her, only to pull back in shock—the skin of her shoulder was burning hot.
‘Is she running a fever?’
He pressed a hand to her forehead. Same thing—scorching.
‘What’s going on?’
Could she have caught something after last night? Or maybe the roughness had been too much for her?
“Ashtel, can you hear me?”
He carefully wrapped his arms around her and tried to shake her awake, but Ashtel didn’t respond, only groaning and letting her head fall to the side.
Payne’s spine tingled.
“Ashtel!”
Throwing aside the blankets, he sat her up—only to discover her naked body was mottled with deep red marks, like bruises. Hickeys and bite marks scattered across her chest, arms, and thighs. Between her legs, traces of their lovemaking still lingered.
Payne turned bright red from his neck to his ears, but forced himself to check her temperature again.
‘Still burning up.’
It was quite high.
He quickly scrambled out of bed, threw on some clothes and his cloak, and rushed out the door. There might not be a real doctor in this tiny rural village, but he had to try.
Going into the nearby town, he was relieved to find an elderly female doctor.
“Oh, you’re the newlywed couple who just moved into the house on the hill.”
They weren’t married, but this was hardly the time to correct her.
Payne quickly described Ashtel’s symptoms.
“She woke up this morning with a high fever. I can’t get her to wake up.”
“I’ll give you something to bring her fever down. Did she eat anything bad yesterday?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just…”
How was he supposed to explain? That he hadn’t let her go all night?
‘Damn it…’
Not only had he not stopped, but he’d even used a d-ldo on himself, and then kept going on his own.
What must Ashtel have thought, seeing him so depraved? She’d definitely enjoyed it. He was embarrassed just remembering it.
He kept rubbing his face, torn about what to admit, but decided to give the doctor at least a sliver of the truth.
“We… had a rather intense night.”
“Oh, I see. Newlyweds, of course.”
Again, not newlyweds, but he just nodded.
“Alright, let’s go back to your place. I’ll bring the medicine.”
“Thank you.”
Payne bowed deeply and hurried back to the house with the doctor, his cheeks still burning with embarrassment—but there was no time to waste.
Ashtel needed him.
As they approached the cozy little house on the hill, Payne suddenly realized he’d left Ashtel naked in bed.
“Uh, could you give me just a moment—”
The old doctor was a woman, but still, he didn’t want anyone seeing Ashtel undressed. She simply scratched her head, dismissing his concern, and walked straight into the bedroom.
Before he could stop her, the doctor took in the sight of Ashtel, flushed and feverish under the blankets, and made a face.
“My, what a state she’s in!”
“Uh, excuse me?”
“Looks like the husband gave her quite a rough time, huh?”
Payne had no argument—she was right, after all.
“But you’re a priest, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then you should use your divine power! Are you planning to lose your lovely wife?”
Only then did Payne realize—now that Ashtel was human, he could try to heal her with divine power.
How stupid could he be?
‘I’m not a healing priest, but even a little might have helped Ashtel….’
Cursing himself for not thinking of it sooner, he reached for the blanket—then paused, glancing at the doctor.
“I’ll turn around for a bit.”
“Thank you.”
He carefully pulled back the covers, revealing Ashtel’s flushed, bare skin.
“Oh dear…”
The doctor, who had been peeking, let out a sigh, making Payne jump.
“D-Doctor…”
“Sorry, sorry. I won’t look anymore.”
But by now, his shameful deeds were already exposed.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.