The Queen and the Lion - Chapter 47

“I added that part about keeping it a secret from Lysian out of what little pride I had left. Though I doubt there was even that much left.”

Lysian laughed loudly. It seemed she had prepared this meal knowing that Aslan was avoiding meat. He wished he could hide in a mouse hole and just listen to her delightful laughter.

“I’ve heard a report that you’ve been having some strange thoughts. Don’t worry about such trivial things.”

“But…”

Aslan began to protest, his face turning red.

He was even more embarrassed to be caught worrying about such a trivial thing. Lysian smiled softly and stabbed a well-cooked piece of meat with her fork. The meat’s elasticity resisted the fork’s entry, but it was eventually pierced, leaving a deep indentation.

“A lion should eat meat. How can you be strong if you only eat grass?”

Lysian smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. Then she clapped her hands. As if on cue, a huge plate of meat appeared from behind the servants who had been standing a step back. The plate of meat was placed in front of Aslan.

Lysian rested her chin on her clasped hands and smiled.

“Eat well and do your work.”

Lysian smiled contentedly and added that she looked forward to tonight. Aslan, who knew exactly what she meant, clenched his jaw and his face turned as red as it could get.

If his earlier redness was due to embarrassment, this was due to excessive excitement. Lysian laughed loudly again at Aslan’s face, which was as red as a ripe tomato. It was a laugh filled with satisfaction.

Late at night, Lysian reached out and felt around the bed, noticing the empty space beside her. Feeling only the soft silk sheets beneath her fingertips, she realized Aslan was gone and sat up.

A breeze, slipping through a slightly opened terrace window, made the curtains flutter. A large shadow loomed behind the translucent white curtains. Lysian softly called out to him.

“Aslan.”

“The door wasn’t quite closed. Were you cold? I’m sorry.”

Aslan, realizing only then that the door hadn’t closed completely, quickly got up from the terrace. Lysian, wearing a soft fur robe over her thin slip, shook her head and walked towards the terrace where Aslan was.

“No. It’s because you’re not here.”

Aslan was only half-dressed. His sturdy upper body glowed blue in the moonlight. His muscles were as hard as stone, but there were traces of old wounds, like tattoos.

As Lysian stepped out onto the terrace, the cold night air brushed against her fair skin. Aslan’s touch, fastening her robe, was gentle.

Aslan added,

“Wear warm clothes when you attend the meeting tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“I think it’s going to rain tomorrow, looking at the sky.”

Aslan looked up at the sky.

The moon was surrounded by a thick halo. The light spread out hazily around the moon, making it difficult to distinguish where the moon ended and the light began. It always rained the day after a halo appeared around the moon.

Lysian wasn’t as healthy as Aslan.

While Aslan could sleep soundly even in the dewy grass, Lysian’s condition worsened as soon as the air became damp. Seeing the sky, Aslan was already worried about Lysian’s condition. Knowing or not knowing Aslan’s worry, Lysian’s eyes widened.

“Oh.”

Lysian gently wrapped her arms around Aslan’s waist. Aslan’s warm body heated her up. Lysian rested her forehead against Aslan’s chest. The feel of his bare skin against her forehead was pleasant.

“That reminds me of my father.”

Lysian’s father, an astronomer, often took her to read the sky. She couldn’t remember the names of the stars or what kind of weather would come when the clouds were low, but the sound of her father’s voice as he spoke softly while looking at the sky was vividly remembered.

Aslan blinked his eyes. His golden eyes, unable to decide whether to be happy or not, stared blindly at Lysian.

“Is that a point?”

“It is.”

Lysian saw her late mother, the former queen, in her reflection in Aslan’s moonlit eyes. It was the image of a queen in love, shyly smiling in front of her father.