Chapter 55: Two People at a Crossroads (8)
Eustar turned to Laila with a somewhat surprised expression.
“Do you mean right now?”
“Since we’re talking about it, we might as well do it. Come on, lie down.”
Was she always this forward? For a moment, Eustar thought so. Pushed by Laila’s momentum, he awkwardly lay down and said,
“Wait a moment, Laila. You’re not saying we have to copy everything tonight, are you?”
“Once we start, we have to finish. Why?”
Eustar moved his lips in confusion.
“This doesn’t seem like something that can be done in just an hour or two.”
Laila rifled through a drawer, found paper and a pen, and looked at him as if to say, Isn’t that obvious?
“You can sleep if you want.”
Her tone was oddly nonchalant. Eustar chuckled for the third time and properly positioned himself on Laila’s bed, propping one cheek on his arm as he looked at her with drowsy, relaxed eyes.
“So you want me to sleep while you’re struggling to draw my body under this dim light?”
“I’m drawing a seal, not your body.”
“Either way, you’ll be looking at me. So you’ve decided not to let me sleep.”
Laila tilted her head slightly. Eustar realized she neither understood the context of their conversation nor had any intention to understand it… He cleared his throat and pressed his forehead against his solid arm.
“All right, Laila. Do as you wish.”
Laila climbed onto the bed with the paper and pen. She needed something firm to support them. Looking around, she took a frame hanging on the wall and placed it under the paper.
Eustar said,
“The painting inside that frame is very precious. If the artist knew, he’d probably be furious.”
“I don’t care.”
Eustar laughed faintly at her simple answer and pressed his forehead back down. For a while, only the scratching of the pen filled the air.
Occasionally, the sound of cuckoos echoed from the forest beyond the royal garden, and the flapping of large birds like owls could be heard. Otherwise, it was silent. Peaceful.
Eustar, keeping silent with his forehead resting as if asleep, spoke.
“On the way to your room earlier, I saw the servants.”
Laila didn’t take her eyes off his back, waiting silently for his next words.
“They said your brother’s condition suddenly worsened.”
The pen never stopped. Laila still didn’t speak… Just as Eustar was about to turn his head slightly, she spoke.
“Your brother’s illness… there’s no cure, is there?”
Eustar, tapping the sheet lightly like a child, answered.
“Probably not. Many doctors have visited, but it only got worse. There were moments of improvement, but very brief ones.”
“And they’re not even sure what disease it is.”
He nodded. “That’s right.” Then, suddenly, he turned slightly to look at Laila. Surprised mid-drawing, Laila snapped her pen up.
“Eustar!”
When she scolded him, Eustar smiled faintly, resting one hand against his temple.
“I don’t think I ever thanked you properly when you said you’d make a tincture for my brother.”
Laila paused and looked at Eustar. He didn’t seem to be joking or teasing her. She suddenly remembered the first time she met Ode…
A man so sickly he seemed like he could die any moment, his cheeks hollow, bones protruding, almost like a living skeleton—how could he be Eustar’s brother?
“Lie down again.”
Eustar obediently followed her. When his long hair fell over his back, Laila gently brushed it aside. Feeling the warmth of his skin, she inexplicably relaxed.
“Now stay still.”
“Understood, ma’am.”
Eustar, grinning like a mischievous child, glanced at her. He expected no reaction, yet Laila looked at him, startled.
“I’m not your wife, Eustar.”
Her voice sounded rigid, almost stubborn.
But Eustar only thought he had upset her; he didn’t realize she was burying her wandering thoughts and fantasies deep inside.
“I was joking. Sorry.”
At his whispered words, the tension in Laila’s shoulders eased slightly.
“I’m not angry.”
“Really? Because I thought…”
“Just stay still.”
And the sound of the pen resumed.
The sharp tip scratched across the paper, gliding over the wet ink, vivid before her eyes, mixed with Laila’s shallow breaths. The cuckoos in the forest cried on.
Without realizing it, Eustar drifted into sleep. Before his consciousness was stolen by the storm, the last thing he felt was the faint touch of Laila’s fingertips.
Somewhere, a ticking sound continued. It wasn’t a knock on the door… nor was it a clock.
Lighter than a knock, heavier than a clock, the sound persisted in Laila’s ears, nudging her groggy consciousness.
“Hmm…”
Curled up, Laila tried to pull the sheet over herself, but the ticking came again, and she felt someone’s breath near her ear.
“Wake up, Laila. We’re late.”
Alert instantly, she sprang up like someone sinking into mud, lightning-fast.
Pain shot through her right shoulder. As she groaned and held it, a strong hand gently stroked her neck and shoulder.
“You slept curled up. No wonder your shoulder hurts.”
It was, of course, Eustar. Already dressed—in a different shirt than yesterday—with his Sentinel uniform pants below. Leather suspenders hung over both forearms.
Laila, still confused for a moment, glanced around. The copy of the seal she’d almost stayed up all night to draw lay neatly on the drawer.
Thinking for a moment, Laila realized the ticking’s source and froze in silent shock: Eustar had flicked his tongue by her ear to make the sound.
Laila asked, flustered,
“You slept here, Eustar?”
Eustar looked serious, as if to explain.
“I swear, I didn’t do anything inappropriate. I fell asleep while you were drawing.”
“I know that. But… didn’t I wake you?”
No, maybe not. It wasn’t until dawn that Laila managed to copy all the seals drawn on Eustar’s back.
Checking each one carefully, she suddenly felt overwhelmingly sleepy…
—Wake up, Eustar. It’s all done.
She whispered, half-asleep, and fell back into sleep herself almost immediately.
It wasn’t really waking him. She hadn’t shaken him or even spoken to him twice or thrice…
Eustar spoke.
“They’ve brought breakfast. Eat quickly before it cools. Then we have to leave right away.”
Rubbing her still-drowsy eyes, Laila looked up at him.
“Leave?”
“Yes. We have work to do.”
Eustar brought her breakfast to the bed. Warm tea, soft bread, fragrant butter, and dried fruits. Her stomach, starved for days, suddenly growled.
Laila first spread butter on the bread and took a bite. For some reason, eating white bread felt like something she hadn’t done in ages.
Since coming to the palace, or even leaving home, she hadn’t been fully aware during meals.
“And you?”
Eustar smiled and sat beside her.
“I’ve already eaten.”
His face seemed to glow in the sunlight streaming through the window. Chewing dried fruit and bread, Laila frowned suddenly.
“Who came here?”
Eustar blinked in surprise at the sudden question.
“Some servants brought breakfast, Mel came, and someone came to bring my clothes…”
“So… everyone knows we slept together last night?”
Is that what she meant? Eustar tilted his head playfully, smiling faintly.
“Those who needed to know probably know. But… isn’t it strange? Only the two of us know we’re only outwardly married. You haven’t forgotten that, right?”
“I haven’t, but…”
Eustar leaned slightly toward Laila. The familiar scent hit her, making her startle.
Hot, clean flesh. At dawn, it reminded her of rain-soaked rocks, but now, under the sun, it smelled differently.
Was it the warmth of the night, or did he wear cologne? Beneath the lavender scent was high-quality leather and the heavy, sweet aroma of vanilla.
It was familiar… Laila realized she had been enveloped in this scent all night. Her face suddenly burned.
Eustar said,
“It’s fine. No strange rumors will spread. We’re married, and using separate rooms on the first night would have been stranger. That might have really caused rumors.”
“You didn’t come.”
Her words, pouting against her heart, surprised even her.
As she sipped tea to hide her embarrassment, Eustar approached with a softer, more charming smile. Though a small movement, his motion across the sheets was graceful.
“I apologize. I thought you’d dislike it… but it turned out to be the wrong assumption. The Deceptor ended up scaring you instead.”
Deceptor. The name made the last trace of sleep in Laila’s eyelids vanish instantly.
“By the way… that demon, Deceptor—is he always by your side? Even if I can’t see him?”
