“When Sherry becomes of age to marry, I heard that Kamian will become a retired sailor? Strange.”
Kamian’s wide, questioning eyes encompassed me before turning to Sherry. It was an incredulous expression.
“Lies.”
“If you marry an old man, the family’s fortune will dwindle to a pittance. Then Sherry won’t even be able to afford her favourite candies.”
Beside me, Kamian let out a bewildered laugh. However, I don’t mind. Taking hold of Sherry’s outstretched hand, I spoke with a firm tone.
“Whether it’s love or marriage, it’s best to be with someone your own age.”
Sherry sniffled, her struggle to hold back tears evident in her demeanour. Ah, perhaps I spoke unnecessarily. In one’s youth, it is not uncommon to harbour an infatuation for a teacher. Sherry, too, as she matures, may be experiencing that natural process of idolizing and harbouring feelings for someone older.
“Um, Sherry…”
“Liv is bad! Liv likes Kamian and wants to leave me behind!”
“…”
Sherry’s tears burst forth uncontrollably. She clung to Kamian, gasping for air between sobs. Kamian lowered himself and gently stroked the back of Sherry’s head.
Not long after being enveloped in Kamian’s embrace, Sherry’s sobbing subsided. A change had come over her emotions. The onslaught of sadness and melancholy had unmistakably transformed into a pulsating eagerness. She couldn’t even meet my gaze earlier, but now that she had held Kamian once, it seemed she had gained confidence.
Sherry clung to Kamian, refusing to let go until she fell asleep.
After putting Sherry to bed, I closed the door quietly. As the tranquillity of the night seeped into every corner of the house, my eyelids grew heavy.
I wished I could simply jump into bed right away, but there was a problem.
Sherry’s house had a total of four rooms: her parents’ room, Sherry’s room, her brother’s room, and the storage room. Sherry’s brother’s room was practically a storage space, piled high with all sorts of miscellaneous items.
That meant there was only one usable room. Sherry’s parents’ room.
Although there were occasions when Kamian and I fell asleep together in one bed, it was only possible under special circumstances. We would playfully fool around and unexpectedly fall asleep, like that time when Kamian got drunk and ended up in my bed. It happened on a moonlit night, unexpectedly…after s*x, leading to exhaustion, and so on.
Walking side by side to the bed and lying down together was a situation I had never experienced before. I pulled back the covers and settled into my spot before Kamianfollowed suit, extinguishing the lamp. As soon as his weight tilted the adjacent space, my heart thumped without reservation. Why was I so tense and on edge over something so insignificant?
It seemed that the atmosphere had become palpable. Covering ourselves with the couple’s quilt that was meant for married couples, it was inevitable to feel a peculiar sensation.
I nudged Kamian and tightly closed my eyes, convinced that swiftly sinking into sleep would be beneficial for my mental well-being.
Exhaustion had accumulated to the point where I could fall asleep just by resting my head, but it wasn’t easy to sleep in an unfamiliar room. Carelessly tossing and turning, I inadvertently brushed against Kamian behind me and instinctively tensed my legs.
“Liv.”
A deep voice sliced through the darkness. The moment his voice reached my ears, goosebumps crawled up my neck. It eradicated any remnants of drowsiness that remained.
“Yes?”
“Do you have something to say that warrants speaking to a child like that?”
I sensed movement from the adjacent space. His voice sounded even closer.
“No matter how much I may like you, it’s still inappropriate.”
What? Who said anything about liking? That’s such an absurd statement. I felt a surge of emotion, a mix of sorrow and resentment. I abruptly turned over and faced the opposite direction.
“…”
I wanted to tell him to stop spouting nonsense, but my mouth clamped shut as if I had suddenly become tongue-tied. Kamian’s face was unnervingly close. Furthermore, the slight upturn of his smiling lips was both mischievous and beautiful.
He lightly tapped my cheek with his finger.
“Why do you restrain yourself like a child?”
Swallowing the saliva that had gathered beneath my tongue, I regained my composure.
“Aren’t you a prince rather than a prince consort?”
Kamian chuckled softly, not a particularly amusing sound. His hand, which had rested on my cheek, naturally moved up to his ear. The gentle touch of his fingers caressing my earlobe made my shoulder twitch.
“Let go. It tickles.”
“Are you feeling it just from touching your ear?”
“Even though I know I’ll get scolded, I can’t help but make such remarks.”
Kamian smirked and sat up. Wasn’t he about to sleep? I followed suit, half-raising my upper body, but my shoulder felt weighed down. As a result, my head sank back onto the pillow.
I opened my eyes, the sleepiness vanishing, and looked at Kamian.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere.”
“Then why are you getting up?”
“Are you afraid I’ll leave you?”
What is he even saying? I twisted my face and struck his chest with my fist. The guy had the audacity to moan as if it hurt.
“Your way of speaking really annoys me. Can’t you give a straightforward answer without beating around the bush?”
“I’m really in pain.”
“Then hit me and say it hurts. Hit me harder. More.”
I kicked Kamian’s body with my foot, pushing him away. Even though he could have easily withstood it, Kamian fell weakly beneath the bed.
But somehow, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I was the only one suffering. Kamian, who was driven out of the bed, sat on the floor, grinning from ear to ear, while I struggled to catch my breath.
“When Sherry becomes of age to marry, I heard that Kamian will become a retired sailor? Strange.”
Kamian’s wide, questioning eyes encompassed me before turning to Sherry. It was an incredulous expression.
“Lies.”
“If you marry an old man, the family’s fortune will dwindle to a pittance. Then Sherry won’t even be able to afford her favourite candies.”
Beside me, Kamian let out a bewildered laugh. However, I don’t mind. Taking hold of Sherry’s outstretched hand, I spoke with a firm tone.
“Whether it’s love or marriage, it’s best to be with someone your own age.”
Sherry sniffled, her struggle to hold back tears evident in her demeanour. Ah, perhaps I spoke unnecessarily. In one’s youth, it is not uncommon to harbour an infatuation for a teacher. Sherry, too, as she matures, may be experiencing that natural process of idolizing and harbouring feelings for someone older.
“Um, Sherry…”
“Liv is bad! Liv likes Kamian and wants to leave me behind!”
“…”
Sherry’s tears burst forth uncontrollably. She clung to Kamian, gasping for air between sobs. Kamian lowered himself and gently stroked the back of Sherry’s head.
Not long after being enveloped in Kamian’s embrace, Sherry’s sobbing subsided. A change had come over her emotions. The onslaught of sadness and melancholy had unmistakably transformed into a pulsating eagerness. She couldn’t even meet my gaze earlier, but now that she had held Kamian once, it seemed she had gained confidence.
Sherry clung to Kamian, refusing to let go until she fell asleep.
After putting Sherry to bed, I closed the door quietly. As the tranquillity of the night seeped into every corner of the house, my eyelids grew heavy.
I wished I could simply jump into bed right away, but there was a problem.
Sherry’s house had a total of four rooms: her parents’ room, Sherry’s room, her brother’s room, and the storage room. Sherry’s brother’s room was practically a storage space, piled high with all sorts of miscellaneous items.
That meant there was only one usable room. Sherry’s parents’ room.
Although there were occasions when Kamian and I fell asleep together in one bed, it was only possible under special circumstances. We would playfully fool around and unexpectedly fall asleep, like that time when Kamian got drunk and ended up in my bed. It happened on a moonlit night, unexpectedly…after s*x, leading to exhaustion, and so on.
Walking side by side to the bed and lying down together was a situation I had never experienced before. I pulled back the covers and settled into my spot before Kamianfollowed suit, extinguishing the lamp. As soon as his weight tilted the adjacent space, my heart thumped without reservation. Why was I so tense and on edge over something so insignificant?
It seemed that the atmosphere had become palpable. Covering ourselves with the couple’s quilt that was meant for married couples, it was inevitable to feel a peculiar sensation.
I nudged Kamian and tightly closed my eyes, convinced that swiftly sinking into sleep would be beneficial for my mental well-being.
Exhaustion had accumulated to the point where I could fall asleep just by resting my head, but it wasn’t easy to sleep in an unfamiliar room. Carelessly tossing and turning, I inadvertently brushed against Kamian behind me and instinctively tensed my legs.
“Liv.”
A deep voice sliced through the darkness. The moment his voice reached my ears, goosebumps crawled up my neck. It eradicated any remnants of drowsiness that remained.
“Yes?”
“Do you have something to say that warrants speaking to a child like that?”
I sensed movement from the adjacent space. His voice sounded even closer.
“No matter how much I may like you, it’s still inappropriate.”
What? Who said anything about liking? That’s such an absurd statement. I felt a surge of emotion, a mix of sorrow and resentment. I abruptly turned over and faced the opposite direction.
“…”
I wanted to tell him to stop spouting nonsense, but my mouth clamped shut as if I had suddenly become tongue-tied. Kamian’s face was unnervingly close. Furthermore, the slight upturn of his smiling lips was both mischievous and beautiful.
He lightly tapped my cheek with his finger.
“Why do you restrain yourself like a child?”
Swallowing the saliva that had gathered beneath my tongue, I regained my composure.
“Aren’t you a prince rather than a prince consort?”
Kamian chuckled softly, not a particularly amusing sound. His hand, which had rested on my cheek, naturally moved up to his ear. The gentle touch of his fingers caressing my earlobe made my shoulder twitch.
“Let go. It tickles.”
“Are you feeling it just from touching your ear?”
“Even though I know I’ll get scolded, I can’t help but make such remarks.”
Kamian smirked and sat up. Wasn’t he about to sleep? I followed suit, half-raising my upper body, but my shoulder felt weighed down. As a result, my head sank back onto the pillow.
I opened my eyes, the sleepiness vanishing, and looked at Kamian.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere.”
“Then why are you getting up?”
“Are you afraid I’ll leave you?”
What is he even saying? I twisted my face and struck his chest with my fist. The guy had the audacity to moan as if it hurt.
“Your way of speaking really annoys me. Can’t you give a straightforward answer without beating around the bush?”
“I’m really in pain.”
“Then hit me and say it hurts. Hit me harder. More.”
I kicked Kamian’s body with my foot, pushing him away. Even though he could have easily withstood it, Kamian fell weakly beneath the bed.
But somehow, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I was the only one suffering. Kamian, who was driven out of the bed, sat on the floor, grinning from ear to ear, while I struggled to catch my breath.
