I floundered in the air, making eye contact with Arthdal.
“Huh?”
Then, a shattering pain hit my head.
It’s a hell of a headache, damn it.
The fever is rising more and more. I even thought that maybe my body would burn and explode.
I had a burning thirst. I wanted to touch someone. It seemed that this thirst would be quenched only by making contact with others.
“You’d better sleep quietly.”
Enoch’s voice was heard.
When I woke up, I found myself on the bed.
It seemed to be Yuanna’s bedroom on the second floor. Unlike Arthdal’s, which was destroyed by a monster, Yuanna’s bedroom was fine.
I saw Enoch standing by the bedside. He was undressed, but bandages were wrapped around his body.
He didn’t look very good either. But, it didn’t matter to me now.
“How can I sleep like this? Please knock me out, I don’t want to die in pain like this.”
I begged and started crying.
‘My body is itchy.’
I begged him once again.
“Enoch, I’m so embarrassed, so please knock me out.”
Tears flowed down my cheeks regardless of my will. Enoch made a troubled face.
As his doubts grew longer, my patience ran out. I reached out my trembling hand and pulled him by the arm.
Enoch’s face grew closer. His face filled with astonishment. The tips of our noses rub against one another. I stared eagerly at his red lips, which were soft to the touch.
Excited breaths tickled each other’s faces, and I was about to let go of the ties of reason.
‘Please come to your senses, come to your senses.’
I muttered inwardly, but my body hardly followed my commands.
Then Enoch frowned and looked at me, ruffling his hair back.
Biting his lower lip with a troubled look, he pushed me away with a face that looked like he was holding onto something hard.
“Damn it, you’re driving me crazy.”
He gritted his teeth and muttered.
After being rejected by him, I burst into tears with a feeling of relief that somehow made me sad.
“Just knock me out quickly, I’m going to die of shame!”
Enoch leaned slowly toward me. I struggled on the bed and caught my breath for a moment when I saw his face getting closer. He pushed my shoulder aside.
whack-
Then, I felt a strong pain in the back of my neck and my vision became blurry.
That’s a relief. I told him with my mouth to knock me out, but I didn’t really expect him to.
Maybe it’s because I’m not the female lead.
Yeah, well. What suits me is a survival thriller.
***
I think it was early in the morning when I woke up. A bluish light was streaming in through the window above the bedroom.
My vision is still blurry. As I slowly got up, I realized that my arms were tied to the bedposts.
Damn it. I sighed and laid back on the bed.
Then I turned and was startled to see Enoch sitting on the floor and sleeping with his head against the bedpost.
As soon as I saw his face, I clearly remembered what had happened last night and screamed inwardly.
‘Damn it, I’m embarrassed!’
As I was reflecting on last night’s embarrassing history, Enoch opened his eyes.
“……Margaret?”
I made eye contact with Enoch with my hands tied to the bedposts, somewhat embarrassed.
“Why, for some reason, it seems like it’s been a long time.”
Enoch stared me in the face without saying a word. I lowered my gaze at his burdensome gaze.
“Can you untie me?”
I asked without looking Enoch in the eye.
After a moment of silence, a rather heavy sigh was heard. Then a shadow fell over my face. It was because Enoch leaned toward me.
It was only after he loosened the knots that bound me I was able to get up.
As I sat on the bed and patted my wrist, Enoch reached out and grabbed my wrist.
Enoch narrowed his brows and looked at my swollen wrist.
“You have to apply some medicine.”
I kept quiet and didn’t respond.
Enoch, who was holding my wrist, raised his head and looked at me.
“Are you okay?”
“……huh?”
I just blinked with a bewildered face. Enoch looked at my complexion quietly and asked again.
“I asked if you’re okay now.”
“I am okay. What about you?”
He put his hand on my forehead.
“Am I okay?”
I nodded in bewilderment at his strange question. Then he gave a short laugh.
“I am not okay at all.”
He tilted his head and looked at me with a languid look. He rubbed his chin slowly and smiled.
“You really can’t take your eyes off me for a second, Margaret.”
“Oh, of course, I don’t have anything to say about what happened last night, but……”
He didn’t seem to care much about what I said.
“Well…., Enoch? Huh?”
He suddenly hugged me.
Enoch’s arms were warm and firm. He bowed his head and rested his face on my shoulder. A hot breath tickled my shoulder.
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
He buried his face in my shoulder and let out a hoarse voice. I kept my mouth shut without saying a word.
“Shouldn’t you explain what happened, Margaret?”
Enoch moved a little away from me and looked me in the face. His golden eyes scan my complexion thoroughly.
“Where have you been with the Lord?”
“I was attacked by a monster. Do you remember the little silver bird egg we saw in front of the cabin before?”
Enoch thought for a moment at my question and then nodded.
“Didn’t you move it deep in the forest?”
“Kayden found the egg in a different location. As if someone had moved it. When Kayden touched it, it emitted something like poison, but when I did, it was fine. Weird isn’t it? I ran into tarantula monsters after that. It was also in front of the cliff.”
I then told him the story of falling off the cliff, the story of the egg following me, and the story of Eunji hatching and helping us.
“Thank you.”
“Huh? What are you thankful for?”
“Thank you for being safe.”
It was a weird thing to say and I feel like my face is getting hot. Am I still not fully recovered from the effects of the Tentathionem poison?
“……then, what about Enoch? Why the hell did you go so wild?”
“I had to wipe out the monsters.”
I opened my mouth wide at his blunt reply.
“Oh my gosh, you mean you did that on purpose? You know it’s like suicide, right?”
“I believed you would come back.”
Enoch looked at me with eyes full of sincerity.
“What would you do if I didn’t come back in time?”
“I asked the Archbishop to stab me with a sword.”
Stab with a sword….., oh my God.
I rubbed my face. What should I do with this guy?
“Thank you, too.”
“What?”
“Thank you for being safe.”
At my words, he suddenly shut his mouth and looked at me. I looked silently at the tendon growing in his fist.
Then he hugged me again and took a deep breath.
I patted him on the back, waiting for him to calm down.
Enoch was a man of many emotional shortcomings. Maybe my words comforted him. And then suddenly,
“I like you, Margaret. I want you to know that……”
The words he had said just before he fainted came to mind again.
‘Is that true?’
After thinking about it for a while, I couldn’t help but ask him.
“Enoch, were you serious?”
Then Enoch let go of his arms. His face filled my sight.
“What do you mean?”
“Well……”
It’s a bit embarrassing to say it with my own mouth.
“Do you remember coming back to the cabin and what you said to me after that?”
At my question, Enoch wrinkled his nose and said nothing with a thoughtful expression on his face.
“……no, I do not.”
As expected. I guess it was just nonsense like I did last night. I was somehow disappointed. Startled by what I thought, I let out a sigh.
I shook my head and got up from my seat.
“How’s the Archbishop?”
“Well, he’s probably still tied to the door.”
“I am fine now, maybe the Archbishop is too. Shall we go down?”
Enoch, who had been sitting on the bed, looked sad as he got up. He gently stroked my hair.
“Why don’t you rest a little longer?”
I shook my head.
“Ruzef must be having a hard time too, so we have to untie him.”
“Okay. I’ll be by your side anyway, so it’ll be fine.”
Enoch nodded.
Does that mean you will stand by and protect me if Ruzef’s condition doesn’t improve? I tried to ask but held it in.
In the past, I would have been pouring out questions on him without hesitation, but now, oddly enough, I feel a little embarrassed.
I have my own way of interpreting his words; that he will be by my side, but somehow I don’t want to break that interpretation.
Eventually, I gave up asking him.
I went down to the first floor with Enoch. As expected, Ruzef was sitting tied up in front of the door of the cabin, sobbing bitterly.
Then he saw us coming down from the second floor with a happy face.
Arthdal was asleep in front of the fireplace.
By the way, where is Eunji?
I thought as I untied Ruzef’s wrists.
And if the Tentathionem is starting to bloom….., is Kayden all right?