CHAPTER 41………..
In My Eyes, Only You Are Beautiful
When Mick’s face, ruined by burns, appeared before me, tears welled in my eyes without my realizing. How much pain he must have endured.
I carefully reached out a hand toward his face but stopped halfway. Even the lightest touch on his wounds might cause him agony.
Then he caught my hand and gently pressed it against his cheek.
When my palm touched his face, he winced faintly as if in pain, but he pressed the back of my hand firmly, pressing my palm more closely against his cheek.
Seeing that, I decided at once to use my power.
“You know how much I loved your face, right?”
“I know. That’s why I tried so hard to never let my face be injured…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll restore it to how it was.”
“What do you mean…?”
“The truth is, I’ve awakened a special ability.”
I slowly guided the heat welling up from my lower belly to the tips of my fingers.
“Don’t take lightly my obsession with your face. I’ll never, ever give it up.”
With a playful smile, I placed my right hand—now charged with strong currents of energy—on his forehead.
“Leah?”
“Shh! If you talk while I’m healing, I can’t concentrate.”
Keeping my hand on his forehead, I slowly sat down beside him.
A cool, bluish aura spread from my hand and wrapped around his face. Mick closed his eyes and let out a peaceful breath.
“Leah… I feel so hazy…”
“Just stay still, just like that.”
I slowly stroked his face with my right hand. The burning heat that surged in my belly turned into a cool energy as it flowed out through my fingertips.
As that energy spread over Mick’s face, his charred forehead, cheeks, nose, and lips gradually regained their original shape.
I focused harder, growing anxious to hurry the process, and suddenly my heart pounded abnormally.
“Ugh!”
A stabbing pain pierced my chest, and the metallic stench of blood surged up my throat. A moment later, I vomited blood.
My dress was ruined, my fingertips trembled, but thankfully Mick’s eyes were closed, and since he had even lost his sense of smell, he didn’t notice my condition.
It felt as though all energy drained from my body at once, but I couldn’t stop now.
His familiar face was resurfacing, like something long submerged slowly rising to the water’s surface.
‘Ah… this man is too handsome.’
Even in exhaustion, joy welled up inside me, and the healing power surged stronger in response.
Unable to bear the force, I staggered and braced myself against his shoulder.
“Leah?”
Sensing something odd, he tried to open his eyes, but I quickly covered them with my left hand.
“Keep them shut. Don’t move yet.”
“Hm…”
With a dissatisfied groan, he pulled me tightly into his arms. It was better this way.
I had no strength left to hold myself up, so I leaned comfortably against his chest, gasping for breath.
Perhaps stirred by my breathing, he tightened his arms around me.
He lowered his lips toward mine.
I quickly turned my face aside. If he noticed the blood, he might realize.
Besides, if I kissed him now with what little energy I had left, I might fail to finish healing his remaining wounds.
“Not yet. You tried to hide your injury from me, so you need a little punishment.”
“Hm…”
He groaned longer, sounding displeased, but perhaps his conscience pricked him, for he stopped pressing and stayed still.
I gently stroked his face again, erasing the last traces of burn scars.
I still needed to heal the wounds on his back, but I no longer had the strength to rise.
So instead, I spread my arms and embraced him, stroking his back with my palms.
He flinched at first, then pulled me closer. Caught off guard, I ended up straddling his thighs, facing him as I embraced him.
Yes, this position was better to heal his back from the front.
I stroked slowly down his back. Each time my palm brushed a wound, healing energy seeped through and closed it.
“Mmm… Leah, it feels so soothing.”
He pulled me close, burying his nose in my neck.
I continued pouring out energy into his back, until all strength drained from me. And then, in his arms, I lost consciousness.
Darkness.
A soft sensation touched the back of my hand—it was lips.
My body reacted as though pulled up from underwater by a powerful force.
“Leah, are you awake? Do you recognize me?”
At Mick’s voice, I slowly opened my eyes.
He was gripping my hand tightly, gazing down at me in worry. I gave a faint smile and nodded.
“Haah… thank goodness.”
He sighed in deep relief, rubbing his cheek against the back of my hand.
“What happened?”
“You lost consciousness while healing me. When I saw you had fainted, blood on your lips, I was terrified.”
His words jolted me awake.
“And your wounds? Are they healed?”
“As if by miracle, they’re all gone. Duke Xenon and even the palace physician were so stunned they nearly lost their wits. How did you do it?”
“After our wedding night, suddenly the healing power that had been sealed within me reawakened.”
I told him briefly about how my healing ability first manifested when I was five, after seeing my mother badly injured; how she made me drink something that sealed it away; and how, mysteriously, it returned after our first night together.
He listened intently, eyes wide, not missing a single word.
“You truly are… the most extraordinary woman. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“When you were telling me about the ‘Dragon’s Breath,’ I was going to, but…”
“But?”
“You silenced me with a kiss!”
I pouted in complaint. Mick, remembering how he held me three days and nights without letting go, gave an embarrassed smile.
But then he complained again.
“You had plenty of chances after that. You could’ve told me when feeding me…”
“How could I? You kept stealing kisses with every bite.”
“You could’ve said something in the greenhouse.”
“I was too busy trying to soothe you after you crushed that rare golden rose out of jealousy.”
Our eyes met, and suddenly we both burst out laughing.
We laughed together for a long time, until he took my hand and pressed a kiss to its back.
The laughter faded from his lips, replaced by a heavy tension. I didn’t even dare blink.
His dark eyes deepened into an even darker indigo, and he lowered his head, gently biting and releasing my lower lip.
Hot breath slipped through my parted lips.
His kiss was slow and gentle, not rushed but careful, as though caressing every corner.
He treated my lips as delicately as a fragile flower, mindful that I had just awakened from unconsciousness.
But I was the more impatient one. In the end, I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, pulling him closer. I wanted to feel him more deeply.
He was always mine, always by my side—or so I thought. But the reality that he could be hurt, that he might vanish on some battlefield, made me cling to him desperately.
All my longing, worry, and fear burst out at once as I sought his lips again, arms locked around him.
At last Mick lost control. He leaned over me on the bed, pressing my nape firmly, kissing me fervently.
He devoured my mouth hungrily, then trailed kisses over my cheeks, brows, forehead, nose, eyes, and ears.
The joy of being loved by him swelled my chest until it ached.
Panting, I pulled his head against me, and his lips drifted down my jawline, neck, and collarbone.
“Mick, lift your head. I want to check if your face really healed.”
“Of course… always my face with you, isn’t it?”
He chuckled while holding me. The vibration of his laughter reached deep inside me, warming me.
He lifted his head to meet my gaze. I cupped his face, examining him closely, then smiled in satisfaction.
“Perfect.”
I loved that beautiful face—and I was proud that I had preserved it.
I pressed a light kiss to his lips, but he looked back at me with worried eyes.
“Leah, every time you use your power, do you cough blood and faint like that?”
“It depends on how much energy I use. But I’m improving little by little.”
“I can’t bear seeing you collapse. Don’t ever use that power again.”
As he lowered his lips to my neck, I was suddenly seized by mischief.
I lowered my eyes coyly.
“Tell me honestly. Did you injure your face on purpose, just to get rid of me, the face-obsessed one?”
“What!”
I grabbed his hair with both hands and tugged sharply.
“Princess Malau told me. That night at her castle, you and she spent a very hot night together.”
As I spoke, genuine anger flared.
“How hot could it have been, that she couldn’t forget it and came all the way here herself?”
“Hot, indeed. Hot enough that her neck nearly went flying off her shoulders!”
“You mean… you truly felt nothing for her?”
“I should summon the Chancellor right now.”
Instead of answering, he tried to pull the bell rope.
He seemed truly ready to call someone, so I grabbed his hand quickly.
“Princess Shine is really beautiful, you know.”
“In my eyes, only you are beautiful.”
He tucked my tousled hair behind my ear with long fingers. Even though I knew his words were just sweet talk, I couldn’t stop my lips from curling upward.
“I heard the Malau delegation is staying at Fritan Castle. But if she dared to stir your heart with such lies, I’ll have her sent away immediately.”
He muttered through clenched teeth. His anger only made him more endearing. I cupped his face with both hands and playfully shook it side to side.
“Find another way. I already used that trick—it won’t work again.”
I told him how Princess Shine had once angered me badly, cut her own tongue as apology, and how I reattached it with my power.
Proud of myself, I shared the story, but he frowned deeply.
“Did you lose consciousness then too?”
“No. Just a little dizziness.”
“Promise me, Leah. Don’t use your power again.”
“Alright. I’ll only use it if your face gets hurt.”
“You hopeless face-obsessed girl.”
With laughter in his eyes, he began showering kisses all over my face.
“Mick, that tickles.”
“Stay still. Move and it’ll tickle even more.”
“That makes no sense—ah, stop, Mick!”
I turned my head this way and that to avoid his lips, but he caught my ankle, lifted my foot, and began tickling me with kisses on my sole.
I was hopelessly weak to tickling, thrashing and writhing until I was trapped in his arms.
We tangled and struggled, then burst out laughing together, collapsing in each other’s embrace.
But then—
“Your Majesty the Queen, please… please help me… sob…”
From outside the door came Millie’s desperate, tearful voice.
