CHAPTER 32
Today, for the first time, Asilia realized that a person’s eyes could look like burning flames.
She swallowed dryly as she met Cretes’s unwavering gaze.
Unable to answer his question right away, Cretes slowly began to step back.
“It’s over!”
In a panic, Asilia grabbed onto Cretes’s collar.
He halted mid-step, and his distant gaze returned to her.
“Wait… I-it’s not over.”
The words barely escaped Asilia’s lips.
Before she could say another word, his large body descended upon her.
His thick tongue pushed between her parted lips.
At first, he only gently entangled his tongue with hers, as if teaching her how to kiss. Then, he tilted his head and devoured her fully, leaving no space between them.
While stealing her breath, his large hand slid up along her waist.
Her shawl had long since slipped off and fallen to the floor.
“Asilia.”
He whispered her name and kissed her rounded shoulder. Each time his lips grazed her skin and bit down, a high-pitched gasp escaped her lips.
He rubbed his face across her clothes, then bit down on the soft mound rising beneath the thin fabric.
“Ah!”
It felt like a flash of lightning exploded at the edge of her vision.
Frightened by the unfamiliar sensation, she clutched the sheets tightly. Then his tongue began to tease her chest.
“Y-Your Majesty…!”
The breathless voice that left her lips didn’t even sound like her own.
“Your name.”
He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes.
His golden eyes, blazing with passion, sparkled more brightly than ever.
The faint heat that had begun to rise now engulfed her entire body. Everywhere his lips touched felt as if it had been scorched.
“Cre… Cretes. Cretes.”
Asilia kept repeating his name, as if doing so might ground her in the midst of these overwhelming sensations.
Now. Asilia. Use the dagger under the pillow. Stab him in the heart.
A voice she had never heard before echoed in her ears.
Cretes’s lips traced her solar plexus, her belly, and her navel before moving lower.
When his tongue flicked at the sensitive nub between her legs, her back arched.
“N-No, s-stop…!”
Asilia twisted her body.
The pleasure was too much—too intense to endure.
Wet, explicit sounds filled the room.
Asilia trembled violently as a rush of something warm spilled out from inside her.
The heat was dizzying. Her vision blurred.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
Cretes kissed her eyelids as she panted for breath.
Kill him now. You have to. If you don’t… he must die! Kill him!
The voice returned, louder, more desperate than before.
It was commanding her—screaming at her—to kill the man before her.
Asilia blinked slowly, then twisted her body.
That’s right… the dagger beneath the pillow…
Just then, Cretes’s strong hand gripped her hips.
“Asilia.”
His voice, brimming with affection, called her name.
No. No, no, no!!
The voice inside her head shrieked, echoing painfully. And at that moment, Cretes entered her in one deep thrust.
“Haaah!”
A loud moan burst from her lips, and the voice screaming in her head was silenced.
Overwhelmed by the sensation, she gasped for breath, her mouth falling open. Cretes leaned down, tangling his tongue with hers.
“Breathe.”
As tears welled in Asilia’s golden eyes, he kissed her gently near the corner of her eye.
He pulled away slightly, as if ready to retreat, then thrust deep inside once more, leaving his mark again and again.
“Cre… Cretes…!”
With half-lidded eyes, Asilia murmured his name.
Sweet moans she didn’t know she could make slipped out between his name.
Worried that his patience might snap, Cretes growled softly.
“If you want to walk tomorrow, you’d better not be so tempting.”
“Mm…!”
“Then again, since when have you ever listened to me?”
Cretes smiled, though there was a trace of nervousness behind it.
Asilia reached up and stroked his cheek.
“Still…”
“…”
“You’ll take responsibility for me, won’t you?”
She smiled faintly, and Cretes let out a dry chuckle.
“Looks like neither of us will be getting out of bed today.”
In his quiet murmur, Asilia laughed softly.
For the first time in her life, she felt truly happy.
Cretes, lying in bed, gently caressed Asilia’s cheek.
Though it was well past her usual wake-up time, she still hadn’t opened her eyes—likely exhausted from the night.
“I thought you hated me…”
Cretes couldn’t claim to know her well, but he could distinguish between what she would and wouldn’t do.
Even if Runoa had told her about Cretes’s condition, Asilia wouldn’t have volunteered herself for this. At least, the Asilia he knew wouldn’t have.
And this wasn’t a simple thing—it was intimacy. Something that required serious resolve.
“It’s not that I hated you.”
Cretes’s eyes widened in surprise.
Asilia slowly opened her eyes and met his gaze.
“I never truly hated you.”
She had simply never expressed her feelings honestly.
Cretes smiled faintly at her words.
As he reached out to brush her hair behind her ear, he looked like a predator who had finally captured all he desired.
“Can you get up?”
“I’m not sure. My body feels heavier than I expected.”
“I’ll have Fymos prepare some food.”
But despite their words, neither of them moved to leave the bed.
“Your Majesty, Chief Advisor Runoa requests an audience.”
Eventually, they were forced to rise when someone knocked and spoke at the door.
Asilia tried to sit up, but Cretes grabbed her wrist.
“Can you really stand?”
She laughed at his genuine concern and lightly poked his nose.
“I’m not as fragile as someone.”
Though smaller and more delicate in appearance, Asilia was a knight trained through harsh discipline.
There was pain, sure—but nothing she couldn’t endure.
“Let him in.”
Once Asilia had dressed properly and permitted entry, Runoa stepped into the room.
“…It seems your condition has stabilized.”
Did he not need to look closely to know?
“His Majesty is doing better for now, but this isn’t a permanent fix. Unless the root cause is resolved, he could collapse again at any time.”
“…”
“If you don’t intend to resolve it, you’ll need to continue the marital bond. If you conceive, there’ll be a period where that’s no longer possible, so keep that in mind.”
Runoa spoke matter-of-factly about their intimate life, causing Cretes’s face to twist with irritation.
“You’ve been awfully chatty lately, Advisor.”
“…”
“If you’ve said your piece, then leave.”
Cretes waved him off.
Clearly annoyed, Runoa backed away a few steps.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
Just then, a maid burst into the room in a panic.
Asilia, who had been seated, turned her head toward the commotion.
“Your Majesty, it’s terrible! Something terrible has happened!”
The maid served Isaiah. Asilia quickly stood, her heart pounding.
“Sir Heathcliff is coughing up blood!”
At the horrified cry, Cretes moved first.
He strode out of the room with long strides, and Asilia followed closely.
They found Isaiah clutching his throat, body convulsing.
“Guh… urgh…!”
The pristine white sheets were stained with dark red blood, and Isaiah clawed at the floor with trembling hands.
Cretes rushed over, cupped Isaiah’s face, and said firmly:
“Sleep. Dreamlessly.”
It was a command imbued with power.
Isaiah’s eyes widened briefly—then his body collapsed limply.
“Is he… Is Isaiah okay?”
Asilia approached. Cretes gently lifted Isaiah and laid him back on the bed.
“He must’ve briefly awakened while unconscious from his poor condition.”
“…”
Asilia bit her inner lip.
If Cretes’s power weakened, the spell cast on Isaiah would also fade.
And then…
“If this continues, Isaiah might actually die.”
Cretes didn’t deny it.
Without a solution, they’d continue running in circles.
And that wasn’t the only problem.
“When I was with Cretes yesterday, I heard a strange voice…”
A voice telling her to kill him.
A voice that sounded familiar—eerily like the one from the dream she’d been trapped in for so long.
Suppressing the brainwashing isn’t enough.
They needed to resolve the root cause.
Asilia turned to Cretes and said:
