Chapter 56
“Meow?”
At his half-pleading, half-commanding words, Ishtar blinked in confusion.
What he meant by asking her to “keep him company right now” was clear enough—he wanted to kiss her.
And once she changed form, she would have to remain human until morning. If she wanted to stay human through the next day as well, she’d have to kiss him again.
Her emotions must have been written all over her face, because he could clearly see her confusion and hesitation.
“I see. It must be hard for you,” Suleiman said softly.
Then, using every ounce of his cunning, he lowered his eyes and pretended to look as though he might cry.
Startled, the little cat looked at him in flustered panic.
She was so endearingly cute and lovely that he wanted to scoop her up and bite her cheeks.
Afraid his dark, unholy thoughts might show, Suleiman covered part of his face with his hand and went on, his tone full of false humility.
“Ishtar, just having you here beside me like this is enough. Asking for more would make me a wretch deserving of divine punishment. It’s my fault anyway—for being such a lonely fool with no real friends.”
“Meow!”
The innocent little kitten seemed to believe him completely.
She shook her head so hard in denial that it made his chest tighten painfully.
“So, does that mean yes?”
Gulp.
The small cat swallowed nervously, her tiny body tensing up.
But Suleiman, pretending not to notice, put on a touched, emotional look.
“I knew it. You’re the only one for me, Ishtar. Thank you.”
Embarrassed, the kitten shuffled her paws—but her twitching lips betrayed how pleased she secretly was.
Fearing she might change her mind, Suleiman quickly gathered her up in his arms and carried her into the adjoining room.
He had already prepared a nightgown for her there. After gently laying her under the blanket, he pressed his lips softly to hers.
Whoosh—
A faint, airy sound escaped, and the previously flat blanket began to rise like a small hill.
Moments later, the blanket quivered—and from beneath it emerged the face of a beautiful woman with silver hair.
“…Transformation complete.”
Wrapped tightly in the white blanket, she gazed up at him, her cheeks flushed pink with shyness.
She looked so irresistibly lovely that he almost couldn’t stand it.
Perhaps he’d stared a bit too long, because her small voice slipped out like a whisper.
“Could you… wait outside for a minute?”
“Ah—sorry.”
Suleiman quickly turned around and left the room.
After a bit of rustling from within, the door cracked open. Ishtar, now wearing the nightgown, peeked her head through.
“You can come in now.”
He nodded and followed her inside.
Her room—connected directly to his bedchamber—was small but cozy. The only drawback was that, being so late at night, the air had turned chilly.
“It’s cold. I’ll light a fire.”
“Oh… thank you.”
The capital, close to the desert, had wide temperature swings. Even in midsummer, the nights could be cold enough that people often kept a fire burning.
While Ishtar lit a lamp and a few candles to brighten the room, Suleiman crouched before the hearth and started working the bellows.
“You’re really unusual, Suleiman,” she said.
“How so?”
“A prince wouldn’t normally do that himself. It’s strange seeing someone of your rank making fires like it’s nothing.”
“I’m used to it. Honestly, being waited on all the time makes me uncomfortable. I’ve spent most of my life surrounded by people I couldn’t trust.”
Once the fire caught, he dusted off his hands and stood up. Ishtar looked at him with a faintly sympathetic expression.
Had he said too much?
Suleiman gave a rueful smile and reached out, gently running his hand through her hair.
“I was trying to play the pitiful one earlier, but… I didn’t mean to make you look like that.”
“‘Play the pitiful one’?” she echoed.
“Yeah. I just wanted to see you in human form tonight, no matter what.”
Realization dawned on her face. Her eyes narrowed, and her cheeks puffed up in anger.
“What! Really! I thought something serious had happened! Do you know how worried I was?”
“Ow… sorry!”
She marched right up to him and began pummeling his chest with her small fists. Even the mild sting of her punches felt sweet to him.
I must be completely gone, he thought.
Smiling to himself, he caught her wrists and pulled her suddenly into his arms.
“Ah—!”
“This way, you can’t hit me anymore.”
Of course, that was just an excuse.
Holding her there, he buried his nose in the soft skin of her neck, inhaling her scent deeply.
That intoxicating sweetness sent his heart racing and his blood burning hot through his veins.
I’m going to lose my mind at this rate.
If simply holding her made him feel like this, what would happen if he held her tighter—if every inch of her body pressed against his?
He didn’t want a brief, gentle kiss. He wanted one deep enough to make the world blur and vanish.
He wanted to steal her breath, to twine his tongue with hers, to taste every secret hidden in her lips.
“S–Suleiman…?”
She looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, unaware of the sinful thoughts clouding his mind.
With a soft sigh, he loosened his arms and forced himself to pull back.
“Sorry. You startled me for a second there. You’re stronger than I expected, and I just reacted.”
“Ugh… you’re impossible!”
Her punches came again, harder this time—but they only made him chuckle.
“Ah!”
In one swift motion, Suleiman scooped her up into his arms, striding across the room toward the bed.
Her face went crimson as she realized what had happened.
“P–put me down! Suleiman!”
“Alright.”
Thump.
He set her gently down on the bed, then lay beside her.
“It’s kind of cramped in here.”
Her bed, smaller than his, barely had enough room for them both.
Suleiman, tall and broad-shouldered, had to curl up just to fit.
When he leaned on one arm and looked at her calmly from just inches away, she gave him an incredulous look.
“What… are you doing?”
“Putting you to sleep. You always help me fall asleep, so tonight it’s my turn.”
Her expression twisted into something strange.
Normally, Suleiman would fall asleep after she did. Lately, he’d practically become her personal sleep aid—something like a living plush toy.
Frowning faintly, Ishtar pulled the blanket up to her chin and muttered,
“Do you have some kind of grudge against me lately? It feels like you’re just trying to mess with me. If you’ve got a problem, say it.”
“Hm. So you noticed?”
“…Honestly. You’re so annoying.”
She rolled herself up tightly in the blanket and shuffled toward the edge of the bed, trying to get away from him.
Amused, Suleiman watched her cocoon herself, then inched closer again.
“Where do you think you’re going? It’s not like there’s anywhere to run on this tiny bed.”
“Hmph. If I really wanted to, getting away would be easy.”
“Would you really run away from me?”
Their eyes met at close range, breath mingling in the space between them.
In that instant, Suleiman saw it—the hesitation and fear flickering behind her gaze.
She was scared. And beneath that fear lay tangled, complicated feelings toward him.
He wasn’t naïve. Even if she didn’t understand such things between men and women, he could.
She looked away, biting her lip nervously.
So this is what Hürrem meant, he realized suddenly.
I really was blind.
He wanted her near him, yet he’d never once tried to understand what she was thinking—just demanded her affection.
A bitter smile tugged at his lips. He reached out, brushing her hair tenderly.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked something weird like that. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“No… it’s fine. I’m the one who said something strange.”
Her words sounded almost like a quiet farewell, and a hot, tight ache rose in his throat.
But Suleiman clenched his fists, forcing himself to swallow it down.
To change the mood, he brought up another subject.
“I heard you’ve been busy lately. You joined the temple as an official priestess, didn’t you?”
“Yes! I even passed the entry exam. Believe it or not, I’m kind of a promising candidate now.”
“Of course you are. You’re the one who managed to keep my curse under control when no one else could. Aziz told me your true power hasn’t even awakened yet.”
“My true power? He said that?”
“Yes. He said you need to learn how to use your divine energy before that day comes. If you just let it build up, it’ll go to waste.”
She tilted her head, puzzled—then her face lit up in realization.
“So that’s why Lady Hürrem told me to volunteer at the infirmary! I get it now.”
“Infirmary?” His tone sharpened. “What do you mean by that?”
“She suggested I spend some time helping at a city infirmary,” Ishtar said brightly.
A vein pulsed in Suleiman’s temple, tension twisting his expression.
He hadn’t heard a single word about this plan.
And lately, the city was anything but safe.
That his mother would arrange something like this behind his back made fury flare hot inside him.
