Chapter 86…
“Hmm? Hm? Isn’t it nice? Come on, lie down.”
It was obvious that Clearthus’s resolve had completely crumbled.
Before Clearthus could change his mind, Elli sprang up and patted the bed.
But Clearthus just stared at the bed without moving.
The bed was right next to the window.
So the flashes and the rumbling booms were even easier to see and hear.
He didn’t want to climb back into that bed.
“Not a lullaby….”
Just going back to the bed made him tense.
Clearthus wiped the sweat from his palms onto his clothes and bit his dry lips.
Was it okay to ask for something like this first?
Even if they had grown close, wasn’t it too presumptuous?
Even if they spent time together like friends, he was still a king and Elli was still his subject.
“Hm? Not a lullaby—then what? What do you want? What should I do for you?”
But Elli’s eyes sparkled as if anything was fine, waiting for Clearthus to speak.
In that case… maybe he could.
“You said you’d be like my parents….”
“Yeah!”
“So… a goodnight kiss… and… your hand….”
His parents had always tucked him in and kissed him goodnight before bed. Not every night, but on nights he couldn’t fall asleep, they would sit beside him and hold his hand until he drifted off.
There was no one to do that anymore.
He only meant it literally—if Elli was taking the place of his parents, he wanted what his parents used to do.
Even so, for some reason his voice wouldn’t come out properly.
He felt embarrassingly shy.
“Until I fall asleep….”
Mumble, mumble.
If he made a voice like that on the training grounds, Dulsen would scold him to death.
But his confidence had dropped so low there was no strength left in his voice.
He instantly regretted saying anything.
Clearthus shook his head quickly.
“You can refuse!”
“Okay!”
Just when Clearthus was about to retract his words in a panic, Elli cheerfully agreed.
“Huh? Really?”
“Yep! Why?”
“No… nothing….”
“Alright, lie down!”
Now that Elli knew what he wanted, there was no reason to hesitate.
At Elli’s lively command, Clearthus marched back to the bed.
The thunder and lightning outside no longer bothered him.
Because his heartbeat had grown far louder.
Thump! Bang! Thump! Bang!
It felt like his heart had grown ten times bigger.
It felt heavy, as if it weighed down his entire body.
He moved his stiff arms and legs with difficulty and finally lay down.
Even lying down, his heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest, making it hard to breathe properly.
“Hold on a moment.”
Elli dragged the blanket she had placed on the floor up onto the bed.
She struggled with it alone, so Clearthus tried to sit up to help.
“No. Stay still.”
But at Elli’s firm refusal, sealed with a hand pressing gently on his chest, Clearthus obediently lay back down.
Elli eventually managed to cover him with the blanket on her own.
Tucking it neatly under his chin as if wrapping him up, she exhaled in satisfaction and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Wrapped up like a bundled package, Clearthus rolled only his eyes to look at her.
“Okay, now I’ll put you to sleep.”
Elli climbed onto the bed with small fidgeting movements and sat down.
Her gaze downward had an oddly mature air.
“From now on, Clearthus is the baby.”
“…….”
Not… exactly what he meant.
He just wanted Elli to do it as Elli, not like a mother.
But Clearthus stayed quiet and let her do whatever she wanted.
And in the meantime, Elli fully indulged in her role.
“You had a tough day today… and the thunder and lightning must’ve scared you a lot… but the dream world will be peaceful.”
“…….”
Clearthus gave a tiny nod.
She was a year younger, yet so dependable and admirable.
“Shall we head to dreamland now? Goodnight, Clearthus.”
Finishing her farewell, Elli cupped Clearthus’s cheeks with both hands.
That was when something strange began happening in Clearthus’s heart.
As Elli leaned in to give him a goodnight kiss, the nearness of her body froze him stiff.
It wasn’t like they had never bumped into each other during training.
They had even rolled around together while fully pressed against each other.
So why was he suddenly so embarrassed he could hardly endure it, just from her leaning in?
Under the blanket, Clearthus curled and wriggled his toes.
Elli’s lips drew close and lightly touched his forehead—smooch.
Elli pressed her soft lips to his forehead without hesitation.
But Clearthus could not remain calm.
“……!”
A loud scream that could not escape his throat exploded through his mind.
What was that? What just happened?
Did Elli’s lips really touch my forehead?
Was that sensation really her lips?
It was a goodnight kiss.
A kiss was defined as lips touching.
Which meant—
‘Elli kissed my foreheaaaaaad!!!’
Clearthus screamed inside.
His heart pounded wildly, the thunder outside crashed, and his mind yelled in chaos. Flashing, booming, roaring—inside and outside.
It was the noisiest night imaginable.
“Our Clearthus, such a good boy. Time to sleep.”
Elli, having learned from books, did a surprisingly good job imitating a mother.
In contrast to Clearthus’s inner world, which was on the verge of erupting, Elli’s world was peaceful and calm.
Seated beside him, she brushed back his hair with her small hand, patted his chest, and soothed him like a mother would.
“Pretty boy. My baby. Elli will keep the thunder and lightning away. Don’t worry, sleep tight.”
“…….”
Clearthus’s inner turmoil continued swirling endlessly.
When he was with Elli, even thunder reminded him more of buttery popcorn before fear.
But when alone, it would probably still frighten him a little.
He only wanted her to hold his hand… like a protective charm, maybe… and getting a goodnight kiss would make him feel like he’d dream happily all night.
But now, the one-year-younger baby was treating him like a baby.
Was this right?
Was this really right?
‘But….’
But…
It actually felt kind of nice.
Clearthus pursed his lips but quietly accepted Elli’s touches.
“You need to close your eyes.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Elli gently pressed his eyelids down with her palm.
Clearthus obediently followed.
With his eyes closed, he could still feel the pounding behind them.
Everywhere Elli touched felt like it grew a new heart of its own.
Despite the calm atmosphere, his tension kept rising.
‘How am I supposed to sleep like this?!’
At this rate, he felt like he’d stay awake all night.
And Elli needed to go back to her room—she couldn’t stay forever.
But he didn’t want to tell her she could go now, either.
What should he do? What now?!
Whether she understood his silent panic or not, Elli stayed immersed in her mother-role.
“Rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye, my Clearthus. Pretty baby Clearthus….”
He didn’t know what country the song was from, or if it even existed, but Elli sang it nonstop with enthusiasm.
In the middle of it, she even found his hand under the blankets and held it tight.
Patting the back of his hand, rubbing his palm, tracing the shape of his nails, poking the bones on his hand.
It was hard to tell whether she was trying to put him to sleep or messing with his hand out of personal curiosity.
“Rock-a… rock-a. Clearthus… asleep?”
“Not yet.”
“Mm-hm. Rock-a, rock-a… my baby Clearthus….”
Elli refused to give up.
She held Clearthus’s hand tightly to the very end.
Maybe thanks to her dedication, Clearthus’s heart—once ten times its normal size—slowly shrank back to normal. The heartbeats in his eyelids and fingertips faded away.
He focused on Elli’s warm touch in his hand, and on the steady breathing beside him.
“Rock-a-bye….”
Even Elli’s voice began to droop with drowsiness.
Before long, Clearthus’s eyelids felt too heavy to lift.
“Clearthus, asleep?”
“…No…”
Elli needed to go back to her room.
But because he didn’t want her to leave, he answered that he wasn’t asleep.
Something he would never say if fully awake.
It leaked out as pure instinct—his true feelings.
Clearthus wiggled the hand locked with Elli’s.
He didn’t want her to let go.
He wanted to keep holding her hand.
“…Don’t… go….”
“Mmm….”
Elli replied sleepily.
Both were too drowsy to understand each other’s words properly, yet they acted like they did.
And Elli kept her promise—she did not let go of Clearthus’s hand until he fell asleep.
Or rather, she couldn’t.
Because Elli fell asleep at nearly the exact moment Clearthus did.
The thunder and lightning outside also seemed reluctant to disturb the two children, gradually fading.
The harsh rain thinned to fine threads, and by the time sunlight pierced through the clouds like silver strands, the two children were still deep in slumber.
