A Change of Husband - Chapter 51

In the early morning light, with the sky still dim, Asilie opened her eyes.

It was still dark, but from the shapes she could make out, she knew exactly where she was.
This was the bedroom in the Medici Mansion, and she was still lying on the large bed where she had shared love with him the night before.

She felt relieved.
During their time together, she had been so focused on him that she hadn’t thought of anything else.
But in the brief moments between regaining consciousness and opening her eyes, she had felt a strong fear.

Asilie pulled off the blanket that covered her.
Her bare skin was exposed to the cool air, and goosebumps appeared on her arms.

“You’re already awake?”

At the sound of Esperad’s voice, Asilie flinched and turned toward him.
He was looking at her with half-open eyes.

“Did I wake you?”

“No. I wasn’t sleeping deeply in the first place.”

“What? Why not…”

Asilie trailed off, looking at him with worried eyes.
Then he placed a hand on her head and suddenly pulled her into his arms.

“Esperad?”

“I couldn’t believe this was real… I was afraid it might just be a dream. So without realizing it, I felt uneasy and couldn’t sleep properly.”

“You couldn’t believe it?”

“This is the moment I’ve always dreamed of. That’s why I was so scared it might not be real.”

Asilie widened her eyes.
She had always thought he was so different from her, so it was hard to believe that he too had felt the same kind of fear.
But strangely, she felt comforted knowing they had shared the same feeling.

“But I’m okay now. You’re still in my arms, and I can still feel your warmth.”

Asilie closed her eyes and leaned against him.

“I felt the same.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I opened my eyes, I was scared that what I experienced last night wasn’t real. I was afraid that once I woke up, the real world would come crashing in and it would be horrible.”

She wanted to explain more, but she couldn’t.
The terrible reality she feared wasn’t something Esperad would ever create—he couldn’t even imagine it.
It frustrated her, but instead of expressing her sadness, she smiled.

“But now I believe it.”

“Believe what?”

“You. As long as you’re with me, I won’t have to face that terrible reality.”

It was a sweet answer.
Esperad couldn’t hide his feelings and smiled brightly, pressing a kiss to her smooth forehead.

“Aren’t you tired? You should get some more sleep. I’ll stay by your side.”

“It’s okay. I actually have to go to the Grandier Duchy this evening, and I didn’t get any work done yesterday…”

The kiss they shared in the office suddenly came to mind, and Asilie trailed off again.
Even though they had shared such deep love just hours ago, that simple kiss still made her blush.
Maybe it was because she had never truly felt connected to someone while being touched before.

Blushing, Asilie suddenly got up from his arms.

“Asilie?”

“Now that I think about it, I need to get ready and start work. I won’t be able to do anything this afternoon if I start getting ready late. You should stay in bed a bit longer…”

“If I stay in bed, I’ll just keep thinking about last night. I won’t be able to sleep anyway.”

“What?”

“So I’ll go to the office with you.”

Esperad wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her up.
Starting the morning with him wasn’t something new.
But starting the day in such a loving, tender way—this was the first time.

That’s probably why it didn’t feel familiar, and why she kept feeling shy.
Avoiding his eyes with a red face, Asilie made a decision.
She wouldn’t let herself feel awkward anymore.

Even though they had been married for quite some time, it was only now they had confirmed each other’s hearts.
It was already late, so there was no more time to waste.

Asilie wrapped her arms around his shoulders and stepped down from the bed.

“Then shall we get ready?”

At her shy question, Esperad smiled.

“Let’s do that, Asilie.”

Without giving her a chance to ask anything, he took her hand and led her to the bathroom.
His idea of “together” started from the bathroom.

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