After Putting the Slayer of the Night to Sleep, I Ran Away - Chapter 99

What do I feel?

Ayla pressed her lips shut, unable to answer.

From the day she first heard the word “bastard” from the maids a long time ago. Ayla had lived her life pressing down the accumulating emotions in her heart. Having been pressed down so much that she didn’t even know what shape they were anymore, how could she possibly recognize what kind of emotions they were if she took them out?

“I don’t know.”

The answer that came out after a long time was small, and sounded like an empty echo.

“Really, I don’t know.”

Unlike her forced smile, her beautiful eyes quickly turned red.

“It’s something to be happy about, but I’m not entirely happy. Why is that?”

“Ayla.”

Leo called her softly.

“That’s natural.”

“Is that so? I just feel sorry to you. I said it wasn’t, but it wasn’t not, after all.”

“You’re worrying about unnecessary things again.”

He bent down to meet Ayla’s eye level.

“Listen carefully. Whoever’s daughter you are, it doesn’t matter to me. What’s important to me is…”

“……?”

“You, you yourself.”

“I’m important…?”

Complex emotions flashed across Ayla’s trembling eyes.

She was curious. Why he was saying such things, why he was looking at her so intently.

“Why? Why am I important? What am I?”

“I told you. I like you.”

It was a confession as natural as breathing, but Ayla’s world stopped instantly.

“I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel to have found you in the Moonlight Mansion that day.”

Looking into her wide eyes, Leo slowly revealed his heart.

“When you proposed a contract marriage, I blamed myself for not accepting it right away.”

“You!”

“Just as you worried about your parents’ faults, I worried about my curse that stole the night. I was worried that you might think I wanted you because of that curse. No, that I might want you because of it. It was difficult for me to even acknowledge my own feelings.”

He carefully reached out and covered her tightly clenched hand.

“That’s why I couldn’t say it easily.”

Ayla’s hand was colder than he thought. Leo covered the back of her hand with his other hand to convey warmth.

“To me, you are… Like a gift that the goddess accidentally dropped. That’s why I’m scared. I’m afraid that the goddess, who has always been ruthless to me, will take you back. I’m afraid of that.”

“Where would I go? Our marriage contract doesn’t even have a divorce clause…”

“Ah. That’s one thing I did very well.”

Leo laughed softly.

“So don’t worry about anything and stay by my side, Ayla.”

“…Can I really?”

A tear that had been welling up in the corner of her eye flowed silently down her cheek.

“Of course. Do what you want by my side. I’ll always be a place to return to.”

“A place to return to.”

Tears welled up and began to fall.

Her heart was endlessly full.

“A place to return to. I, a place to return to.”

At this moment, it felt like she finally had a real place to return to.

She remembered a boy who reached out to her when she was young.

The happiness that seemed like a mirage that she thought she would never grasp again, finally felt like it was in her hands.

She was happy. She was joyful.

That she had a place to return to.

That that place was this man.

“I like it…”

The emotions that had welled up in her throat burst out as tears.

Tears fell in drops as she nodded her head.

Leo chuckled and approached her with a still gentle smile.

“Why are you crying?”

“Because I’m happy.”

“Because of me?”

At his jokingly thrown words, Ayla nodded her head greatly.

“Yes.”

“…Huh?”

“I like you. I’ve always liked you. I don’t know when it started, but just. I don’t know why, but just. No, just everything.”

Leo’s expression went blank at her sudden confession.

He ran his hand over his mouth as if he couldn’t believe it, and then let out a hollow laugh.

“This is a bit of a foul.”

He leaned over, tilting his neck while standing, and brought his face close to hers.

His face, handsome enough to take her breath away, smiled brightly in front of her.

Thump, thump, thump.

Leo swallowed hard, staring at her heart pounding wildly.

“Then we’re at the point where we can kiss, right?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ayla’s hands suddenly grabbed his collar.

“Uh!”

The moment he braced his hands on the armrests from the force of being pulled forward, her soft lips touched his lips like a seal.

His eyes, which had widened for a moment, slowly curved and slowly closed.

The darkened vision felt like a distant night.

He felt like he had everything in this moment, the night that had been so cruelly dark for him.

He became impatient with her clumsily moving lips.

She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to suppress his growing thirst.

“Haa!.”

Leo couldn’t hold back and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up as if to embrace her.

Even in the midst of that, her clinging, not trying to take her lips away, exhausted what little patience he had left.

Eventually, Leo scooped Ayla up and strode across the room.

Leo, who carefully laid her down on the bed, lowered his turbid red eyes.

‘Can I go further?’

Ayla, who met his conflicted gaze, reached out her arms and demanded as if whining.

“Hold me.”

“…I don’t have the confidence to just hold you.”

“I feel the same way.”

Leo burst out laughing at her words, pouting her lips.

“…Haa. Really?”

He swept back his hair as if he couldn’t help it and muttered to himself.

“I’m really not going to be lenient.”

Then, the desire that was seething between his eyes as he looked down at her again flickered.

Morning sunlight gently seeped in through the window.

Ayla was breathing evenly with her eyes closed, and Leo, who hadn’t slept all night, was quietly looking down at her face.

Blue hair spread out on the white sheets, faintly flushed cheeks, and slightly heaving shoulders.

Leo checked and checked again the way she was sleeping in his arms in a defenseless state.

‘…It’s like a lie.’

He never imagined that this kind of morning would come to him.

Really, he never thought that such a dreamlike day would come.

Leo couldn’t help but hug the sleeping Ayla even tighter.

No matter how much he strained his arms, he felt that the warmth filling his arms was not enough.

Even while holding her last night, he was endlessly worried.

‘Should I make her gain weight after all?’

Wouldn’t he have to do that to hold her as much as he wanted?

That way, he would feel a little more at ease.

‘Oh, come on. What am I thinking?’

Just as he was realizing his unfamiliar self and clicking his tongue, Ayla, who was in his arms, tossed and turned as if she had woken up.

“…Did you wake up?”

“Um, yes! When did you wake up?”

“I didn’t sleep, I didn’t.”

“You didn’t sleep? Why? Were you not able to sleep?”

“How could I sleep? With such a beautiful wife lying next to me.”

Ayla widened her eyes and glared lightly at his playfully teasing words.

“Tch. You slept just fine.”

“Who says?”

“I saw everything. You did that at the Flambour Pier, and at the hunting lodge.”

“Do you really think I was asleep?”

Ayla’s eyes blinked questioningly at Leo’s words, as if he was having fun.

“I can say with certainty that I didn’t fall asleep while you were awake.”

“Then you were pretending to sleep? Why?”

“Why do you think?”

Leo’s thumb, which had been tracing her cheek, rubbed her lips.

“Think about it, Ayla.”

His hand came down, tracing the line of Ayla’s neck, who was swallowing hard at the suddenly rising temperature.

Then, he stroked the hollowed-out collarbone with his palm, then caressed her round shoulder and went down under her arm.

“Because of this.”

His voice echoed softly in her ear.

“If I didn’t even pretend to sleep.”

His hand met Ayla’s palm, interlocking his fingers.

“It’s obvious that I wouldn’t be able to restrain myself like I am now.”

Leo’s lips were stamped on Ayla’s forehead, on the bridge of her nose, and on both cheeks in turn.

“Ah! I didn’t know.”

Ayla, who was blushing on both cheeks and obediently entrusting her face to his lips, was indescribably lovely.

Leo smiled as beautifully as he could and whispered.

“It’s okay. There’s no need to restrain myself anymore.”

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