Chapter 24 - Why Don’t You Break The Contract (1/2)
Chapter 24 – Why Don’t You Break The Contract?
Tilting his head slightly as he raised his chin, Kaligo made eye contact with her. Arms crossed in front of his chest, it was as if he was bragging about something great. “Yes, that was docile.”
“Ha…”
“And… no priest or person from the temple has ever said anything about the thing under my pants.”
Ashia shrugged. “That’s because I’m different from others.”
“…In what way?”
She stopped organizing her tools and looked at him at his continued questioning. “They were probably afraid of the Grand Duke, so, they would have to risk their life if they wanted to say something.”
“…”
Even if he’d already changed his conduct, the rumors surrounding him weren’t at rest at all. But still, Kaligo was one of the great powers of the Karhan Empire and was revered as a tyrant in power. No matter how well-spoken one was, if one day they got on his nerves, their neck would have flown away without fail. Who would have said such a thing in such a situation?
But Ashia was different.
“…Are you saying you’re not?”
“Yes, at least I’m not afraid of you.”
“…”
In fact, she feared nothing in this world except for a situation caused by deviating from the original novel. Besides, it was clear to her now that the original male lead wasn’t Kaligo, but her ex-husband Kaligo. She knew he wasn’t the kind of person to commit such a cruel thing. So there was nothing to be afraid of. Instead of avenging the past, she intended to be more selfish.
“That’s why I’m going to say what I want. If you don’t like it, then why don’t you break the contract first?”
“…”
‘You remember the twenty-fold penalty, right?’
Ashia smiled as she wrinkled her nose.
Kaligo’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at Ashia being like that.
“…”
“…Why? Are you really going to break the contract?”
His hand approached her face. “Oh?” With the tip of his finger, Kaligo carefully swept down her high, slender nose bridge. “…You’re still the same. This habit.”
“…”
It was a habit since childhood. Her playful personality was finally revealed. She often wrinkled her nose and laughed like that when teasing or playing pranks on someone.
‘…Habit?’
Ashia shifted her gaze from his fingers to his face. Even as Kaligo lowered his hand, he did not avoid her gaze.
“There will be no breach of contract. Do whatever you want to do.”
“…”
Kaligo moved away, but the heat lingered on Ashia’s nose.
Did he use his aura? Her neck, shoulders, and the bridge of her nose he just touched – all the places he touched were scorching hot.
“…Anyway, I thought we should be careful with each other when the potion you’re drinking isn’t working,” Ashia said as she gently rubbed her nose.
“No way. Did you think I would touch you without your permission?”
“Yes.”
Kaligo didn’t seem to remember that he definitely lost to his desires when he was in a seizure.
‘No, it’s not because it’s me, it probably didn’t matter who the other person was.’
Kaligo, who had no way of knowing what he had done, had a puzzled expression on his face. “There were rumors about me that way, but now…”
Cutting off his words, Ashia answered naturally. “Am I not pretty?”
“…”
Her question was bold, arrogant, even. Even so, Kaligo couldn’t answer because he wasn’t good at telling the truth. As he stared at Ashia, her two big blue eyes were arching and curved.
Kaligo’s gaze went down as the corners of his mouth tugged up playfully.
“Aren’t I a beauty everyone coveted? I’m a little shirt, but I definitely got good body and height ratio.”
“…”
As Ashia took a step back and flapped her robes, her silhouette briefly came into view. Was it to test his self-control, or was she just flaunting it? She smiled brightly when she saw Kaligo staring at her blankly, then put the tools back into her bag. “What would you do to me if you suddenly had a seizure in the middle of the crowd?”
“…Crowd? Who are you talking about?”
“There are a lot, but you should be able to count them.”
“…”
Having organized the tools and materials, Ashia turned around and headed for the bed. “Then, I’ll let you rest as I know you don’t need the potion right now.”
“…”
Ashia snuggled into the warm, cozy bedding. “We will be busy when the day is bright, so we have to sleep.” Shifting into a moderately comfortable position, she lifted the top of the cover and looked up at Kaligo. “Aren’t you coming?”
Kaligo, who had been standing crookedly with his arms crossed, widened his eyes in shock and carefully put down his arms.
“If you’re not coming, I’ll sleep firs…”
“Coming.”
“…”
Kaligo took off his cloak, threw it on the floor, and walked over to the bed.
“No, it’s cold if you take it off…”
Before Ashia could finish her nagging, Kaligo entered.
‘Oh, it definitely feels cramped. Is this really capable of fitting four people?
The temperature increased, the two inadvertently facing each other.
‘Wow… I think this is closer than before?’
There was no place to look at. It would be strange to look at his face, but it was even stranger if she looked down and stared at his body. If she turned her eyes to another place, it was too awkward.
Ashia gulped, turning around despite feeling his gaze bore into her back.
However, it was not as uncomfortable as the first time. Ashia couldn’t sleep when other people were by her side, but for some reason, it seemed like she could sleep deeply now.
Was it because there was a commotion earlier? Or because her face was uncovered?
“…”