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The bedroom trope, Munirang style part 2: subverting expectations.
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Episode 165. About 10 months (42)
“Do you see me as a man now?”
Oh my God. My heart beat loudly.
I wanted to avoid his gaze, staring continuously at me, but I couldn’t turn my head away, as if I was beguiled by a strange power.
"I–I am…"
“Do you remember when I told you that I liked meeting you by coincidence?”
I nodded slowly, as if I was drawn to something.
“That’s the case today as well.”
OMG. Why did he always act so unexpectedly? With a face that exuded wild beauty, he confessed without notice like this.
My heart was not yet immune to this unadulterated confession.
It was hard to breathe.
My heart was pounding painfully. It could be mistaken for liking him, but if anyone else got a confession from such a person or a Prince in a place like this, their heart would be beating as hard as mine.
So, it was a very normal reaction.
I struggled to avoid his eyes, but I eventually managed to look down.
Then, he slowly stepped back and let go of my arm. I could feel his gaze pierce the top of my head.
I needed something to hold, so I grabbed my skirt and belt.
It was better to say this quickly.
“I was thinking about it during my break.”
"…"
"Your Highness… Sir…"
However, because the person I wanted to talk about was right in front of me, I couldn’t get it out easily.
“Look at me.”
I didn’t do anything and clenched the fabric of my skirt.
“Sir…!”
He instantly closed the distance between us and grabbed my chin.
He forced me to look at him. Two emotions reflected in his eyes, that had seemed expressionless so far.
A repetition of lingering expectations, overshadowed by anxiety.
Feelings I never thought I would see in his usually calm and cold eyes.
'No, don’t get caught up in those eyes!'
“Tara, you must be confused…!”
I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them again.
“Not to me.”
"…?"
“Your Highness is not like a man to me. There’s no reason to think of him as a man.”
"…"
A heavy silence fell again.
The stuffy and awkward atmosphere from before was better. Now I felt suffocated enough to feel the air pressure on my body.
I waited and waited, but there were no words, so I carefully looked up.
"…!"
Shaking his head violently, he took off his untied armour and randomly threw it on the table next to his bed.
The clatters of steel were particularly loud.
Kyle grabbed the back of his stiff neck again to see if he could loosen it up. He turned his head, crossed his arms, and looked down in concentration.
At some point, three buttons on his shirt let go, revealing a glimpse of his muscled chest.
‘Ouch. Where is your mind wandering? Stay alert!’
I closed my eyes for a moment, then bravely looked at him.
He looked like he could eat me at any moment.
I took a step back. Fortunately, he didn’t follow.
“Should I say it again?”
“What…?”
“I never failed to get what I want. Of course, it’s frustrating. I may be in a bit of a hurry, so I’ll give you more time.”
“I don’t need it.”
I waved my hand.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Your Highness, I don’t have any time to devote on this kind of dating game right now. I don’t want to do that anymore, particularly with my boss. And, Your Highness, not so long ago, when I asked if you liked me, while I was being investigated for the Dragon Fruit Incident, Your Highness vehemently denied it, saying that the poison had addled my brain and that I was crazy.”
“Did I?”
“Huh… Don’t you remember? Or are you pretending not to? No, isn’t it strange that your feelings changed like this in just a few months?”
"Hey…”
“Put your hand on your chest and think for a moment. Maybe you’re misunderstanding your emotions? You’ve lived with so much control over your feelings, you may have misinterpreted them.”
"Second Aide."
“So, if you think it over calmly once more, the feelings you have for me may not be what you think they are…!”
"Tara!"
He approached me and grabbed my arms. With that action, I quietened down.
“You underestimate me. Am I someone who can't even recognize his feelings properly?"
No. No. He was somebody who dug out those feelings so clearly and perfectly. He found out exactly what even the smallest traces of emotion meant.
“...”
I bit my lip. Then came a random question.
“Why don’t you think it could work?”
I shook my head.
"What?"
“I live in a palace, but I can always build a separate residence in the countryside. I don’t know how to cook, but I can learn. I’m very wealthy and my body is healthy, so I think I’ll live a long time without problems.”
I opened my mouth. His words continued.
"I don't know what size thighs you want, but it's okay. And I can be kind… I don’t have to be kind to everyone, right?”
Why was he taking that so seriously? He stared at my bewildered face and continued to speak without a single smile.
“I never thought I’d have so many flaws by your standards. I thought I had many qualities, but I didn’t. So, I’ll try to meet your standards as much as possible.”
“Huh… Your Highness. Sir… Sir."
My mind blanked and I couldn't think any more.
“You’re getting the medicine, right?” He asked, whether my mind was ready or not.
I thought about what he meant for a moment, seeing as the topic popped up out of nowhere.
"What?"
His gaze was on my left hand. He was asking about the injury from the Hunting Contest.
So suddenly?
Unknowingly, I stretched out my hand, guided by his gaze. His eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Although the young doctor at the hunting grounds had treated me well, and the medicine he’d given me worked well, vivid red marks were left.
“Is the medicine inefficient?”
"What?"
“He seems to be lacking in training.”
I didn't know who he was talking about, but I soon realized that the person he was referring to was the young Imperial doctor.
By the way, how did he know that the Imperial physician treated me? Was he still receiving reports on everything that happened to the Palace’s staff?
I quickly waved my hand for fear that the young doctor might be punished.
“Ah! No. This is good enough, and my family members said that he was quite competent at the Palace...”
He still stared at my hand as if he didn’t like it.
“It will leave a scar.”
His hand neared and I quickly retracted my arm behind my back.
He paused mid-air, his eyes fluttering slightly.
“Do you hate being touched?”
A low-pitched voice filled the room.
"Ah. No. This is just a reflex…”
“Yes. That's it.”
This was my last chance. If I didn’t act now, I’d be dragged around by him like this again. I didn’t want to keep dealing with him forever.
"No. Your Highness, to be honest, it's too much of a burden."
“Am I burdening you?”
He slowly folded his arms and looked at me. His eyes were so intense that it was difficult for me to breathe. Still, I had to speak to him clearly, so I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.
“Yes, Your Highness. Now… Now I must assist Your Highness, but if you keep doing this, I don’t think I’ll be able to concentrate on my work. Then I have no reason to be in the palace anymore. I don’t want this to get in the way of things.”
"…"
“Your Highness and me… I don’t want to.”
I could hardly get the words out of my mouth. I was embarrassed to be honest. I didn’t know exactly what to call it.
Love? A romantic relationship? Ne Ne Ne ~ Ne ~ Ne Ne Ne ~ Ne? Ha… Anyway, I was glad I did it.
Yes, this should be enough.
"Yes? That's right. I see."
Turning around as if he had nothing more to say, he started taking off his shirt, uncaring of whether I was there or not.
Huh? That simple? What? I thought he was going to react strongly.
I tilted my head and asked again.
“Your Highness, are you saying you understand?”
"Yes. I understand what you mean."
A simple answer that felt cold at first glance.
Why was I embarrassed? No. It was done. He said he understood it. Well, couldn’t the Second Prince be like this?
“Then, allow me to leave.”
"Wait a minute."
"Yes?"
After taking off his shirt, he pulled at the string next to his bed.
No way, and this was the person who said he didn’t want to call a servant this late because he didn’t want to be a bad employer.
I stared at his back.
He was just like I’d imagined. His muscles densely lined his back. The old scars on his body added a wild beauty, and his shoulders and waistline were like a sculpture that caught my attention.
Ah… Why did he keep showing himself off in front of my eyes? It couldn’t be done with words, so maybe he was trying to flirt with his body… I was going crazy.
I couldn’t do anything but stare blankly. After a while, someone knocked on his door.
"Come in."
The middle-aged butler courteously greeted Prince Kyle, his expression unchanging even when he saw me in the bedroom.
“Get some hot water and assign two knights to the Second Aide’s carriage.”
"Huh? There’s no need. Bernard is there too."
“It’s late, so just take them with you.”
“This is too kind for someone of my position.”
“Is that too much of a burden? Shall I therefore do it myself?"
"Huh. No, that's even more…"
“Then just go. It’s not just you, if any woman was in my Palace at night, I'd have her escorted."
"Ah… Yes. Your Highness."
Yes. When a person did something like this, they were very well-mannered. A good personality. For a Prince, he was pretty good guy…
In a daze, I looked at the butler and the Second Prince. He turned to me, and from back to front, I’d seen the entire naked upper body of the Prince.
The strong muscles that beautifully covered him from his chest to his stomach caught my eyes, imprinting in my mind.
“… Are you going to stay there until I’m naked?"
He frowned slightly and placed his hands on his waist.
"Yes… Yes? No. I'll go. Yes, go."
I got out of the room. I had no idea what just happened.