The hands of the pocket watch on my ankle were slowly approaching 3 a.m.
Sitting still helped my thoughts settle somewhat. At least I wasn’t cursed, which was a small consolation.
Resting my chin on my knees, I felt a wave of regret wash over me as my emotions calmed down.
Did I go too far with Ahin? I should have at least said something like, “I’m sorry for making you worry.”
‘Wait, did he even worry about me?’
As I turned my head with a pout, I noticed Ahin was still sitting there, his back resting against the glass.
“Ahin?”
I knocked on the glass door, but there was no response.
Could he have fallen asleep like that? Knowing Ahin’s unpredictable behavior, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising.
Realizing we couldn’t stay like this forever, I cautiously stood up.
Click. I unlocked the door and carefully pulled it open. As the door swung inward, Ahin’s body slowly slumped to the floor.
“…What?”
I stared down at him in confusion, my pupils trembling like leaves in the wind. There was no way someone sleeping could be sweating like that.
“Ahin!”
I knelt down quickly, lifting his upper body into my arms. His forehead was drenched in sweat, with his hair plastered against his skin.
It felt like he had a fever. I touched his cheek with the back of my hand, then gently laid him back down.
‘Professor Jinnana.’
There was a guest room for physicians not far from here. I stood up to rush for help but stumbled, falling right back on top of Ahin. He had grabbed my arm and pulled me down.
“Don’t… make a fuss.”
“What—”
Before I could finish, Ahin released my wrist, letting out a ragged breath as he lay back down on the floor.
“After a while, I’ll be fine.”
Just by looking at him, it was clear that “a little while” wouldn’t be enough. As I anxiously observed him, I suddenly recalled the day Ahin had reverted to his true form.
“You had a similar episode last time. What’s going on? Why won’t you see a doctor?”
Someone as powerful as Ahin, who could break through iron doors, couldn’t possibly have a chronic illness. He hadn’t even caught a cold in the past few months. Biting my lip, I fidgeted restlessly.
“At least let me call Everine or someone….”
“No one… should know.”
His firm response came as he struggled to keep his half-closed eyes open.
Like before, it seemed there was something he didn’t want others to see. But what could it be that made him endure such pain without seeking help?
Frustrated, I frowned and threw the glass door open. First, I needed to move him off the cold tile floor.
My wandering eyes settled on the closest piece of furniture—the sofa. Thanking the heavens that I wasn’t in my small rabbit form, I lightly tapped Ahin’s cheek.
“Ahin, can you move?”
He was breathing heavily with his eyes closed, almost as if he had fainted.
‘…This won’t work.’
Springing up, I dashed toward the large velvet sofa.
Huff. I put all my strength into pushing it toward the bathroom, but it didn’t budge an inch. The frame was unnecessarily thick and heavy. I turned back to look at Ahin, lying near the bathroom entrance, and sighed. As always, his body was unnecessarily large and tall.
I gathered my dress up to my knees and grabbed his ankles. I had long since given up the idea of carrying him.
As I pulled with all my might, he thankfully began to move, inch by inch.
Just a little more. Gritting my teeth, I tugged hard when—thud!—a troubling sound came from behind me.
‘…Thud?’
Hoping desperately that it wasn’t what I thought, I turned my head like a statue. Of course. Ahin had hit his head on the leg of the furniture.
‘Oh no, what do I do?’
Speechless, I rubbed the spot where he had hit. Ahin, wincing noticeably, let out a hoarse groan.
“…It hurts.”
Well, if he was whining like that, it didn’t seem to be life-threatening.
“I’ll walk on my own.”
He pushed himself up, running his sweat-soaked hair back from his forehead. His pale face stood out even more as his smooth brow was revealed.
“Why do *you* look more miserable than me?”
“Let me help.”
Half-kneeling, I offered my back, worried he might collapse again. I heard a soft, breathy chuckle before a heavy arm draped over my shoulder. Even though I was only supporting his upper body, it felt like carrying a boulder.
“Shall we walk in sync?”
“You’re joking at a time like this?”
Grumbling, I matched my steps with his, one at a time. It was an awkward posture, somewhere between carrying him and not, but we managed to reach the sofa relatively smoothly.
After finally lying him down completely, I wiped the sweat from my temples with the back of my hand.
“Ahin, if you need anything, just let me know.”
“Don’t you hate me?”
Even as he panted intermittently, his answer was clear and deliberate.
“…Why would I hate you?”
“Didn’t you call me a cursed beast?”
His ears were sharp, it seemed. He must have overheard my muttered grumbling from the bathroom.
“I pretended as if nothing was wrong, hurried to the window, locked the door, and drew the curtains tightly. With the double-paned windows and the thick blackout curtains, not even a breeze could seep through.
I grabbed a soft blanket and returned to the sofa, only to find Ahin drenched in cold sweat, as if it were raining.
His neatly arranged eyebrows were twisted in a mess, and seeing them, my own eyebrows drooped in sympathy.
He had pretended to be fine, but he was clearly not fine at all.
‘It doesn’t seem like a cold.’
If I call a doctor, maybe things will improve. My stomach churned with growing worry. Even though my hands weren’t particularly cold, Ahin’s body temperature was alarmingly high.
After propping up his pillow, I turned around and searched the guest room for a cloth to use as a wet towel. This was the only home remedy I knew.
I sat by the sofa and wiped away his cold sweat with the towel, my eyes falling on his uncomfortable-looking tailcoat.
For a brief moment, an inappropriate thought crossed my mind, and I rubbed my temple in reflection.
‘Beastly rabbit.’
Ahin’s mocking voice echoed in my ears.
For months, we had been sleeping together with Ahin in a dressing gown, so what was the big deal about just taking off his jacket?
I scoffed and, with trembling hands, began to undo the buckles on his jacket. My hands kept slipping unintentionally.
After unbuttoning the vest he wore underneath, I was wrestling with his cravat when—
“Do you need help?“
“Don’t talk to me while I’m busy… What?“
Startled, I clasped my hands together.
“What’s the point of having good posture if your eyes are lecherous?“
“That’s not true!“
I would’ve preferred it if he couldn’t talk at all, just to spare myself. I glared at him, unable to speak my frustration out loud.
Ahin, who had propped himself up on the sofa, managed to take off his jacket and vest before collapsing back down. He could have made two more sharp remarks, but since he didn’t, it was clear this wasn’t an ordinary illness.
He blinked half-lidded eyes and undid his cravat, then bit the fingers of his satin gloves to pull them off.
The struggle I had put in ended so abruptly that it left me feeling empty. The sight of his body, outlined beneath the sweat-soaked shirt, made me uncomfortable, so I grabbed the towel and soaked it in water.
“Vivi, just sleep. I’ll feel better once some time passes.“
His voice, breaking at intervals, didn’t sound like someone who would be feeling better soon. Ignoring him, I diligently wiped his forehead and neck with the wet towel.
Inside, I debated countless times whether or not to use my healing pheromones. Would they even work on an illness and not an injury? What if they had the opposite effect?
Ahin, breathing irregularly, slowly reached out his arm. His rough, calloused fingers brushed against my eyes.
‘Why are you crying?’
He lifted his tear-streaked fingers to his lips and gently licked them. His red tongue slid past his fingers.
Did this predator know how obscene he was being right now? I trembled, fighting the urge to throw the towel over his face.
“See? You’re crying for fun, so what are you hoping to achieve by bringing up family matters?“
Ahin was finally referring to what he had said in the bathroom.
Tears fell, darkening the satin of his shirt. It was strange.
I had held back tears earlier, so why were they flowing now over such a trivial remark? The drops of tears rolled down my cheeks.
In truth, I was overwhelmingly worried.
About Ahin’s sickly appearance, which I didn’t know how to deal with, why he hadn’t called for a doctor, not even informing Everine, what these symptoms were, which seemed more like seizures than a simple cold.
Unable to explain everything, I bit down hard on my lip. Ahin, who had been staring at me with hazy eyes, smiled as the corners of his lips curled upward.
“How could I ever abandon you when you’re like this?”
* * *
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