How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending

A wet cloth touched my forehead, the back of my neck, the backs of my hands, and my arms before it was lifted away. A low and gentle voice brushed faintly against my ear.

“Ruellin, we cannot light a fire. The storm has stopped, but the rain has not yet ended. Endure it a little longer.”

However, even with that tender patting, my body refused to listen. I kept trembling hard enough that my skin hurt. Without even knowing what I was saying, my frozen lips kept quivering restlessly.

“It is cold. Tristan, please save me.”

At that moment, I heard a quiet sigh above my head and the faint rustle of clothing being removed.

Soon after, warm and solid skin pressed closely against me. My body, shaking like a leaf, burrowed desperately into the heat. I pressed my cheek against his firm chest and greedily sought his body temperature. My hand wandered across the well defined lines of his abdomen, then wrapped tightly around his smooth waist.

He silently stroked my back, then carefully drew me fully into his arms. Once I was enclosed in that warmth, the chill that had consumed my whole body slowly began to recede.

“It is warm.”

With my eyes closed, I rubbed my cheek against his broad chest and murmured. It felt as though my body was gradually melting. His arms tightened a little more around me. Held even deeper in Tristan’s embrace, I slowly drifted into sleep.

❖ ❖ ❖

I did not know how much time had passed.

A soft breath lightly tickled my eyelashes. I slowly opened my eyes to the steady heartbeat of someone beneath me.

“……”

I shut my eyes tight again. I must have definitely seen something wrong just now.

“Ruellin? Are you awake? Ruellin!”

“…Yes.”

I reluctantly opened my eyes again. And I realized. I had not seen anything wrong. Which meant that right now…

“Thank goodness. I worried you would not wake for a long while. Are you still cold, does it hurt anywhere?”

I was sorry that Tristan asked so anxiously, but I had no time to answer such questions.

Because right now, I was curled up completely naked in Tristan’s arms while holding tightly onto his slender waist. And to make it worse, I was wearing nothing but a flimsy piece of silk that barely clung to my shoulders.

‘What is going on? System. System!’

Screaming internally, I searched for the System. While Tristan checked me over in confusion, the blasted pile of scrap metal finally began to twitch to life.

♨ Sudden Event Triggered ♨
Good morning. As always, the user has drawn a sudden event through sudden behavior!

The words the System spat into the air were ominous. I remembered seeing a similar message before.

‘System. Please. No. Do not tell me I did that again. Tell me it is not that. Hurry.’

[Checking event name.]
[Unable to confirm. Retrying (1/10).]
[Unable to confirm. Retrying (2/10).]

……

(No response)

Perhaps I pushed the delicate thing too hard in my panic, because the overly sensitive System had crashed again. I felt the blood drain from my face.

“Ruellin, are you still unwell? Let me check your temperature…”

“Your Grace.”

Tristan had been peering at me, puzzled by my silence, when he asked again about my condition. I cut him off in a hurry and looked up at him. My fingertips trembled harder now than last night when I stood soaked in seawater shivering from the cold.

“Please answer honestly. Do not hide it because you feel embarrassed.”

“…What is the matter?”

My expression must have looked serious, because Tristan’s face stiffened as well. I swallowed dryly and looked at him again.

His black hair had been swept back, showing his neat forehead. Beneath his thick brows, the long outer corners of his eyes framed a straight nose. In the deep blue of his sea colored eyes, confusion and worry surged together. His slightly parted lips moved faintly as if trying to speak.