May Every Wound Be Fatal - vanish into fiction

Apart from becoming quite accustomed to Elizer’s presence, Reyna occasionally felt awkward about the fact that she had a husband.

“The more I look at him—no, every time I look at him—he is handsome. Although his expression is a bit scary…”

In truth, there were still moments when she felt intimidated by him. Because his face was always stiff rather than smiling, he inevitably looked as though he were angry.

Of course, he was not as scary as he appeared. Rather, he looked so precarious, as if he might crumble at any moment, that she felt like she ought to protect him. It was quite a funny thought, even to her, considering she was the one who couldn’t even leave the bed on her own. Still…

“…It bothers me because it feels like it is my fault.”

His sleeping face felt a bit softer than usual. Finding that fascinating, she watched his face for a long while before unknowingly poking his cheek with her index finger. Then, she held her breath, late to regret her actions.

Fortunately, he did not wake up.

He must have been very exhausted. Becoming a bit bolder, Reyna reached out again and tried fiddling with his golden hair, just as he secretly did to her.

It was softer than she had imagined. She wanted to touch it a bit more, but when she saw his eyelids twitch, she hurriedly pulled her hand away.

Her heart picked up speed. Like a child caught doing something bad, she froze involuntarily and swallowed hard.

Fortunately, this time too, he did not wake up.

While letting out a sigh of relief inwardly, Reyna felt strangely regretful that the day had ended like this. Thus, even after resting her head on the pillow again, she could not close her eyes and stared at his sleeping face for a long time.

Elizer, Elizer.

She repeated his name in her mind.

She knew a little bit about what kind of person he was now, but she still could not remember him. That fact no longer made her feel anxious or restless. However, her curiosity about him grew more and more.

Reyna watched him for a long while after that before drifting off to sleep.

That night, Reyna had a dream. It was a dream where a younger Elizer smiled brightly at her under a night sky that looked as if the stars were about to pour down.

“…”

Once Reyna fell asleep, Elizer slowly lifted his eyelids.

He hadn’t intended to pretend to sleep from the start. Whenever Reyna’s comfortable breathing and disheveled hair were visible in the dim moonlight, his pulse would unknowingly slow down, and he would fall into a light doze.

Of course, since he had only fallen into a light sleep, he couldn’t help but wake up easily at even a small sound. Elizer woke the moment Reyna slowly raised her body.

Why is she not sleeping? Surely, she isn’t in pain again…

However, his closed eyelids were so heavy that it was difficult to lift them again.

The observant gaze continued.

It was the middle of the night, but the light from the glass lamp illuminated the room, albeit dimly. He realized belatedly that he should hide his face. However, his body would not move as he wished. It was the moment he was helplessly falling back into the grasp of sleep against his will.

Something suddenly poked his cheek.

In that instant, he was wide awake.

“…”

However, when one is too surprised, even a groan does not come out. While he froze, not knowing what to do, her bold touch began to fiddle with his hair. He couldn’t help but flinch at the ticklish sensation.

A startled Reyna quickly pulled her hand away, and Elizer continued to pretend to sleep.

Fortunately, she did not approach any further and lay back down in her spot. It was a long time after that when her gaze disappeared and the sound of regular breathing was heard.

As he carefully raised his head, he saw Reyna’s face as she slept, oblivious to the world. Reyna, who looked as if she wouldn’t notice even if someone carried her away, occasionally tossed her head as if dreaming. It didn’t seem like she was having a nightmare.

Only then did Elizer relax his tension a bit and leaned his head against the edge of the bed again. Slowly blinking his heavy eyes, he took in her defenseless face a bit more. Perhaps she had become somewhat accustomed to the unfamiliar environment, as Reyna had not looked very anxious lately.

Her innocence in knowing nothing, and her kindness.

The emotions given to Elizer were a sense of relief that allowed him to breathe, followed by a suffocating sense of guilt.