IYAMD: 52

“Your Majesty, are you awake?”

Malik hesitated in front of the tent, unsure as to whether the emperor had awakened. Since Jaha couldn’t speak, there was no one to respond.

“I’ll go in.”

As Malek lifted the fabric at the entrance and stepped inside, he nearly dropped the water jug he was holding.

On the bed, a pale, milk-like hand was resting on the emperor’s bare back. Moreover, the hand was slowly creeping up the emperor’s back, trembling slightly.

As Malek watched the hand grip near the emperor’s shoulder blade, his eyes met Jaha’s as he groggily rose from the bed. His black hair, flowing like a waterfall, framed his face, and his yellow eyes, still drowsy from sleep, were hazy.

Malek swallowed dryly.

Jaha was dressed. Though his white tunic slipped down his shoulder, it was a thin summer tunic that allowed glimpses of his skin, but still, he was clothed.

But why… did the atmosphere feel like that?

The redness of Jaha’s lips, his half-open eyes, and the flushed cheeks—it was an odd contrast to the emperor’s bare upper body and the man practically clinging to him.

Jaha, who had been blinking in a daze, pushed his hair back. Just having woken up, he yawned widely, covering his mouth with his palm.

He tied his hair up and stood up from the bed, looking as usual. Malek finally breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, he felt like he couldn’t breathe from the pressure of the atmosphere the man gave off.

“I brought some water, Jaha.” Malek spoke as he poured water into a basin.

“It seems like it’s still raining, so you should keep it simple this morning. I’ll bring some bread and tea.”

Jaha nodded as he splashed water in the basin with his hand.

“Is there any improvement with His Majesty?”

Jaha turned his head slightly at Malek’s question. With an indifferent expression, he glanced at the emperor lying in bed before nodding at Malek.

“That’s good to hear. I’ll step out for a moment.” After Malek saw Jaha nod without expression, he stepped backward and left the tent.

Just as the fabric of the tent hadn’t fully settled back in place, Malek sighed deeply.

The atmosphere of the man who had just woken up was so intense that, for a moment, he thought the emperor had done something he shouldn’t. Malek shuddered at the thought of the scene he had just witnessed.

It felt as though he had seen something he shouldn’t have. Fleeing the emperor’s tent, Malek quickly walked away.

Jaha washed his face with the water Malek had brought and sighed. The fever had been passed on to him from sleeping so close to the man.

It was already summer, so it made sense that it happened. Still, after washing with lukewarm water, he felt a bit better.

When Jaha returned to the bed, Marsilia seemed to have cooled down and was sleeping more peacefully. From what he had overheard Malek and the physician say yesterday, it seemed that Marsilia would likely sleep for another day or two.

Perhaps it was fortunate that it was raining, as there was no immediate need to do anything.

However, since he had skipped dinner last night and fallen asleep, Jaha wanted to wake him up for breakfast.

Sitting on the bed, Jaha leaned over to gently shake the still-unmoving man.

Some droplets of water, likely from his still-damp hair, dripped onto Marsilia’s bare shoulder.

As Jaha lightly shook the man’s shoulder, ‘Eat something and then go back to sleep. The fever has dropped a lot, so it should be fine to wake you for a bit.’

Not getting any response, Jaha applied more pressure, shaking him harder. Why wasn’t he waking up?

Had something gone wrong? As Jaha shook him with both hands, Marsilia finally shifted, letting out a small, exhausted sound.

Marsilia, who had been keeping his eyes closed, opened them just enough to pull Jaha toward him.

Jaha found himself lying on top of Marsilia as he turned onto his side.

“Did you sleep well?”

Jaha, frustrated, shook his head at the words with a sigh. As he adjusted his messy hair, Marsilia chuckled softly, twisting his body.

“Didn’t sleep well?”

‘It was too hot because of you’

“Did you not sleep because you were worried about me?” Marsilia asked, still lying down, with a teasing smile.

Jaha couldn’t help but think how ridiculous this man was. Sometimes, it felt like he understood everything, but other times, he said nonsensical things with ease. Whether it was a joke or not, there was no need to figure it out.

When Jaha stood up, Marsilia stretched and sat up as well. It seemed he had slept long enough to feel stiff, as he twisted his back and then leaned toward Jaha.

“You said you didn’t sleep well, but you look great.”

That’s impossible.Jaha reached up to touch his own cheek and lowered his eyes. There was no way he had slept well. He didn’t notice how close Marsilia had gotten while he was distracted by touching his face.

Before Jaha could react, he felt Marsilia’s breath on his face.

Their eyes met. Marsilia’s green eyes sparkled as he smiled mischievously.

Before Jaha could focus, Marsilia cupped his face in his palm, still smiling.

“Ahem… Are you awake, Your Majesty?”

Malek, who returned with food, cleared his throat loudly while holding a tray in his hands. Jaha, seeming to take it as a good sign, pushed him aside and got up from his seat.

When he saw the food Malek brought—just bread, tea, biscuits, and cheese, along with two kinds of jam to spread on the bread—it was clear that there wasn’t much for the two of them to share.

Jaha reached out toward the tray and tried to communicate with Malek, alternately pointing at himself and the man sitting on the bed, then gesturing toward the tray.

“I understand. I’ll bring His Majesty’s portion right away,” Malek said.

Surprisingly, communication was immediate. As Jaha nodded, Malek quickly stepped out of the tent. As he left, Jaha briefly caught a glimpse of the rain still pouring heavily outside the fabric of the tent.

Jaha returned to the bed and placed the tray on Marsilia’s lap.

“It’s raining, so we couldn’t cook.”

While explaining the reason for the meager breakfast, Jaha noticed Marsilia watching him with a look of amusement.

“It’s quite humid, isn’t it? Looks like it’s raining,” Marsilia said.

Jaha nodded.

Marsilia, with graceful movements, began to eat the food on the tray. Jaha couldn’t help but be momentarily distracted by how silently the large hand moved.

Marsilia slowly broke the bread, spread some jam on a small piece, and moved with such fluidity that even simple actions looked elegant. He fed the first piece of bread to Jaha before finally eating himself.

The quiet meal continued until Malek returned with General Des. Des lowered his head apologetically upon seeing the emperor still eating.

“Sorry to disturb your meal, Your Majesty. One of the patrol squads from yesterday hasn’t returned yet, so I’m here to report.”

A brief flash of displeasure passed through Marsilia’s eyes at the interruption.

“Not even at night? You’re reporting now that they haven’t returned?”

Sensing the emperor’s irritation, Des immediately knelt on the floor, the rainwater pooling beneath him.

“Everyone’s return was delayed because of the torrential rain yesterday, Your Majesty. It was so bad around midnight that we couldn’t even see, and all we could do was wait.”

“Even so, you should have reported earlier, General.”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I thought you needed rest, so I waited… It was my mistake.”

While the general was reporting, Malek cleared the empty tray and brought in a new one with much more food than before. Seeing the larger portion, Marsilia sighed and picked up a piece of bread.

“Were there any damages from the rain last night?”

“Yes. Two of the tents collapsed, but we fixed them quickly and there were no serious issues.”

“What about the current situation?”

“The ground is too soft for the horses to run properly.”

Marsilia, spreading jam on his bread, asked a few more questions.

“Do you know where the missing squad might have gone? Any reports from the other members?”

“We didn’t send anyone too far since we saw signs of rain in the afternoon. Most of them didn’t go beyond the Deto Mountains, but those who returned later couldn’t find anything due to the rain.”

“According to them, it seems there are no remaining Minotaurs in the territory.”

As Jaha placed a piece of bread in Marsilia’s mouth, he gave the general an order.

“Form a search party and begin the search. But increase the number of members for the search party. It’ll be hard to find tracks because of the rain. Make sure to search thoroughly with more people.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll prepare it right away.”

After General Des left, Marsilia turned to Malik and quietly gave him another order.

“Send a letter to Serez. Briefly explain the situation and let him know that the area is not fully cleared yet. Ask for an update on the situation in the palace as well.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After giving orders, Marsilia smiled sweetly, but why did his narrowed eyes still carry such a cold look?