Chapter 48

That night—

Jesalde stood in front of the door connecting his room to Lilith's, lost in thought.

Visiting her without a specific purpose would be a bother.

However, the uneasy feeling that lingered after their argument last night made him restless.

He regretted not asking for more details about the Shana creation in Toyzen after he returned to his room.

Deciding to visit her room to inquire about the details, Jesalde stopped in his tracks.

This was not a conversation to have so late at night, and Lilith might already be asleep.

Despite this, Jesalde headed towards Lilith's room again.

He thought that if she was still awake, they could talk about the day's events or just have a casual conversation.

Gently opening the door to Lilith's bedroom, Jesalde felt a pang of disappointment.

Lilith was sound asleep, making his earlier hesitation seem futile.

The light by her pillow was still on, and writing tools were placed on the side table.

Even as Jesalde quietly stepped into the room, Lilith showed no signs of waking.

Overcome by a slight sense of guilt, Jesalde stood by her pillow and gazed at her.

Since taking her as his wife, Jesalde's life had changed dramatically.

At first, he had thought of her as nothing more than an additional burden, believing that avoiding her would allow him to continue his life as before.

Now, however, he found himself being completely turned around by her.

He suddenly realized that if Lilith were to wake up and catch him staring at her, she would be shocked and uncomfortable, so he quickly turned to leave.

But—

"Jed"

Hearing his name, Jesalde stopped and turned around.

"Sorry, did I wake you...?"

However, Jesalde's apology trailed off.

Lilith's eyes were still closed, and it seemed she had been talking in her sleep.

Relieved, Jesalde gazed at her sleeping face again.

When they first met, he had deliberately avoided her to prevent himself from developing feelings.

Still, her green eyes had left a strong impression and drawn him in.

Now, though her eyes were hidden, her long lashes, small nose, and cute lips were endearing.

Her lips, which moved so often, usually gave the impression that she was always smiling, but he had started to notice the subtle differences in her smiles.

Lilith's smile last night was definitely one of anger.

However, he couldn't understand what had made her so angry.

Furrowing his brow as he recalled the incident, Jesalde noticed that Lilith, who should have been asleep, was smiling happily in her dream.

Impressed that she could smile even in her sleep, he was about to leave when Lilith's expression changed.

She scrunched her face in distress and clenched her teeth.

A faint groan could be heard.

Worried, Jesalde hesitated about whether to wake her, and just as he was about to call out, Lilith's eyes flew open and she screamed.

"---No way, that's ridiculous!"

Jesalde froze, his hand halfway to her.

Despite surviving numerous battles, he had never been so startled.

Trying to calm his racing heart, Jesalde took a deep breath, as did Lilith, who sat up.

"Are you okay, Lilith?"

"Jed!? W-what, what... I'm fine!"

Lilith, clearly surprised to see Jesalde, answered his question hesitantly and looked around nervously.

"This is your bedroom. I came to your room..."

"That... Did I make noise? I'm sorry. Sometimes I have dreams and end up shouting..."

"No... Are you really okay? You seemed to be having a nightmare..."

Jesalde had not come because of her scream but out of concern.

His vague explanation was due to his unease, but his worry was genuine.

Lilith thought for a moment and then smiled awkwardly.

"I'm really fine. I'm sorry for worrying you. As I said earlier, I often have dreams and shout or thrash around. If you notice, please don't wake me. Waking up in the middle of a dream leaves me feeling unsettled and uncomfortable. Please don't."

"Understood."

Despite Lilith's unnatural explanation, Jesalde nodded in agreement.

Lately, he had come to accept things simply because they were "Lilith."

Smiling in relief, Lilith returned his slight smile and then brought up something that had been on her mind.

"By the way, what dream were you having just now?"

"Eh?"

Lilith, who had been relieved that Jesalde had accepted her explanation, panicked at this question.

Jesalde, genuinely interested, sat on the bed.

Lilith hesitated for a moment, considering whether to brush it off, but decided to tell the truth since it was a real dream.

"It was our honeymoon, and Jed took me to the sea."

"But we don't have plans to go to the sea—"

"It was a dream."

"Oh, right."

Lilith quickly interjected when Jesalde tried to respond seriously.

Remembering the purpose of the conversation, Jesalde laughed.

Lately, Jesalde had been more natural in his laughter, which made Lilith happy, and she continued her story.

"So, we were on a very large ship, and just as we were about to set sail, Jed handed me an oar and said, 'Row us forward.' But there was no one else on the ship except Jed and me, and there was only one oar. Suddenly, Jed was on land, waving at me. I tried to row, but the oar couldn't reach the water, and it was very difficult."

"That must have been tough."

"Yes."

Jesalde sympathized with Lilith's sigh.

At first, she had thought it might be a prophetic dream.

She had seen the sea and a large ship in her reality dreams before, so she recognized them.

However, things started to seem odd when she was given the oar, and she realized it was a real dream. When she woke up, she was quite surprised to find Jesalde there, almost thinking it was still a dream.

"I hope you have a better dream next time."

With that, Jesalde stood up.

Lilith, without thinking, grabbed the hem of his coat.

"Um! Sorry about last night."

"Hmm?"

"I was very disrespectful. I cause you a lot of trouble with my selfishness."

"No... I've never thought of it as a bother. I was just a bit surprised. I often unintentionally upset people. I probably upset you that way."

"No, that's not it... I was just a bit irritated..."

Lilith started to deny it but remembered her thoughtless comments from the night before and answered awkwardly.

Jesalde smiled and gently held her hand, which was still gripping his coat.

"We're both imperfect people. But that's normal. So, if I upset you again, don't hesitate to get angry. You're one of the few who can do that."

"Then, please get angry at me too. I often speak and act without thinking. I was often scolded by my mother in Freud..."

"Then, we're even."

Jesalde's expression was so kind, and the warmth from his hand made Lilith's heart warm as well.

This made her say more than she intended.

Jesalde chuckled and lightly kissed her hand.

"Good night, Lilith. Have sweet dreams."

"Good night!"

Lilith, blushing, watched Jesalde leave the room.

It felt like they were a couple in love.

Confused, Lilith burrowed into her futon and writhed in frustration.