Chapter 94

"Kaywhin, I'm so hot."

"..."

"This fever is so strong... can't I just take a single layer off?"

"..."

"I won't take off all my clothes, just a layer. Let me take it off just, one, single layer."

Of course there was a problem with this request. Yelena was currently wearing only one layer of clothing. Even if you counted her underwear -which would still barely count as another layer- but in any case, under these circumstances, taking off a 'single layer' of clothing meant taking off everything.

Kaywhin wasn't overly flustered by Yelena's shocking pleas. Instead he just got up, walked over to the window, ripped off the curtains, and brought them back to the bed. As he returned, his expression was perfectly calm, as if he had known that this would happen.

Truth be told, the symptoms of the drug that Yelena had taken didn't end with just the fever, dizziness, and a bit of heightened sensitivity. While those were the physical side-effects, there were also mental side-effects of taking the drug.

The drug also clouded a person's judgment. To an extreme extent. All the thinking and reasoning that someone usually went through before they said or did anything was wiped away.

To put it simply, Yelena appeared to be in a state of extreme drunkenness.

As a matter of fact, the lord whose name Yelena had placed on her blacklist had been anticipating this when he gave Kaywhin this drug. After using this drug to impair Kaywhin from being able to think clearly, he had sent a woman to him for the purpose of extracting information and creating favorable negotiating conditions.

Or at least that was the result he'd been hoping for.

Of course the actual result turned out to be the exact opposite of what he had planned, with the lord being forced to pay the price of losing half of his wealth as his business went bankrupt.

"I can take it off, right?"

Kaywhin calmly looked down at Yelena, who was staring up at him while clutching her coat and looked like she was about to throw off the sheer piece of clothing at any moment.

It seemed that a large quantity of the drug had been mixed into the wine. And if Yelena actually lacked any resistance to the drug, as her current appearance seemed to indicate, that would only amplify the symptoms.

Tomorrow, she might not even be able to remember the details of what happened tonight.

While thinking that it might be better for Yelena if she did end up forgetting, Kaywhin sternly said, "I can't let you do that."

"Why not?"

"The window is open. If you take off all your clothes now, then you'll definitely be feeling sick tomorrow."

"Who said that I'll take off all my clothes? I already told you, I'm only going to take off one layer."

"I can't let you do that."

"....mmh, I didn't want to say this, but I think that if I stay like this, I might just end up taking my last breath and dying due to the heat? Wouldn't it be better for me to just make it through tonight and get sick tomorrow, rather than die today?"

"You're not going to die. And I still can't let you do that."

Yelena's eyes trembled. She seemed to feel betrayed by Kaywhin's resoluteness.

"What if I really die... How can you do this to me, husband...? Even though I trusted you..."

"..."

"Whatever. I'm just going to take it off. It looks like I need to save myself. Who cares about your opinion anyway, husband!"

Crying out these words, Yelena pulled off her nightgown without any hesitation.

But at about the same moment, Kaywhin sprang into action.

"Huh?"

In an instant, Yelena's body had been rolled up inside a curtain. Having had her movements restrained in the blink of an eye, Yelena's eyes widened.

"...this should be better than a blanket. Since it'll be cooler this way."

Taking into consideration both warmth and thickness, he had rolled her inside of a curtain this time, instead of a blanket like he had done before. Of course, Yelena currently didn't have the faculties to appreciate his meticulous consideration.

"What do you think you're doing? First you refuse to help me take it off, and now you put even more on? Release me from this immediately!"

"I'm sorry. It might be frustrating at the moment, but this is better than getting sick."

"Why aren't you quickly releasing me? Heeey, somebody help! A husband is murdering his wife!"

While crying out remarks that could be easily misunderstood if anybody had been able to hear them, Yelena struggled for a while before calming down.

Whether it was because she had run out of stamina or because she had realized that it was pointless to continue, Yelena eventually said, "...then at least release one of my arms."

"..."

"It's so that I can hold your hand. I might die at any moment you know, it's that hot. So before I die, this is my last request."

If she had been in her right mind, even she herself would be forced to admit that she was saying nonsense, but at the moment Yelena was completely serious.

Kaywhin debated for a moment, before helplessly loosening the curtain and assisting Yelena in pulling out her arm.

"...I'm holding your hand."

Yelena smiled innocently as she laced her fingers in between Kaywhin's. With this, the two had reached the second stage of skinship for couples who were just getting to know each other, 'interlocked hands'.

Although it was uncertain if Yelena would be able to recall this by tomorrow.

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