“You keep misunderstanding something, but what we do is originally a noble and beautiful act of creating new life. Isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“So naturally, it should be based on mutual affection and respect… Even if you don’t know the former, shouldn’t you uphold the latter? Then, does not sleeping beside me mean disrespecting me?”
Rezette couldn’t help but maintain a hint of a smile on his face.
“So I’m truly an inadequate and rude husband.”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Not at first, but lately, yes.” Elise’s candid agreement to his joking remark caught Rezette off guard. “Because you have such a casual attitude, the baby isn’t coming to us.”
“It’s not a casual attitude.”
“Lies.”
“There’s no reason to lie.”
However, Elise seemed skeptical, and Rezette didn’t offer further excuses. He didn’t feel the need to explain that to him, the child was almost like her handcuffs or chains that would bind her.
“Earlier, I meant I don’t want to fall asleep next to anyone. Not just you, Elise. Anyone in the world.”
Dragons have divided phases of activity and hibernation. It wasn’t a big problem to live without sleep. He slept deeply and for long periods once he closed his eyes.
There was no aversion to sleep itself, but the problem arose upon waking. Before the armor-like reason returned, the dragon’s nature would be exposed vulnerably. Rezette summarized briefly.
“You never know what might happen while I’m asleep. There are plenty of precedents.” When he didn’t know this fact, Rezette often woke up in a bed full of blood. Therefore, Rezette usually synchronized the timing of sleep and the onset of madness. It was better to explode all at once.
After a considerable amount of time had passed, extreme outbursts upon waking up were no longer a common occurrence. So, the reluctance to seek someone’s company for sleep was primarily due to psychological factors. Rezette was all too aware of the revulsion that came with waking up in someone else’s sticky, blood-soaked bedding; it was an experience he found indescribably disgusting.
The mere thought of Elizabeth’s blood was something he dared not even entertain in his dreams. However, because he hadn’t fully disclosed his feelings, Elizabeth’s deductions veered slightly off track.
“It seems like you’ve fallen asleep next to another woman and been attacked,” Elizabeth remarked.
“There have been times I couldn’t push them away,” Rezette admitted.
“Genovia Irrien?”
Rezette didn’t outright deny it. It was true that he had unexpectedly received a kiss from her. Meanwhile, Rezette’s attention had been wandering towards Elizabeth’s enticing collarbone for a while now. Her embrace seemed to accentuate her curves, making her even more alluring.
It would be even better if her neckline got a little wet…
But Elizabeth’s words pulled him back to reality. “There’s no one else but me,” she affirmed, her voice small yet resolute. “No matter how you used to live before, the only woman you can freely indulge in now is me. Someone who… can embrace you like this, as if there’s no one else but you.”
Rezette fell silent, caught off guard.
“And probably in the future too, forever.”
At that moment, any distance between them and the bedroom was forgotten.
Elizabeth’s voice resonated with clarity, her words flowing smoothly.
“The essence of what I’m trying to convey is my concern for your irregular sleeping patterns compared to mine. I worry that you might be sacrificing your own rest for my sake,” she expressed gently. However, Rezette seemed to remember something, muttering something under his breath.
“I’m also curious about your sleep habits… What?” Elizabeth paused, her attempt to ease Rezette’s guard falling short. A lone question hung heavily in the dimly lit space.
“Didn’t the doctor mention today being a good day for intimacy?”
“Ah…” Elizabeth’s eyelids fluttered at the abrupt inquiry. Dangerous days…
Freya’s warning about her fertile period starting today echoed in her mind. It was something Rezette couldn’t overlook. With a gentle touch, he lifted her from his embrace and stood her on the ground near a small window. The marks of their previous encounter adorned her body, sending shivers down her spine. Anxious, Elizabeth toyed with her abdomen.
Is it safe?
