I Thought I Didn’t Have Long To Live!

Different gazes met in the small room. One side was very embarrassed, while the other looked quite happy. Of course, the embarrassed one was Lariette. Her violet eyes moved from side to side, revealing her shameful feelings.

"I'll sleep on the floor!"

Lariette smiled cheerfully and spoke with a bright voice. She didn't want to show her discomfort, but she stumbled and failed. Doha raised an eyebrow with a subtle smile on his lips. He looked calm. Of course, his pace was not slow. One bed and two people. Naturally, a malicious figure formed in his head. If Lariette had to endure the embarrassment, he had to endure the lust. He must never be caught burning with physiological desire. Originally, he easily controlled that desire, but it wasn't easy in front of her.

"Doha couldn't sleep well yesterday because he was taking care of me. So Doha will sleep on the bed," Lariette laughed and continued. She seemed to have something to say. She just wanted to avoid having an uncomfortable atmosphere with her friend.

"Can we make a patient who had a high fever just a day ago sleep on the floor?"

"No, no, no. It's fine! I'm fine now!"

"No matter how fine you are, you can't sleep on the floor."

Lariette kept insisting that she would sleep on the floor, but Doha firmly refused. It was natural. How could he dare to make the woman he had in his heart sleep on the floor? When she didn't change her mind despite his continued attempts to persuade her, she finally sighed and gave up.

"Uhhhh, you're stubborn. Fine. Then I'll sleep on the bed, can you sleep on the floor, Doha?" she turned and approached the bed. Of course, she expected the answer to come back. But Doha tilted his head as if he had no idea what those words meant.

"No? I'm sensitive, so I can't sleep unless it's on a bed."

Of course, it was a lie. Before entering the temple, he used to sleep on the ground where insects crawled. It was an old memory, but as clear as the damp and cold texture. The floor of the inn would be much cozier compared to that. Lariette opened her mouth because Doha's shameless attitude was absurd. She was tired and agonized, but wondered what kind of joke that was.

"So even if I sleep on the floor..." she tried not to sound annoyed. She simply didn't want to get angry with him just because of that. Doha slowly approached her with a cunning smile, whether he knew her thoughts or not. The unexpected words continued again.

"Are those the only two options?"

"Eh? Then what..."

Doha's smile grew deeper. His lips formed a gentle arc, and the corner of his eyes rose mischievously. Seeing him, Lariette finally realized what he was saying and stopped talking.

"We can sleep together."

Now Lariette's mouth gaped to the point where it couldn't be closed. How could a man and a woman dare to do that?! She wanted to scream immediately, but Doha's words were faster.

"Didn't you say you didn't mind sleeping in the same bed with me?"

"When did I say that?!"

"I said it!"

Lariette swallowed her words. When she thought about it, it seemed like she said that on the train before.

"But that's exactly what I said!"

Her sweet mouth fell silent. With no time to organize her thoughts, Doha pressed his face.

"Rie, do you think I'm a man?" The golden interior of Doha's eyes grew. He seemed surprised. When Lariette, embarrassed, didn't respond immediately, he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you sure?"

"That can't be true!"

Lariette hurriedly responded. Her voice grew louder due to resentment. Doha looked at her with narrowed eyes. It was a suspicious look. Of course, all these actions were calculated, but Lariette didn't realize it at all due to her excellent acting skills. Her heart filled with frustration and thumped in her chest.

"I really don't! I'm very, very, very comfortable with Doha! He seems like a lady! I don't feel anything!"

Doha's passionate assertions of his innocence made her appear shameless. She was aiming for a response like that, but hearing it made her feel dirty. There was nothing more to say. Doha ended his plan with an ironic smile.

"So, can we sleep together?"

"Eh?"

"You say you have no feelings? Was it a lie then?"

"I don't... but..."

"It's enough, go wash up and come. I'm tired, so let's go to bed."

...

"Anyway, there isn't even a blanket on the floor," Doha added, shrugging.

"Is that so?"

Lariette looked at Doha with a confused expression. He simply pushed her back into the bathroom, remaining expressionless for a quick wash. Even after leaving the bathroom, she was still dazed. Doha couldn't tell if she had gone to the bathroom elsewhere. Lariette unconsciously sat on the bed. It was such a small room that there wasn't even a place to sit.

"Can I do this?"

She was just sharing the bed with a friend, but even though she wanted to do something about it, the conservative Lariette within her screamed that it could never happen. While she was in the midst of a struggle with her inner voice, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door. She startled and hurriedly hid under the covers. Then she tightly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Doha, who entered the room after softly knocking, stopped moving when he saw her lying down. Even though he washed his body with cold water, his fever quickly rose.

"Is pretending to sleep the only option?"

She was clearly seen before his eyes. Her body was rigid, her shoulders trembled every time she made a noise, and her eyelashes trembled. Although she pretended to be asleep, she seemed to think that she was deceiving herself well. He silently chuckled at her clumsy behavior. He slowly lay down on the bed, not necessarily pointing out her immaturity. Lariette, lying facing the wall, breathed as the mattress sank. Just by looking, she could sense his nervous gaze. She soon felt a firm muscle against her back. Their arms inevitably touched because the bed was narrow, and she realized that Doha's shoulders were broad.

"Should I sleep on the floor? Oh, I pretended to be asleep for nothing!"

Lariette desperately regretted the decision she unconsciously made. Even breathing bothered her. Her posture was uncomfortable as well. She tossed and turned, making "hmm" sounds for no reason. It was to find a comfortable position and stay away from him. Her fingers kept fluttering. She lay on her back, with her hands under the blanket, believing that they wouldn't be noticed. Of course, Doha, who was aware of his stealthy movements, couldn't ignore it.

"Miss," Lariette halted all her actions at the sudden sound of being called. She didn't even breathe. Of course, she couldn't respond.

...

"I don't think I can sleep if you keep moving like that."

The location was so close that she could feel a low and fascinating voice whispering beneath her ear. It felt as if a breath touched her ear. The touch tickled her so much that Lariette shrugged her shoulders. She felt her cheeks reddening as well. She stopped pretending to be asleep and quickly opened her mouth.

"I'm sorry! I'll go down there and-"

"You're recovering from a cold, just sleep."

A hand firmly held the body that was trying to get up from the bed and stopped it. Thanks to this, Lariette laid her head back on the pillow. When she turned her head towards him, she saw golden eyes looking at her. She didn't even know since when he had been watching. Unlike usual, he seemed quite serious. His eyebrows furrowed, and his closed mouth was very sensual. She couldn't touch him in such a pitiful place. There's also the fun of progressing little by little. Doha thought about that and playfully narrowed his eyes. Soon, his large palms covered Lariette's face. He intended to stop her and make her sleep.

"If you keep moving, you'll acknowledge that I'm a man."

"What are you saying? But you're a woman! Don't be ridiculous, man!" Lariette shouted. It's lucky to know that he's like this, or it was a situation that was misunderstood.

"How do you escape from such an uncomfortable situation?"

Lariette closed her eyes and sighed briefly. And Doha looked at her face. He really enjoyed the situation where he couldn't sleep because he was concerned about herself. He didn't seem like a man at all, but he seemed to have his own consciousness.

"You've escaped from the worst."

She was so glad that she didn't think about same-sex relationships. If she did, she wouldn't have any idea where to start. However, these thoughts dissolved in less than a few minutes.

Snores.

It was because Lariette, who was struggling to fall asleep, quickly headed towards the land of dreams. The day had been very tiring. Doha looked at her with a bewildered expression. He was absolutely dumbfounded.

"Rie, are you really sleeping?"

Snores, snores...

The snores in front of him confirmed that the situation was true. Annoyed, he swept his face with his hand.

"How do we handle this?"

Despite this situation, he didn't know how he was going to survive. He was stiff from the moment he saw Lariette lying down. Finally, after struggling with the lust within him for a long time, he sighed and headed towards the bathroom.

----------

The intense sunlight hit Lariette's skin. She was in a small and run-down inn, so the curtains were not in great condition either. The sun filtered through the hole and shot onto her leg.

"Huh..." Lariette stirred, making a sound of discomfort from the sudden heat she felt.

After a few minutes, there was a large shadow over her body. It was Doha who had lifted her body. He got out of bed, moving carefully so as not to wake Lariette. Then he covered her with a blanket up to her crown.

"Wow... Is it morning already?"

"It's still early, sleep some more."

"Who's telling me to sleep more? Is it Asrahan?"

Lariette, who was half asleep, forgot about the situation and chuckled. It was because she had forgotten everything that had happened and confused Asrahan with being by her side.

"I love Asrahan."

She tried to whisper, as usual, but she was too sleepy to say anything. It was a good thing. Unaware of that situation, Doha smiled again quickly, thinking she looked cute while sleeping. After leaving the room, he went to the bathroom to wash up and get ready. Looking presentable was essential for Lariette to see him. Once he was well-dressed, he descended the stairs to go downstairs. As he walked, he was elegant, although his face seemed tired. It was because he couldn't sleep well today after the previous day. As he descended the stairs, he heard quite a loud noise. There were quite a few people in the restaurant on the ground floor.

"The miss likes food."

He knew she liked desserts, but they wouldn't be suitable for breakfast. Doha was seriously contemplating the breakfast menu while playing with his chin. There was no way he could bring her breakfast in an inn like that, so he was thinking of bringing it directly. As he agonized between pancakes and waffles, a loud voice came from behind him.

"There, ma'am! Turn around!"

"Silver-haired lady, I mean you!" Doha immediately realized that the title was directed at him. He also knew they couldn't have said it without knowing his gender.

"That's why I didn't want to stay at an inn like this."

Doha clicked his tongue for a brief moment. In all cheap inns, the low-quality people were twisted. As he turned his head, a group of mercenaries looked at him with lecherous eyes. One whistled, and another one harassed him.

"Hey, you look better facing me! Why don't you come with me? I'll give you a lot of money."

"Do you think it's just about money? I'll make you taste a man's touch." Doha didn't react much, even though the level of mockery was too much. He just laughed.

"How can they be using the same lines even after ten years?"

Those were words he used to hear every day when he walked down the street. Back then, as a young man with a small body, it was even worse. Today's Doha is taller than most men and has stronger muscles, but this still happens because his face is very handsome. And Doha's response has always been the same. A man who was useless even if he was alive, was going to burn to death with his divine power. There was no trace left, let alone a body, so the clean-up was tidy.

"Is this rookie with parasitic aura laughing?" The man who was in a bad mood stood up and approached Doha. It was ridiculous to believe in his muscles and act fearlessly.

"It would be too much of a fuss to kill him here. I'll deal with him later because I have to feed the lady breakfast... pancakes or waffles?"

Doha continued to worry without showing any interest in the man. Believing that Lariette would prefer waffles with fruit and whipped cream.

"Hey!"

The man shook his fist with harsh words. A dull thud echoed in the restaurant.

-------------------

In the capital, the Duchy of Candel. Asrahan was ready to head west and mounted his horse. It was from his heart that he wanted to start the moment he realized Lariette's fate, but he had to act rationally to find her. Now that she had mastered her stealth level, it would take him more time to locate her. It was not easy to be away for a long time as a duchy owner. He did not sleep and frantically organized the papers. First and foremost, he couldn't sleep because whenever he thought of her, he felt a tingling sensation in his chest. At the same time, he had his members gather all the information about her and soon learned some unpleasant news.

"It is said that High Priest Mikhail Dohabelion has been absent for several days. The Alteon Temple is also greatly embarrassed because the next Pope has suddenly disappeared."

Doha, Lariette valued him greatly and called him her friend. He was also the benefactor who saved her life. His disappearance at a similar time to Lariette's disappearance filled Asrahan's head with terrible imaginings.

"...Find out if there is any information about a silver-haired man passing through the checkpoint in the past few days. If you have any new information, send it directly through magical correspondence."

"Yes, sir."

Even after leaving the capital, Asrahan bought a lot of top-level magical communication tools to obtain information as soon as possible. It was an astronomical amount, but it was not a waste to find her. He finished months' worth of paperwork at an incredibly fast pace and soon was ready to depart. It was time to leave with some familiar Night knights.

"Master! Wait, wait a second!" Hallstein's urgent cry was heard. Asrahan took the reins and stopped the horse.

"Hallstein, what...?"

"A letter has arrived!" Hallstein, who was running frantically behind Asrahan, was out of breath. He quickly added an explanation, "I received a letter from Miss Lariette!"

A white envelope waved in Hallstein's hand.