Chapter 75

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: A Blindfolded Touch
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You walked in so brazenly without even trying to hide. What do you mean, ‘I’ve been found out’?

As I blinked, Diello gazed into my eyes for a moment.

As if trying to read something in them.

After a short pause, he answered.

“You suffered because of me, so it’s only right that I help you recover.”

Well… I scratched my cheek.

“It wasn’t exactly because of you.”

I did it for Argenta’s sake, after all.

At my words, Diello’s smile deepened.

“That may be, but according to Nirua, your aches are from the residual mana that has clumped up in your body.”

He placed a towel in front of me. The maids then set down scented oils and all sorts of massage tools on top of it.

Then they discreetly stepped back.

Don't tell me.

When I glanced up at Diello, he was smiling radiantly.

“Which is why someone who can handle mana with precision must perform the massage.”

Diello tilted his head slightly.

“There are many in Argenta who can handle mana with precision.”

He held out his hand.

“Rick is one, but most of the Argenta knights on the front lines can handle mana with precision. Unfortunately.”

His gaze shifted to the maids and Pielle behind them.

“They can handle mana as well, but they would have more difficulty with fine control than those who frequently fight on the battlefield.”

Then, he spoke to me cautiously.

“I'm afraid that since I'm just recovering from my rampage, I don't think I could bear it if someone were to make a mistake on my precious bride's body.”

He leaned slightly toward me.

“Please, will you permit me?”

There was no need to ask what he was asking permission for.

His fingertips gently traced the round lid of the scented oil. For some reason, it was hard to look away from the movement.

His blue eyes met mine. I looked at his smooth smile and quietly asked.

“…Did you really come in here with only that in mind?”

No ulterior motives?

I looked straight up at him.

After a pause long enough for a few blinks, Diello finally laughed.

“When you look at me like that, I can't bring myself to lie.”

He then took his hand off the scented oil.

And whispered softly to me.

“A few… other thoughts did cross my mind.”

I shouldn't have them, should I?

As I flinched, he hid his hands behind his back.

“But I won't cross the line. I promised I wouldn't.”

He leaned in closer to whisper.

“Unless Croire wishes it.”

His voice was as short and light as a passing breeze.

As if it didn't matter whether I heard it or not.

“Please, will you permit me?”

As he spoke, his gaze rested on me, studying me.

It was so intense it almost felt obsessive.

“…If I don't permit you, someone else will have to do the massage, won't they?”

At my question, Diello gave a slight nod.

“Nirua, Rick, or one of the other knights would have to stand in this spot.”

For a moment, I thought I heard a thorny edge to his voice.

A cold, sharp thorn.

“—Is that, perhaps, what you desire?”

“Of course not.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

Even if this is a contract marriage, I have no intention of letting another man perform such an intimate task.

…Another man?

The thought made my face flush.

Does that mean I'm okay with Diello doing it?

Well…

But I can't just leave the mana knotted up.

I was hesitating when it happened.

*Tap.*

Diello placed his hand back on the lid of the scented oil.

Though he was only touching the bottle and not my body, a strange heat seemed to emanate from it.

“However, for me to give you a massage, you'll have to undress.”

He looked conflicted.

“I wouldn't dare look upon my bride's body.”

He whispered, his voice incredibly soft.

So quiet that the Argenta staff couldn't possibly hear.

Heat seemed to pour down in the space between his lips and my ear. He smiled, his eyes narrowing.

The Argenta people watching us were discreetly backing away, gathering near the door.

He…

Before I could say anything, Diello made up his mind.

“How about this.”

He picked up a black cloth used for massages. The long, folded cloth was offered to me.

Though it was thin, it was folded over so many times that it was pitch-black, impossible to see through.

“What is this for?”

I looked up at him, and Diello’s eyes curved into a smile.

“Please cover them yourself.”

…Cover what? Me? With this? I hesitated.

He pointed to his own eyes.

“So that I won't dare to look at you.”

“…You want me to cover your eyes?”

“Yes.”

Diello’s reply was light.

*Click.*

By then, the Argenta staff were already leaving the room.

I could even see them bowing.

I accepted their bows, but I couldn't stop my face from burning up.

Even if the people on the fourth floor knew about our arrangement.

Even if they knew we didn't actually spend our nights together.

…They know, and they’re still reacting like this?

No matter how I looked at it, they seemed to be giving a newlywed couple their privacy.

Still, I couldn't let someone else do the massage, so I had no choice.

Diello stood patiently, as if waiting for my decision.

In the end, I tentatively held up the cloth.

“But if you wear this, will you be able to give a massage?”

He wouldn't be able to see a thing.

At my words, Diello replied with renewed confidence.

“Yes. But just in case.”

He suddenly offered me the dagger he was carrying.

“If I try to touch you anywhere inappropriate, please punish me.”

…You don't mean with that, do you?

“Especially if I dare to commit an offense I shouldn't even dream of.”

As his song-like words echoed, the dagger was truly passed to me.

*Shing!*

I drew the dagger from its sheath; it was a real blade.

I recognized it. It was the same kind we had used for our contract.

Which meant it was incredibly sharp.

At this close a distance, and with his eyes covered, even someone as skilled with a sword as Diello wouldn't be able to dodge this blade.

“It's a bit troubling if you draw it already.”

Diello said, his voice genuinely concerned.

“N-No, I just…”

I quickly sheathed the blade. I wouldn't have to use this. I wouldn't.

Diello, who had just handed me a deadly weapon, spoke nonchalantly.

“If you feel uncomfortable, tell me to stop at once. I will remove my hands that very instant.”

This isn't to make you uncomfortable, after all.

Diello’s voice seemed to carry a soft rhythm.

“If it’s too difficult for you to cover them yourself, shall I do it?”

He took the black cloth from my hand.

In that moment, the lights in the room dimmed to a level perfect for sleep.

* * *

Following Diello's guidance, I lay face down on the bed.

Though he was blindfolded, he led me as if he could see.

He fumbled a little when reaching for the oil, so he was definitely blindfolded, and yet…

“If you're uncomfortable, tell me.”

With that whisper, Diello came and sat beside me.

I could clearly feel the bed dip.

But the empty space between the bed and my body was filled not with cold air, but with a strange heat that enveloped us.

His hand, coated in scented oil, came to rest on the back of my neck.

His hand gently cupped the muscles of my neck and began to loosen them.

“Ah.”

The tension didn't seem to be from the recent incident.

The knots in my neck, which felt different, began to release under his touch.

This stiffness was likely from all my work. His hands moved from my neck, smoothly kneading my shoulders.

“...!”

When I tried to massage it myself, pressing down just hurt.

Miraculously, even though there were knots in the muscles, the places his hands pressed and passed over felt refreshingly relieved instead of painful.

The massages the maids sometimes gave had a similar effect, but this felt different.

Perhaps because it was being done in a warmer place.

I let out a short moan without realizing it and asked him.

“Diello, when you use your powers… do you get this tired?”

The words came out in broken breaths without me realizing.

He had surely used his powers over the sea.

I wondered if his body ached as badly as mine.

When I snuck a glance at him, I could barely see his face at the edge of my vision.

It was hard to read his expression with the black cloth covering his eyes.

“I would like to say yes.”

As I wondered what the subtle curve of his lips meant, a faint voice brushed past my mind.

*‘…Stay… just like this.’*

“What?”

I froze at the voice that surfaced in my mind and was about to turn my head further.

His hand moved back up to my neck, tracing a line from the base of my skull down to my shoulders.

“...!”

A thrillingly cool sensation washed over me, followed by a wave of heat. I let out a short breath.

“Was my answer strange?”

Diello asked. I managed a nod.

“Yes.”

His short laugh echoed from behind me.

The moment his hands gently pressed into the space between my shoulder blades, he spoke.

“Then, perhaps my bride might do this for me.”