“…No.”

I was briefly tempted to lie, but feeling like my nose was about to run, I just told the truth.

How could this small kitten shield me from all the cold?

I am so large, and the kitten is even smaller than my forearm.

“Still, I don’t want to give up my patient’s cloak. Don’t even think about covering me with it.”

Just in case, I quickly put my foot down first.

Dante, who was skillfully unwrapping the cloak with his unbandaged hand, abruptly stopped moving.

See that? I knew he would do that.

When I narrowed my eyes and glared at him, Dante slightly averted his gaze.

After some time passed, I started to nod off.

It’s surprising that I can fall asleep in this environment, but I couldn’t help it.

So much happened today. My body must have reached its limit and felt overloaded.

Yawn.

“Why don’t you get some rest?”

“Dante, you should get some sleep too. You’re the patient.”

At my words, Dante hesitated for a moment before replying.

“To be honest, even as a patient, I probably have more stamina than you, Serpina.”

“…Wow, that’s too honest.”

What’s even sadder is that Dante’s words sounded plausible.

After pondering for a bit, I squirmed and moved to a spot next to Dante.

And I lay my body down beside him. Since I’m lying down anyway, it felt more reassuring to be close to Dante.

“Then I’ll just rest my eyes for a bit, and we can switch watch later.”

“Okay.”

I closed my eyes tightly.

I could feel the kitten, cradled in my arms, breathing steadily.

It seemed to have fallen asleep again.

Somehow, I felt like I would also quickly drift off to sleep.

At that moment.

“…I told you not to do this.”

Something fluttered and settled on my body. Even without opening my eyes, I could easily tell that it was Dante’s cloak.

“At least cover yourself while you sleep.”

This man is also quite stubborn.

But I’m also a stubborn woman.

In this case, there’s no other choice.

“Then, choose one of the two.”

“One of the two?”

“First, take back the cloak when I ask nicely and cover yourself obediently. Second.”

Grab.

I reached out and grabbed Dante’s arm. And as I pulled him closer to me, I opened my eyes.

“Lie down next to me and share the cloak.”

“…What?”

“I said, let’s share the cloak. If we share it, we can share body heat, it’ll be warmer, and the effect will be doubled…”

For some reason, my words came out in a jumble.

It felt like I had committed a dark deed and was frantically adding excuses.

Groaning and struggling to continue speaking, I sighed deeply and managed to summarize my conclusion.

“So, either we share the cloak, or I won’t cover myself at all.”

In the end, his choice was the second option.

We lay down, amicably sharing a single cloak.

…This is closer than I thought.

Well, how big could a cloak be compared to a blanket?

For two adults to share it, our bodies had to be pressed together.

Although we slept in the same bed every night, it felt different to lie so close together like this, compared to the vast Richter estate.

Is it because of the hard and cold floor? It felt like we could clearly feel each other’s body heat.

Wow, this is crazy. My heart is pounding so fast.

Even with my eyes closed, the drowsiness that had been creeping up on me was long gone.

Huff, huff, huff!

Breathing heavily from the sudden tension, I slightly opened my eyes.

Is Dante asleep?

I carefully rolled my eyes to look in Dante’s direction.

And our eyes met.

I learned for the first time that a person’s eyes could be so clear in the darkness.

We gazed at each other without looking away.

With the close proximity, one of us should have averted our gaze first, but we didn’t.

A strange atmosphere flowed.

Crackle, crackle. The sound of the burning flames quietly echoed.

…Is it just my imagination, or are our faces gradually getting closer?

I blankly stared at Dante approaching and carefully closed my eyes.

At that moment.

Meow!

The sleep-talking kitten in my arms snapped me back to my senses.

Gasp. What am I doing…!

Like someone caught doing something bad, I abruptly sat up.

Meow!

The startled baby kitten quickly escaped from my arms.

The kitten, who had run to the opposite side, licked its hind legs and then hissed at me, curling up its body.

And it fell asleep again.

“Ha, haha…”

Not having the courage to lie down again, I sat up and leaned against a nearby tree.

“Can’t sleep?”

“Ah, yes. I think I’m awake now. Haha.”

Embarrassment washed over me belatedly, and I couldn’t muster the courage to look Dante in the eyes.

What was that just now?

What was I about to do, almost kissing him without realizing it?

I couldn’t tell if that strange atmosphere was mutual or just my own delusion.

Thanks to that, I felt hot and couldn’t feel the cold anymore.

“Dante, you can just sleep. I can stay awake alone.”

“No, I can’t sleep either.”

He said that while sitting up with me.

We silently stared at the bonfire.

It’s awkward. Strangely awkward.

As I pondered what to do with this awkward atmosphere, suddenly, something I had brought with me came to mind.

“Ah. I had that.”

What I took out was a small bottle containing liquid.

“That’s…”

“It’s liquor. Siena packed it for me.”

“Liquor?”

“Yes. She said I should be prepared in case we get stranded. High-proof alcohol is good for raising body temperature. I never thought we’d actually get stranded, but…”

I carefully opened the lid, and a strong smell of alcohol pierced my nose.

“Dante, you have a sip too… No, you’re a patient.”

It would be bad if a patient drank alcohol by mistake.

After making a quick decision, I poured the liquor into my mouth.

To be honest, there’s also the reason of raising my body temperature, but the desire to escape from this awkward situation was more desperate.

At most, how drunk could I get from two sips?

“Wait, if you drink like that…!”

Cough, cough.

The price of ignoring the two sips was high.

Wow, what is this!

I could feel the alcohol burning as it went down my throat.

As I coughed uncontrollably, feeling like my throat was on fire, Dante patted my back.

Only after coughing for a long time could I calm down.

No, can this be called calming down?

Hiccup.

When I’m hiccuping like this.

Moreover, my head felt hazy. No, not hazy, but floating.

What? I’m floating.

What? Why am I floating?

What? I’m floating!

As I looked around in a hurry, Dante grabbed my arm.

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes. I’m fine, except for feeling dizzy and the world spinning. Haha.”

As I let out a silly laugh, I saw Dante sigh.

What? Why is he sighing?

I tilted my head and then suddenly grabbed Dante’s cheeks with both hands.

“Why are you sighing?”

Surprised by the sudden action, his eyes widened.

What, so cute.

As I giggled softly, Dante removed the hair stuck to my cheeks.

“For now, try to get some rest. You’ll feel better.”

“What? I don’t want to.”

“Dear wife.”

“Yes. Husband. Why are you calling me?”

I replied while gently pinching Dante’s fluffy cheeks.

…It’s so soft. His skin is really good. How is his skin so good?

Is it because he’s the male lead?

…Why is Dante the male lead?

It would have been nice if he wasn’t the male lead. Then, I wouldn’t have to worry about the female lead who hasn’t even appeared yet.

I wouldn’t have to worry about stealing Dante’s happiness.

“Dear wife?”

“You know what?”

I let go of his cheeks that I had been holding and dropped my head.

“Is it okay for me to keep staying by your side?”

“Of course.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Even if a much better woman appears before you later, would it still be okay for me to be by your side?”

In response to the series of questions, this time Dante’s hand cupped my cheek.

He slowly lifted my head.

I raised my face in tune with his gentle touch.

His extremely serious gaze met mine directly.

“If it’s not you, I don’t want anyone else. No matter who appears, the person I want by my side is only you, my wife.”

Sincerity seeped through Dante’s typical calm tone.

I like this too.

The way he seems to only speak the truth. And those truths are all so warm…

“Then, do you like me, Dante?”

My lips moved without me realizing it, and Dante’s head slowly nodded up and down.

“Yes. I like you.”

“…How do you like me? Do you like me as a person? As a friend? As family? Or…”

Or.

I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I guess I didn’t have enough liquid courage. Seeing how I couldn’t easily muster up the courage.

But, the next moment.

“Eep.”

I lost my words for a different reason.

The hand cupping my cheek pulled me close.