Episode 31: A Trap (1)
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The soft and gentle sun rays passed through the transparent curtain, caressing Tarkan’s face.
Tarkan felt a hand combing through his hair.
He felt sluggish.
There was only one person in the world who could touch him like this on the bed.
Tarkan kept his eyes closed; afraid that if he opened his eyes, the hand on his hair would disappear.
But contrary to expectations, that hand was soon withdrawn.
Soon, his golden eyes, soaked with regret, were revealed under the morning sun.
“You’re awake?” Aristine asked, looking down at him from where she sat on the bed.
Tarkan slowly sat up.
As he moved, you could see his firm pectoral muscles and tight abs moving between his collar.
Tarkan ignored his open robe and tidied his hair. His fingertips touched a very smooth material.
He knew Aristine was messing with his hair and tying it. But the shape he was touching seemed a little…
Aristine, who was watching what Tarkan was doing, picked up the hand mirror on the side table.
“Tada!”
She grinned as she showed Tarkan his reflection in the mirror.
Her purple eyes were twinkling, like someone who’d created a surprise and was looking forward to the response.
However, Tarkan’s expression couldn’t help but plummet.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror with disbelief.
The sluggishness hanging over his body immediately disappeared.
‘This is…what…’
Even though he could see it, Tarkan still groped his head for verification. But the view in the mirror and the sensation on his hand all pointed to one thing.
“What do you think?”
Aristine asked, her voice full of expectation.
What did he think? Did he really need to explain?
‘You tied a huge ribbon on my sleeping head!’
Tarkan was so dumbfounded that he didn’t know what to say.
Currently, his hair was tied up with a large navy-blue ribbon. With every move of his head, the ribbon swayed gently.
Tarkan’s face crumpled as he watched this happen in the mirror.
“What exactly is this…”
The smile on Aristine’s face slowly disappeared when his reaction was different than she expected.
“What…do you not like it?”
“That shouldn’t be a question.”
At first, Aristine was taken aback by his grudging remark, then she grew sad.
“Don’t you like…ribbons?”
He kept saying ‘ribbon’ in an effort to convey what he liked but she didn’t notice and kept asking why he was saying that. Afterwards, she felt sorry so she purposefully prepared a surprise.
But she didn’t expect this reaction…
“You don’t like the color?”
People always had strict requirements for things they liked.
“I chose a color that suits you the best but…”
Even thought she was busy trying to organize what she saw in the Monarch’s Sight yesterday, she didn’t forget about Tarkan’s stuff.
“Uk…”
Tarkank, who was immediately about to tear off the ribbon, flinched when Aristine became gloomy.
Aristine had oddly been in low spirits recently, but now, she seemed happy for a change so he couldn’t bring himself to tear it ff.
“Why a ribbon exactly…”
Seeing Tarkan mumbling through grit teeth, Aristine replied doubtfully, “Yesterday, you kept saying ribbon, with a serious look on your face, trying to tell me your preferences, right?”
“When did I ever…”
Tarkan was about to finish that sentence then he suddenly shut his mouth. Then he frowned.
“That’s not what I meant,” Tarkan finished.
“Then what was it?”
Tarkan couldn’t answer.
How could he say he was trembling with embarrassment when he tried to call her by her nickname?
“Anyway, that’s not what I meant.”
“You don’t have to be embarrassed. I understand everything.”
“No, you don’t have to understand.”
“Next time, I will do my proper preparations as a wife. Is there a color or material that you want? Like velvet, instead of silk. There are different shapes of ribbon too.”
His words simply weren’t getting through.
Tarkan stared at Aristine then he opened his mouth, “A ribbon I want.”
“Mhm.”
Aristine’s ears pricked up and she nodded seriously. She looked like she was going to remember it forever even if he put dozens of difficult conditions.
Tarkan untied the ribbon on his head, allowing it to slide off. Then he grabbed Aristine’s arm.
Aristine stared at him blankly as a silk navy-blue ribbon was tied around her fair skin.
The smooth and cool sensation contrasted with his hot fingertips.
His bright-yellow eyes scanned Aristine like a predator. Like she was going to be devoured.
Aristine found it hard to breathe for some reason. Her throat felt hot.
Tarkan bent over towards her.
The bed tilted slightly and Aristine laid on her back to avoid him as he approached.
But it was useless.
The soft bed pressed against her back, blocking her exit.
Tarkan looked down at Aristine while placing his hand beside her head.
A slanted smile hung on his lips.
With his other hand, he stroked the ribbon which was wrapped around Aristine’s body.
He was just touching the ribbon, but she felt like she could feel his body temperature.
Aristine felt goosebumps on her skin.
Tarkan lowered his head.
His hair got entangled with her hair and his breath tickled her ear.
“This type of ribbon.”
He whispered.
