After the Rain (18)
* * *
The moment they entered the tent, the magic lights sensed their presence and turned on automatically.
The thick double-layer of cloth was let down, and the noise from outside instantly vanished.
Aristine inadvertently stopped walking.
She suddenly grew conscious of the fact that she and Tarkan were alone.
The moment she realized that, every one of her senses seemed to amplify in an instant.
Their touching palms.
Their entangled fingers.
The sensitive skin between them.
She knew it wasn’t possible, but she felt like she could even feel the prints on Tarkan’s fingers.
With every slight move she made, her body brushed against his fingers and palms…
A scorching scent seemed to be coming from where he stood.
Aristine felt like her throat was on fire, so she licked her lips, before opening her mouth.
“S-Should we have a seat? You said you were tired, right?”
She casually retrieved her hand and moved towards the table, but Tarkan swayed and staggered.
Startled, Aristine held him again to support him.
“Are you okay?”
“Mn.”
Tarkan wrapped his arms around Aristine’s shoulder and replied.
The arm around her shoulder was strangely hot, causing Aristine to flinch. Not only that, but the way his fingers were moving…
“Tarkan.”
“Hm?”
Tarkan looked down at Aristine, as if asking, ‘what is it?’
There was a crease between his brows, like he was feeling uncomfortable.
Seeing that, Aristine lowered her eyes, saying that it was nothing.
‘Am I just too…?’
She felt embarrassed because Tarkan was just holding her shoulder for support, but she was taking it in a strange way.
‘I did think he looked far too okay before we entered the tent…’
Well, he must have tried to act okay because he didn’t want to show his weakness to other people.
“Sit down. Let me see your condition and we can call for a doctor or a priest…”
Aristine led Tarkan toward the chair, but he groaned and lost his balance.
Aristine couldn’t bear his weight in that moment and was pushed to the side.
Thankfully, Tarkan immediately regained his balance and didn’t fall.
Aristine let out a sigh of relief, calming the alarm that rang through her heart.
But something was strange.
Something about the sensation on her palm which was supporting Tarkan…
‘Warm, smooth, and fits snugly on the palm of my hand…’
Aristine’s gaze immediately turned to her hand.
Her hand was still supporting Tarkan.
The problem, if you could call it that, was that place where her hand fell, was Tarkan’s thick muscular chest.
Because his weight suddenly shifted, their posture changed and there was no better place she could grab to stop him from falling…
‘No, not better! It’s bad!’
Either way, she ended up grabbing a bad place.
And perhaps due to his stumbling earlier, Tarkan’s collar had opened wider.
‘Come on, his clothes were already exposing his chest, how can it be exposed it even more!’
Aristine’s eyes were filled with anguish, and her gaze shook heavily.
She forced her eyes to move away from his thick chest and looked around the tent.
She had to sit Tarkan down quickly and leave.
Otherwise, it would get really dangerous.
‘For Tarkan, that is!’
Although her common sense was somewhat lacking, Aristine was a high-ranking princess from birth.
She didn’t want to commit any unscrupulous act such as attacking a patient.
Because of the sudden push, she missed the chair she was aiming for earlier. Honestly, she wasn’t fond of the idea of dragging a much larger Tarkan in that direction again.
“Do you want to lie on the bed?”
Aristine asked, pointing to the now closer bed with her chin.
Tarkan nodded his head.
His condition seemed to have gotten really bad because he was covering his mouth with his free hand.
Aristine looked at her Tarkan worriedly, and used more strength to support him then she began to walk again.
Of course, it couldn’t be helped that she could feel Tarkan’s pectoral muscles even more because of it.
‘No, no, this is really out of my hands.’
She had to hold both his back and front to support him, but his chest was completely exposed.
Aristine, truly helpless, continued to feel his elastic pecs, which pressed firmly against her palms, threatening to push them away.
‘Completely out of my hands.’
Aristine inwardly mumbled to herself once again and continued walking.
Not knowing that while she was earnestly supporting Tarkan, the person-in-question had a big smile on his face behind the hand that covered his mouth.
She was worried that he might lose his balance again, but Tarkan didn’t stumble once while they headed to the bed.
Rather than stumbling…
‘He feels lighter? And it feels like he’s walking faster too?’
Aristine tilted her head doubtfully and tried to lay Tarkan on the bed.
But that very moment—.
“Ack!”
As if his strength evaporated the moment he touched the bed, Tarkan collapsed onto the bed, with his arm still wrapped around Aristine’s shoulders.
Naturally, Aristine also fell on the bed too.
Or more precisely, she fell on top on Tarkan, not on the bed.
Aristine blinked as her face was buried in Tarkan’s chest. She could feel the warmth and tenderness and even the elastic firmness.
‘What is even…’
She was dumbfounded, but honestly, she wanted to keep burying her face like this.
It felt good.
Aristine subconsciously rubbed her cheek against it, then with an ‘ah!’ she came to her senses.
‘No! I can’t lose my rationality against a patient…’
Although she thought that, Aristine was not a fool.
Even if you ignore everything else, how come they fell side-by-side towards the bed, yet she ended up on top of Tarkan after they fell?
That didn’t make sense.
Furthermore, why did Tarkan fall face up? He should be facing down.
‘How sly.’
Aristine’s lips curved, and she slowly sat up.
Her dazzling silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
Planted on Tarkan’s waist, she looked down at him and their eyes immediately connected.
His golden eyes flickered slightly as he stared at her. His gaze was binding.
“You know.” Aristine began, stretching out a hand towards him. “I’m asking, just in case.”
Her fair finger traced down the center of his firm chest.
Tarkan’s eyes shook. A fierce, yet excited look filled his eyes.
“Have you been acting coy with me since earlier?” Aristine grinned as she asked.
Tarkan laughed.
‘Acting coy’, only Aristine could say such a thing to him. Then again, he had nothing to say in the face of such a question. Because he was indeed acting coy.
“I was openly seducing you, though.”
Tarkan’s hand glided past Aristine’s thigh as she sat on him, and he grabbed her waist.
“To drag you into bed.”
His hand gently squeezed her waist.
Aristine’s upper body lowered of its own accord, and her face drew near to him.
Tarkan raised his upper body and brought his lips close to hers as if he was about to kiss her.
Their warm breaths intertwined, and just as their lips were about to touch, Tarkan abruptly stopped.
A disappointed sigh escaped from Aristine’s lips.
His darkened gold eyes and her purple eyes met in the air.
“Did it work?” Tarkan asked with a grin.
No reply came back. He didn’t even have to hear one.
Because Aristine swallowed his lips like she was about to bite them off.
Tarkan caught the tongue that was greedily scouring his mouth and tasted it deeply.
His large hands wove around Aristine’s back and waist, caressing her.
“Huu…”
Aristine gasped at the kiss that seemed to devour even her breath.
Everything felt hot, like she was on fire. She couldn’t tell if it was his body that was hot or hers.
Her thoughts were quickly consumed by the sensations.
Aristine’s hand, which cupped Tarkan’s cheek as they kissed deeply over and over again, gradually moved down.
To his smooth neckline, firm collarbone and further down.
Black and silver hair lay tangled on the bed sheet.
The heat threatened to take her breath away.
Aristine lifted her head.
She was Tarkan’s face riddled with hunger, soaked in desire.
Aristine blankly stared at his face.
This wasn’t what she planned.
She was going to tell him everything she couldn’t share before, listen to him, tell him about his first love; she was going to do that…
Tarkan looked at Aristine, who had paused, and his hand moved.
With a blink, the string that fastened the front of his robe came undone.
His hard muscles were fully exposed under the light. Strong pectoral muscles, followed by ripped abs that ran down to his navel.
Aristine’s eyes lowered, following the shape of his muscles and she unconsciously swallowed.
His fingers, which had untied his clothing, touched the string of Aristine’s tunic.
Translator’s Corner:
**Don’t sacrifice me! The chapters actually ends right there ahahahahaha
