Angelica bent her neck as she struggled to breathe the air with her mouth agape. However, her chest didn't rise and fall like normal. Since it was painful as she couldn't breathe, she raised her nails to her own neck and scratched them.
Raniero grabbed her hand at once and removed it before grabbing her wrist. Then, he climbed on top of her the next moment before kissing her. Meanwhile, surprised, Angelica bit his lips fiercely. She twisted her body as if she was having seizures, but Raniero didn't care and breathed into her mouth.
Only after receiving his breath did her chest slowly inflate and sink again. Pitifully, she was trembling like a branch.
With blood dripping from his lips, he thought that Angelica was the only woman who had left scars on his body.
Still suppressed by him, she mumbled softly.
"Dream…"
"Yes."
"The prey… chased after me with their head cut off with an axe."
"Yes."
"…Scary."
"Yes."
As if she was still engulfed in her dreams, Angelica seemed more afraid of the prey in the notion of chasing after her than in the eyes of her ominous husband. Indeed, the hunting left her with neither guilt nor self-loathing but instead stimulated her survival instinct somewhere deep inside.
She was really a prey to her core.
When she wriggled and twisted her hand, which was caught by Raniero, he let go of the thought of wanting to see what she would do.
The next moment, his body leaned towards her. It was because Angelica hugged him. Raniero widened his eyes a little and held his breath before rolling his eyes sideways. She was hugging him so tightly that all he could see was her pale pink hair and white ears. Even more worrisome, she fell back asleep again while hugging him like that.
He eventually wrapped and pressed Angelica's body, blinking slowly.
As the woman in front of him placed her chin on his shoulder and hugged him tightly, she seemed to believe that the godson of Actilla would dispel her nightmares.
…When in fact, he might even be her nightmare himself.
There was no trace of pain on Angelica's face as he lifted her body up slightly. In the end, he couldn't help but lay down next to her as well. The other side of the sky that he could see through the small window was turning blue little by little. The Emperor's bedroom, which was usually empty from early morning to night, was facing eastward.
Raniero, who had once again slept for a moment at the sound of Angelica's deep breathing, awoke as the horizon turned golden.
Opening his eyes, he grimaced, perhaps because he didn't like the warm morning sun. Meanwhile, Angelica was lying on her side with her back to the sun.
'She's going to get freckles on her back if she stays like this.'
Raniero got ready more leisurely than usual.
There was a small elevator with primitive pulleys from the bathroom to the bedroom. That was where the Emperor's wash water would arrive. After washing his face and mouth, he then ruffled his wet hand through his hair before glancing at the bed.
Still, Angelica showed no sign of waking up while sleeping with her back to the sunlight that burned her white skin.
"…Angie."
He suddenly remembered the name she had told him.
Raniero walked over to the bed with the name in his mouth. As a few strands of her long hair hanging over the bed were wrapped around his fingertips and pulled lightly, Angelica curled up with a thin summer duvet draped around her waist, groaning. He allowed her to do so for some time. It was because he had been distracted by touching the thin, soft hair for a while.
However, Raniero soon got tired of it because he had seen the sleeping wife enough. He now longed to see her awake.
"Angie."
Burying his lips into her earlobe, he whispered. This time, there was a reaction as Angelica's fingertips twitched slightly.
There was a slight furrow in Raniero's brow seeing that.
"You're not listening."
Only after mixing irritation with his voice did she spring up. When he gazed down at her with a displeased look, she hurriedly covered her chest with her thin blanket before glancing at him with an unusual expression on her face while backing away slightly.
"I-I'm sorry."
And as usual, she spat out an apology and started bowing her head.
"You woke me up, but I couldn't hear you…"
After quickly attaching the reason for the apology, Angelica peered up at him slightly with her head down. However, her expression turned into a tearful look as Raniero's expression was still not good. Had it not been for him here still, she would have already burst out crying like a child at any moment.
Raniero smirked.
He couldn't believe this woman was now recognized by everyone and became the object of admiration for the 'Actilus' people.' Though perhaps because he was surprised, the irritation disappeared like snow melting.
"Wash your face and get ready to apologize. I can't leave you here all the time."
As soon as he gave her instructions, a look of relief spread across her face, who was about to cry.
The more he saw it, the more ridiculous it was.
Because of that, Raniero looked at her face, stared into it thoroughly, and gazed at Angelica over and over again.
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