𝓶𝓾𝔃𝓪𝓷 𝔁 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻
❝Lift your head (Y/N), ❞ he said smoothly.
You looked up to see him staring down at you with a slight smirk.
❝Are you sure you're not starting something you can't finish?❞
--
to kibutsuji, time is like a ticking bomb. he'...
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You rushed back to the compound and entered the room that Kibutsuji had been in. He was there on the ground, a herd of servants around him as a shocking amount of blood covered the floor.
You spoke, "Step aside please."
The servants seemed to separate as you walked towards the shaken Kibutsuji.
"Could you bring me some herbs and warm water? A cloth would be good too."
You positioned his body so that it was lying on his side.
You worked steadily at removing some of his clothing as you monitored his heart rate.
You were in no way your father. You were neither as skilled or experienced as he was, but at the very least, you could deal with a temporary situation like this.
"Clear out the room. There only needs to be two of you in here."
You pointed at one of the servants.
"You can stay. Nao as well. Everyone else please get out."
The room was cleared out shortly after and you received the materials and began working to make his vital signs stable.
You tried to break his high fever first and after removing much of his clothing and wiping him down with a lukewarm cloth you asked for yet another cloth and more warm water.
You continued the process of dabbing him with wet towels for what seemed like forever and finally, you saw results.
His breathing calmed and you gave a sigh of relief feeling his pulse return to a steady rate.
Despite your joy, your fingers stayed close to his pulse as you decided silently on what to do.
You would stay here with him until he woke up.
::
Kibutsuji could smell something sweet. He found the scent relaxing, as it covered him in complete serenity. It was an intoxicating smell causing a craving in him he didn't know he possessed. It smelt like the warmest vanilla or, perhaps, the sweetest rose.
His eyes opened shortly after and when his vision cleared he saw you.
He was met with a woman with a calm clear expression, sublime noble aura and focused pretty eyes.
He was currently lying on your lap and you were dabbing his forehead with a wet cloth.
The sweet smell he craved was coming from you. He was surprised he'd never noticed, perhaps because he'd never been this close to you before.
Your eyes connected with his and he expected you to smile, or speak in your bright chirpy way but instead, you stayed quiet.
This surprised him. That wasn't like you at all. Or perhaps, he was seeing a side of you he'd never seen before.
You continued dabbing his skin as your eyes focused on caring for him not bothering to say a word.
What was this?
Why did you suddenly look pretty to him?
He closed his eyes for a second enjoying the silence before he decided to speak.
"I blacked out?"
You nodded, "Like nothing I've ever seen before."
His eyes opened slowly.
"And you came back to help me?"
"Of course."
...
"Shouldn't you hate me?"
You tilted your head at him, "Why would I hate you, my lord?"
He blinked, "Because of what I said."
"Hm," you murmured.
He watched your reaction skeptically. You pursed your lips before removing the cloth from his skin.
Your hands slowly grabbed another cloth and wiped his sweat gently.
"I want to apologize for that. I shouldn't have asked you that question. I understand why you reacted that way...although it was harsh."
You cracked a small smile and he returned the favour.
You blushed in response as you looked away from him feeling flustered.
He found this reaction amusing.
"Did you lie me on your lap because you found me attractive?"
Your whole face heated up as you shook your head.
His amused eyes stayed glued to you.
"You're pretty but that's not why I laid you on top of my lap. It's just easier to treat you this way."
"In courtship, you're not supposed to touch your partner."
"Good thing we're no longer courted."
He arched his eyebrow. When did that happen?
You spoke, "Someone who only accepted my love letter because he was "bored" is not the one for me. I've decided to call our courtship off. My five-year crush is now over."
Kibutsuji frowned.
He didn't like what you said.
"I see..." was all he could manage to say.
"Now that you're awake, I'll be taking my leave. Rest up, please. I made some medicine for you. It'll help for the next couple of days."
Kibutsuji watched as you placed him down on a futon bed nearby and withdrew from him slowly.
The heavenly scent he was enjoying drifted farther and farther away from him until he could no longer smell it.
You rose to your feet and gave him a small bow before turning around and signalling Nao to follow you.
She did as signalled and Kibutsuji could only watch helplessly as you walked towards the exit.
You walked out of the room and he frowned profusely.
What was this?
Why was he so displeased?
He wasn't supposed to care that you called it off, but he did.
Why did he want you to come back all of a sudden?
He closed his eyes taking in his emotions. Obviously, this was just a fluke. He was positive he didn't actually feel this way. This was just a spur-of-the-moment type of feeling, it would probably go away with some rest.
He closed his eyes and after a few minutes, drifted off into a deep slumber.
