Ethea slept more peacefully than she had in over a week.

For the first time since the incident, the heavy, suffocating weight in her chest dissolved entirely, replaced by a deep, uninterrupted warmth.

She even had a good dream.

She walked through a quiet, endless expanse of soft light, surrounded by a soothing presence that made her feel completely safe.

As the morning light began to filter through the thin hospital curtains, Ethea slowly drifted back to consciousness.

"..."

She blinked her eyes a few times, her long eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks as she adjusted to the dim, white surroundings. The sterile scent of the room brought her back to reality, but the usual dread that accompanied it was entirely missing.

Her eyes landed on the culprit.

’...’

He was sleeping soundly, his breathing slow and perfectly even. The tense, strained lines that usually marked his face during his long unconscious state were completely gone. Instead, his features were entirely relaxed, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile rested on his lips, as if he too was having a good dream.

Ethea stared at him, her mind still slightly foggy from sleep. Then, like a sudden wave, the vivid memories of what had happened right before she drifted off flashed through her mind.

Then, her gaze instinctively dropped to the bed.

Their fingers were tightly intertwined, completely locked in a warm, secure grasp that hadn’t loosened even a fraction throughout the entire night.

’..!’

A sudden, intense rush of heat flooded Ethea’s face.

In an instant, a brilliant shade of pink bloomed across her cheeks, rapidly spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, the rhythmic thumping sounding incredibly loud in the quiet room.

’What... What am I doing?’

The sight made her heart squeeze with a strange, fluttering sensation.

Part of her brain told her she should try to loosen her fingers before he woke up and noticed, yet her hand refused to cooperate. The warmth radiating from his palm was far too comforting, a physical tether keeping the lingering remnants of her past nightmares at bay.

Slowly, she took a quiet breath, attempting to steady the rapid thumping in her chest.

There was no reason to feel this flustered. She had already fully accepted her role as his wife, anchoring her entire existence to his side. This was merely a natural aspect of their shared life, a completely normal reality for them now.

’Yes, this is entirely normal...’

’Holding hands...’

’Sleeping together...’

’And...’

’And even...’

As her thoughts drifted toward the unspoken possibilities of the future, her mind suddenly short-circuited. The logical defenses she had carefully built up shattered instantly, and her composed facade completely crumbled against a fresh wave of shyness.

’No, wait, what am I even imagining right now?!’

She squeezed her eyes shut, desperately wishing she could cool down her burning cheeks.

It was entirely ridiculous.

Her thoughts were spinning completely out of control over a situation she had supposedly reconciled with days ago. She was accustomed to maintaining an unshakeable command over her emotions, yet a single quiet morning in a hospital room was turning her into a completely flustered mess.

’Calm down... Just breathe...’

She tried to regain her grip on reality, but her racing pulse refused to listen.

While she carried herself with a maturity that far outpaced her peers, easily navigating a world of Awakened filled with heavy responsibilities and high-stakes survival, she was completely out of her depth here.

No amount of tactical experience or mental fortitude could prepare her for this.

After all, she possessed absolutely zero practical romantic experience, which also meant that in spite of her usual poise, she was still just a complete novice in matters of the heart.

The stark contrast between her usual composed nature and her current helplessness only fueled her internal panic.

She could face the most daunting strategic challenges without blinking, yet she had absolutely no idea how to handle the simple, overwhelming warmth of a boy holding her hand. Every beat of her heart felt amplified, a heavy rhythm that threatened to break through her remaining defenses.

Even the weight of his skin against hers suddenly felt entirely too intimate.

Overcome by the sheer novelty of the sensation, she instinctively tried to loosen her fingers, hoping to quickly and quietly slip away.

Right at that exact second, Soren’s eyelids gave a sudden flutter.

"!"

Ethea froze instantly, her breath catching in her throat as his grip tightened by a fraction.

Panic flared in her chest.

If he opened his eyes right now, he would immediately see her bright pink face and realize just how deeply flustered she was. Completely overwhelmed by the sheer embarrassment of being seen in such a vulnerable state, she instinctively resorted to the only defense mechanism left available to her.

She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

It was a reckless, desperate gamble, but she forced her expression to go blank, praying that he wouldn’t notice the erratic drumming of her pulse.

A moment later, Soren let out a low, groggy murmur as his consciousness fully returned. As he woke up, his fingers instinctively flexed, his grip tightening around her hand with a sudden, firm pressure.

The brief squeeze sent a jolt straight up Ethea’s arm, making her heart leap into her throat.

It felt as if a warm, physical current had passed through their joined palms, leaving her skin tingling. She barely managed to suppress a sharp gasp, keeping her lips firmly pressed together while her mind screamed at her to remain perfectly still.

As if sensing a subtle shift in the room’s atmosphere, Soren shifted slightly on the mattress.

The quiet rustle of the hospital sheets felt agonizingly loud in the silence.

Slowly, he turned his head toward the side of the bed, his half-lidded eyes blinking away the remnants of sleep.

His gaze settled directly on Ethea.

He didn’t speak or move. He simply stared at her, his quiet, steady focus fixed entirely on her face.

Under the sheer weight of his uninterrupted gaze, Ethea became even more nervous. Her composure was completely disintegrating. Even with her eyes closed, she could vividly feel the intensity of his eyes tracking over her features, causing her long eyelashes to tremble slightly as she fought a losing battle to maintain her facade.

’Please look away...’

’Please just look away...’