Bonus Story: Without the Need for a Lullaby

Bonus Story:
Without the Need for a Lullaby

THE NIGHT AFTER her encounter with the poisoned arrow in the forest, Rishe learned about Arnold’s past and wept. Although she tried to keep the tears inside, they fell from her eyes anyway, unable to be contained. She burdened Arnold with her emotions and he wiped her eyes again and again, and after they’d done this for some time…

“Have you calmed down?”

“Yes.” She nodded, sniffling, as Arnold stroked her hair. As she lay in bed, she gazed at the man beside her. Her head felt fuzzy, perhaps because of all the crying.

“Is there anything you want?”

Rishe pondered the question. She wasn’t hungry. Her throat wasn’t dry after drinking the antidote either. She knew the medicine was more effective the less fluids she had in her system, so she’d decided not to drink anything else.

While she thought about it, Arnold’s fingers brushed against her neck. Well, more like the base of her skull, given that everything below was covered in bandages.

“Mm.”

Arnold frowned. “Does it hurt?”

Rishe slowly shook her head and laid a hand on top of his, pressing his fingers to her neck. “Your hand is cold. It feels nice…”

His frown deepened. The fever ensured his cold skin really did feel good against hers. His big hand cupped her cheek; she felt like it stole away the fever’s heat. Wanting more relief, she pressed into his hand. Arnold had a complicated look on his face, but he still let her do as she pleased. She couldn’t keep him there forever, though.

“Thank you, Prince Arnold.” Rishe nuzzled her cheek against his hand one last time, indulging in the comfortable coolness of his skin, then sighed. No matter how much she wished he would stay, she had to endure. She looked up at Arnold, eyelashes wet, and said, “I’m all right now. Please go back to your own room and get some rest.”

Midnight was almost upon them, judging by the position of the moon in the sky. But Arnold’s response was firm. “I can’t just leave you alone.”

He moved his hand down to hers on the bed and entwined their fingers. “I’ll stay with you through the night,” he said, voice heartbreakingly gentle.

“Ngh…” She knew it, she was making him worry. She couldn’t let Arnold stay by her side; she worried over any lingering effects on him after he sucked the poison out, and she knew he was busy with work all of yesterday. If Arnold watched over Rishe, he would be the one falling ill next.

She attempted to sit up. “Y-you can’t…”

“Rest.”

“You need to rest too, Prince Arnold. I can’t burden you any more than I already have.”

“I’m not leaving. Go to sleep.”

“Eep!” A gentle push against her shoulder was all it took to make her sink back into the bed.

His eloquent face said, You don’t even have the energy to sit up. What do you think you’re doing?

At this rate, he really will stay up all night. A creeping pain tightened around Rishe’s heart at the thought. No supplement restored the body as well as sleep did. Staying up all night was damaging to the human constitution.

“Please, Prince Arnold!”

“I won’t be granting any requests that will have a negative effect on your health.”

“Ugh…” Her vision blurred again.

Arnold immediately grimaced. “I’m not budging on this even if it makes you cry.”

“Th-then…” Rishe reached out and grasped Arnold’s sleeve. “You get in bed too, Your Highness.”

“What?”

“If you insist on staying in this room…” Her brain sluggish from all her crying, she desperately made her case to Arnold. “Then don’t stay up all night. At least sleep here…”

The prince was momentarily speechless.

Arnold eventually relented to Rishe’s half-crying tantrum. While his back was turned, Rishe slowly undressed, wiped her body down, and changed into a thin nightgown. Arnold wiped himself down as well, unbuttoning his shirt some, and then he was ready for bed.

Lying on the wall side of the bed, Rishe peered groggily at Arnold’s back as he sat on the bed’s edge. Even when he was just in his shirt, his back was so broad. His jacket made him look slender, but when he took it off, it was clear that he possessed a masculine build.

“Won’t it be difficult to sleep if you don’t return to your room and change into your bedclothes?”

Unbuttoning a cuff with one hand, he said, “I get the feeling you wouldn’t let me back in if I left the room.”

“…”

“I’ll sleep like this.”

He peeled back the bedspread. The springs creaked as the mattress sank beneath his weight. Rishe scooted closer to the wall, but Arnold said, “You don’t need to move so far away.”

Rishe, who lay on her side, examined Arnold’s face after he rested his head on the pillow. It felt strange, sleeping in the same bed as someone else.

My head feels all fuzzy…

The bed was large; she would have to stretch her arm all the way out to reach him. Still worried, she asked, “It’s not too cramped, is it?”

“It’s fine.”

“Really?” She pinched one of Arnold’s sleeves and tugged it toward her, asking, “You’re not pushing yourself because of my selfishness, are you?”

“I’m not, so don’t cry.”

Her thoughts were still in disarray, her mental state still fragile. Every little thing threatened to make her cry. She was sure she was being a terrible bother to Arnold.

Arnold was lying on his back, but he turned to face her instead, bringing them closer. He ran his fingers through Rishe’s hair as if to comfort her. Even with her blurry vision, she could make out his troubled expression. His brow was the tiniest bit furrowed, but Rishe felt so bad, she blubbered.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness…”

“For what?”

“Well, it’s like you have to care for a small child.”

It certainly wasn’t a task befitting a nation’s crown prince, yet Arnold wasn’t even angry with her about it.

“I don’t think of you as a child.”

What did he think of her as, then? She strained her exhausted mind and, regarding the hand in her hair, asked, “A pet, maybe?”

“Where did that come from?”

“Because, um…” She blinked slowly as she tried to vocalize her thoughts. “You’re stroking my hair like you’re petting me. It makes my heart all warm and fuzzy…” Rishe rubbed at her eye absentmindedly. Her thoughts were turning to mush.

“You must really be exhausted,” Arnold said with some exasperation as he watched her.

“I’m not sleepy at all…”

“Right. Just close your eyes.”

Rishe shook her head no. She was a little afraid to fall asleep. Arnold’s hand pulled away as he sighed. Just as Rishe mourned the loss of his touch, he began to pat her lower back.

“Your Highness?” she blurted, blinking.

“Children fall asleep if you do this, right?”

Rishe gasped. Arnold had learned that from her. She slept in the same bed as Arnold, just like this, the day after Theodore caused the kidnapping fiasco. Back then, their positions had been reversed: Rishe had been the one lulling Arnold to sleep.

“But you just said I wasn’t a child…”

“Did I?”

She tried to talk back to him, but the steady rhythm of his hand had clouded her thoughts even more.

“I-I’m not tired…” If she fell asleep now, she was worried Arnold would just get up again and watch over her. But she wouldn’t mind if he fell asleep first, so she focused on him. “If I pat you, will you go to sleep first?”

“Why are you trying to make it a competition?”

“Mngh…”

Arnold was amazing. Her wavering emotions gradually steadied into a sleepy calm.

I can’t fall asleep…not when I don’t know if Prince Arnold will be able to get any rest…

She clutched Arnold’s shirt so that he wouldn’t be able to get out of the bed. Arnold frowned.

“Is that a habit of yours?”

“Hm?”

“You always try to pull whoever’s next to you closer when you sleep.”

In all honesty, she had no idea how to answer. This was her first time hearing it, and she hadn’t a clue how such a habit had manifested when she’d never even slept with her own parents before.

“Last time, when I woke up, you were sleeping with your arms around my head.”

Rishe blinked slowly. By “last time,” he must have meant the other day when she’d soothed him to sleep. She remembered accidentally nodding off herself after Arnold had fallen asleep, but by the time she awoke, he’d already gotten out of bed.

“I don’t remember that.”

“I didn’t think you would.”

At any other time, she probably would have been shocked speechless—but her mind was still dull. She searched her vague memories and concluded she really didn’t know what he was talking about.

“I think…” She tightened her grip on Arnold’s shirt. “I probably wanted to protect you, Your Highness.”

Arnold’s hand stilled. He regarded Rishe like she was truly incomprehensible to him. “You don’t need to protect me.”

“But everyone’s defenseless when they’re sleeping.”

When people slept, they were vulnerable. That was why Rishe couldn’t sleep next to anyone. Fretting about something made it that much harder to doze off.

“Maybe I thought I could protect you if I was hugging you.”

Arnold continued to stare.

As she nodded off, Rishe said, “If I can do it again today, maybe I’ll fall asleep right away.”

“You’ll fall asleep in a minute no matter what I do.”

Rishe felt frustrated, but sleep was winning out. She was still feverish, and she couldn’t fight the lethargy much longer.

“Then…” Rishe let go of Arnold’s shirt and pleaded in a quiet voice, “Can we hold hands instead?”

She’d never guessed how comforting it was to feel the warmth of another nearby. Though she didn’t know if it was the exhaustion from so much crying or a spirit weakened by almost dying, she didn’t feel like she could suppress her selfish desires at all. She craved his warmth and wanted him to stay, even if it was just until she fell asleep. That wish lingered in her heart as she gazed at him.

At last, Arnold wordlessly lowered his gaze and linked his fingers through hers. The way he held her hand was so tender and strong all at once. Rishe softly squeezed it.

Resigned and gentle, Arnold asked her, “Are you satisfied?”

“Hee hee hee…” Rishe beamed, delighted by the sense of security provided by their interlaced fingers. Before she could thank him, she ended up voicing her joy instead. “I’m very happy… I love it when you do this, Your Highness.”

Arnold’s hand was cold, but it quickly warmed in Rishe’s. Enjoying the sensation, Rishe finally grew so tired, she couldn’t stand it. Still, there was one thing she had to say.

“Promise me…you won’t stay awake…after I fall asleep…”

Arnold sighed again. He shifted and brought his lips up to Rishe’s ear, promising, “I’ll sleep too.”

“Right away?”

“Yeah. So don’t worry.”

She stopped resisting sleep then. Arnold wouldn’t break a promise to Rishe. His actions had proven that.

“Good…” Her face relaxed into a dopey smile. She wanted to tell him “good night,” but a powerful sleepiness stole away her consciousness. She let it go without a fight and fell dead asleep, still holding Arnold’s hand.

Arnold heaved his biggest sigh of the day then, but of course Rishe didn’t notice. She proceeded to enjoy pleasant dreams until the morning.