Bonus Story: In Which Sweetness Succeeds Sleep

Bonus Story:
In Which Sweetness Succeeds Sleep

THE DAY AFTER THE SHIP FIRE, it was time to retire for the night. Once Rishe had a bath, she helped Arnold disinfect his wound in his bedroom. She intended to sleep there once more. Arnold had just given her his usual expressionless but somehow poignant stare. Ultimately, he’d allowed her to do as she wanted. Thus, Rishe was preparing to serve as his body pillow yet again.

Although…

“What is it?”

Seated in the middle of the bed, Rishe frowned with concern. Arnold, also seated on the bed, inquired about the source of her discomfort.

Rishe studied him. He’d just bathed, like she had. Normally, he kept his collar buttoned tight so no one could see his scar, but he was dressed for sleep now in light clothes he could relax in. She could see all the way down to his collarbones.

She hugged one of the many pillows on the bed and tugged on Arnold’s sleeve, asking, “You use a soap with a subtle fragrance, right, Your Highness?”

“It’d be distracting otherwise.” He answered just as she expected. Arnold must not have liked strong smells.

She brought the back of her hand up to her nose and breathed in. “Mmm…”

“Rishe.” He called her name again instead of repeating his question.

Rishe hesitantly told him, “You see, um…this morning, Sir Joel, well, made a comment…”

“What sort of comment?”

Overcome with embarrassment, she hung her head before continuing, “He noticed that the same smell was coming from both of us…”

Arnold must have seen how red her face was by now, which only made her more anxious.

Rishe clutched at her own nightclothes and hastily explained, “So I tried putting less lotion on after my bath today, but I think I’ll still smell stronger than you, Your Highness…”

“…”

“I’ll just go wipe myself down once more before bedtime. I’ll get as much of the smell off as I can before getting into bed with you, so you should go ahead and—eep!” Rishe yelped when Arnold reached for her.

His large hand sidled around her back and pulled her close. Then he brought his nose down to Rishe’s neck.

Arnold’s black hair tickled where it brushed her skin. “Ngh!”

His face still right up against her skin, he muttered, “It smells sweet.”

“I-It does, doesn’t it? I’m sorry, I’ll go remove—”

“But,” he said, pulling away with utter nonchalance, “I think that’s just you.”

“Huh?” Rishe’s eyes widened before she could digest his meaning.

“It’s not unpleasant. You don’t need to go get rid of it, so hurry up and go to sleep.”

“B-but—”

“Come on. I’m snuffing the lamp.”

At his insistence, Rishe scurried under the covers. He really seemed not to mind, and he didn’t say anything when she snuggled up to him.

What he said just now… No, I’m sure there wasn’t any deep meaning to it.

She felt hot, and not because she’d just taken a bath. She turned her back to Arnold, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

If my body heat rises, it will only strengthen the smell!

Rishe did, of course, intend to serve as Arnold’s body pillow, but she needed to cool her head a bit first. She asked Arnold to put off snuffing the lamp and he obliged, giving her some time to compose herself.