MTLNOVEL 78
In the afternoon, after using Reload, I approached Kyle, who had arrived in the bedroom right on time. He sat on the bed with a calm expression and patted his lap.
“Aren’t you getting tired of holding me like this?”
“Not at all. It feels new every day.”
It certainly seemed that way. The problem was, after playing along with this guy’s antics once or twice, I had gotten used to it.
With a deep sigh, I straddled his thighs and placed my hands on his shoulders. Kyle naturally tilted his head up to kiss me…
“Wait.”
I pressed my palm against his lips and pushed his face away.
“You need to stop with the kisses. At this rate, my lips are going to wear out.”
“Hm.”
Kyle furrowed his brows as if he couldn’t agree.
“Stop? I haven’t even done it properly today. This should be the first time, shouldn’t it?”
“First time, my ass.”
I pouted and spoke.
“Right before I used Reload, you kissed me three times because you missed me. Then you did it again when you came to grab something, and when you woke up to leave, you kissed me at least five more times. Not to mention, you tried to sneak one onto my stomach, but I blocked it with a kick. Now you’re acting like that never happened.”
No matter how busy he was, he never skipped it—not once. At least he had mostly stopped trying to kiss my stomach lately. Still, even knowing there’s a fully grown man inside now, does he really still want to do that?
“No, that’s not right.”
Kyle started arguing with a serious face.
“All of those were for Cashew Nut, weren’t they? You just got here, so we should start counting from the beginning.”
“I am Cashew Nut.”
“You’re a person. That one’s a companion beast.”
“And inside that companion beast is me, Your Highness. Get a grip.”
“…….”
With no more excuses left to cling to, Kyle fell silent. He must’ve realized that, even by his own standards, he had already kissed me plenty. No matter what he said now, it would only sound like an excuse.
As if he understood that trying to argue further would only make him look more desperate, he snuck a glance at me with those red eyes of his.
His expression turned sullen.
If anyone else saw that face, they’d probably think he was furious and scramble to get out of his way. But I knew better.
That wasn’t anger.
He was sulking.
For someone who doesn’t look the type, he sure pouts a lot.
“If you don’t want to, then I have no choice.”
With that, Kyle seemed to truly give up on kissing me. He simply wrapped his arms around my waist and stared at me in silence. It felt like he was either expressing his dissatisfaction or silently pleading for permission.
“I-Is there really a need to look at me like that?”
“…….”
“Your Highness?”
“…….”
Ah, for fuck’s sake.
Come to think of it, it wasn’t even that unreasonable of a request. It’s not like a single kiss was going to actually wear out my lips.
To be honest, I didn’t hate it either. I was just irritated at how easily I kept getting caught up in his pace.
But when you really think about it… my perfect lover was so overwhelmed with love for me that he didn’t know what to do with himself. Shouldn’t I be happy about that?
He was capable, rich, kind, and lately, he’d even gotten good at knitting. If I ignored the frequency of his affection, even that kind of skill was—
…Wait. No, this isn’t the time for that.
I let out a groan and looked at Kyle. It was starting to annoy me how he just sat there, staring at me like that.
“Just this once, I’ll let it slide.”
“…….”
“But no kissing in the middle of work. And absolutely no kissing my stomach. There is a person inside the hamster, okay?”
“…….”
“Are you not even going to answer me?”
Finally, Kyle gave a small reply.
“…Alright.”
“Good boy.”
I shamelessly spoke those blasphemous words and leaned down, cupping his cheek. Then I pressed a quick, loud kiss onto his lips before pulling away.
“Alright, now let’s head down and check on that mine report from yesterday—mmph.”
Before I even finished speaking, a large hand had already cupped the back of my head and pulled me in.
The moment our lips met, his hot breath slipped into my mouth, tangling with my own as he ravaged me at will. He tilted his head and gently patted my back as if to soothe me, then pulled me closer until our bodies were pressed together.
I squeezed my eyes shut and clutched his shoulders. And when the kiss deepened, my arms instinctively wrapped around his broad shoulders, pressing myself into his embrace.
My vision swam, and my body felt like it was floating. With our lips locked so tightly together, I kept forgetting how to breathe every time. When I started to struggle for air, Kyle let out a quiet chuckle.
As soon as our lips parted, I gasped for breath, panting heavily. My cheeks burned, and my heart pounded like crazy.
“Well.”
He stroked my back and chuckled softly, looking way too pleased with himself.
“I think that was shorter than yesterday. Or was it not?”
“Hahh, hff… It felt the same to me.”
“I think you need some training to improve your lung capacity.”
“Isn’t moderation an option?”
“If I can’t do it often and I also can’t do it for long, wouldn’t that be far too cruel to me?”
Cruel, my ass.
I pouted and rested my forehead against his shoulder.
This sneaky little bastard. Somewhere along the way, he had gotten so good at teasing people. And here I was, busting my ass to keep him alive.
Well, not that I minded. Of course I didn’t. How could I? His survival meant my survival, and more than anything… I felt the same way.
“Anyway, about that thing. Something about it is bothering me.”
“I thought the same, so I requested additional reports. I also plan to personally check on the workers who showed symptoms.”
“That’s good. Can I come with you?”
“Of course. In that case, we should hurry.”
“Alright.”
The previously heated atmosphere quickly settled back into our usual calm.
Now, what kind of trouble was brewing this time? Well, I’d figure that out once I got all the facts. No point worrying before I even knew what the real issue was.
With that in mind, I slowly pulled away from him. Then, standing on my own two feet, I habitually checked his expected time of death. It was a long-standing habit of mine—one of my most important tasks—to constantly monitor how much time he had left.
Let’s see.
It hadn’t been long since the numbers had dropped into double digits, so there shouldn’t be any immediate danger…
[Kyle Jane Meinhardt. Estimated time of death: approximately 10 days remaining.]
…What?
What the hell? Ten days?
[Kyle Jane Meinhardt. Estimated time of death: approximately 10 days remaining.]
I blinked rapidly and pulled up the system window again. But no matter how many times I checked—three times, four times—it remained the same.
Ten days? How the hell did it drop so suddenly?
“Shu.”
I was frozen in shock for so long that Kyle gently grasped my shoulders and gave me a slight shake. His composed face held a faint trace of confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“That’s…”
Even now, I couldn’t bring myself to be completely honest with him.
I had already revealed that I could foresee certain parts of the future. I had even hinted that I received assistance from an Absolute Being or did errands for them. But… I had never told him that I could precisely track his remaining lifespan.
Even if he trusted me fully, that was something unsettling enough to make anyone uneasy.
So I couldn’t tell him the truth. But I also couldn’t just brush it off—it wasn’t fine.
…What the hell caused his remaining time to drop by more than two months so suddenly?
I knew the grace period was nearing its end, but I didn’t expect the time to plummet like this.
Was it because Lorenz had started making his move? Or was there some kind of problem at the northern mines? Maybe a beast horde attack? Or the Mage Corps?
“Shu.”
“…….”
“…Hey, Shu.”
“…….”
“Shu!”
A warm hand cupped my chin.
Snapped out of my daze, I suddenly found myself staring straight into Kyle’s eyes. His hands cradled my cheeks as he held my gaze.
“You had a dream, didn’t you?”
The reflection in his red eyes showed a young man, slightly pale, unable to completely hide his distress.
I forced a smile and nodded.
“Yes. I couldn’t see it clearly, but… something is going to happen soon.”
“To me?”
“Yes, most likely.”
Of all possible time frames, why did it have to be ten days? The last time I saw that number was when Belial and I got caught up in the political turmoil. The memory left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Kyle must have noticed the anxiety and frustration spreading across my face, because his expression darkened as well. Then, he lifted one side of his lips in a strained attempt at a smile.
“So, it was a dream where I died.”
“How did you know?”
“More than knowing… I was hoping.”
…Hoping? For his own death?
I stared at him, bewildered, and he let out a soft sigh before releasing me.
“Because if you were that shaken, I’d want the reason to be me.”
“Still, is that really something you just casually say? Wishing I saw a dream of you dropping dead?”
“…….”
“Well, you’re right. But in the end, it’s just a dream.”
The nausea that had been bubbling inside me gradually subsided.
The time limit was tight, but I could do this. Even if there was only a single day left, it didn’t matter. I would stop it. I wouldn’t let him die.
Because keeping Kyle alive was the surest way to raise my Miracle Score? No. That wasn’t the reason anymore. Maybe it had started that way, but… now, I knew better.
Somewhere along the way, I had come to enjoy being with him.
I liked running around with him, watching the north grow warmer day by day. I liked our meaningless banter. I liked kissing him.
And in realizing that, I also realized something else: all the time I had spent struggling alone before meeting him… had actually been unbearable loneliness.
I didn’t want to return to that cold, empty time ever again.
“I can do this. You won’t die.”
I spoke firmly, making my tone as confident as possible. Kyle must have noticed, because he smiled along with me.
“Right. We’ve survived worse. No point panicking before we even start.”
“But we can’t let our guard down. We don’t have that much time. First, we need to figure out what could pose a threat. If you’re going to review reports, can I join you?”
“I need to inspect the castle first…”
Kyle pulled out his pocket watch, checked the time, then nodded.
“Go ahead to the study and start sorting the documents. After I finish my rounds and check the armory, I’ll join you. If you can organize them by topic, that would help.”
“Wow. You’re really putting me to work.”
Sorting reports was nothing for a modern person like me. I grumbled out of habit but still nodded in agreement.
“Leave it to me. I’ll go ahead first, then.”
“Alright.”
I was about to just turn and leave, but at the last moment, I graciously leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his cheek.
“Now I’m really going.”
…Was it just my imagination, or did I hear him chuckle softly behind me?