Are you a gold-digger? (11)

T/N: Tues chappie but a little late

Aristine smiled awkwardly and opened her mouth, Um, g-good morning?

Hands off.

Aye.

Aristine quickly lowered her hand. But as she did so, her finger swept over Tarkans muscular stomach.

Uk Tarkan groaned through grit teeth then he growled, Stop right there.

Oh, yes. Sorry.

Losing its destination, Aristines hand hovered over Tarkans abdominal muscles aimlessly.

Tarkans stomach trembled and tensed even more.

T, Then what should I do?

Tarkans body was so close to hers that she couldnt move her hand behind her back.

And they were wrapped tightly in a very thick blanket.

Hm? Wait, wait a minute.

Aristine checked her condition with bewilderment.

Right now, she was naked, and she was being hugged by Tarkan, who was also naked, and they were wrapped in this blanket like a crepe.

W-Why am I lying naked with you? And so close together at that, under one blanket?

Shock, embarrassment, and absurdity flashed through Aristines eyes and after the wave of emotions, it firmly settled on distrust.

I knew you were a pervert, but I thought you were a pervert with good morals.

But you take advantage of my deep sleep to do such a thing?!

Aristine criticized him with a cold gaze.

Tarkans forehead creased, Who do you think I did this for?

Honestly, he was the one who was facing the most difficulty in this situation.

He had been in close contact with Aristines soft body for almost half a day and even his fingertips were not spared.

After her body temperature recovered somewhat, Aristine began tossing and turning

It was only a slight twist of her body but to him, it was torture. He never knew someone could feel so soft, supple and smooth.

As if he wasnt stimulated already, Aristine started moving her hand to touch his chest. He would be grateful if it was just groping but she even.

How can you even call me the pervert? Tarkan asked, grinding his teeth.

Aristine was taken aback since she knew her crimes but soon became confident.

If you didnt do this in the first place, I wouldnt have touched your chest. Who asked you to hug someone naked?

I did that to save you.

When Tarkan said that, Aristine frowned.

Save me?

You had hypothermia, so I had no choice but to hold you.

He emphasized that it was not of his own will.

Aristine blinked.

I had hypothermia?

At that very moment, she remembered what happened in the bathroom. She used the Monarchs Sight to find a solution to the pig-iron monopoly, then she heard Tarkans voice calling her from outside the bathroom and then.

Nothing after that.

She blacked out.

Did I faint?

Yes.

Was I in there that long?

She saw the monarchs sight through her sense of perception, so time passed quickly. But to think a longer time had passed in reality.

I was focusing so hard and I finally found something.

Now you understand, Tarkan said and looked at Aristine with confidence, I did this purely for medical reasons.

Urk

The pervert here is you.

Tarkan looked at Aristine with a gaze that said he felt refreshed just saying that.

Aristine felt pricked by that look and pursed her lips, then her eyes narrowed.

Do you want me to show you what a real pervert looks like?

Her fingers which were on Tarkans abdomen wriggled around. His tight muscles instantly clenched and contract.

Dont do it, Im serious.

Why? Didnt you call me a pervert? A pervert will do what perverts do!

Aristine giggled and tickled Tarkans side.

I said stop.

Tarkan grabbed her wrists with one hand.

The blanket that was tightly wrapped around the both of them loosened.

Oh

Right. They were naked.

Aristine belated realized what that meant.

She quickly pulled up the blanket and mumbled, Should we put on clothes first?

Her face was hot.

* * *

The couple who were making a scene in the middle of the night, sat next to each other on the bed in their night robes.

They both acted fine but sat farther from each other than normal.

Unable to bear the continuing awkward silence, Aristine opened her mouth.

How long was I asleep?

About 10 hours.

Thats a lot.

You should sleep more.

That, she couldnt do. In her current situation, she couldnt afford to waste time.

She wanted to escape from this tense atmosphere too, so she got up and looked at Tarkan.

Its the crack of dawn, right?

Mn.

Then even if she went out now, it would be of no use.

Aristine sat back down on the bed.

Silence followed.

She wasnt looking at Tarkan but she couldnt help but be conscious of him because the bed tilted slightly towards him.

The view of Tarkans body that she saw earlier rose into her mind.

His body had tiny scars scattered all over and it was filled with tight muscles. The sensation of her hand stroking his chest remained on her hand.

It was very bouncyno!

What am I thinking!

Aristine clenched her fist and cleared her throat for no reason.

I didnt think Id collapse in the bath. To think I got hypothermia just because the water got cold

Its likely more because your body was under strain since you were overworked.

Overworked?

Aristine tilted her head. Did she work that much?

Yes, overworked. I heard you must have had a slight fever for the past few days. Didnt you notice that?

Not at all.

Tarkan looked at Aristine with dissatisfaction, If you feel sick, say so.

No, I wasnt exactly sick. I did think my head felt a little heavy.

To Aristine, being sick meant getting burned or feeling so sick that death felt a few steps away. During her time in imprisonment, a minor fever was nothing more than a passing event.

Thats what being sick is, Tarkan said firmly.

He placed his large hand against Aristines forehead.

From now on, even if its a fingernail bothering you, let me know youre sick.

Youre very kind.

Aristine laughed but swallowed the later part of her sentence.

To someone who bothers you.

She lowered her head and shook off Tarkans hand.

For some reason, the more conscious she was of Tarkan, the more those words from earlier echoed in her mind.

Im kind?

He had never been called kind before. Hed only ever heard it from Aristine one other time, and she was being sarcastic.

This was the first time hed heard those words being said with sincerity. Then again, this was also the first time hed felt so anxious when someone was sick.

When he saw Aristine collapse before his eyes, his mind really went blank.

Tarkan was not a cruel master to his subordinates.

But earlier, he almost drew his sword at the court ladies for not taking good care of Aristine.

However, Tarkan was much angrier with himself. He should have noticed Aristines condition earlier.

If your head feels heavy, tell me that. I told you to rely on me.

Arent I relying on you a lot already?

Aristine tilted her head. Whether it was the merchant group or the blacksmiths, they were all thanks to his help.

By calculating everything and repaying every little thing?

Like she was drawing a line.

I mean, Im only trying to make sure you dont suffer a loss. Would you prefer I wash my hand and eat all the money while using your forge and merchantry?

Yes.

I would love that.

How would Aristine react if he said that? He didnt have to wonder. Because he knew she would give him a confused look and ask, why?.

I am your husband, Tarkan held Aristines hand and spoke as if pleading.

That is true but

Aristine held back the words and avoided his gaze.

But what?

Well, you knowwe are not really a couple.

Aristine smiled.

Translators Corner:

**Bonus 2 is out~! Click next and remember, the password is tarkan(lowercase) and the number of the chapter e.g tarkan###. If it doesnt work, clear cache.