For yet another night, Sidis didn’t visit Lyse. She thought his absence might be the result of imagined awkwardness now that he knew she’d seen their clones in the villa, but that didn’t make her feel better.
“Maybe I’ve gotten spoiled,” she sighed. Sidis came to see her nearly every day without prompting, so Lyse entertained the idea that it might be her turn to visit him for a change—and then quickly shot it down. “He’s probably tired and sleeping already. I wouldn’t want to be a nuisance.”
What could be more important than a good night’s rest for a hardworking knight? Without enough sleep, the cogs in his head wouldn’t turn quickly enough for him to get his work done. Moreover, fighting monsters while fatigued was a deadly proposition. Lyse decided that Sidis’s well-being meant more to her than seeing him. If he hadn’t stopped by already, there had to be a reason for it.
“Guess I’ll go to sleep, then...”
With that, Lyse climbed into bed—but she found herself awake again before long. She kept her eyes closed, yet morning just wouldn’t come. As she tried to drift off again, she became aware of something soft across her midsection. She wondered if one of her monsters had crawled in to snuggle up for the night.
No, that can’t be... I left them all in the basket. So what is this...?
Lyse could sense no danger, which suggested that, whatever it was, it was no assailant. She opened her eyes, but that didn’t help much. She’d snuffed the candles in the room and drawn the curtains before retiring. A mere sliver of the moonlight pierced the darkness and cut across the bed, revealing a head of silver hair atop her midriff when she looked down. Stealing into her room in the middle of the night was fine—expected, even—but just what was he doing?
“Lord Sidis?” Lyse called.
Her voice made him flinch but failed to peel him off. He continued to rest on her, his warm breath tickling her tummy. At last, Lyse’s embarrassment gradually overpowered her drowsiness. Gah! Why is he sleeping on top of me?!
“Lord Sidis, you’re making me blush!”
Push as she tried, Sidis wouldn’t budge. If anything, he snuggled even closer. Lyse was literally powerless against her love. Her strict training regimen meant nothing when it came to his touch.
“Just a little longer...” he mumbled, flustering her even more.
“S-Sidis! That really tickles!” she squeaked as she wriggled. It was surely obvious to Sidis that she was quite ticklish, but that didn’t stop him.
“What’s wrong with that?” he said. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”
“No, you mustn’t! Please stop talking!”
“Okay, I’ll just whisper.”
“That’s not any better!” Lyse’s pleading did little to help her, so she resorted to raising her voice. “Lord Sidis, do you want me to hate you?”
“No! Anything but that! I’m sorry. I’ll cut it out,” he quickly apologized as he shot up from the bed.
The glint of the moonlight made his ruffled silvery hair sparkle. Lyse could see his face too, even in the dark of the room. She sat up and reached out for Sidis, who was kneeling at the edge of her bed.
“Come here,” she said, gently stroking his cheeks. “You’ve got dark circles under your eyes. Are you getting enough sleep?”
“I’m getting some. I just need to absorb some more of you and I’ll feel better.”
“What?” she asked, wondering what in the world there was of her to absorb.
Alcede had said just the other day that contrary to everyone’s hopes, Sidis simply wasn’t the type to relax after getting a lover. For whatever reason, he was pushing himself even harder instead. Lyse could see that better than anyone, but she didn’t necessarily think it was a bad thing. She felt loved and needed. What if he’s brainwashed me into thinking that way? Perhaps she didn’t mind his clinginess because it reminded her of him when he was young.
“It’s tough, Lyse, when I don’t get enough of you,” he said as he grasped her extended hand and pulled her into his arms.
“You can’t even take a single day off?” she asked to deflect his words. “If there’s anything I can do in your stead, please do tell me.”
“No, the work falls on me, so please...” He tumbled onto Lyse’s bed with her still in his arms, fully intending to fall asleep together. He pulled the blanket up and cuddled up to his bashful fiancée. “Please just indulge me. This is all I need from you.”
“Just promise not to pull anything funny...” she mumbled as she became too sleepy to keep her eyes open any longer.