Chapter Thirty-Five

This was not much of a comfort, yet it carried more force than any comfort could.

A hand reached out before her, belonging to Your Majesty. The knuckles were slender, the fingertips refined and polished, trembling slightly in front of her. She let out a heh-heh chuckle, raised a hand to rub the tip of her nose, and reached out intending to give him a grand, chivalrous, and pure-man handshake. The moment their fingertips touched, her wrist was grabbed and pulled downward, causing her to stumble into him and crash straight into Your Majesty's broad chest.

A man's chest was forever wider than a woman's, and this immediate, stark difference made her hurriedly try to flip around and back away, but the large hand resting upon her spine pressed her profile straight into that slightly warm and feverish chest.

"Yo, Your Majesty, this commoner—"

"Commoner, don't move."

"..."

"Just hold this posture for a little longer."

"..."

"Putting up a strong front is also quite exhausting; let Us rest for a moment." The deep, rich tone of the man reverberated beside her ear, accompanied by the steady heartbeat within his chest.

Not letting her see his expression, Your Majesty rested his chin upon her narrow shoulder, heavy enough to cause a trace of soreness in her joint. The moment she tilted her body ever so slightly, her neck felt a dense, warm current of air exhaled from his lips and mouth. This brotherly hug lacked any evil intent, and she could not be petty or coy enough to push him away, yet it easily made the distinction between man and woman practically leap to the surface. She could only keep her head and neck rigid, sitting up as straight as a bolt, maintaining a scholar's standard posture even within the