CHAPTER 23: THE GENTLE FISH WHO OFFERED HIS WARMTH

Roxanna shifted her head several times. It turned out the waterskin pillow didn’t feel very comfortable to use. Every time she moved, she could hear the water sloshing inside it, and she had to be very careful because she didn’t want it to leak.

[Ugh, I feel so uncomfortable... how am I supposed to sleep like this?] she thought while staring at the hut’s bamboo-woven ceiling.

The wind felt uncomfortably cold tonight, and the blanket made of animal skin didn’t help her at all.

[Maybe I really should ask someone to catch a mammoth for me tomorrow,] Roxanna thought as she rubbed her arms. [This place is freezing.]

"Are you that cold?" Azul asked in a gentle voice. He had been sitting in the corner of the hut this whole time, looking at the sky through the open window.

Roxanna had actually been feeling a little awkward. Azul hadn’t spoken once, and he just sat there quietly. Maybe he didn’t want to disturb her because she needed to rest, but since she couldn’t sleep anyway... it would be nice if he talked a little.

"Yeah, a bit," Roxanna lied. [It’s actually really cold. My hands are turning into ice blocks.]

If she didn’t use any blanket at all, her hands might have already gotten frostbite.

Yeah, she really wasn’t joking when she said that! The air temperature in this settlement was truly freezing! The other residents were probably suffering even more because their huts had been destroyed by the demon bears.

Ah, no, they should be fine. Beastkins have the ability to warm themselves, including Roxanna if she wasn’t suffering from blood loss.

"I can’t light a fire inside my hut," Azul said as he stood up. "But I can light one right under the window. It won’t be very warm, but at least you’ll feel a bit of heat."

Of course he couldn’t light a fire inside the hut. This place didn’t even have a proper fireplace, so the flames would instantly burn the entire hut down if he lit a fire indoors.

However, it seemed that no one in this settlement had a proper fireplace anyway. After all, they didn’t cook, so they didn’t need a chimney in their houses.

"That would definitely make me feel better," Roxanna said.

When Azul walked outside, Roxanna finally pushed the waterskin pillow aside. That pillow was truly uncomfortable, so she would just use her hands as a pillow instead!

A moment later, she faintly heard the sound of fire crackling as it burned the firewood, and through the window, she could see smoke rising into the air.

"Do you feel warmer now?"

Roxanna was slightly startled when Azul’s face suddenly appeared from the open window. He looked at her with such a warm smile that it warmed her heart as well.

For the past two years, she had only seen vicious faces from traitors, so being faced with someone who looked at her with such gentleness felt surprisingly comforting.

"It does feel a bit warmer," Roxanna said as she turned onto her side. "Or... maybe I should just sit outside instead?"

Honestly, Roxanna felt that being inside or outside the hut didn’t make any difference. In the end, there was simply no place where she could sleep comfortably.

[Maybe those biceps can help me sleep better,] Roxanna bit her lower lip as she stared at Azul’s arms. His arms might not be as big as Calen’s or Zeir’s, but they still looked like they would make a great pillow.

Azul’s face turned slightly red when he heard her thoughts. Since his skin was a bit pale, it was easy for Roxanna to see the blush on his cheeks, but she just assumed he was feeling hot from standing too close to the fire.

"You might feel even more uncomfortable outside," Azul finally said. His voice sounded a bit rough, and he had to clear his throat a few times. "Besides, you won’t be able to lie down properly out here."

[But lying on this hard wooden floor isn’t comfortable either,] Roxanna sighed in her mind. [And my arm is starting to feel sore after putting my head on it for too long. Besides... it’s still freezing here.]

"Roxanna, do you know what can stop you from feeling cold quickly?" Azul’s sudden question startled her a little.

"What?" she replied.

"Skin-to-skin contact," Azul said with a small smile. "That method can help you warm up faster."

Roxanna’s face immediately turned red as well. She actually knew this from the beginning, but she just didn’t dare say it out loud.

Besides, how could she ask Azul to do something like that when he had trauma because the evil Roxanna used to force herself on him several times?

[He probably doesn’t want to do that kind of thing with me, right?] she thought.

Out of nowhere, the system popped up. [But Host... he wouldn’t bring it up if he didn’t want to do it!]

[Reminder: the mating mission is still active! Having sex now will give you five more days to live!]

[How about the system give you a step-by-step tutorial on how to seduce a ma—]

Roxanna cut the system off. [I don’t need a tutorial to seduce a man! Besides, it’s not like Azul wants to sleep beside me!]

"I can sleep beside you if you want," Azul suddenly offered out of nowhere.

Roxanna choked on air the moment she heard him say that. Why did he have such perfect timing to suggest something like that?

"You know... that way, we can share our heat together." Azul muttered, his face growing even redder from embarrassment.

However, in Roxanna’s eyes, he looked like someone who was scared because the evil Roxanna had harassed him before.

[He’s probably offering because he’s scared I’ll throw him into the basement,] she thought.

Azul hissed in his mind because Roxanna always assumed the worst. But since she didn’t know her husbands could read her thoughts, of course she would think that way.

"I... I won’t force you to do something like that," Roxanna said in a low voice. "You don’t have to force yourself to touch me."

"But I want to hug you." Azul leaned his head against the window frame, tilting it slightly as his bright ocean-blue eyes locked onto hers. "Am I not allowed to do that?"