CHAPTER 71: COLD HUG

The sun filtered through the cracks in the window, casting a soft glow that cut through the dimness of the room. The fireplace was already out, leaving only faint embers, and silence reigned.

Ester stirred first. Her eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the light flooding the room. For a moment, she didn’t understand anything. She felt warmth—a strange warmth, too comforting to be just from the furs of the bed.

Blink.

That was when she realized.

She was pressed against Damon.

Not just pressed... but curled up against him. Her face buried in his chest, her legs entwined with his, and her arms—her arms!—clasped him tightly, as if he were some kind of human pillow.

The shock was immediate.

"Wait... what?!"

She froze, paralyzed, unable to move. Her heart raced so hard it felt like it could wake him up on its own. Her gaze roamed the room as if searching for a logical, rational, scientific explanation for what was happening.

Nothing.

The truth was there: SHE had acted unconsciously.

"N-No..." she murmured softly, feeling her throat dry. "I didn’t..."

She wanted to pull away, but the more she tried to pull her arms away, the more she realized it was she who was holding him. The worst part was the detail that destroyed her insides: Damon was peaceful, still asleep, as if nothing had happened. His chest rose and fell rhythmically, and that faint smile at the corner of her mouth betrayed that perhaps he already knew.

A deep blush covered her cheeks.

"I... I’m ridiculous! What am I doing?! Sleeping clinging to him? Like a scared child?!"

The ice shell she had been holding onto with such effort was in pieces.

"No, no, no... this can’t be happening..." she whispered to herself, biting her lip.

With an almost Herculean effort, she began to try to free herself. Slowly, like someone dismantling a trap, she pulled her arms away. But one false movement made Damon mumble in his sleep and turn his face slightly toward her.

Ester froze in place, her eyes wide.

He didn’t wake up. But he murmured something that made her want to sink into the mattress and disappear:

"...sweet..."

She held her breath in disbelief.

"He... said that... to me?!"

A muffled moan of embarrassment escaped her, and then she tried to pull away again. This time, she managed to free one arm, but the movement made her lose her balance and fall backward, rolling until she nearly fell off the bed. The impact of the movement shook the mattress, and Damon woke, slowly opening his eyes.

Ester panicked.

On an uncontrolled impulse, she pulled the blanket up to her face, burying herself inside as if she could disappear from the world. Anything but face that man after what she’d done.

"Hm...?" Damon’s deep, husky voice echoed, still drowsy. He lifted his head, blinking slowly. "What’s going on in there?"

From beneath the blanket, a muffled murmur escaped:

"N-Nothing! Nothing happened!"

Damon arched his eyebrow, rubbing his eyes, and the scene before him couldn’t have been more suspicious: Ester completely wrapped up like a nervous ice cocoon, hiding her face and trembling.

He smiled.

"Ah... I see." His tone was too amused. "You dreamed about me, didn’t you?"

The blanket shifted violently.

"N-NO!" she almost screamed, but muffled by the fabric, it came out more like a strange howl.

Damon laughed, a low, mischievous laugh. He stretched out, still lying down, resting his head on one hand. "You don’t have to be like that, I won’t tell anyone. Your reputation as an ice queen is safe with me."

Ester ripped the blanket from her face, red as a fire.

"I did NOT dream about you, you idiot!" she said, trying to sound firm, but her voice was too shaky to convince anyone.

Damon just raised his eyebrows, feigning innocence. "Oh, then it’s worse. You didn’t dream about me... but you hugged me on purpose."

"I didn’t hug at all!" he shouted, shrinking even further, completely at a loss. "It must have been... reflex! Yeah, that’s it! Something unconscious, unintentional!"

He cocked his head to the side, thoughtful. "Interesting. So, unconsciously, you want to cuddle with me."

Ester widened her eyes, ready to explode. "Shut up!"

His laughter filled the room. It wasn’t mocking, but genuinely amused, as if he’d just discovered his new favorite game.

"I knew you had a hidden sweet side." Damon stood up, stretching as if nothing had happened. "I just didn’t think you’d discover it so quickly."

Ester turned away from him, covering her face with her hands, trying to regain her shattered dignity.

"Why me? Why with this man?!"

The worst part of all was admitting to herself that it had been... comfortable. That destroyed her more than any of his mockery.

Damon, noticing her silence and embarrassment, just smirked. There was no need to press further. Just seeing her like this, unarmed, was already his victory.

He leaned over to pick up his spear, preparing to descend.

"Hurry up, Miss Ice," he said casually. "If you take too long, I’ll think you’re hiding because you can’t stop thinking about me."

She whipped her head around so quickly she nearly twisted, shooting him a glare.

"I’ll freeze you to a statue if you don’t shut up!"

But her face was still burning, and Damon just laughed, leaving the bedroom door before she could carry out her threat.

Alone, Ester collapsed back onto the bed, covering her eyes with her arm.

"Idiot..." she murmured weakly. "Damn idiot..."

Ester remained in bed for a few minutes, motionless, as if she could still undo it all if she simply pretended nothing had happened. But there was no way. The heat in her face wouldn’t go away, and every memory of the position she’d woken in made her insides churn.

She finally stood up, taking a deep breath. "He’s probably downstairs already... laughing at me." The very thought made her bite her lip in anger.

Determined to regain her composure, she straightened her blue hair, braided it quickly, and composed herself as best she could. Her cool expression, her firm gait—her armor against any provocation. At least, that’s what she wanted to believe.

Descending the stairs, she found Damon sitting at the inn’s table, already served fresh bread, a piece of cheese, and a glass of morning mead. He looked up as soon as he saw her, and the lazy smile on his face was enough to bring the blush back to her cheeks.

"Finally," he said, his tone insolent. "I thought I froze up there with shame."

Ester kept her face impassive, even though she wanted to throw the table at him. She sat facing him, straightening her posture.

"Don’t be ridiculous. I was just... packing my things." The sentence came out dry, sharp.

Damon rested his chin on his hand, watching her maliciously. "Of course. It must be really hard to fix your pride after a scene like that."

She clenched her fists under the table. "I’m going to..."

"Freeze my mouth, I know." He interrupted her with a short laugh. "You always say that, but you never do it."

Ester narrowed her eyes, trying to find some retort that would shut him up. None came. So, silently, she took a piece of bread from the table and began to eat, trying to ignore his amused look.

Damon couldn’t resist. "You know what I noticed? You looked human when you were asleep."

She choked lightly on her bread, coughing, and he laughed even harder.

"Shut up, Damon!"

"I’m serious!" She raised her hands, feigning innocence. "I almost forget that beneath this wall of ice there’s someone real. You should smile more when you sleep."

Ester slammed the bread hard on the table, sending some crumbs flying. "If you don’t stop, I swear..."

"Are you going to hug me again?" he added, with the most provocative smile he could muster.

She blushed to the tips of her ears. "Damn you!"

A few other patrons at the inn glanced out of the corner of their eyes, curious about the little spectacle. Ester noticed and buried her face in her glass of water, trying to hide.

Damon just took a calm bite of cheese, satisfied as a child who had just been given a piece of candy.

Silence fell between them for a few moments, but Ester couldn’t stop thinking about what she had done. Every time she looked away and remembered how she’d woken up hugging him, the shame returned in waves.

And what irritated her most was the fact that Damon seemed genuinely amused by it—no malice, no intention of humiliating her. It was as if he’d discovered a secret that was theirs alone, and it made him feel lighter than ever.

When they finished their meal, he stood first, adjusting his spear on his back.

"Come on, Miss Ice. We still have a long way to go."

She huffed, standing up too. "If you call me that one more time, I’ll—"

"Hug?" he said, barely suppressing his laughter.

Ester stopped in the middle of the room, without a response. The words died in her mouth. There was no winning.

Face still flushed, she stomped out of the inn, as if the floor were to blame. Damon followed calmly, smirking, satisfied.

As they mounted their horses, he casually commented,

"You know, it was a good night’s rest. Comfortable, even."

She glanced at him suspiciously. "Don’t you dare say anything else."

He inclined his head, as if making no promises. "I won’t say anything. But I will remember."

[Progress... 93%]

"Hehehe... we’ll make it much... warmer soon."