Let me do the work tonight

"It's already late. Go back to sleep."

Selah blinked a few times and realized that the room she was currently lying in was dim. Sitting in his chair, Aeneas seems to be watching her with some document in his hand.

"Then… why aren't you sleeping too?" Selah asked slowly.

Aeneas finally really pays attention to Selah. He put some documents on the table, then approached Selah. His hand touched Selah's forehead, then moved to the palm of her hand that had been injured earlier. After that, his eyes scanned Selah's face.

"There are some things I cannot put off," Aeneas finally told her. He stroked Selah's head gently. "You sleep first."

Selah closed her eyes for a long time, enjoying the head rub that Aeneas gave her. "Must be because I passed out, right? Just let it be. I can finish it tomorrow."

"In your current state? No," said Aeneas firmly. "The healer told you to get plenty of rest and calm your mind."

"I have calmed down and can think clearly now," said Selah after a long silence.

"That pause between your answers made me hesitate." Aeneas smiled faintly. "I know you're still angry, and I can't forbid you to be angry. But for now, just rest first, okay?"

"I will wait for you…"

"My wife is as stubborn as ever."

Aeneas kissed Selah on the forehead before returning to his work.

And Selah was really waiting for Aeneas. From where he was currently lying, with sleepy eyes, Selah watched Aeneas. Her husband was writing and reading, sorting and tearing; everything he did in silence. Honestly, this was the first time Selah had seen Aeneas in this serious mode.

It was a rare sight to see him so calm and serious. Aeneas that Selah sees is usually a person with a mischievous face who likes to tease.

"Enjoying the sights you see?" Having just thought about it, Aeneas instantly returned to his true nature.

"Yes, not bad," said Selah. Aeneas finishes his work. "You're different when you're at work like that."

Aeneas chuckled, then finally lay down beside Selah. "If you like it, I can ask that we have adjacent or even the same workspace."

"Not that I asked that. I just–what are you doing?"

Without Selah noticing it, Aeneas was already above her. Selah's eyes opened wide instantly, especially when she felt her nightgown lifted up.

"I thought, if not now, then when?" Aeneas lifted Selah's leg and kissed her thigh. "If you don't want to, you can kick me now."

"You can say that lightly because I've never kicked you before," Selah sighed.

Not that Aeneas couldn't understand Selah's plight, but this was definitely an opportunity. With the trouble that Evanthe was causing, they couldn't do it for who knows how long. In a way, this is an opportunity.

"Wait a minute, Your Highness," Selah said hurriedly before Aeneas could do anything with his mouth down there. "How about yourself?"

"For me, I won't waste any time," answered Aeneas. This time he licked Selah's thigh. "So?"

Selah exhaled a long breath. "Come up here, Your Highness," she said.

"Your Highness?"

"All right, all right. Come up here, Aeneas."

Aeneas smiled contentedly. Selah's rule was to learn to address Aeneas by name rather than by his title.

"What is it, honey?"

Selah kissed Aeneas first, and he greeted her. Slowly but surely, their positions have changed now.

"Let me do the work tonight." Selah's hand touched Aeneas' chest. "You've worked hard all day."

"My, my." Aeneas chuckled, but then he sighed at Selah's touch. "For the size of someone sick, you are excited too."

"It's my hand that hurts," said Selah. He lifted Aeneas' hand and kissed his fingers. "This time, trust me, Aeneas."

***

Aeneas had heard that people who had taken sedatives would wake up with hallucinations for a moment. Maybe that's what happened to Selah last night, so she's a little weird like that.

"Well, that doesn't mean I'm not happy," muttered Aeneas amused as he tucked Selah's hair.

Last night, instead of attacking, Aeneas was attacked. He doesn't know if that was Selah's true nature or if she was just acting, but his wife was aggressive too. He doesn't know where she learned it from, but Selah is very clever at finding the sensitive points of Aeneas and herself. Could it be because they've done it a few times, so she memorized it right away? After all, she is a fast learner.

Honestly, the feeling isn't bad either. In the past, Aeneas was once attacked in bed.

Maybe because that person is my own wife? thought Aeneas. His eyes scanned from neck to shoulder of Selah. Clean without any traces, in contrast to the state of Aeneas's body now.

Without looking in the mirror, Aeneas knows where Selah has left her mark. He remembered all her touches last night.

Since Selah was quite understanding, she didn't reach up to the top of Aeneas' neck. She only left traces where he could still be covered with clothes: in the crook of his neck, on his shoulders, on his thighs, and especially on his chest. Aeneas had never been that interested in other people's chests, but unexpectedly it turned out that his wife was.

Aeneas' chest hurts...

Pleasant pain.

When was the last time Aeneas wasn't crying or in pain after doing so?

"Are you awake?" muttered Selah, then she yawned widely.

Aeneas chuckled. "Of course. Now it's time to wake up," he teased while pinching Selah's nose.

Selah automatically growled in annoyance and brushed Aeneas' hand away. "Next time, please wake me up if you get up first," she said. She then sat down her naked body and tried to smooth her hair.

"Where are you going?" asked Aeneas.

"Where else? Of course, to works, Your Highness."

"Selah, it's a holiday. Come back and relax. I've done what it takes." Aeneas grabbed Selah before she could get off the bed and hugged her. "What's the point of us having fun last night if you're gone in the morning?"

"That's precisely the goal, Your Highness."

"So you fuel yourself with sex?"

Aeneas manages to dodge when Selah tries to hit him with a pillow.

"Not that!" Selah said with a blushing face. Of course, Aeneas laughed even more. "What I mean is-"

"You don't need to explain. I'm just teasing you, really," said Aeneas amused. Selah glared at him. "But seriously, you don't need to work today. You don't have to worry about Lady Evanthe either."

"How can I not worry about the news, Your Highness?" asked Selah excitedly.

"My wife is very excited this morning, huh?" Aeneas kissed her briefly. "Try to have a little faith in other people, Selah. I've gotten over it, and I'm sure Lady Ischa is too. Later, when you meet with Evanthe, that woman will already be in prison."