BANDAGING THE NAKED PRINCE’S WOUND

Naru moved slowly, leaning on his uninjured leg as he maneuvered through the darkness of the room. The candlelight flickered on the dresser, casting shadows across the walls. Leila was breathing steadily, her face turned toward the pillow, and he hoped she would stay that way.

Silently, he opened the bathroom door and closed it behind him.

Steam was already rising above the shower as he turned on the warm water. He carefully removed his clothes, feeling the dull ache of his muscles, worn from exhaustion and pain. When he stepped under the stream of hot water, blood trickled down his thigh again, dark streaks disappearing into the drain.

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the tiles, eyes closed, letting his body relax.

And then—he felt it.

She was there.

Slowly, he lifted his gaze through the mist of steam and saw Leila standing at the bathroom door.

She didn't look sleepy. She didn't look surprised.

She looked furious.

"Leila…"

He raised his hand as if to stop her, only to realize he was completely naked. His eyes darted around in search of something to cover himself with, but nothing was within reach.

"Don't come any closer," he warned, placing a hand over his lower stomach—the only thing he could think to shield.

She, however, kept walking toward him, unwavering.

"Leila, seriously, I—"

"I don't care," she interrupted, running her hand over the fogged-up mirror. "I don't care. What infuriates me is that you tried to hide the fact that you're injured."

Naru remained silent, watching her. Her eyes burned with frustration—but also something else.

Concern.

And at that moment, he knew—this wouldn't end well for him.

Still standing under the shower, Naru stared at Leila.

Droplets of water slid down his body, but he no longer felt the warmth. Only the heavy, charged silence.

Then she moved.

Without a word, Leila lifted her foot and stepped into the shower—fully clothed in her thin pajamas. The water immediately soaked through, making the fabric cling to her skin.

Naru's eyes widened.

"What are you doing?" he finally managed to ask, though his voice was softer than he intended.

She didn't answer. Instead, she crouched in front of him, lowering herself to the level of his bleeding thigh.

Her head was so close to his…

Naru swallowed hard and quickly looked away.

Never in his life had he felt this… unsure of himself.

If it had been any other woman, he probably would have laughed it off, thrown out a flirtatious remark. But this… this was Leila.

And for the love of the gods, he was embarrassed.

And her?

She was just examining his wound.

After a few moments, she stood up without a word, turned, and walked out of the shower, leaving him completely bewildered.

Naru remained frozen in place, heart hammering in his chest.

What the hell just happened?

The bathroom door opened again, and Leila returned with a first-aid kit.

Without a word, she crouched again and started tending to his wound while he still stood there—naked, confused, and utterly speechless.

Her hands were quick and precise, but she never once met his gaze. When she finished, she stood up, left the bandages on the sink, and walked out again.

Naru thought she was finally done with him.

But no.

She returned—with a pair of underwear—and handed it to him coldly.

"Put this on," she ordered. "We need to talk."

Then she turned and left the bathroom, leaving him standing under the water, completely lost.

Naru slowly stepped out of the bathroom, water dripping from his damp hair, his skin still wet. Dressed only in the underwear she had thrown at him, he ran a hand through his hair and looked up.

Leila was standing there.

Soaking wet. Furious. Her eyes red from tears, but her expression promising she was about to rip him in half.

And then she exploded.

"YOU!"

Naru barely had time to blink before she was in his face.

"YOU STUBBORN, IDIOTIC FOOL! HOW DARE YOU?!"

Her hands flailed in the air as she angrily gestured in front of him.

"How could you hide something LIKE THIS from me?! Are you insane? AM I NOT PART OF THIS?!"

Her voice echoed through the room, tears streaming down her face, but she didn't stop.

"I thought you understood! I thought we were a team, that we relied on each other! But you—you go off, get yourself injured, and then like a COWARD, you try to hide it?! FROM ME?!"

Naru stayed silent.

He just watched her, letting her get it all out.

"How many other things have you kept from me, huh?! How many half-truths have you told, expecting me to just accept them?! I AM HERE BECAUSE OF YOU! BECAUSE OF YOUR MISSION! BECAUSE OF THAT DAMN ARTIFACT! AND YOU… YOU TREAT ME LIKE A DOLL YOU NEED TO PROTECT INSTEAD OF TELLING ME THE TRUTH?!"

Her hands trembled, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to breathe between her tears and fury.

And then, just as she raised her hands to hit him in the chest again, Naru caught her wrists.

"Enough," he murmured.

Leila froze in shock.

She stared straight into his eyes, and he held her hands—firm, but not hurting.

And then, without thinking, she threw herself at him.

She hugged him so tightly their bodies collided, her tears soaking into his shoulder as she clung to him.

Naru simply exhaled and placed his arms around her back.

"It's just a small wound," he said, his voice now calm. "There have been worse. I survived worse."

Leila only held onto him tighter.

"That's not the point," she mumbled through her tears.

Naru closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

And he held her until she stopped shaking.

After a few minutes, when they had both calmed down a little, Naru led her to the couch.

Leila's eyes were still glistening with tears, but now they were quiet.

She looked at his thigh and immediately frowned.

"You're bleeding again," she said seriously.

Naru shrugged. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing," she snapped, standing up to get fresh bandages.

When she returned, she carefully unwrapped the previous one. It was completely soaked from the shower, and underneath, the wound had started bleeding again.

Leila sighed as she applied a new layer of herbal paste and wrapped it again.

"Alright, talk," she said, not looking up.

"About what?"

"What happened? And how did you find the key?"

Naru took a deep breath and began explaining.

He told her everything—the fight, the trap in the ruins, how he got injured, but also how they found the key that could lead them to the next clue.

Leila listened carefully as she tied off the bandage.

But…

At one point…

She realized the wound was in an inconvenient spot.

Too close to his…

And just as she tied the last knot, she felt him tense up.

She looked up.

Oh, no.

Leila immediately noticed how stiff he had become, and then she realized why.

Naru quickly reached for a pillow and placed it in his lap.

Leila blinked, then smirked.

"So… even while bleeding, you still…"

Naru turned his head away fast.

"Shut up."

Leila crossed her arms.

"No, really, tell me, how little control do you have over—"

"I said shut up."

"Oh, sure, Naru. I'm sure it's the wound and has absolutely nothing to do with me leaning over your lap, right?"

Naru now looked like he wanted the earth to swallow him whole.

"Leila."

"What?"

"Stop."

"I can't. This is my new favorite thing."

Naru just rolled his eyes, his face burning, while Leila leaned back on the couch, thoroughly enjoying his misery.

"Admit it," she said with a grin, "you never thought you'd let me this close. And now?"

Naru sighed.

"Now… Now I think you're going to tease me about this forever."

Leila patted his shoulder.

"You got it."