After I, a Penniless Noble, Entered a Fake Engagement with the Most Elegant Duke’s Daughter at the Academy, For Some Reason She Started Showering Me with Love - Chapter 06.2: The First Time I Touched Your Sleeping Cheek

Chapter 06.2: The First Time I Touched Your Sleeping Cheek

My thoughts froze.

It felt like time had stopped—

Like the entire world just came to a halt.

…Wait, what did she just say?

“Don’t just sit there spaced out—come here.”

“Ah—”

Before I knew it, she’d grabbed my arm and pulled me forward.

I couldn’t resist—

And got dragged straight into the bed.

It didn’t hurt.

“Fufu, welcome.”

But the moment I fell in, Yuri’s face filled my vision.

How do you breathe again?

Inhale.

Exhale.

Something that simple—

I suddenly couldn’t do it.

All I could feel was Yuri, smiling gently at me in that quiet moment.

“…You do realize this is kind of risky, right?”

Funny how too much panic can make you weirdly calm.

Here I was, in a room alone with a girl, lying on a bed together.

Even understanding exactly what that meant,

My voice came out just like usual.

“Oh? Is it?”

And yet, Yuri was the calmest one between us.

Lying there on her side, head tilted toward me,

She smiled like none of this was a big deal.

“This is dangerous, you know. Do you really think I wouldn’t try anything?”

“Would you?”

“…No, I wouldn’t.”

Not a chance.

I wasn’t about to throw away my entire future over one reckless moment.

But…

Even if I told myself that—

It wasn’t like I could be completely sure.

“There’s always a chance it could turn into something, even if I didn’t mean to.”

“So… would this count as something intentional? Or just an accident? Hard to say, isn’t it?”

“Can you not say stuff that sounds so misleading?”

This wasn’t like her usual teasing.

The situation was different.

My thoughts were so stirred up that they’d gone still.

But even so, I had no idea when I might lose control—

When something inside me might just snap.

“Maybe you’re not taking this seriously, Yuri… but—”

I faltered.

My lips trembled slightly as I bit down on them.

Still, if I didn’t say it now…

Eventually, I’d mess up somewhere.

So I had to make sure Yuri understood.

“I’m still a guy.”

I reached out—

And gently touched her cheek with my fingertips.

Soft.

Cool to the touch.

It was the first time I’d ever touched her face.

Her skin reminded me of the first snowfall.

And just like that, the warmth in my fingers slowly faded away.

Even now, with me touching her like this,

Yuri didn’t pull away.

She didn’t scold me.

She just smiled.

“It’s not like I was thinking… we’d actually do anything, you know.”

“Then… why?”

“Hmm, I wonder why.”

“You’re not just dodging the question, are you?”

“Of course not.”

I slowly traced her outline with my fingers.

She squirmed a little, like it tickled—

But even then, her deep blue eyes stayed fixed on me.

“I just… felt like being close to you like this. With you, dear husband.”

“You really just go with whatever you feel, huh?”

It was so very her—

But for the one getting dragged along, it was exhausting.

“So? Now that you’ve tried it… how do you feel?”

“Fufu…”

Yuri smiled softly, almost like it slipped out without her meaning to.

“I feel so comfortable like this… I could stay like this forever.”

She wasn’t lying.

That much was clear just from the look on her face.

“What about you?”

“…I’d really rather you didn’t ask.”

“Tell me. Or maybe I’ll just start crying and screaming?”

“That’s blackmail.”

I shot her a half-lidded glare, but Yuri just giggled softly.

This duke’s daughter was seriously too much.

Just bringing a girl into the boys’ dorm was already enough to put me on thin ice.

And if anyone found out about this…

No one would care about my side of the story.

I’d be arrested on the spot.

The only question would be whether I got dragged through the courts first…

Or skipped straight to the execution block.

So yeah, ignoring her wasn’t an option.

If that was her plan all along…

Then I might really be stuck in the palm of her hand forever.

“…Well. It’s not bad, I guess.”

“You’re so not honest.”

“Shut up.”

Her teasing tone made my embarrassment flare up again,

And my cheeks burned.

Flustered, I tried to pull my fingers away from her cheek—

But just as I did, her soft hand slipped over mine and gently held it in place.

I couldn’t move.

I stayed like that, hand pressed to her cheek, unable to pull away.

“…Just for a little while. Like this, okay?”

The way she whispered it so sweetly left me speechless.

The warmth of her skin.

The softness of her voice.

All of it made my heart race in a way that wouldn’t settle.

And yet—

That same warmth made me feel strangely at peace, like I could just… let go.

“…Just a little,” I finally replied, nodding.

“…Mm.”

Maybe it was her soft, sleepy voice that pulled me in.

My vision started to blur.

My thoughts drifted.

I was nodding off.

I knew I shouldn’t sleep.

I really did.

But maybe it was the comfort of the bed.

Or maybe it was the calm atmosphere that settled between us.

Either way, I couldn’t fight it—my eyelids fell shut.

—Good night—

Her gentle, clear voice rang in my ears like a lullaby.

And just like that, my consciousness faded away.

◆◆◆

“I knew I shouldn’t have fallen asleep…!!”

Outside the window, the sky was pitch black.

The moon hung high in the night,

And for some reason, it looked like it was laughing at me.

Or maybe that was just my guilty conscience kicking in.

Beside me, fast asleep on my bed,

Was one peacefully dreaming duke’s daughter.

“Yuri! Wake up! If we don’t leave now, it’s seriously going to look like you spent the night!”

“…Fufu… dear husband, you’re such a perv… munya munya…”

“WHO are you calling a perv!?”

Sneaking a half-asleep noble girl out of the boys’ dorm

And smuggling her back into the girls’ dorm…

…Was that even possible!?

The calm, logical part of my brain had already given up.

But for the sake of protecting what was left of my school life—

I had no choice. I had to succeed.

“Come on, wake up already!”

“Zzz…”

…I might be doomed.