I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 80
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Watching the way he’d changed over time made Yeshion chuckle softly. Eldis, too, offered a quiet smile in return.
After finishing the treatment, he naturally eased Yeshion back onto the bed and pulled the blanket up to his chest.
“Now, sleep.”
“…What about you, Archpriest?”
“I’ll need sleep too.”
Eldis answered briefly, then snuffed out the candle and walked over. Before Yeshion could say another word, he lay down right beside him.
“A-Are you seriously sleeping together with me?”
“This is my tent. And I don’t like sleeping on the floor.”
His tone was calm, eyes already closed.
He didn’t seem like he had any intention of touching him—just sleep. Flustered, Yeshion clamped his mouth shut and buried his face in the blanket.
How much time passed?
Long, heavy silence stretched between them before Yeshion mumbled softly,
“…Thank you for saving me.”
There was no reply.
Wondering if he might’ve fallen asleep, Yeshion cautiously lifted his head—only to find Eldis staring at him with a slightly dazed expression. His eyes were heavy with fatigue, clouded like someone drifting in and out of a dream.
The moment their eyes met, Eldis spoke.
“…Why did you aim the blade at your own neck?”
His voice was much lower than usual, quiet as still water.
“Huh?”
“With the dagger… I meant, why did you turn it on yourself rather than him?”
Eldis shifted to face him, reaching out to trace the bandage wrapped around Yeshion’s neck as if the wound pained him just to see it.
“Somewhere along the way, I started to feel like… you don’t value your life.”
He spoke not as if he were someone expecting an answer.
“Maybe it started after I began dreaming of killing you… I’m not sure if there’s any connection.”
“..…”
The hand that had lingered on his throat slowly slid upward, cupping Yeshion’s cheek. The large palm covered it completely, and his thumb brushed gently over soft skin.
“I just… I want you to treasure your life.”
“..…”
“Don’t try to die so easily.”
Still staring at him in a daze, Eldis lowered his hand from Yeshion’s cheek to his waist, then abruptly pulled him into his arms.
“Urk—!”
Yeshion squirmed as his face was buried against a firm chest.
He wriggled for a bit, trying to get comfortable, and somehow ended up half embracing Eldis in return.
Eldis, seemingly pleased, held him tightly and mumbled in a sleep-heavy voice.
“I’ll… protect you…”
The moment he heard that drowsy murmur, Yeshion froze.
He’d forgotten—but yes, this was something from the original novel.
Eldis, who always masked his thoughts behind a composed smile, became completely honest only at the edge of sleep, drifting between dream and waking.
‘That’s why he never let anyone into his bedchamber.’
If that were true, what would happen if he said something now? Would Eldis answer without a single lie?
Yeshion, still stirring restlessly, lifted his gaze to look at him. His breathing had softened—calm and quiet, the kind that came just before sleep.
After a moment of hesitation, Yeshion opened his mouth.
“Is there a reason… you’re this kind to me? I mean, I get that you don’t hate me, but… there’s no need to go this far, right?”
Eldis, who hadn’t moved for a long while, slowly lowered his head. Then, releasing his grip just slightly, he met Yeshion’s gaze.
His eyes were heavy with sleep, but there was something resolute behind them—like he wanted to answer.
“I don’t really… know. You just… stay on my mind.”
“…Did I do something to bother you?”
“No. It’s not that.”
He replied shortly—then leaned in and pressed a kiss to Yeshion’s lips, light and brief, like a seal.
“In this way.”
Yeshion’s eyes flew wide at the unexpected act. Eldis, catching that startled look, curled his eyes with a faint smile.
“Next time… at least grant me permission first…”
But he didn’t even finish the sentence. His eyelids dropped, and he surrendered to sleep.
Yeshion watched him for a long moment, then quickly lowered his head and scooted back. His heart was thudding louder than usual—loud enough to make him feel like something inside him had broken.
