Chapter Seventeen: Fever

Now, none of these wishes have anything to do with him.

A glazed lantern hung at the bow of the boat, casting a half-bright, half-shadowed glow over the madman's face, making his features almost aggressively handsome. I couldn't help but think he must be of mixed blood—surely most Asian men don't have legs so impossibly long.

The small boat drifted gently with the breeze, the scent of lotus flowers wafting faintly around us. Beside me bloomed a pair of radiant twin lotuses, so beautiful that I felt my heart melting into the scenery.

Yet, however lovely the view, the wind still carried a chill. After such a lively night, after watching shooting stars and making wishes, I was already exhausted, body and soul. All I wanted was to sleep.

My eyes grew heavy—I felt myself leaning against something warm. In my drowsiness, something was draped over me. I curled up, surrendering completely to sleep.

I don't know how long I slept. At some point, I felt as if something was dragging me down into an icy abyss. My limbs were frozen, heavy ice rising up to cover my nose until I couldn't breathe.

"So cold, so cold..."

I curled up, trying to fight my way upward, but the thing kept pulling me down. I couldn't move, could only open my mouth to cry out about the cold.

Vaguely, something warm wrapped itself around me. Without thinking, I clung to that warmth, pressing it close.

Yet the cold remained—never enough, still something dragged me downward.

I opened my mouth wide and found even my mouth frozen, my eyes sealed shut with ice.

Grotesque monsters lunged at me, their bloody maws open wide, tearing at me.

But through the haze, I saw the madman's face—he seemed to be speaking, but I could only see his lips move; I couldn't hear a word.

Warmth spread across my body, growing from my ears, down my neck, over my collarbone, my chest, my belly, my legs. I was wrapped in heat.

Delight flooded me. Blinking drowsily, I seemed to see him again, smiling at me.

Little by little, the cold was chased away. Parched, I croaked, "Water, water..."

The warmth receded, and in panic I clung to him, pressing my face against him.

Someone offered me water; I drank greedily, gulping it down, but once finished I whimpered again about the cold.

The warmth spread out once more. A comb gently worked through my hair, easing me into a peaceful, restful sleep.

When I awoke, my whole body felt as if it would split apart. Grasping my head, I sat up and shook it, trying to see what was happening.

To my shock, I was entwined with the madman, curled in his arms like a kitten.

He lay there, one arm under my head as a pillow, the other wrapped around my waist, still asleep.

I had no strength at all. Gasping for breath, I pulled open my clothes to check myself. Aside from a red mark on my chest, everything else seemed fine. It seemed he hadn't taken advantage of me.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I took a closer look at the man beside me. Even with a bandage awkwardly stuck to his forehead, his face was breathtaking.

Suddenly, I found myself caught in a pair of eyes as deep and cold as a mountain lake. It was too late to look away, so I simply met his gaze openly.

He sat up, looked at me twice, and spoke in a hoarse voice, "You had a fever last night."

I answered with a simple "oh," and suddenly a hand was pressed to my forehead. He checked my temperature, brow furrowing.

The next second, he leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine. "You're still a little feverish. Tell me, where do you feel unwell?"

I stayed still, feeling his breath like a fire sweeping from my forehead all the way to the soles of my feet.

After a moment, when he still hadn't moved away, I said, "My stomach hurts."

He released me, grabbed a coat from nearby, and wrapped me in it until I was bundled up like a rice dumpling. "Does it still hurt?" he asked.