Published: February 1, 2026
For some reason, it felt incredibly warm.
Judge shifted slightly under the blanket, savoring the comfortable drowsiness. Sleeping face down was rare for him, and still half-asleep, he pressed both elbows into the sheets and lifted his head.
He kept his heavy eyelids closed for a while, nodding off lightly. After a few minutes, deciding to give up on the sleepiness, he opened his eyes slightly.
“Huh...?”
An involuntary sound escaped, and he immediately pressed his throat.
That voice was not his own. It was completely unfamiliar. Eyes trembling with agitation, Judge stared blankly at the figure lying beside him.
“Miss Rizel.”
Fearfully whispering the voice that sounded like someone else’s, as if terrified.
Rizel, who was sleeping in the same bed, had her face turned away. But she must have been sound asleep. Judge just stared at the faintly rising and falling blanket, unable to do anything, and then, confused, he slowly slid backward on the sheets.
“Ugh.”
Something brushed past his hand, and his shoulder twitched.
Instinctively reaching out for help to Rizel, his hand froze at the sight of red in his vision. Looking cautiously, he saw vibrant red hair slowly sliding over the back of his hand resting on the sheets.
“Ire... huh?”
He turned around, but no one was there. Almost overwhelmed by fear, on the verge of tears, Judge tried to wake Rizel, unable to endure it any longer.
Suddenly, the room’s door opened. He snapped his head up, finally realizing that he was indeed at Rizel’s inn. This was because he caught sight of the interior and Jill standing by the door.
“Ah.”
Usually a person who evoked some fear, now Judge felt genuine relief. He thought Jill would explain the current situation, resolve it, and wake Rizel. His body relaxed.
As Jill approached, Judge hastily lifted his half-sitting body. He was about to explain that he didn’t know why he was here or what had happened when—
“Ji, eh.”
A long arm stretched over Rizel and, with tremendous force, dragged Judge off the bed. He fell backward, but luckily grabbed the sheets in time to avoid hitting his head.
Judge’s face turned pale, and he could not suppress the shivering rising from deep inside as if his stomach had turned cold.
It was true that Jill was usually somewhat intimidating. His overwhelming strength brought pressure, not his personality. He had never been treated roughly like this nor scolded even once.
“...Ugh.”
The fear of being so easily thrown around by immense force lingered, and trembling, he slowly crawled back onto the bed, fearful of Jill’s gaze that was devoid of any emotion. Judge tightly gripped the shirt of the small figure who nonetheless was the one that would surely bring him relief.
Rizel must have been roused by the noise. She shifted and looked back, her eyes half-closed, still heavy with sleep.
“What’s wrong?”
Her tone was gentler and slower than usual, and she smiled softly, taking Judge’s outstretched hand in hers.
“Did someone bully you?”
Rizel, turning fully toward him, lightly patted the sheets with her other hand—inviting him back to where he had been lying moments before.
Judge cautiously climbed back up, pulling back the blanket and slipping in. He glanced between Jill and Rizel, then lay down on the bed that still held some warmth.
As he rested his head on the pillow, a hand resting on the sheets moved to his cheek and gently brushed his hair back.
“Um...”
The slightly different way she stroked his hair calmed his trembling. Judge, a bit embarrassed, relaxed slowly.
Rizel’s eyelids were fully closed, and soft breaths mixed with her sleepy sighs escaped from her slightly parted lips. The hand that had been running through Judge’s hair slid down her neck and gently fell onto the sheets.
“...”
At that moment, Jill suddenly moved.
He had been quietly watching the two of them, and with an emotionless expression, he reached out. His hand touched Rizel’s shoulder through the blanket and softly pulled to turn her toward himself.