After I Died, He Died After Me Too - Chapter 48

Chapter 24.2

Since Dexter stayed close and didn’t pull back, preventing her from falling, she managed to steady herself with ease.

“J-Just a moment. Ah… I think I’m fine now.”

Seeing her like that, a strange mischievousness stirred in him. He subtly shifted his body away, making her lose the support she had been leaning on.

“Ah…!”

Bianca looked startled as her body tilted backward again. She reached out to grab the vanity for balance, but Dexter, a smirk tugging at his lips, caught her by the shoulders to steady her.

“Be careful.”

“…Thank you.”

“We’re short on time, so it’d be better to braid it neatly.”

“Yes? Are you saying Your Highness is going to do my hair?”

Dexter didn’t answer. Instead, he gently separated her hair into three sections and began braiding it slowly.

“You’re surprisingly good at this. Do they even teach that kind of thing in the imperial family?”

“Of course not. It’s just… something I happened to learn, thanks to someone.”

“Ah…”

She probably wouldn’t even remember, but Dexter used to braid Bianca’s hair from time to time. Whenever cracks appeared, she was always the one to step forward, and he had wanted to help her, even if just in small ways.

Ever since Bianca left her family and belonged to the imperial family, she hadn’t been able to stay in touch with anyone, let alone her own family. Maybe that was why he couldn’t stop worrying about her because he had witnessed it all happen right in front of him.

Unlike when the maids used to style her hair, her brown locks were often left loose now, easily tangled with sweat. He remembered how she would push it back from her face with that same tired look.

Dexter continued braiding her hair slowly, then twisted it up and held it in place with one hand. He leaned down to pick up a ribbon from the vanity and tied it securely, making sure it wouldn’t unravel.

Bianca turned her head, glancing at her hair from different angles. When he noticed her eyes, slightly wide in surprise, he pretended not to see and spoke casually.

“I think it turned out pretty well.”

“…This is way more than just ‘well.’ There’s really nothing Your Highness can’t do.”

He watched quietly as she held up a small mirror, checking the braid from various angles. Each time she took a soft breath, her delicate collarbones became more prominent.

‘Why is she so thin?’

He considered telling the chef to adjust her meals or to check what she’d been eating.

His gaze drifted along the lines of her collarbones, smooth and defined, down to her slender shoulders. Though her body was slight and without any excess, her chest still curved gently above the square neckline.

Dexter shut his eyes, feeling himself harden again despite all efforts to control it.

‘Damn it.’

To him, there wasn’t a single part of her that wasn’t beautiful. And the thought of anyone else seeing her like this…

Just imagining it made his blood boil. He wanted to be the only one who knew this hidden side of her and the only one who ever saw her like this. Even knowing how dangerous those feelings were, he couldn’t stop them from rising up again and again.

“We should go.”

He needed to put distance between them before he lost control any further.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

Bianca was confused to find herself suddenly standing outside the door. One moment, he had been braiding her hair, and the next, his expression abruptly hardened, and he pushed her out without a word.

“…His personality really is strange.”

But what was even stranger—

‘Let’s not think about it.’

Bianca quickly shook her head. The thought of it made her cheeks flush. Whenever she was around him, she felt like she was acting strangely. Perhaps it was some weird side effect of their high compatibility.

“Oh right! I’m not late, am I?”

She didn’t have time to stand there lost in thought. She needed to get to the reception room quickly to see her parents and ask them what she needed to know. Although he had told her she was welcome to call them anytime, it still felt uncomfortable to use the palace’s reception room so casually.

So she had to make the most of this chance. Bianca started walking toward the reception room.

Creak—

The sound of the door opening made her turn her head.

“Lady Astri.”

Bianca froze awkwardly for a moment, glancing at him before finally facing him properly.

“Yes, Your Highness. Is there something else you wanted to say to me?”

Instead of answering her question, he walked over to her in a few long strides and stopped right in front of her.

“You forgot this.”

“What…”

Dexter reached out as if to pull her close, tilting his head slightly. They weren’t even in a private room, and there were people nearby. His sudden move left her completely flustered.

Bianca stood frozen, unable to move, just blinking in surprise. After a few seconds, he stepped back and said something. She felt something cool against her neck, and when she looked down, she saw a pearl necklace with a deep blue sapphire set in the center.

“It suits you. Your neck looked a little bare.”

“Ah…”

Bianca clutched the pendant tightly in her hand. Strangely, it felt as though her heart was pounding.