Eilika gently closed the storybook and glanced down at Roman. The little boy had already drifted into sleep, his small arms wrapped around the soft toy he refused to sleep without. Carefully, she pulled the blanket higher over him so the night air wouldn’t disturb his rest.

A tender smile appeared on her lips.

Leaning down, she placed a soft kiss on his forehead before reaching for the lamp on the bedside table. With a breath, she blew out the flame, allowing the room to settle into darkness.

She returned the storybook to the shelf beside his bed and quietly stepped out, making sure the door closed without a sound.

After a short walk down the corridor, she entered her own bedroom.

The moment she stepped inside, she paused.

Damian stood near the table with his back partially turned toward her. His shirt was nowhere in sight, leaving his upper body bare. In one hand he held a sheet of paper, while the other held a thin brush dipped in ink.

Eilika blinked in surprise.

"Why have you removed your shirt?" she asked, turning around to lock the door from the inside before facing him again.

Damian did not appear embarrassed in the slightest.

"I heard that you are good at art," he said calmly.

Eilika looked at him in confusion.

"What does that have to do with—"

"Can you draw this tattoo on my chest?" Damian interrupted, turning the paper around so she could see it.

Eilika walked closer and took the paper from his hand. The design was intricate, sharp lines weaving into a complex symbol that would require patience and precision to recreate.

She studied it carefully.

"Why would you want this drawn?" she asked, glancing up at him. "It’s quite complicated. It could take a long time."

Damian rested his hand on the edge of the table.

"I’m going undercover tomorrow," he explained. "Maurice and I will be entering that place disguised as brigands."

He tapped the sketch lightly. "And men like them often carry markings like this. Maurice already have a tattoo on his arm. As for me, I need one. I can’t go out, so I want you help."

"I can draw it," Eilika said after examining the design carefully. "But will you be patient enough to sit still for that long?"

She lifted her gaze toward him.

"And... is the ink permanent?" she asked with slight concern. "I wouldn’t want you to carry such a tattoo for the rest of your life."

Damian raised an eyebrow at her words.

Realizing how that sounded, Eilika quickly corrected herself.

"I mean... the Duke’s body should not bear such markings," she clarified awkwardly.

A faint trace of amusement flickered across Damian’s expression. "It is not permanent," he replied calmly. "But it will remain for about a month."

Then he glanced around the room.

"Where would you prefer to work?" he asked. "On the chair or the bed? Wherever you are more comfortable."

Eilika shook her head slightly.

"This is less about my comfort and more about yours," she said. "The design is detailed. It may take at least two hours to finish."

She looked toward the bed thoughtfully.

"So it would be better if you sit there."

Eilika then picked up the tray that held the ink, brushes, and other materials required for the tattoo.

Damian followed her as she walked toward the bed.

She arranged two pillows carefully against the headboard so his back would have proper support while sitting still for such a long time.

"There," she said, stepping aside slightly. "You may sit now."

Damian settled against the pillows while Eilika prepared the materials.

Before beginning, she reached behind her head and gathered her long hair. Twisting it neatly, she secured it into a bun with a hairpin so that no loose strands would fall over her face while she worked.

When she turned back toward him, Eilika picked up the thin brush and carefully dipped it into the ink. She moved closer and sat in front of Damian, the paper with the tattoo design resting beside her for reference.

Taking a quiet breath, she studied the pattern once more before lifting the brush.

The first delicate stroke touched his chest.

The cool ink spread across his skin as she traced the beginning line of the design with steady precision.

’I never thought I would have to do something like this on him,’ she thought, a faint sense of awkwardness stirring inside her. ’It feels... strange.’

But the moment the brush began to move, her mind slowly slipped into focus.

Her hand became steady and confident as she followed the intricate lines of the design, carefully recreating each curve and edge. Her attention remained fixed on the work.

Damian remained still, leaning against the pillows behind him. His eyes followed the gentle movements of her hand.

There was something almost mesmerizing in the way she handled the brush.

’Eilika truly has talent in almost everything,’ Damian thought quietly.

He watched the concentration on her face, the way her brows slightly furrowed whenever she adjusted a line to make it perfect.

’When Mother first spoke about her,’ he recalled, ’I assumed she was just another woman who would try to gain my attention.’

But the woman sitting before him had never behaved like that. Yet she continued to give her time, her care, and her effort to everyone around her.

’She is... different from the others.’

Damian hadn’t realized when the heaviness began settling over him. The quiet room, the steady rhythm of Eilika’s brush moving across his chest, and the comfort of the pillows behind his back slowly lulled him into a calm he hadn’t felt last day.

His eyelids grew heavy.

For a moment he tried to keep them open, but the exhaustion from the previous night finally claimed him. His breathing gradually deepened as he slipped into a deep slumber.

Eilika continued working for some time, carefully tracing the delicate curves of the design. After finishing one section, she paused and placed the brush gently onto the tray beside her.

Rolling her shoulders slightly, she rubbed her arms and the back of her neck to ease the stiffness from sitting in one position for so long.

That was when her eyes drifted toward Damian’s face.

The tension that usually marked his expression had softened completely. His brows were relaxed, and his breathing had become slow and even. In sleep, he looked peaceful.

Eilika watched him quietly for a moment. ’He couldn’t sleep last night,’ she thought.

The memory of his restless state returned to her mind. A faint softness crossed her face. She picked up the brush again, dipping it carefully into the ink before returning to her work.

~~~~~

Damian stirred faintly when the soft sound of birds chirping reached his ears. At first, the sound blended with his lingering dreams, but slowly it pulled him back toward consciousness.

His eyelids fluttered.

For a few seconds, his vision remained blurred as the pale morning light streamed through the window, filling the room with a gentle golden glow.

He blinked slowly.

Confusion flickered across his face as he tried to recall where he was. The quiet bedroom, the unfamiliar stillness, it took him a moment to piece together the events of the previous night.

Then suddenly, realization struck him. Damian jolted awake to sit up.

The thin blanket that had been draped over him slipped down his chest as he sat up abruptly.

His eyes widened when he noticed the intricate tattoo spreading across his skin.

The design was complete.

Every line and curve of the pattern had been drawn with remarkable precision, exactly as it appeared on the paper. The ink had settled perfectly, making the marking look convincingly real.

For a moment, Damian simply stared at it in disbelief. Then he turned his head. Beside him, Eilika lay asleep.

She had curled slightly toward him, her body resting in an almost protective position, as if she had fallen asleep while keeping watch over the work she had completed. Her hair had loosened slightly from the bun she had tied earlier, a few soft strands falling gently across her face.

Her breathing was slow and peaceful.

"When did I fall asleep?" Damian murmured quietly to himself.

He had no memory of drifting off.

His gaze returned briefly to the tattoo on his chest. Not only had Eilika completed the entire design, but she had also taken the time to carefully dry the ink before covering him with the blanket.

That realization made him look at her even more. He slowly slipped out of the bed, making sure not to disturb her.

Walking across the room, he stood before the mirror. The tattoo looked flawless. It was exactly the kind of marking one would expect from a hardened brigand. Anyone seeing it would never suspect it had been painted only hours earlier.

Damian exhaled softly.

Opening the cupboard, he pulled out a robe and slipped it over his shoulders before tying it loosely at the waist.

Then he glanced back toward the bed. Carefully, he returned and pulled the blanket up over her so she wouldn’t feel the chill of the morning air.

Then, without making a sound, Damian stepped toward the balcony door and walked outside.

The morning breeze greeted him immediately, carrying the fresh scent of the garden below as the sun slowly rose over the horizon.

"I only go to sleep when she’s near me," Damian murmured to himself. "Is she the answer to my misery?" The morning rays fell on his face, giving him a hope that he needed to build a friendship with Eilika first.