Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress

Thanks to that, Arabella could easily retrieve one if needed.

"Better," Arabella sighed in contentment as she once again buried herself beneath the sheets.

It was finally warm and comfortable so she closed her eyes, and soon enough, sleep wrapped her in its embrace. All the work she did today finally caught up and her exhausted body surrendered to sleep.

Arabella was in a deep slumber before she knew it.

Several hours later. . .

Arabella stirred.

It was so warm. Like she was standing too close to a fireplace. No, like she was in the middle of one since the heat was all around her.

She could feel sweat trickling down the back of her neck. It felt like her clothes were drenched too.

Arabella tried to move to get away from all the heat but she barely could. It was like she was rooted where she was.

She tried to turn around and succeeded but there was something around her waist that prevented her from moving away. She tried to break free from it but did not succeed. It further tightened instead.

Arabella pursed her lips when something warm pressed against her back instead. She turned around again and tried to kick it away several times. And finally, it moved away. The thing preventing her from moving away was finally gone too.

It was finally cool.

"..."

Arabella felt like she heard her husband’s voice but she was still too sleepy and just drifted off to sleep again.

Several hours later...

When Arabella woke up, she was in Ferdinand’s embrace. Her head was on his chest and she could hear his loud heartbeat. His body was warmer than usual.

’Wait. Why do I feel like I’m something is missing?’

Arabella frowned. She tried to get off Ferdinand but his arms around her waist tightened. He pressed her tighter against his body and it was then that she realized what was missing.

Her clothes.

She was naked in bed with her husband when she was sure she was clothed when she slept.

"Ferdinand?" Arabella tried to get a peek at his face.

She was taken aback when a frowning Ferdinand met her gaze.

"Trying to kick me again?" Ferdinand said with a sour expression.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Arabella tilted her head. She did not understand what he meant.

[She doesn’t remember.]

Ferdinand pursed his lips, eyed her, and said, "Nothing."

He said it was nothing and yet, he looked so moody so early in the morning.

"How can it be nothing if you’re acting like this?"

Since he was avoiding her eyes, Arabella wanted to sit so she could look at his face clearly.

But Ferdinand held her so tight like he was trying to stick her to his body.

"Don’t you think, you’re holding me a bit too tight?" Arabella asked in a gentle voice and Ferdinand flinched.

He finally looked at her and guiltily asked, "Does it hurt?"

He loosened his hold and Arabella took that chance to free herself and sit up.

[She said that on purpose so she could free herself?!]

Ferdinand’s brows knitted and Arabella chuckled.

"Yes, I did. So, what is plaguing my husband so early in the morning?" Arabella asked her brooding husband and he bit his lips. His eyes darted to her naked body and he gulped.

[Stop it. I told myself repeatedly already not to get tempted.]

Ferdinand averted his eyes.

"Oh, sorry," Arabella recalled she was naked and wrapped the sheets around her body.

It was then that she realized that the two layers of warm sheets she had covered herself with when she slept were different from the ones she had now.

’Did I oversleep and today is another day?’ Arabella frowned and looked around.

She saw the thick covers discarded on the floor.

"Did you change the sheets and leave them there? And why am I naked? Did you do something to me last night?" Arabella eyed her husband suspiciously.

"What?! Do you think I would touch you even while you are asleep?! I didn’t!" Ferdinand said but his face turned red.

’Huh?! Did he really do something while I was sound asleep?’

"Ferdinand, don’t you think that’s too much? I don’t think I had been refusing you, for you to still, do things while I’m asleep. That’s selfish of you. I do it with you almost every night. Can’t you allow me to take my much-needed rest peacefully? You could have waited until I woke up," Arabella chided.

Ferdinand’s lips drew into a thin line and his face darkened. In a matter of seconds, he sat up, pushed her down the bed, and hovered over her. He suddenly looked so angry though she just chided him a bit.

’Why is he the one who’s angry? I should be the one getting angry after waking up already naked.’

"If I knew you would go to such conclusions, I would at least have done something," Ferdinand said with a hurt expression. He got off and sat at the edge of the bed with his back towards her. "I held back so much only to hear such words from your lips."

It was then that Arabella recalled that his body heat was not normal and she felt something hard earlier.

’Oh, so he had been holding back? My bad. I shouldn’t have said those.’

Arabella regretted going to conclusions. But what else would she think after suddenly finding herself naked in his arms? That they played strip while sleeping? Or that she just ended up like that?

"You truly did not do anything?" Arabella asked again to be sure. His reaction was a bit weird since his face turned red.

"I already said, I didn’t,’ Ferdinand glanced at her only to give her a glare and turn his back towards her again. His ears were red though.

"Really?"

"Fine! I just stared a bit! What’s wrong with that? But I didn’t touch you or anything like you are thinking. I just looked," Ferdinand admitted with a mix of embarrassment and frustration.

"I see. Alright, then. No need to be angry, right?" Arabella approached him.