The Unlucky Bride Is Loved by the Fortunate Desert King - Chapter 15 – The False Bride

—I was dreaming.

I was desperately shouting something. In the middle of a storm, I was calling out over and over, frantically searching for someone precious to me.

I didn’t know why. I didn’t even know who I was looking for, or where I was wandering.

Even if someone had asked, I probably wouldn’t have been able to answer anything. But losing that person—it would have been no different from the end of my life.

A despair so vivid, so real, wrapped around me completely.

It was like seeing, in the middle of a downpour, a warped bicycle belonging to someone dear to me left by the riverside, being beaten by the rain. Or like finding the neatly placed shoes of the person I love, side by side, at the edge of a rooftop. A raw, living despair.

I didn’t know who I was searching for. Only that they were someone irreplaceable. That much, even my trembling hands and quivering voice made painfully clear.

It felt as though I was struggling forward through a thick fog with both arms outstretched. When my legs had nearly reached their limit, driven by impatience, I muttered under my breath:

“Maybe… I’ll never find them…”

The words I spoke turned my shadow into night itself. And then, I was swallowed whole by the darkness with a soft thud.

I jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat. I couldn’t breathe properly. The rhythm of inhaling and exhaling wouldn’t align.

My breath came out ragged—hah, hah—and when my body tried to take in air, it only triggered a violent cough. “—Yuzu!”

Beside the bed, Al, who had been asleep, sat upright in alarm.

(Thank goodness… it was just a dream.) That nightmare—none of it was real. At least, that’s what I tried to tell myself, even as something heavy and leaden sank deep inside my chest.

“I’m sorry… Al. I… woke you up… didn’t I…” I smiled weakly—happy that Al was here, but sorry for disturbing him. Another deep cough rose sharply in my throat.

“I stayed here in case you woke up! Are you alright? I’ll go call the doctor.” Al stroked my hair gently.

It was still before dawn. The world around us was dim, and the sun had yet to rise.

When Al turned his back, his figure seemed to melt away into the faint light. I couldn’t help it—my hands reached out and clutched his strong wrist tightly.

“Don’t… go.”

“Yuzu?” Al turned, startled.
“I’m fine. Al—please… stay here. With me.”

Al murmured, dazed, “Yuzu. Why are you… crying?” Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face.

After a moment’s hesitation, Al sat down beside the bed. “You truly don’t need the doctor?”
“It’s just… my asthma acting up a little, that’s all…”

He handed me the lemon water that Ishaq had prepared. I sipped it slowly, while Al watched, worry clouding his expression.

“Is there anything you want me to do?”

“I’m fine… I’m sorry for worrying you.” My hands were still trembling faintly. But I smiled, trying to hide it.

Then Al suddenly pulled me tightly into his arms. As if frustrated with his own helplessness, his beautiful face twisted in pain. His low voice, squeezed from deep within his throat, echoed through the dimly lit room.

“You always pretend to be strong. It’s obvious you’re overexerting yourself. Rely on me more. Be selfish with me. Without me—you shouldn’t even be able to breathe.”

“That’s… no good. I’d just end up troubling you, Al-sama.”

I was surprised by his embrace—but at the same time, for some reason, I felt relieved. “Tell me what you want. Anything at all. I’ll make it happen. Luxurious jewels, food from Japan—anything. A car, a house—whatever you wish. …What is it you desire?”

I didn’t know. What did I truly want? All I’d ever done was chase after fragments of happiness—
That was all.

But in this very moment, I knew what I wanted. Quietly, my lips shaped the forbidden words.

“…I want you to hold me like this until the sun rises, Al.”

“I’ll do that—as long as you wish.”

His well-trained arms drew me in more firmly. Even in the chill of the night air, his embrace was warm.

I hadn’t betrayed Asuad. And yet—I had met Al.

…Can I really become Asuad’s bride?

Can I smile, and say goodbye to Al?

But someday, inevitably, that moment will come.

I’ll force a smile—and lie.

“Marrying Asuad-sama has made me happy.” That’s what I’ll say—with a smile that isn’t real.

Because I am—a false bride.