Laurencia hurried back to the bed and gathered her clothes to put them on.

While doing so, she tried to gauge the meaning of the story Ashar’s subordinate had reported.

Noir seemed to refer to his subordinate.

And it appeared that knight’s identity had been exposed to Jedrian.

Of course, he could have been imprisoned for other reasons, but the situation felt strangely unsettling.

It was today that Jedrian had threatened to kill Ashar.

And suddenly Ashar’s subordinate had been captured.

Could this really be a coincidence?

The image of Jedrian she’d seen today suddenly came to mind.

Even then, his behavior had been extremely suspicious.

The man who’d sent her to Asram’s old king specifically so another man wouldn’t desire her body, who’d even dragged in the King of Morzen specifically so she wouldn’t marry one of his sons—he’d kindly given her a choice despite knowing about her and Ashar.

It would have been unimaginable before.

Most of all, today he hadn’t desired her body and had just let her go. This point was the strangest.

The Jedrian she knew was never such a generous man.

Something unlike Jedrian.

In that moment, her eyes widened.

At the same time, the door burst open and Ashar entered.

But the man, who looked half out of his mind, picked up the shirt that had fallen on the floor and was about to leave immediately.

Sensing something was seriously wrong, Laurencia quickly grabbed him.

“It’s a trap!”

“What…?”

Her heart sank at Ashar’s eyes that had gone completely dead in the meantime.

Those eyes.

The eyes prepared for death she’d seen when she first met him.

Unlike usual, his eyes, which held a dark blue color like they contained an abyss, rippled sharply like they’d do something right now.

“A trap?”

At the excessively low voice, she unconsciously let go of his clothes she’d grabbed and stepped back.

This was a disaster.

Of all times, now that they’d fallen out, it seemed like he wouldn’t believe anything she said.

Most of all, if she said this while he was already suspicious of her, far from believing her, she could be lumped in with Jedrian.

But if she let him go like this, Ashar was definitely a dead man.

In the difficult situation, Laurencia’s lips only twitched before she finally made up her mind.

If it was going to happen anyway.

Wetting her parched lips, she persuaded him with a deliberately calm face.

“I think Jedrian already knew your subordinates were spies.”

“What… does that mean?”

“The Jedrian I know is never a man who can’t distinguish enemies. Do you know how many spies he’s caught? He’s someone who caught a spy who infiltrated the Empire years ago, married an imperial citizen, even had children, and lived pretending to be ordinary. When he said he’d kept your subordinates as close aides, something was strange from that point.”

Ashar’s face contorted sharply. As expected, he glared at her coldly, seemingly not believing her.

“I know you don’t believe me. No, it’s fine if you don’t believe me. But believe this. You need to leave now. Otherwise, you too—!”

“What, suddenly. Why are you calling me that?”

“…What?”

When her expression went blank at the unexpected words, the man who suddenly approached pulled her waist roughly.

“Hng!”

Shocked at the situation where their lips almost touched, she quickly turned her face away.

A deflating laugh sounded by her ear. At the man’s completely changed atmosphere, Laurencia bit down hard on the inside of her mouth.

“Why use such a respectful title as ‘you’ for a worthless object? Did you make another deal with him? What, did he tell you to seduce me this time? Is that why you’re doing this?”

“Ashar!”

She shouted and glared at the sneering man like he was pathetic.

She’d thought he wouldn’t believe her, but she hadn’t known he’d act this foolishly.

A cold light appeared in the blue eyes that had quickly lost their humor. She too glared at the man who’d lost his reason, not backing down.

“So you’re telling me to run away alone right now? If it’s really a trap that b*stard set, my subordinates are dead men, and you’re telling me to run away alone leaving them behind?”

“If you die, what’s the point of this revenge? Does your revenge end just by k*lling Jedrian? Is the reason you risked your life to come here just that one man’s life! You at least need to survive to later—”

“What comes next! If it’s your father.”

Her mouth, which had been crying out desperately, snapped shut. The golden eyes that had been persuading him straightforwardly wavered helplessly.

“See. And you still want me to run away?”

Her body trembled at the man’s vile smile that rose smugly.

“So don’t pathetically interfere. You have neither the power nor the heart to help me. Don’t create regrets and just take care of yourself. No, why don’t you run away while you’re at it. Stop being trampled by that b*stard. I’ll buy you time.”

The man who’d mercilessly dug into her wounds fell away without lingering attachment.

Glaring at Ashar who coldly turned and left, grinding her teeth, Laurencia suddenly shouted.

“Live!”

He stopped abruptly.

Tears welled up at his still cold back.

Only then did she acknowledge her feelings.

That she’d unknowingly given him her heart all this time.

That she’d leaned too much on his embrace, enough to hurt this much.

So she couldn’t let him go like this.

Even knowing he wouldn’t listen, she felt like she’d regret it if she didn’t say it once more.

“Live. I’ll protect my father! So you… live. Huk.”

Tears finally burst out.

Because her powerless situation was pathetic.

Because the sight of herself clinging to an enemy who threatened to kill her father, telling him to live, was too terrible.

Nevertheless, resentment surged because she was worried he might die.

In that moment, Ashar, who she’d thought would leave without lingering attachment, turned around. Then with a fiercely contorted face, he muttered incomprehensible curses.

Then he suddenly strode over, pulled her trembling body into his arms, and kissed her without hesitation.

“Mmph!”

The tongue that rushed in instantly stirred inside her mouth like it would swallow everything. At that single stimulation, Laurencia felt a strange emotion for the first time in her life.

Her heart, which had been beating anxiously, regained stability from just one kiss.

Her aching heart also became much more comfortable, seeming to confirm that the man’s heart, unable to turn away coldly at her single word, was no different from hers.

From just one kiss.

It was absurd, but it was still okay. Even if it was a delusion, it was okay.

Because now there was hope she could save him.

He, who’d persistently sucked her tongue and explored her lips like enjoying a last supper, slowly withdrew his mouth.

A long silver thread clung tenaciously like it was regretful before belatedly snapping.

In that moment, he pressed his lips together again. But it wasn’t a rough kiss like before.

He just gently licked and sucked her lips like soothing regret, like that silver thread that had clung persistently, before withdrawing again.

In the meantime, her golden eyes that had become dully relaxed sparkled, holding the tears that had formed moments ago.

Ashar looked down at her with a hardened face. But just the absence of k*lling intent unlike before was enough for Laurencia to feel relieved.

She was about to open her mouth again. But as though he hadn’t just given a sweet kiss, a voice that had already turned cold came out first.

“If I live, what will you do for me?”

Momentarily dazed at the unexpectedly shameless demand, Laurencia let out a small scoff and calmly asked back.

“What do you want?”

At her appearance, different from usual, Ashar’s expression hardened even more.

The woman who would normally have slapped him viciously, calling him an arrogant b*stard, was being so obedient that he was dumbfounded.

Not having expected this kind of question to come back, Ashar found himself at a loss for words instead.

Laurencia, who’d been watching him quietly, spoke first this time.

“Your revenge. Would it be enough if I did it for you?”

He frowned like it was nonsense.

With a bitter smile, she soon spoke confidently.

“I’ll seduce Jedrian.”

Ashar’s eyes widened.

Of course, it wasn’t that she was thinking of selling her body to save the man before her eyes.

She hadn’t come to love him that much.

She just hoped Ashar wouldn’t die, but she hadn’t given her heart enough to dream of a new future with him.

That’s why she could say it. That she’d seduce another man.

“You!”

“It’s my revenge too. So you take your subordinates and leave. You’ll only be in the way.”

The expression of the man who’d told her to do that from the start now contorted fiercely.

Laurencia took comfort in that expression.

Because it seemed Ashar, unlike Jedrian, hadn’t just used her.

Because there seemed to be some sincerity in his heart.

“If I fail, stake your life then. Until then, trust me and wait. If nothing happens on the day of my wedding with him, then move.”