Chapter 2.5

As Lyla recalled the recent conversation, Kadis spoke again.

“Shouldn’t you be nagging me by now?”

“Pardon? Nagging?”

“You used to nag me every day.”

Kadis waved his right hand in the air, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

“T-that was… when you acted like a child. These days, you show the dignity of a head of the household, so I have no reason to scold you. Isn’t that right?”

Despite her stammering, Lyla managed to say everything she wanted to. Kadis’s eyes widened in surprise.

His gaze seemed to say, ‘Well, look at this one!’

But he didn’t seem offended.

In fact, this felt more like the Kadis she knew, which was oddly reassuring.

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence followed Lyla’s response.

Kadis’s fingers, which had been tapping the table as if to bore a hole through it, suddenly stopped.

“My personality really was awful, wasn’t it?”

Leaning back against the chair, Kadis crossed his arms.

His chest muscles were so developed that his fingertips couldn’t fully tuck into his armpits. His chest was as full as a woman’s. If he had been shirtless, the deep cleavage of his chest would have been clearly visible.

However, Lyla didn’t realize that she was reacting to Kadis’s matured, masculine physique. All she felt was the occasional dull ache in her lower abdomen, leaving her puzzled every time.

“I’ve grown up. After seeing all kinds of things on the battlefield, I’ve learned that doing whatever I want isn’t always the best option.”

My goodness, our Lord Kadis has changed.

His crude language was still the same, but such minor details could be improved over time. Lyla looked at Kadis with eyes full of emotion.

Kadis, feeling slightly annoyed at being treated like a child, didn’t show it and instead poured alcohol into Lyla’s glass.

“Let’s have a drink. Come to think of it, we’ve never had a drink together, just the two of us.”

“That’s true.”

Lyla chuckled softly, momentarily lost in nostalgia.

Normally, Lyla didn’t drink.

It was a promise she had made to herself. Alcohol made people defenseless, and if she let her guard down, her secret as a woman might be revealed.

But just for today, she decided to break that rule.

“Well then, I’ll enjoy this.”

“Good.”

Kadis set the bottle down after filling her glass about a third of the way.

“It’s empty.”

“Oh, let me pour for you this time.”

Eagerly, Lyla picked up the bottle.

“Suit yourself.”

One drink turned into two, and two into three…

‘Ugh, I feel dizzy.’

Lyla’s head bobbed uncontrollably from side to side. Kadis, unfazed, held out the bottle again.

“Glass.”

His tone was like someone commanding a pet dog to “shake.” Instinctively, Lyla raised her glass but then shook her head.

“I-I can’t… I really can’t drink anymore.”

Her vision spun.

Her face burned so hot that she knew without a mirror that her entire body was flushed red.

“You’re already out? Then again, you’ve always been a lightweight. Remember that time you got drunk just from the smell of liquor bread when you were little?”

“Ah… I’m sorry… Yes, liquor…”

Lyla’s head slumped forward.

Kadis quickly reached out, catching her forehead with his hand. Thanks to him, Lyla avoided planting her face in the apple pie.

“Seriously. Can’t you hold yourself together?”

“Ugh…”

Feeling the warmth of his hand, Lyla instinctively rubbed her forehead against Kadis’s palm. His calloused hand was rough.

He must have spent so much time gripping a sword on the battlefield that it became a part of him.

How hard it must have been.

Oh, my poor Lord Kadis…!

The alcohol ignited Lyla’s emotions.

“Just one more drink. That’s an order.”

“…”

Lyla slowly lifted her head.

Or rather, Kadis lifted it for her. But as soon as he let go, her head drooped again.

‘Wait, why were Lord Kadis and I drinking together again?’

Lyla blinked at the wine-filled glass in front of her, tilting her head in confusion.

Was the wine inside the glass shaking? Or was it my body?

‘Well, it’s the last drink… It’s an order, so I have to…’

Lyla brought the glass to her lips, her hand trembling. Just as she was about to spill the wine, Kadis snatched the glass from her.

“Get a grip.”

He scolded her and downed the wine himself.

Lyla stared blankly at the scene before her.  

Kadis’ lips touched the very glass she had been drinking from, and his large Adam’s apple moved up and down with a gulping sound.  

Even though their lips hadn’t touched, her own lips feel ticklish.  

Unconsciously, Lyla touched her lips, then quickly averted her gaze.  

Her lower abdomen tingled pleasantly again. Wrapping her arms around her waist as if she were in pain, she thought,  

What’s wrong with my body?  

“Just drink half.”

I already drank the other half.  

Kadis added as he handed her the glass.  

“Ah, yes, y-yes.”  

It wouldn’t be polite to refuse when her lord was being so insistent.  

Even in her drunken state, Lyla thought as much and brought the glass to her lips.  

Tilting her head back to down the last drop, she found herself staring at the bright yellow moon.  

‘Oh, it’s a full moon tonight. How beautiful.’  

Then, she suddenly remembered why she had followed Kadis here.  

She needed to clear up the misunderstanding. The misunderstanding that her father was a cowardly deserter…  

Straightening her posture, Lyla felt as though the alcohol-induced haze had lifted somewhat as her original purpose came back to her.  

“I… I have something to tell you.”  

“…You’re going to speak first? Fine. Go ahead.”  

Kadis’s expression looked as though he had been expecting this. His usually sharp, irritable eyes softened slightly, which, for some reason, reassured Lyla.  

If it’s the Kadis of now,  

He wouldn’t blame her.  

It felt as though everything would resolve smoothly.  

“My father… he…”  

“What? Your father?”  

Kadis furrowed his brow, his expression asking what she was talking about.  

But Lyla, oblivious to his reaction, continued speaking, nodding her head drunkenly. She thought she had sobered up, but the more she spoke, the more her tongue twisted.  

“He’s not…”  

“Not what?”  

“…a deserter.”  

“What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?” 

Kadis muttered, bewildered.  

At that moment, Lyla began to sob.  

The faces of her late mother, father, and brother flashed through her mind one by one. The happy times she had shared with them. The moments of the past she could never return to.  

“Ugh… ugh…”  

Eventually, tears as big as grapes poured out.  

“Is it because of that rumor?”  

At some point, Kadis had moved right next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he asked. Lyla hastily wiped away her tears.  

“Sniff, I’m sorry. For showing you such weakness…”  

“Are there still bastards spreading that nonsense?” 

Kadis muttered to himself, his face one of disbelief.  

It was understandable. After all, the previous Earl had silenced anyone who dared to call him a deserter without leaving a trace.  

“Huh?”  

Not understanding, Lyla asked back, and Kadis shook his head as if it was nothing.  

“If it’s about the previous Earl, I already know. I just pretended not to, thinking it might make you uncomfortable.”  

“Lord Kadis…”  

Lyla looked at Kadis with teary eyes.  

So it was him, the Kadis she knew.  

Though he seemed rough and unruly on the surface, deep down, he was tender-hearted and considerate of others.  

Ah, how splendidly he had grown.  

He was truly admirable.  

“Though I never met him, I’m sure he was a respectable man.”  

Kadis’s thumb gently wiped away the tears from Lyla’s eyes.  

“He’s your father, after all.”  

Kadis’s eyes softened into a gentle curve.  

To think he could already smile so maturely. Without realizing it, Lyla leaned her cheek against Kadis’s chest. It felt like being held in the arms of a dependable adult.  

There had been a time when she had dared to wish for this. To have someone she could lean on when things got tough.  

As Lyla rubbed her face against his chest like a child seeking comfort,  

“Hey, you…”  

Kadis seemed a little flustered but naturally pulled her into an embrace.  

“Huh? What did you just say?”  

Lyla lifted her head to look at Kadis. Their eyes met at a close distance.  

Seeing Lyla’s flushed face, as red as a ripe apple, Kadis gritted his teeth. Lyla was already thoroughly drunk. Her unfocused pupils and defenseless demeanor made that abundantly clear.  

The slightly parted lips, revealing her red tongue, were maddeningly seductive.  

“Hey, Lyle.”  

“Yes?”  

“What are you going to do about this?”  

“Do about what?”  

Ha. 

Kadis sighed, closing his eyes.  

When he opened them again, his crimson pupils gleamed with a different intensity.  

“Mm…?!”  

Their lips met in an instant.  

Kadis held Lyla tightly to prevent her from struggling. His strong arms, built of solid muscle and bones that wouldn’t break under ordinary force, were like a human prison.  

Soon, a hot mass invaded her.  

The sensation of something soft being crushed.  

The gentle spread of a lukewarm feeling.  

Lyla placed a hand on her lower abdomen, which was growing increasingly tense. It felt as though an intimate part of her was becoming damp.  

Unlike the firm grip restraining her from escaping, everything invading her mouth was sweet, soft, and hot…  

‘It feels good.’  

But when Kadis sucked deeply on her lower lip, a sudden, absurd worry crossed her mind.  

‘The ointment will come off. If he realizes I’m a woman…’  

With that as her last thought, her consciousness faded into a blur.