Chapter 4.3

Lyla glanced to her side.  

From his even breathing, she could tell Kadis was sound asleep.  

Lyla cautiously moved her hand, wiping away the seed on her face. Yet, the sticky sensation lingered.  

‘Is he deeply asleep?’  

She observed Kadis warily.  

“Mmm.”  

At that moment, Kadis let out a soft murmur in his sleep.  

Even after what he’d done, he slept so soundly.  

Though she felt resentment toward him, the sight of his defenseless, slightly open mouth stirred a strange maternal affection in her.  

‘He looks like an angel when he’s asleep…’  

Of course, the term didn’t quite suit a man over 190cm tall, covered in scars, and built like a fortress. But having been with him since childhood, Kadis still felt dear to her.  

Lyla let out a deep sigh.  

At the same time, the lingering taste of his seed rose in her mouth. Gagging slightly, she quickly covered her mouth.  

She still couldn’t believe she had swallowed Kadis’s seed. Lowering her hand from her mouth, Lyla gently pressed her stomach.  

Inside her belly was Kadis’s seed.  

Inside her… was Kadis.  

‘Stop it!’  

She shook off the inappropriate thoughts spreading through her mind and clung to the last thread of rationality to assess the situation.  

‘Kadis has awakened to his desires.’  

That was it. Kadis clearly needed a woman.  

Not someone like her, a woman masquerading as a man, but a lovely young lady of his age.  

It must have been pent-up desires from the battlefield that led him to act so irrationally. Since they’d known each other since childhood, he must have felt comfortable enough to use her as an outlet.  

The thought stung her heart, but that wasn’t the issue.  

The priority was to help Kadis form a proper understanding of relationships. Not just as a means to satisfy desires, but to find a lifelong companion.  

‘Isn’t he truly magnificent? Lord Wolfgallion, I mean.’  

At that moment, Didian’s words echoed in her mind.  

‘Miss Didian always talked about Kadis when we were together.’  

Lyla pondered. Yet, when Didian was around Kadis, she acted reserved, as if keeping her distance.  

It made sense. Kadis had such an intimidating presence that even men hesitated to approach him.  

Though Didian appeared confident outwardly, she was a delicate young lady at heart. In a way, that softness reminded Lyla of Kadis.  

‘I need to visit Miss Didian.’  

Finally, a glimmer of hope to resolve this chaotic situation appeared. Lyla clenched her fists in determination.  

‘At dawn, I’ll visit Miss Didian.’  

As the tension left her body, a wave of exhaustion she had forgotten washed over her.  

‘At dawn…’  

To fall asleep quickly, Lyla began counting sheep in her head.  

One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four…  

Her nodding head eventually rested against Kadis’s chest.  

Thump, thump.  

The gentle rhythm of Kadis’s heartbeat felt like a lullaby, lulling her into the unconscious world she so desperately sought.  

* * *  

“Mmm…”  

Lyla rubbed her eyes as she sat up. After a deep sleep, her body felt refreshed.  

As memories of the night before resurfaced, she touched her cheek. Strangely, her skin felt smooth and clean, as if someone had wiped it. The dried seed she expected to find was gone.  

Tentatively, she reached out to the empty space beside her. But Kadis was no longer there. The spot where he had lain was indented with his outline but had cooled, retaining only a faint warmth.  

“Lyle.”  

At that moment, Kadis’s voice called out.  

Lyla quickly turned her head.  

Looking toward the balcony, she saw Kadis standing there.  

He was wearing a black velvet robe. As the wind blew, the velvet rippled like waves.  

Through the parted robe, his well-defined chest and a long scar across his neck were visible.  

“L-Lord K-Kadis.”  

Lyla hastily pulled the blanket up to cover her chest as she sat up.  

Her shy, newlywed-like demeanor made Kadis chuckle. Realizing how she must have looked, Lyla blushed and pushed the blanket aside.  

“If you’re awake, come eat.”  

“I don’t really feel like eating… I’ll eat.”  

When Kadis narrowed his eyes sharply, Lyla quickly swung her legs over the side of the bed.  

“…Ah!”  

Her legs wobbled as she stood.  

Clutching the bedpost, her legs trembled like a newborn foal. Kadis silently approached and scooped her up.  

“Anyone would think we actually did something.”  

Kadis chuckled.  

“P-Please put me down. I can walk on my own!”  

“Fine.”  

Despite her protests, Kadis carried her to the table, where breakfast was already set.

This felt like being a princess embraced in the arms of a prince straight out of a fairy tale.  

‘…No, I shouldn’t think like this. Get a grip, Lyla!’  

Lyla scolded herself. She wasn’t a princess falling in love with a prince but merely a servant attending to him. A servant who would cheer for the prince’s happiness for the rest of her life.  

No, he was no longer a prince. Kadis was the Duke, the King of the North.  

“Do you think you can eat on your own?”  

“Yes…”  

Seated at the table, Lyla hurriedly grabbed a knife and fork, afraid that Kadis might feed her himself.  

The situation was so awkward that she grabbed whatever food was closest and began cutting it haphazardly before shoving it into her mouth.  

But as soon as the food entered her mouth, her stomach growled loudly.  

Last night, she hadn’t felt hungry at all, but now, after everything that had happened, she felt famished.  

‘What? Everything that happened? What nonsense. Nothing happened!’  

Lyla swallowed the food she was chewing and gulped down some cold water.  

Her head spun.  

Though she hadn’t eaten anything spicy, her insides felt like they were on fire.  

“Hey. Eat slowly. It’s not like I’m going to take it away from you.”  

“Aren’t you eating, Lord Kadis…?”  

It was then that Lyla noticed Kadis didn’t have a plate or utensils in front of him.  

Kadis rested his chin on his hand, looking somewhat indifferent. But when their eyes met, he smirked mischievously.  

What was he going to say now?  

As Lyla nervously sipped her water, Kadis spoke.  

“Oh, just watching you eat fills me up.”  

“Pfft…! Cough!”  

Lyla choked on her water and started coughing violently. From across the table, she heard a soft click of his tongue.  

Why did he have to say things like that!  

Where had he even learned such crude remarks? Or were they even crude?  

If he said that to another woman, it would be a perfect line.  

The thought made her chest ache again. Lyla patted her chest, pretending to calm herself.  

“Filthy.”  

Kadis, who had moved to her side at some point, knelt on one knee. Even kneeling, his height nearly matched hers.  

“Hey. Look at me.”  

“What? Mm!”  

Kadis wiped Lyla’s mouth with a clean napkin. Despite calling her filthy, he didn’t show any sign of disgust as he cleaned her up.  

His hands, rough with calluses and scars, moved with surprising gentleness. It was hard to believe these were the hands of a man who had wielded a sword on the battlefield for a year. The tenderness in his touch brought an inexplicable sting to Lyla’s nose.  

If only more women could see that, beneath his rugged exterior, he was a kind man.  

No, even if just one woman could see it, that would be enough.  

A single woman who could love Kadis.  

Whoever she was, she would surely be the happiest woman alive.  

“Lord Kadis.”  

When the napkin moved away from her lips, Lyla called out to him.  

“What?”  

“You’re lying, aren’t you?”  

Kadis stared at her silently before responding with a casual question of his own.  

“About what?”  

“Why did you say we… did something, when nothing happened?”  

Lyla asked calmly.  

“Are you curious?”  

His crimson eyes narrowed like a snake’s.  

In that moment, a warning screamed in Lyla’s mind: ‘No!’  

At the same time, she felt a gnawing curiosity about Kadis’s true intentions.  

And she was afraid. Afraid that if she crossed the line, there would be no turning back.  

Wait. The line? What line…?  

Realizing where her thoughts were headed, Lyla abruptly stood up as if to flee. Slowly, she began backing away, putting distance between herself and Kadis.  

“No. I’m not curious after all.”  

“You ask, and now you’re not curious?”  

Kadis looked at her incredulously. Lyla quickly bowed her head.  

“Th-Thank you for the meal, Your Grace! I have an appointment, so I’ll be taking my leave…”  

“Ha. Your Grace?”  

Since when did she start calling me ‘Your Grace’?  

Kadis frowned deeply and stood up. He reached out to grab Lyla.  

“Eek!”  

But Lyla ducked just in time, dodging his hand. Then, clutching her chest to keep her bandages from unraveling, she bolted toward the door.  

She looked like someone running while cradling something precious.  

Kadis froze at the sight.  

‘Thank you for saving me. And I apologize for the trouble.’  

Suddenly, he remembered Lyla as a child, carrying him through the snowy mountains.  

‘Was that how she looked back then?’  

The sound of her pounding heart, her labored breaths—everything was as vivid as if it had happened yesterday.  

Even with her small frame, she had never stumbled while carrying him.  

When Lyla finally reached the mercenary camp, her face had been a mess, scratched and bleeding from branches. Though no scars remained now, the memory still haunted him, making his heart race even in his sleep.  

He never wanted to put Lyla in danger again.  

Kadis glanced at the long scar running from his neck to his collarbone. His body bore countless scars, large and small.  

The war had been that brutal.  

The thought of Lyla being there made his breath catch.  

One body full of scars was enough.  

Lyla, you…  

You, at least…  

Kadis ran his hand over the scar on his chest. Then, without turning, he gave an order to the subordinate who had been quietly waiting nearby.  

“You go follow.”