As I slowly raised my gaze, I saw a large man soaked to the bone from the rain.

I called out his name softly.

“Lambert?”

Instead of answering, Lambert trudged over and, as always, sat on the edge of the bed.

The bed sheet around where he sat began to dampen.

I raised my upper body and leaned back.

My hands gripped the blanket tightly.

Co-could it be that he came to find me because I left him in the forest?

Is he here to blame me now?

“You…”

Lambert’s voice was drenched with moisture.

It was a voice that seemed to carry an inexplicable tenderness.

The tension that had built up dissipated at that gentle voice, something I had never heard from the usually gruff Lambert.

So the excuses flowed out smoothly.

“Lambert, I didn’t mean to abandon you in the forest… Think about it! How could I possibly move someone as big as you?”

Even Lambert couldn’t argue with that.

“…Abandoned, huh.”

“Since that doesn’t sound good, let me rephrase it as ‘I had no choice but to return alone.’”

“Returned alone, huh.”

Why does this crazy guy keep parroting my words like a parrot?

“So, you’ve come back to the center now?”

Lambert nodded slightly.

“You might catch a cold, so please change out of those wet clothes and get some rest.”

And would you mind leaving my room?

I swallowed the last part, which was my true intention.

“…”

Lambert, his lips pressed into a straight line, just stared at me.

His crimson eyes that met mine were heavily sunken.

“I’d like to get some rest too…”

Just leave, you idiot. Can’t you understand what I’m saying?

Just as I was wondering how to chase Lambert away, he stretched out his hand.

Soon, his hand touched my cheek.

Perhaps because he had been in the rain, his palm felt cool against my skin.

I flinched at the cool sensation.

“If you feel sorry for abandoning me…”

“…”

“Kiss me first.”

Lambert’s face drew closer as he spoke, almost like a confession.

***

The reason Lambert, who had been unconscious, woke up was because something was tapping his face.

Lambert’s downcast eyelids slowly opened.

What he saw upon opening his eyes was a sky full of dark clouds.

‘Rain…’

He raised his upper body and brushed back his fallen hair.

Lambert sat there quietly, recalling the events that had occurred before he passed out.

He had visited the grave where Diana was buried, remembering her approaching death anniversary, and then he met Yerena, and after that, he was deployed.

He had easily dealt with the Nine-Tailed Fox, but the problem was the [Enchantment] skill.

Normally, he would have purified it on his own, but was it because he had spent too long reminiscing about Diana?

Was it because his heart had become weak from missing Diana so much?

Uncharacteristically, Lambert had succumbed to the [Enchantment] skill.

Still, being a fairly strong A-class esper, he was able to restrain himself from physical contact with others through great effort.

But that effort went to waste when Yerena appeared.

When Lambert saw Yerena arriving late in the forest, his heart began to race as if it would explode.

It felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

The moment he saw Yerena’s frail body, barely covered by her loose robe, he lost control.

The thin thread of reason he had been barely holding onto snapped. Lambert devoured Yerena’s delicate lips.

His entire body grew numb with Yerena’s warm breath.

There wasn’t a single part of him that didn’t feel good. He felt like he wanted to kiss Yerena forever if he could.

So he craved her. Even though she struggled to break free from him.

If someone hadn’t knocked him unconscious, he might have done something irreversible.

“Haa…”

Lambert exhaled a dry breath.

Although he knew Yerena wouldn’t be there, he looked around.

The forest, dyed by the autumn rain, was empty.

Even the corpse of the Nine-Tailed Fox, which had met its end, had been cleared away.

While he was lost in thought, the raindrops grew heavier.

Lambert sat there without even trying to avoid the rain.

Perhaps thanks to the guiding he received through the kiss with Yerena, the influence of [Enchantment] had completely disappeared.

But even so, he wanted to kiss Yerena’s lips again.

Even though he didn’t need guiding, just like the past days when he sought out Yerena for a kiss.

“Yerena… she reminds me of her.”

Lambert muttered to himself, lightly biting his lower lip.

Yerena… although she didn’t resemble Diana at all, strangely, she reminded him of Diana.

Of the girl who had first approached and reached out to him when he had no friends due to his poor social skills and cold appearance.

Diana was a companion assigned by his parents who pitied their unsociable son.

“Lambert, I think you’re really cool! Despite your young age, your body is incredibly well-trained.”

“Lambert, I know well that even though you’re almost expressionless, your heart is warmer than anyone else’s.”

“Lambert! Why don’t you try smiling? You might make more friends that way.”

Diana. The voice of the long-dead girl still vividly echoed in his mind.

Diana’s positive thoughts, her tone, her gestures… Everything about her was lovable.

She was a woman impossible not to love.

That’s why he liked her. Although they were young, those feelings were by no means light.

But she ended her life at far too young an age. Without even giving him a chance to confess.

The reason Diana comes to mind every time he sees Yerena must be because of her strong demeanor and positive energy that persevere despite the mistreatment from the Allen Knights.

Because those aspects are similar.

He’s not sure about Baron and Benjamin’s circumstances. They’re in the same knighthood, but he’s not particularly interested.

But Lambert, due to his unfriendly nature, couldn’t treat Yerena kindly.

He tried to be nice, but it never worked out as he intended.

Despite his brusque behavior, Yerena always received him gently. Just like Diana. As if she had been reincarnated and returned.

It felt like she would understand no matter what he did, even if he did something she didn’t want.

Yerena was like a weed that wouldn’t wither no matter how much it was trampled.

Lambert liked that aspect of her.

When he was intoxicated by [Enchantment], the reason he rushed at Yerena like an unbridled colt was probably because he liked her.

Because he liked her, he wanted to kiss her.

Did Yerena return to the center?

Did she steadfastly walk back to the center on those skinny legs of hers?

The reason he hadn’t used his ability to transport Yerena between the forest and the center all this time, despite being able to…

‘It’s because I liked her steadfastness.’

Because he enjoyed seeing her unwavering in the face of any trial.

Isn’t this when they say you want to torment the person you like even more?

“But who knocked me unconscious?”

There weren’t many espers in Chelsea Center who could knock him out in one go.

Probably even Baron, who’s also A-class, wouldn’t be able to do it.

When he thought that far, someone came to Lambert’s mind.

‘…Could it be Benjamin?’

Could it have been that cunning man whose intentions are impossible to read who knocked him out?

It was entirely possible for Benjamin, who was S-class.

The questionable point was why Benjamin, who rarely shows up unless it’s an S-class monster, appeared.

“It can’t be because of Yerena.”

Benjamin was a man who showed no interest in any woman except Diana.

But if even he, like Lambert, saw Diana’s shadow in Yerena…

Lambert, who had been sitting there as if frozen, stood up.

He activated his enhancement ability, preparing to fly to Chelsea Center.

He disliked the fact that Benjamin had shown interest in Yerena.

Lambert’s clenched fists turned white as if blood had stopped flowing.