Aaron let out a small laugh.

The faint laughter that escaped didn’t offset the grim atmosphere; instead, it exuded a terrifying power.

“Rombon, I can only rest if you rest too.”

“Ah, yes! But I need to go so that you can rest, Commander. Please wait just a moment. I’ll be back quickly.”

Aaron glanced at Rombon as he darted out, but maintained his tension.

After ordering some herbal tea to chase away drowsiness, he took out a cigar.

By the time he had finished his tea and smoked two cigars, Rombon returned.

“I’ll report now. There’s no evidence of communication with His Holiness the Pope.”

When he left on patrol, he had left personnel to monitor the priest, nun, and temple workers.

He had calculated that the Pope’s secret orders would arrive without delay, but it seemed his expectations were off.

“There’s nothing you’ve discovered at all?”

“According to our information, no one has left the temple to go outside Tudra. We kept watch considering the possibility of contact through other means, but they made no attempts through carrier pigeons, letters, or any other method. Rather, I heard the priest cowardly hid in the prayer room during the attack.”

“He pretended not to notice while people were being sacrificed?”

Still incredulous, Rombon snorted.

“That’s right! It’s hard to believe His Holiness the Pope would entrust a task to such a person. No matter how you look at it, he doesn’t have the capacity to handle important matters. Could we have been mistaken?”

But it was information provided directly by the King. It couldn’t be more accurate than that.

If the Pope needed to employ someone as his agent, he would have chosen someone capable of influencing at least one group.

The priest was a base human who knew no shame and fled when his own life was in danger.

Rombon gritted his teeth and added:

“Let’s report him to the Papal Office and drive him out of the territory.”

“No, tell them to keep watching. He may not have acted yet, but he will surely harbor malice and plot schemes.”

“…Understood.”

Additionally, Aaron gave detailed instructions regarding compensation and medical support for casualties among the soldiers and knights.

After putting out the urgent fires, extreme fatigue set in.

As he pressed his dry eyelids with his palms, Rombon grabbed Aaron’s arm to help him up.

At times like this, far from fearing his superior, he encouraged him firmly.

“We’ll defend against those Mrangel bastards with airtight security, so Commander, please go up and rest now.”

“When have we ever not been vigilant? Yet this disaster still happened.”

“That’s why we need to be even more alert and protect the territory. I’m saying you need to take care of your health first.”

As if he wasn’t already blessed with physical strength.

Aaron wrinkled his eyelids as if he’d heard something absurd. Rombon shook his head in response.

“I know you take pride in your health, Commander, but your physical condition isn’t always consistent. Last time you couldn’t even move.”

“Couldn’t move? When did I ever?”

“When we thought you had caught an epidemic.”

Ah, that time?

It was when he had an *rection thinking about Lucilia.

Unaware of his superior’s lower body situation, Rombon had made a fuss about Aaron being unable to rise from his chair.

He didn’t want to mention it ever again.

Aaron deliberately rummaged through a drawer and pulled out some documents.

Taking this as a sign not to give any more work instructions, Rombon placed his fist against his chest in salute.

“I’ll be heading to the training grounds now.”

Rombon left swiftly before making eye contact with Aaron.

Aaron ran his dry hand over his rough face.

“Huff… I do want to rest.”

He needed to root out the Pope’s agents, prepare for the invasion of the foreign tribe, eradicate corruption in the border guard he had dispatched, and investigate the greenhouse fire.

And that wasn’t all. He had to organize a report to submit to the King and send it by messenger right away.

Just listing it all made his head throb.

For just one day, he wanted to set aside all these headaches and sleep straight through until morning.

“She looked worried…”

He also wanted to check on Lucilia’s anxious state.

* * *

As soon as he entered the bedroom, moisture covered his skin.

If he barged in while she was bathing and witnessed Lucilia’s n*ked body again, it would be disastrous. Not just for her who would be startled, but more so for him, disgusted at seeing himself panting like a beast.

Hadn’t he suffered enough with carnal desires activating at all hours since that day?

If someone had to be n*ked, it would be better if it were him.

He was about to leave again, planning to stay in the study a bit longer, when Lucilia, hearing his footsteps, scurried out to the reception room.

“I thought you might be coming, so I’ve prepared bath water.”

“…”

“If you’re hungry, shall I have a meal brought to the room?”

Her hands were wet, as if she had personally checked the water temperature.

A faint blush spread across her face.

The desire to touch her cheeks, which seemed so soft and supple, reared its head.

He knew it would be best to distance himself from her before blood rushed to certain areas…

But d*mn instinct seized his reason and crushed it flat for all to see.

If he left the bedroom coldly now, she would surely be hurt, right?

It might be better to endure the discomfort.

Well, it wasn’t so much about considering Lucilia’s feelings and enduring discomfort, but rather about avoiding his own gloominess.

He was dead tired, and it seemed unfair to just hunker down in the study.

If it got too uncomfortable, she would leave on her own.

Aaron took off his coat with a deliberately bleak expression.

“I’ll soak my body first.”

Lucilia only took his outer garment, placed it on the sofa, and went behind a screen set up in one corner of the bedroom.

For a time that felt both long and short, she had lived alone in this room.

Welcoming its master back somehow made her heart tingle, making it awkward to face Aaron directly.

She stirred the water with her hand in the bathtub, conscious of Aaron entering the bedroom.

“It’s still warm, but you might find it cold, so please tell me right away if the temperature isn’t right. No, I should have hot water brought in advance.”

Thump, thump. He approached closer and closer.

What if he’s already completely undressed?

Just as she was about to hurriedly leave the bedroom, her wrist was caught in a large grip as she passed by.

“Why, why? Do you need something?”

“I’d like to drink some strong liquor to unwind from the journey’s fatigue.”

Until now, Aaron had only drunk light wine, never asking for strong alcohol.

The accumulated fatigue from the consecutive incidents seemed to be taking its toll.

She nodded, praying that his arrow of blame wouldn’t be directed at her.

“Yes, I’ll go down and bring it.”

“You’re welcome to drink with me.”

Surprised by the unexpected offer, Lucilia unconsciously looked up at Aaron. Though their eyes didn’t meet, making it difficult to gauge his sincerity, it certainly seemed like a gesture of goodwill.

At this first sign of a softened attitude, her bewilderment disappeared and her heart fluttered. She nodded more deeply than before.

“Then I’ll prepare two glasses. Please bathe before the water gets cold.”

* * *

Though Lucilia had already gone downstairs, her phantom image floated before his eyes.

Just at his suggestion to drink together, her cheeks had turned as rosy as peaches.

“Tsk!”

Aaron, who had been blankly staring at the water rippling over his chest, cupped his hand and splashed water on his face.

“This is still bothering me. It’s all because of that bastard Rombon.”

Saying things like he couldn’t move, or they thought he had an epidemic.

The miscellaneous words Rombon had uttered were firmly lodged in his mind, manifesting as soon as he saw Lucilia.

How much had he blamed himself at that time?

After cursing himself as a beast for getting an *rection while thinking of her, he was foolishly excited again.

Looking at his lower region that refused to calm down, he muttered a curse.

“D*mn it…”

He had no choice but to acknowledge once more that he was a son of a b*tch. Now he was getting aroused even seeing her fully clothed, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

He pressed the corner of his eye with his ring finger, trying to release the heat that had gathered in his eyeballs.

But such pressure didn’t dispel the heat.

“Huff…”

Drinking would only increase his temperature, so why had he asked for strong liquor?

But he needed to drink heavily to hide his excitement.

There was nothing better than alcohol to conceal the heat rising to his face.

He lay down and submerged his head completely in the water that was gradually cooling to lukewarm.

He repeatedly buried his head until his breath reached his chin, then surfaced to breathe in oxygen.

How many times had he done this?

A delicate voice, fluttering like flower petals in a gentle breeze, came over the screen.

“Would you like me to add more hot water?”