“Mmph! Haah.”

Their slick lips rubbed against each other before shifting angle.

Cool air briefly seeped through the opened gap, only to be covered again by dense warmth.

An unbelievable thrill exploded from their entangled skin, and the sucking and crushing movements reached the peak of pleasure a person could feel.

If just kissing made her head spin like this, she couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like to completely join their bodies.

In any case, he must be kissing her because he was attracted to her somehow.

As they continued to deepen their contact this way, there would surely come a time when carnal desire would boil over. Perhaps they would quench that thirst here.

As the kiss intensified, Lucilia’s legs tingled, and she unconsciously pressed her lower body against him.

At that moment, something blunt poked her lower abdomen.

She flinched in surprise, and Aaron immediately pulled his lips away.

As the gap widened, his groin naturally came into clear view.

Aaron breathed roughly, as if the significantly swollen bulge was overwhelming him. Then, embarrassed by the awkward situation, he roughly ran his hand over his face.

Her innocent eyes observed his lower region before sliding up to his flushed face.

As if caught exposing something private, Aaron quickly turned his back.

Unlike someone who had just been panting and consumed by excitement, he spoke in a low, composed voice.

“Scouts have reported that enemy forces have gathered at the border front. A battle will certainly break out within days.”

“…”

Her heated mind cooled instantly. Even though she had come prepared, it was beyond her power to erase the fear on her own.

Swallowing dryly, Lucilia asked about strategy.

“Shouldn’t we hurry to make plans? We’ve been too idle.”

“The new moon rose last night. Soon it will be a moonless night.”

“Are you saying they’ll advance when it’s darkest?”

“I expect something different.”

With his explanation abbreviated, it was difficult to grasp his meaning.

No matter how much she thought about it, her ignorance of military strategy prevented her from visualizing the outcome.

To make matters worse, his turned back blocked her view, making it impossible to understand his intentions.

Lucilia bravely turned him around.

As she pulled him carefully to avoid offending him, Aaron obligingly allowed himself to be turned.

“I don’t understand. What are you expecting?”

“In Mrangel, there is a custom where the leader purifies himself by the river before battle and performs a ritual asking their god for protection and help.”

“So the Mrangel leader will perform the ritual by the river on the safest day, when it’s darkest?”

“Yes. You probably know that with the long river as the center, the northwest is Mrangel territory and the southeast is Caldman territory. This means we can approach using the waterway. Specifically, since the middle of the river is Caldman territory, we can cross that far.”

He was telling her to get that close and look into the leader’s eyes.

This raised several questions.

“But we don’t know the exact location.”

“It will be upstream, far from where the two armies face each other. This area has gentle currents, making it good for battle, so they would choose a place with stronger currents.”

“Won’t they set up strict security to protect their leader? Won’t we be discovered?”

“If you trust me completely, we won’t be discovered.”

Though she intellectually understood how excellent Aaron’s skills were, without experiencing them firsthand, she couldn’t help feeling afraid.

Seeing her face pale with fear, he added an explanation in a calm tone.

“Since our army is guarding the border, they won’t recklessly cross the river either. If they did, they would be swept away by the river before they could properly fight. That’s how murderous the upstream current is.”

‘How will we break through such threatening currents?’

‘We need to approach secretly, but what if our own forces detect us? What explanation will we give if we’re discovered?’

Questions rose to her throat, but Aaron’s expression was so firm that she couldn’t speak.

He maintained such a confident attitude.

At this point, another question arose.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to subdue them if you assassinated the Mrangel leader?”

“You mean behead their leader while we’re there?”

“Well, not exactly that, but I’m curious if it’s possible.”

“Hmm… I only have one life. I would need to risk my life once to cut through the current, risk it again facing skilled warriors after crossing, and risk it yet again to take the leader’s head.”

She should have kept her mouth shut.

His life was precious, and if she had to compare, secretly scouting was safer than a frontal *ssault.

“I spoke nonsense. I’m sorry.”

Lucilia’s face burned bright red with embarrassment as she let out an awkward laugh.

Just as Aaron was secretly gazing at her lovingly…

“Saint! No, Baroness!”

Is that… Duke Floi?

Aaron’s thick eyebrows shot up immediately. Keeping his eyebrows pointedly raised, he glared at the entrance.

“Baroness, are you in there?”

Consistently respectful to Lucilia.

“Lord Artnal, are you in there?”

And casually informal to him.

Try as he might to see it positively, there was truly nothing to like about this situation.

If he weren’t royalty in this country, Aaron would ignore him, but the fact that he couldn’t due to the duke’s status was also annoying.

While Aaron was cooling down, Lucilia scurried outside.

“Isn’t that Duke Floi?”

“Were you having a meal? I hope I’m not too late?”

“We were just about to eat.”

“Perfect! It’s freshly cooked and still hot. This is…”

As Kel explained, an attendant who had followed him presented a plate.

A large piece of meat displayed its appetizing form, stimulating their sense of smell.

It was a moment that made their planned meal of dried meat look shabby by comparison.

Recognizing this, Aaron’s mood grew increasingly uncomfortable.

Already embarrassed by what he had to offer, the duke’s elaborate explanation made Aaron feel even more inadequate.

“We caught a stag this morning. Ah, I was focused on strategy meetings to protect the kingdom, so I sent my subordinate to hunt.”

“I see.”

“As I was about to eat this precious food alone, I thought of you and simply couldn’t do it. I’d like to invite you to my quarters, but…”

The red eyes that never cowered before anyone withered like a young lamb the moment they clashed with Aaron’s intimidating presence.

He had been opposing the wooden-like Aaron with his characteristically smooth personality, but today something felt ominous.

How to put it… it seemed like Aaron might attack regardless of status.

He wouldn’t dare lay hands on the king’s brother, but his demeanor suggested he would shatter him to pieces without leaving a single bone fragment.

It was an animal instinct that only males could feel.

Unusually, Kel lowered his tail.

“Being in a place with only men, I should act prudently. Both for myself and for the lady.”

“Thank you, we’ll enjoy it.”

The owner of the hand that suddenly shot out was Aaron.

Why had this person who spoke of acting prudently come all the way here?

Aaron confronted him with piercing eyes, not backing down in the slightest.

Kel made a clicking sound with his mouth and leaned toward Lucilia. He deliberately whispered, though everyone could hear.

“You need strength to endure in harsh terrain, so please eat plenty. You can eat it all yourself.”

Caught in the crossfire between the two men, Lucilia managed a smile with a troubled expression.

Only after Aaron bowed politely, physically issuing an order to leave, did the precarious atmosphere subside.

After this ordeal, she finally sat down with Aaron to begin their meal.

However, Aaron barely touched the food. He didn’t even taste the venison.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“I once got sick after eating venison, so I can’t bring myself to eat it.”

“But it must be tender since it’s freshly grilled. At least try it.”

“It’s fine. I have training in the afternoon and the meeting from this morning will continue, so I can’t afford any disruptions.”

“Ah… then I shouldn’t eat this either.”

Aaron tore the venison into bite-sized pieces and placed them on her plate.

Though he wanted to throw it far away, he restrained himself, fearing he would look insane.

While his hands were devoted to serving her, his mind was not.

‘Pathetic man.’

Why did his insides twist whenever he saw the duke?

Why did he become so childish?