It was just as she was approaching the training grounds.

“……!”

The sharp, high heel of her shoe got caught in the dirt, causing her to lose her footing. In an instant, the long, flowing dress she had been clutching tightly with both hands wrapped itself around her legs.

Just as she thought she was about to fall ungracefully, a firm arm wrapped around Sierra’s waist.

“……?”

“Sierra, what are you doing here?”

The low, heavy voice that settled over her was familiar.

“……Ahin?”

—

“D*mn it……!”

Ahin shot a glare at the imperial palace before climbing into the carriage.

He had intended to secure a generous war compensation.

However, the petty emperor had chosen negotiation from the start rather than offering a generous reward outright.

Having participated as the supreme commander, Ahin could not back down either.

Not until he had secured proper compensation for the knights and soldiers who had suffered through two years of brutal warfare.

After an intense round of negotiations with the emperor, the day ended in a stalemate.

“Haah…….”

Through the carriage window, the grand silhouette of Valdevern’s ducal estate came into view.

‘She must be awake by now.’

Ahin recalled the image of Sierra lying in bed.

Before leaving the bedroom, Ahin had been idly touching Sierra, and she had swatted his hand away as if to say he was being a nuisance, pouting in her half-asleep state.

Even drowsy, her soft, slightly puffy cheeks drew his gaze in a way he couldn’t quite explain.

When Ahin couldn’t resist and gently bit her cheek, instead of crying out, Sierra had narrowed her eyes and shot him a languid glare.

In that moment, he felt the familiar heaviness settle between his legs once more.

“…….”

Thinking of Sierra, the unpleasant feelings stirred by the emperor vanished entirely, and his mood lifted considerably.

He wanted to hurry home and hold Sierra again.

“Welcome back, Your Grace.”

As he stepped out of the carriage and entered the estate, the butler extended his hand. Ahin shrugged off the jacket he was wearing, handed it to the butler, and asked,

“Where is Sierra?”

The butler flinched and paused mid-motion.

He seemed genuinely bewildered by the change in Ahin’s attitude toward Sierra.

Nevertheless, the butler neatly folded the jacket over his arm and replied,

“She said she would take a stroll through the garden after her meal.”

“She went out for a walk?”

“Yes.”

Ahin’s handsome brow furrowed slightly.

‘Instead of resting quietly in her room when her body must be uncomfortable.’

Why on earth had she gone for a walk?

Ahin immediately strode off toward the garden with purposeful steps.

“Your Grace, where are you going?”

“To the garden.”

“Pardon? Yes…….”

The butler bowed toward Ahin’s retreating back.

Having long worried whether the two would ever produce an heir given how poorly they got along, the butler allowed himself a gentle smile.

Fortunately, the saying that a couple’s quarrel is like cutting water with a knife had proven perfectly apt.

The butler had always thought that the young master and the young lady were doomed from the very moment they met.

They had bickered endlessly since childhood, yet not only had they grown into such fine adults, they were already attending to the matter of an heir without delay.

Overcome with emotion, the butler felt the tip of his nose prick with tears.

Ahin’s steps toward the garden grew more urgent.

Back on the battlefield, to ease the relentless tension of never knowing when the enemy might strike, the knights would often pass the time with idle chatter — and the stories were mostly about women.

All manner of s*xual preferences and unsavory tales he had no wish to hear were exchanged in those conversations.

Because of that, Ahin had no choice but to listen, whether he wanted to or not, to all sorts of intimate secrets between men and women.

The memory of having heard that noblewomen sometimes fell ill after their wedding night surfaced in his mind, leaving him uneasy.

Sierra in particular had always been on the delicate side, prone to falling ill since childhood.

Ahin pressed on with a deep crease between his brows.

But Sierra, who was said to be out for a walk, was nowhere to be found.

After that fruitless search, Ahin returned to the estate and immediately set about tracing Sierra’s whereabouts.

“I’m told she was seen heading toward the training grounds.”

At the butler’s words, the maid standing nearby gave a nod.

“Yes! I saw her myself. The young mistress was heading in that direction.”

Sierra, at the training grounds?

It struck him as odd, but Ahin wasted no time and made his way to the training grounds.

The first thing that caught Ahin’s eye was Sierra’s back, hidden behind a large tree, peering furtively at the training grounds.

The second was the disgraceful sight of knights ganging up on a single person.

“Haah…….”

Ahin let out a deep sigh.

To think that this chaos had broken out in the brief time he had stepped away.

But before Ahin could move toward them, Sierra hurried toward the knights with urgent steps.

A hollow laugh escaped Ahin’s lips.

‘Ha, and just what do you intend to do?’

Many knights were simple-minded and quick to lose their temper.

As such, calming knights who had already been set ablaze was no easy task, even for Ahin.

He couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking, risking getting hurt by needlessly throwing herself into the middle of it.

And so, just as Ahin was about to take a step toward Sierra —

“……!”

Sierra’s body suddenly swayed. She looked as though she might topple over at any moment.

Ahin immediately flew toward her.

—

Sensing the irritation in Ahin’s voice, Sierra quickly assessed the situation.

‘……Ah, I should have waited just a little longer.’

She couldn’t shake the feeling that her own impatience had ruined everything.

“Didn’t you hear me?”

“……?”

“I believe I asked what you were doing here.”

Despite the sharp furrow of his brow, the hands that held Sierra in his arms were nothing but careful, as though handling a delicate sugar figurine that might shatter at any moment.

Sierra twisted her body, trying to pull free from Ahin’s hold.

But breaking free from the firm arms wrapped around her was no easy feat.

Sierra frowned and said firmly,

“Let go of me.”

Only then did Ahin gradually loosen his arms.

Yet the fine crease on his handsome brow remained, as though he fully intended to press her for an explanation.

‘……What on earth should I say to talk my way out of this situation.’

With that thought in mind, Sierra stole a glance toward the training grounds.

Perhaps because of the distance between them, the knights still didn’t seem to have noticed Ahin’s arrival. The sight of them tangled together, throwing punches, remained unchanged.

“Something’s wrong! Please, look over there!”

Sierra pointed urgently toward the training grounds.

With a short click of his tongue, Ahin set his face like that of a grim reaper and strode toward the training grounds with heavy, deliberate steps.

“All units, fall in!”

Leaving Ahin as he growled at the knights, Sierra quietly began inching her way back toward the estate.

‘Phew……, that was truly a close call.’

Sierra sighed with relief and pressed a hand to her chest.

It had been a hair-raising moment — she had nearly erased the episode where Ahin, appearing like a prince on a white horse, comes to Claudia’s rescue.

‘I wonder if Claudia is all right.’

Worried about her, Sierra glanced back slightly.

“Sierra.”

Before she knew it, Ahin had drawn close enough to be right beside her.

‘Did he learn stealth techniques on the battlefield or something.’

Sierra startled and replied,

“……Wh-why? What is it?”

“I was wondering whether it’s all right for you to be walking around like this.”

Sierra furrowed her brow, not immediately grasping what Ahin meant.

“That…… I’ve heard that a woman’s body takes quite a toll after the first time.”

……Ah, so that was what he meant.

It was a rather uncomfortable subject, but it seemed better than being asked why she had come to the training grounds.

As she dropped her gaze slightly and searched for the right words to say, Ahin spoke first.

“I’ll call a healer for you this afternoon. For now, please return to the estate.”

It was true that her body ached here and there, likely from using muscles she wasn’t accustomed to using.

But was there really any need to let a healer know about what had happened on her first night with Ahin?

Sierra quickly waved her hand in dismissal.

“I’m fine, so please don’t worry about me and go attend to whatever is urgent.”

As she spoke, Sierra kept stealing glances toward Claudia.

“Urgent? What do you mean?”

Sierra blinked blankly at the question.

‘What does he mean, what?’

Was that really something the male lead should be saying?

‘Claudia was just being attacked by a pack of wild animals not even a moment ago.’

Sierra’s eyes went wide at Ahin’s reaction.

“Shouldn’t you go over there?”

“And why would I.”

Sierra rapidly blinked as she watched Ahin ask back as though he genuinely didn’t understand.

“Your Grace. I believe you should go take a look.”

Just then, a young knight came running up and said,

“What is it?”

At Ahin’s question, the knight licked his dry lips and replied,

“It appears there are casualties.”

As Ahin’s jaw tightened, the knight bowed his head low.

It seemed he viewed it as a matter of collective responsibility since it had occurred within the knights’ order.

“Cohen.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Escort the Duchess back to the estate.”

With those words, Ahin turned toward the training grounds.

As Sierra watched Ahin’s broad back grow smaller with each purposeful stride, the knight bowed respectfully toward her.

“It is my first time greeting you, Duchess. I am Cohen of the Valdevern Knights. It is an honor to meet you.”

Cohen extended his hand toward Sierra.

Sierra gently placed her hand in his palm. Cohen lightly pressed his lips to the back of her hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Cohen.”

As Sierra smiled softly, the tips of Cohen’s ears flushed a faint shade of red.