Chapter 9

“I’ll protect you on the battlefield, even if I have to risk my life. That’s my responsibility.”

“That’s all?”

“What else do you want?”

“If I think of more, will you listen?”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Then for now, let’s finish sleeping together.”

“…What?”

“It’s still dawn. There’s no morning training today. Dame Eria, you should rest more before afternoon training.”

When Eria didn’t move, Kan pulled her close.

“Let’s go for a walk together when we wake up.”

Caught off guard, she was pulled into his arms and lay beside him on the bed, blinking up at the ceiling.

‘What was this situation?’

She was sober now. She’d drunk heavily and slept in a room with several seniors before, but this felt completely different. This was one bed! And a narrow one at that. Kan’s breathing was so close, she could feel his breath on her skin, making her shiver.

Kan, holding her tightly, slowly stroked her side. She hadn’t finished dressing, so she was in only her underwear, and his palm easily touched her bare skin.

“Ugh…”

It felt… strange.

“This is what it means to take responsibility. You awakened a feeling I never knew, so stay by my side until this desire is gone, okay?”

His whispered words brushed her ear. Eria quickly grabbed Kan’s wrist, but his hand, as if losing self-control, kept moving.

“Kan…!”

Her already sensitive skin shuddered. Biting her lower lip, Eria curled up. She managed to turn her back to him, but his hand moved even more freely, slipping under her underwear and touching her chest, making an uncontrollable sound escape.

“Hnn, mm…”

“I won’t go all the way.”

She couldn’t believe she was feeling such sensations while sober. It felt like she was still a little drunk, and though she tried to push away the hand tormenting her, she couldn’t. The Eria who wielded a sword and defeated strong knights was crumbling so easily on the bed.

Kan gently pinched her n*pple. Eria twisted her body, holding her breath. Her vision blurred and she squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands were weak, and after all the caresses since last night, her sensitive body was easily aroused.

Her lower belly fluttered as if her heart had sunk, and her still-aching private parts tingled and opened anxiously. Worried her m*ans would escape, Eria did her best to hold back. It felt good, but she was tense, as if doing something wrong.

“Did you know? Dame Eria, you always smell nice.”

“Haa…”

“I’m so happy I get to taste all of you. I hope this will always be just for me.”

His voice grew rougher than before, echoing in her ear, and another unfamiliar sensation made Eria m*an. Kan raised his head and sucked her earlobe into his mouth. Reflexively, Eria covered her mouth with her hand, and Kan chuckled.

“It’s still dawn, so someone might hear. We should be careful. What if Ter hears?”

His teasing voice made Eria tremble. Soon Kan’s tongue touched her ear again, and the unfamiliar feeling made her grit her teeth as her vision went white.

“Ahh…”

The sound of him sucking and gently biting her earlobe was clear in her ear. She feared Ter might hear these sounds, but the thrill only drove her crazier.

“Does it still hurt down there?”

“Hnn, mm. Kan…”

“Don’t rush. It’ll still hurt. I’ll wait.”

His gentle hand stroking her hair felt strangely comforting. Eria lifted her eyelids and turned to look at Kan. For some reason, she wanted to see his face. The look in his eyes was different from usual, with a hint of excitement in his reddish pupils. He was kind. Had anyone ever looked at her like this before? The feeling was strange. Beyond the sensuality, there was even a slight flutter. The mixture of nerves and excitement was completely different from what she felt before battle.

“I’ll stop teasing you now.”

Her heart tickled.

“Sleep well. I’ll do the rest tomorrow, even if you say no.”

His words seemed like a spell, and Eria closed her eyes, breathing softly. Kan gently smoothed her messy hair. The tender touch made sleep rush over her. With no strength left to reply, she just nodded slowly.

Her lower belly still burned, and wherever his skin touched hers, it felt as if her pulse was fluttering wildly. She felt a vague sense that something was missing, but sleep soon overwhelmed her, and even that thought faded. Sleeping in someone’s arms felt awkward, but it was warm and cozy, and not bad at all.

* * *

Was this a dream or reality? Eria slowly opened and closed her eyes, dazed.

“I’m so relieved, Dame Eria! Isn’t this the secret forces of the Lohas Empire! Working under Captain Rumic was a good experience and something to be proud of, but being part of this unit should give you even more pride. Of course, it started because of unavoidable and unfortunate circumstances… But isn’t this every knight’s dream? I heard knights who distinguish themselves here can be selected for the Imperial Guard.”

“Really?”

Ter was busy chattering, excited as if he were the one officially recruited, but Eria herself wasn’t very interested.

“So that’s why you and Sir Kan were out on such a friendly walk early this morning! You must have been hearing the good news.”

“…Friendly, you say.”

When she woke up in the morning, Kan was still beside her, and the two went for a walk together. When they reached the outskirts of the mountain, where there were no soldiers, Kan held her hand tightly and kissed her. The sensation was different from his touch the night before. Kissing someone, feeling tongues entwined, was awkward, but not unpleasant. After their secret display of affection, they ran into Ter on their way back, and with no excuse for his suspicious look, Eria ended up telling him about joining the unit.

She hadn’t planned to talk about last night, but her curt reply seemed to satisfy Ter, who showed no signs of suspicion.

“I should hurry and recover so I can follow you, Dame Eria. Even if I end up in another unit, I’ll accept it gladly. This unit only has elite knights who’ve gone through harsh training—even the newcomers.”

“How do you know so much?”

“I actually applied here first! There were so many outstanding applicants that I failed spectacularly.”

Eria had always seen any unit as nothing more than a refuge and never dreamed of being a knight, so she knew little. She’d only heard rumors that this unit existed, and that it focused more on espionage or supporting other units to disrupt the enemy, rather than direct combat. Ter’s sparkling eyes as he praised the special forces made her feel strange about having a new affiliation.

“But with Sir Kan, did you really only talk about recruitment? You went pretty far on that walk. Maybe you two discussed something else…”

Ter seemed about to start teasing again, so Eria jumped up and grabbed his ear tightly.

“Aaah!”

“From the day the doctor says you’re healed, your hell begins. Just so you know.”

Ter’s jokes no longer sounded like mere jokes. Her heart thudded, as if it might collapse, and she purposely pulled his ear harder.