Thud, thud, thud.

“Commander! If you don’t wake up, I’m coming in! You promised to exercise with me this morning!”

Sel, who had buried her face in a pillow as soft as a cloud, raised her head at the loud voice. Her blurred vision caught sight of an unfamiliar setting.

Wait a second. A chill ran down her spine. Frozen in place, Sel slowly surveyed her surroundings.

This wasn’t the cabin.

And next to her was a half-n*ked Lavi, holding her tightly around the waist, eyes still closed.

“W-what the—!”

Sel, startled like someone having a seizure, flailed and tried to escape Lavi’s grip.

This wasn’t like that day in the royal capital. Something must have happened—something definite—but…

Her mind was hazy, unable to recall anything.

The disastrous aftermath of drinking strong whiskey on an empty stomach without any food to accompany it.

That’s when Lavi opened his eyes.

Suddenly sitting upright, Lavi looked down at his bare torso and then at Sel, who was now wearing his robe. The bandage that always wrapped her chest was nowhere in sight beneath the open robe.

The bandage? Lavi’s right hand clutched it, tangled like knitting yarn.

A silence heavier than lead settled in. The faces of the two flushed and then paled, over and over.

Amid the awkwardness, Lavi, dealing with a certain stubborn morning issue, discreetly pulled the blanket over his lower half.

It was inevitable.

The sight of Sel waking up beside him, radiant as though molded by the sun and enchanting as if sprinkled with starlight, overwhelmed him.

Lavi tried to pull himself together and manage the situation.

He could remember kissing her last night, but beyond that, his memory was blank.

The memory of what could have been the pinnacle moment of his life had vanished, obliterated by a single glass of whiskey. The sadness of it all was indescribable.

Surely, we didn’t go all the way… right?

Sel felt the same uncertainty. She shot a sidelong glance at Lavi.

Seeing Lavi sitting there with an utterly forlorn expression, Sel decided she needed to step up and handle the situation.

Quickly pulling the robe tighter around her, she began to speak.

“Well, I mean… we’re both adults. These things happen. It’s… natural.”

Oh no, what am I even saying?!

Sel mentally cursed her own mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut.

What was meant to smooth things over turned into something that made her sound like an experienced libertine.

“…Natural, huh? Done this a lot before, have you?”

Lavi’s sharp glare cut through her like a knife, his eyes brimming with betrayal, as if catching an unfaithful partner.

“W-wait, Commander! This… was this your first time?”

“W-what? No! This is completely natural for me, too!”

Damn it. Lavi, who’d dealt with a lifelong ailment, bluffed clumsily as he stood up.

So flustered he forgot he was only in his underwear, Lavi struck a confident pose, hands on his hips, pacing around the bed.

Ack!

Horrified, Sel pulled the blanket over her head, screaming internally.

She’d seen Lavi’s body plenty while in the mercenary corps, but today, for some reason, his physique felt more robust, more unfamiliar.

Just then, a booming voice called out again from outside.

“Commander! If you don’t wake up, I’m bringing Vice-Commander Eric! One… two… three—”

“Damn it, why’s Philip here—ah, the morning training.”

Damn it all.

Lavi rubbed his temples and opened the window.

“Oh, you’re up, Commander?”

“Y-yeah, just now.”

“But, uh, why are you… completely n*ked this morning?”

“I-it’s just more comfortable this way. Look, I’m not feeling well today, so tell Eric I won’t be joining.”

“Philip?”

Lavi called to Philip, who stared slack-jawed in stunned silence.

Philip, furrowing his brow, was staring directly at Lavi’s shoulder.

Following Philip’s gaze, Lavi slowly looked down at his shoulder.

On his angular shoulder, there was a peculiar mark.

Round and red, it was unmistakably a bite mark.

Lavi’s ears turned bright crimson.

“T-this is, um, from last night… A monster bit me… yeah.”

“Say no more, Commander. I understand.”

“What?”

“Congratulations on becoming a real man, Commander.”

With a serious expression, Philip gave him a thumbs-up.

“Y-you little—what do you even know?!”

“More than you think, Commander. But don’t worry—I won’t breathe a word of this to Vice-Commander Eric. Discretion is the mark of a real man, after all!”

Thumping his chest with a fist, Philip returned to the mercenary group.

Lavi, stunned, watched Philip leave before glancing back at his shoulder.

The small, round bite mark was unfamiliar but oddly comforting.

It felt like he now belonged to Sel.

As if to tease him, the chilly morning breeze bypassed the mark, leaving it warm.

Lavi slowly turned his gaze toward Sel.

His woman was far more untamed than he’d expected.

“Is he gone?”

Sel, who had been hiding under the blanket, peeked out.

The large robe she wore kept slipping, revealing her soft, round shoulders.

The sight sent Lavi’s heart racing all over again.

He rubbed his face with his hands and nodded.

“I’ll… make some soup for breakfast. We’ve got some bread left from yesterday too.”

“I feel nauseous. I’ll pass.”

“Nauseous…? Are you feeling unwell?”

Could it be? Lavi’s eyes darted nervously from side to side.

For a moment, he pictured a daughter who looked just like Sel.

But Sel, frowning, pointed a finger at him.

“I know what you’re imagining, but there’s no way. Besides, maybe because it was your first time…”

“Ugh, why do you keep assuming it was my first time?! I’m not that clueless.”

“Well then, why don’t we just… naturally finish what we started?”

“Finish?”

Lavi smirked, raising a brow.

“…You keep saying that. Does this sort of thing come easy to you?”

“Does it have to be hard? The damage is already done, isn’t it?”

Flustered, Sel said the first thing that came to mind in an attempt to defuse the situation.

However, unbeknownst to Lavi, tears glistened in his eyes. Like the tragic heroine of a melodrama, Lavi widened his eyes at Sel.

“You… how could you?”

“Pardon?”

“Am I just some passing man to you?”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“Are you such an irresponsible woman?”

“Irresponsible?”

“How can you do this to me and not take responsibility!”

Lavi pointed at his shoulder with his finger.

Sel, startled, let out a shriek, “Ahhh!”

There, on Lavi’s shoulder, were clear teeth marks, undoubtedly left by her.

“Am I the only one guilty here? You did this to me too!”

Sel rolled up the large sleeve of her gown and thrust her wrist in front of Lavi.

Her pale, slender wrist bore numerous reddish marks.

Lavi gasped and froze, unable to exhale.

It was like someone who didn’t even know how to boil water had managed to cook a stew.

An awkward silence filled the space between them.

‘What is this reckless progression? What in the world did I do last night?’

A fool with no memory, Lavi bit his lip so hard it nearly bled.

To piece together the fragments of his lost memory, Lavi slowly examined Sel’s wrist and arm.

Even in this situation, her delicate fingers were stunningly beautiful.

There wasn’t a single part of her that wasn’t lovely.

Sel awkwardly retracted her outstretched arm and pulled her sleeve back down.

Goosebumps rose on her skin wherever Lavi’s gaze had lingered.

“I-I’ll get ready now,” Sel stammered.

She hastily gathered the scattered clothes on the bed and floor and dashed into the bathroom.

Every movement of hers seemed like a broken machine, jerky and clumsy.

Lavi snapped out of his daze at the sound of the bathroom door slamming shut.

Only after Sel disappeared from his view did his senses return.

“Damn it. Just my luck,” Lavi muttered under his breath.

He quickly checked his own condition and hurried to another bathroom in the adjacent room.

There, he spent a long time pouring cold water over his head.

Thus, their historic morning passed in this manner.

***

[The Truth of Last Night]

Lavi was adept only at kissing. As he gently coaxed Sel’s stiff lips, Lavi pressed her chin softly with his finger.

Sel’s tightly shut lips parted slightly.

Not missing the opportunity, Lavi explored her mouth, taking control.

Their pounding heartbeats hastened the spread of alcohol in their bodies.

It was natural that the rationality of the drunken pair would snap like a fraying rope.

“I… feel stifled.”

Whenever Sel kissed Lavi, her chest felt heavy.

Patting her chest to relieve the discomfort, Sel began unwrapping the bandages wrapped tightly around her torso.

Lavi, his eyes half-closed, was startled and stopped her hands.

“This isn’t right… This kind of thing is for after marriage….”

“I feel stifled,” Sel repeated like a parrot.

She pushed Lavi’s upper body back with a forceful shove.

Lavi’s eyes widened in shock.

Sel climbed on top of him and began unwrapping her bandages.

“W-What is this…?”

“My chest feels stifled,” Sel said, pounding her fists against her sternum.

Thinking of him brought all her emotions crashing together, suffocating her.

Her head was a mess, and her chest felt heavy.

No amount of unwrapping bandages could relieve the emotional weight.

But in her drunken state, Sel couldn’t think that far.

Abandoning the bandages, her hands settled on Lavi’s upper arms.

His gown had loosened, revealing his bare skin beneath her palms.

Sel traced Lavi’s pectorals with her fingers, smiling dreamily.

“Your body… is amazing—”

“Don’t. Don’t do this.”

Lavi hastily tried to pull his gown closed, but Sel’s hands boldly pulled it open.

Stunned by her assertiveness, Lavi blinked.

Drunken Sel repeated herself.

“Your body is amazing—”

“You… You’re going to get yourself in trouble.”

From an outsider’s perspective, Lavi was the one in danger, but all he could think about was Sel’s well-being.

“It’s like the color of perfectly cooked beef.”

“…What?”

“I’m hungry,” Sel declared.

Comparing Lavi’s sun-kissed skin to beef, Sel leaned down and bit his shoulder lightly.

Lavi glanced down at his shoulder.

Under Sel’s half-lidded eyes gleamed a predator’s hunger.

In retaliation, Lavi bit Sel’s wrist lightly.

“Why are you biting me? It hurts….”

“You bit me first.”

“I won’t let this go.”

“That’s exactly what I want. Don’t let it go,” Lavi said, kissing from Sel’s wrist to her arm with a smile.

That enchanting smile, coupled with his dreamy face, was utterly captivating.

Normally, Sel would have been overwhelmed by Lavi’s intensity.

But drunk Sel was braver than ever.

Mesmerized, she briefly stared at Lavi’s face before opening her mouth wide like a crocodile.

Sel bit down hard on Lavi’s shoulder as if gnawing on lamb chops.

“Ouch!” Lavi’s upper body shot up.

The bite was so hard it felt as though she might tear away his flesh.

For a moment, anger flickered in Lavi’s dazed eyes, but it quickly vanished.

His eyelids, heavy with drunkenness, began to droop again.

No, this isn’t right. This can’t happen.

Muttering softly, Lavi collapsed sideways onto the bed.

As he struggled not to fall, his hand caught on Sel’s bandages, though he didn’t realize it.

His vision, which had been flickering white, was soon engulfed in darkness.

Lavi passed out, almost as if fainting.

“See? I told you I wouldn’t let this go,” Sel mumbled, smiling victoriously with glazed eyes.

She swayed back and forth like a wobbling doll before finally noticing the chill of her exposed skin.

“Ugh… Why is it so cold?”

Sel crossed her arms and shivered as she looked around.

Her eyes, rolling sluggishly, landed on Lavi.

Sel pulled off Lavi’s gown entirely and draped it over herself.

Then, she crawled under the thick blanket, wrapping herself snugly.

Lavi, left with neither the gown nor a blanket, lay pitifully at the edge of the bed.

But Sel paid him no mind, contentedly enjoying the soft blanket and the scent of wicker emanating from the gown.

Unaware of the storm awaiting her, Sel fell asleep soundly.