That the marquis had been engaging in illegal activities all this time, not through his own men, but by borrowing the hands of a dark guild.

He closed the ledger with a thud and spoke gravely.

‘Based on this ledger, have them check all the post stations that rented out the wagons and all the checkpoints they passed through when crossing territories. There will definitely be traces of the marquis’s side covering for them.’

He had his own principles and rules. Whoever it was, the one who played the biggest role in driving his knights to death would definitely be punished.

Even if it was somewhat dangerous, he had no intention of abandoning this plan. Once someone touched his people, they had to taste even more excruciating pain.

A heavy fatigue settled on Claude’s shoulders as he recalled the hectic past few days. Separately, he couldn’t find any traces of the request related to Flora anywhere.

As he was about to unbutton his cufflinks and then the buttons of his clothes, he suddenly looked around the room that felt chilly. Despite it being midsummer, it was natural not to feel warmth, yet the room felt strangely desolate.

Eventually, his gaze turned to the empty bed. The afterimage of the woman sleeping quietly on the neatly arranged bedding flashed by.

She didn’t come today?

It seemed she hadn’t been informed of his return in advance, so she must be sleeping in her own room.

Only then did he remember that since that day when he had sparred with her, unable to contain his anger, he hadn’t even properly seen Flora’s face.

His last memory was of turning away from her as she stood there with a quite shocked expression.

Claude withdrew his gaze from the bed he had been silently staring at and turned around to open the door. There was not a hint of hesitation in the man’s footsteps as he crossed the corridor steeped in silence.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw a small body buried in the bed. At the same time, sensing his presence, Flora quickly raised her upper body and picked up something sharp.

Flora blinked her eyes slowly as she recognized the silhouette walking in unhesitatingly through the darkness. Then, after fully confirming Claude’s face, she lifted the corners of her lips faintly.

“Master, have you returned just now?”

Flora asked, looking up at Claude who had come closer. It was the first time he had personally visited her room.

Flora examined his face after smelling the faint scent of blood on his clothes. Having stayed up for several nights, his handsome face looked slightly rough.

“You look tired.”

Claude’s eyes narrowed. Surprisingly, the usually expressionless maid’s face showed concern for him.

Seeing Claude’s eyes oddly shadowed, Flora carefully uttered the words she had been suppressing all this time.

“……I…… did wrong.”

Flora apologized haltingly with sleep still evident on her face. Claude was momentarily taken aback by the words from someone who never apologized no matter what wrong she did.

Strangely, an unpleasant feeling arose. Twisting his lips, he asked.

“What wrong did you do?”

“Last time…… you were angry because of me.”

Flora thought the reason Claude had left and subsequently ignored her was because he was angry at what she had done.

That stern face of her master, which she had never seen before despite his quarrels with others, suggested so.

“I’ll try to correct my shortcomings.”

Flora apologized without knowing exactly what she had done wrong. After all, the presence of her master who always stayed by her side was that significant.

Claude strangely said nothing at all. Only a faint crease appeared on his straight forehead. His wavering expression soon regained composure.

After a while of silence, he unconsciously reached out and cupped one of Flora’s cheeks. Her lukewarm face without any rejection, her clear eyes filled with innocent trust, held him.

Flora, who had been absentmindedly looking at Claude’s face as he climbed onto the bed, looked at her own bed, which was significantly smaller than his.

His thick forearm wrapped around her waist with strength. Soon their lips overlapped, and a slippery sensation attacked her mouth.

Her fingertips stiffened. It was such a ferocious kiss that she felt like she was being devoured by a beast.

Explicit sounds of smacking were poured between her crushed lips. The drowsiness disappeared in an instant.

The hand that had wrapped around her waist moved up to caress her stiffened spine. Flora’s waist jerked up with a start.

Her entire body grew increasingly sensitive. Even her spine tingled at the sensation of his hands kneading her skin.

Only after their attached lips parted did her blocked breath burst out.

“Haah…… ha……”

Immediately, the hand positioned at her nape pulled her strongly into an embrace. His hot breath touched her neck. His wet lips gently licked her earlobe.

The light fabric covering Flora’s body slipped down her round shoulders. Her tension didn’t ease but rather made her twitch prettily at the touch that flowed like water along her gracefully lined shoulders, concave collarbone line, and rising mounds.

Claude completely bound her with his thick forearm as she squirmed. Placed between his solid arms, she had nowhere to escape. Flora stiffened her body in anticipation of what would follow.

Eventually, his indifferent hands quickly stripped off her nightgown. Amidst all the clothes being removed one by one and scattered on the floor, his large hand leisurely grasped her soft br*ast. The soft flesh, gripped by a firm hand hardened by sword training, was kneaded as if being crushed.

“Hmng……!”

The escaped nasal sound scattered into the air.

He lowered his head and devoured the pink peak on the fair flesh in one bite.

“Hnngh, ah! No……”

A shallow moan reflexively rose. The tingling pleasure from the sucking stimulation rose all the way to the top of her head. The sensation of the moist inner membrane of his mouth engulfing and constricting her n*pple and ar*ola was more stimulating than she had imagined.

Flora’s lips parted as her eyelids fluttered, releasing heated breaths.

His thick finger dug into her open lips. The solid fingertip pressed down on her soft tongue and slowly stirred the inside.

“Think of it as refreshments and suck.”

He said with a cold face, pressing her tongue with his moistened finger. Flora, who had raised her lowered eyelids, asked with a puzzled face.

“……Why?”

“You said you wanted to appease my anger.”

The large hand that could easily crush an enemy’s cervical vertebrae gently caressed her cheek.

Flora hesitated a little, then gathered her small lips to swallow his finger. As she slowly moved the tip of her tongue, the moist membrane traced along the finger filling her mouth.

Though she was incredibly clumsy at using her tongue, her small lips obediently sucking were quite diligent. Claude’s gaze narrowed at the sight that provoked a man’s lust.

Blood had long been rushing to his lower part, about to burst. His dry gaze followed the saliva, mixed with his, thoroughly coating his finger.

Does she know that such an innocent face bewitches men?

Flora complied docilely despite Claude’s behavior being different from usual. As if she believed this was the only way to repay her disappointed master.

Despite her submissive attitude that never refused any command, Claude’s expression remained cold. Eventually, his trained upper body pressed down on Flora, gradually closing the distance.

The soft lips that had been tracing and biting her delicate skin one bite at a time suddenly bared teeth. A stinging pain slowly slid from around her chest to her round bottom.

He bit her tender flesh sharply like a biting animal. Flora’s heart pounded at his rough breathing that sounded like growling.

“……Ngh! Why today……”

“You keep testing my patience.”

A coarse breathing mixed with his low voice that sounded like scratching the ground. Excitement permeated his voice, which had already forgotten any fatigue.

Claude lowered his hand and pulled down her underwear. His solid hand traced down her thigh.

As the dawn air brushed against her skin, his hot palm immediately pressed against it gently. Her body twitched just from his fingertips touching her intimate area.

Her nerves concentrated on the part being crushed under his fingertips. As he gently stroked her wet p*ssy, heat rose in her lower body as if warmth was gathering in her lower abdomen.

Despite her knees being closed together, he gently spread her slippery lower part with his fingertips. At that moment, a thick finger pushed stiffly into her inside.

She unconsciously lifted her hips. The sensation of his rubbing hand added more and more moisture. Even her eyes felt hot from the rising pleasure, to the point she didn’t know what to do.

Flora, who had been desperately holding back her voice by tightly closing her lips, reached out and clung to his solid arm.

“Hnng, Master……”

Amid her sobbing moans of climax came a squelching sound. It was coming from between her legs.

As his fingers repeated their advance and retreat, a sticky, embarrassing sound continued as her crevice gripped and released. It was like a similar act substituting for something else, reminiscent of something.