Ch.275Chapter 275. The Third Woman

After hearing the soldier’s voice, I immediately spoke to Reika, who was sitting across from me with her head bowed.

“Um… I think we’ve arrived, Miss Reika.”

“What?! Ah, y-yes… y-yes…!”

“……”

And with that, our conversation ends.

In truth, during the several days it took to travel from the relief camp near Kelstein Castle to this place, the situation between Miss Reika and me had been pretty much like this.

Not exchanging a single word except for essential conversation, unable to properly make eye contact with each other.

Considering we had chatted about various things on our way to the relief camp, this was definitely strange.

…No.

Actually, it wasn’t that strange at all.

Well, after ‘that incident,’ it was inevitable that our relationship would become awkward.

‘……’

I unconsciously run my tongue lightly over my lips.

Though quite some time has passed, I still find myself caught in the illusion that I can somehow taste that peculiar sweetness.

‘Miss Reika… she kissed me.’

Why on earth?

Because she had charged at me so suddenly and fiercely, I too was equally confused.

Did she suddenly develop feelings for me? I can’t think of any… definite catalyst.

Did she have feelings for me all along? If so, wouldn’t she have said something when marriage talks were happening?

Wait a minute.

Does this mean she wants to marry me now?

That must be it. She didn’t seem like the type of woman who would press her lips against someone she had no intention of marrying. Miss Reika was, if anything, closer to being completely bashful.

‘Hmm……’

No matter how much I think about it, I still can’t understand what was going through her mind when she made that impulsive move, but I can’t say I disliked it.

I carefully studied Miss Reika’s face.

Her soft, plump white face, her impressively large chest, and her plump thighs visible beneath her skirt.

For someone who likes soft things, her body would definitely be to their taste.

Not just her body, but her face too… she’s quite pretty. It’s just that Serpina has such extraordinary looks that it makes others seem less by comparison, but Reika too was beautiful enough to captivate many men. It was just her shy personality that prevented her from doing so.

Was kissing a woman like her unpleasant?

If she had been someone I’d just met, it might have been a bit uncomfortable, but with a woman like Miss Reika, whom I’ve spent quite a long time with… well…

To be honest, I liked it. As a man, I definitely had a reaction.

Anyway, I didn’t want to keep dragging this awkward situation on.

She and I were living under the same roof, and if this subtle tension continued, it would obviously make Lady Irene, the homeowner, uncomfortable too.

Now that we’ve arrived at the capital, it might be okay to start talking to her.

“Um, Miss Reika.”

“Eeeek…!”

“……”

Just as I was starting to feel a bit hurt, Reika hurriedly waved her hands and spoke.

“N-no! S-S… Swen. I’m s-sorry…! I was just… thinking about something else…”

“Is that so? Is it difficult for you to talk?”

“No, no! Talking is fine! Completely! Completely fine…! Probably… maybe.”

After saying that, Reika bowed her head again and muttered things like “I’m sorry” or “I’ll just die” under her breath.

“…Well… about what happened that day.”

“…!”

“You know what I’m talking about, right?”

At my words, Miss Reika quietly nodded several times.

She couldn’t answer verbally, instead turning her face as red as a ripe tomato.

“I… honestly, I was a bit surprised, but… I didn’t dislike it.”

“Ah… y-yes.”

“So, well… about that.”

…Oh dear.

I tried to speak as nonchalantly as possible, but saying it out loud was harder than I thought.

With my hand on my heated head, I avoided her eyes and continued.

“Let’s just… pretend it never happened…”

“…!”

“So, please don’t worry too much and act comfortably around me. If we keep being awkward like this, I’ll feel really lonely.”

After saying that, I waited for her response.

When I didn’t hear anything, I turned my gaze toward her—

“……”

“Miss Reika…?”

Tears were flowing from her eyes.

Alarmed, I moved closer to her.

“Wh-what’s wrong? Miss Reika?”

“Ah, th-that… well.”

Reika hastily wiped her tears with her sleeve.

Looking at her, it seemed like even she didn’t know why she was crying.

“It’s just… um? Well, you see…”

‘…??’

I quickly racked my brain.

Even if I were to input a question like “Why is Reika Nighthart suddenly crying?” into my mind, I wouldn’t get a proper answer.

So right now, I need to think about what I should do.

‘…Could it be.’

Fortunately, there was one thing I could guess.

It was extremely embarrassing to say it out loud, but… I disliked seeing Miss Reika cry more than I disliked feeling embarrassed.

“When I said let’s pretend it never happened, I didn’t mean literally act like it never happened.”

“…Pardon?”

“It’s just… if we keep being embarrassed and awkward about it… it’ll become hard for me to talk to you, Miss Reika. So let’s just let it go. Accept it. That’s what I meant. I’m not saying the kiss… itself was nothing at all.”

Somehow, this felt like the right answer. Maybe she was sad because I treated the kiss as if it never happened, something like that.

Just a moment ago, I was too embarrassed to even make eye contact, but seeing her cry made these words flow out easily.

I seemed to have a weakness for people crying. It was the same with Lady Serpina and Lady Irene.

“So… please don’t cry. Okay?”

“……”

Instead of answering, Reika spread her arms and hugged me.

I hugged her back.

As I felt her warmth, the sensation of her shoulders trembling as she sniffled in my embrace, and the sweet scent I had smelled when our lips met tickled my nose again.

‘I guess it might be time to think more seriously about marriage…’

I had always thought ‘It won’t be too late even after I return to Luna’s army’—

But well, there’s no harm in making things clear.

Marriage, huh.

I recalled the faces of the women who had always been on my mind when thinking about marriage.

Lady Irene.

Miss Reika.

And—

‘…Ah.’

At that moment, ‘that person’s’ face came to mind without me realizing it.

That person was…

* * *

“Today’s the day.”

Hearing Serpina’s voice, which seemed unusually excited, Irene replied in an equally joyful tone.

“If there are no schedule changes, he should definitely arrive today.”

“Fufu… you can’t hide the joy in your voice, Irene.”

Instead of answering, Irene gave a faint smile.

Since that night when they had confessed their feelings to each other and drank together, Irene and Serpina’s relationship had become much closer than before.

Being Serpina’s bodyguard and staying close to her almost all day had also greatly influenced this.

In any case, during this period, Serpina had become much more than just ‘someone to whom Irene owed a debt of gratitude.’

It felt like the most satisfying position in her entire career in public service. In other words, the sense that she was finally serving ‘a lord worth serving’ was boosting her spirits.

For her part, Serpina kept Irene closer than any other aide.

There was meaning in having someone close to Swen in the position he should have occupied, and above all, she was convinced that Irene, at least, would not stab her in the back.

Moreover, there was definitely a part of her that felt more comfortable with Irene, a woman like herself, than with Swen, with whom she couldn’t help but feel a certain sexual tension.

A ruler might be criticized for talking about sexual tension and such, but she was human after all.

In conclusion, the bond between the two women had changed significantly since Swen’s departure.

“Just for today, stay by his side, Irene. After his long period of hardship, he will need you.”

“Pardon? But shouldn’t we give him time to rest alone after completing such difficult work…?”

Hearing Irene’s sincere words, Serpina let out an amused laugh.

“If you truly think that, then you are quite an extraordinary woman. It makes me reconsider Swen’s tastes, which is quite a good response.”

“Ah…”

Somehow embarrassed, Irene blushed and lowered her head.

For some reason, she didn’t quite understand what Serpina was saying… but she didn’t feel bad about it.

It felt like they were connecting well as humans beyond their lord-vassal relationship.

This feeling was even stronger considering how incompatible she had been with Lynn.

Serpina, too, rather than pursuing that topic further, lightly changed the subject to their usual conversations.

“…Well, a woman must do what a woman must do. The plague is gradually subsiding…”

“Are you planning to prepare for war?”

“It’s an excellent opportunity to re-enter the Central Continent. I’m worried there might be interference… but it’s worth discussing with Swen.”

Irene agreed with Serpina’s assessment.

The Aeshus army, which had been somewhat of a threat, had its national power reduced to about 1/3 of its former strength, and both the Kalintz and Chel armies were in disarray due to the plague.

This could be considered a golden opportunity for Serpina’s army.

Immediate advancement might be risky due to the possibility of lingering plague, but still.

“Still, I’d like to move quickly this time. Something unsettling is happening in the southern part of the continent.”

“The south, you say?”

“Yes. It seems the rumors about the rebel army defeating the Karelia army are true.”

Irene’s shoulders twitched slightly at the word “rebel army.”

After all, that rebel army was none other than the newly formed Lunarian army.

Despite saying he would go over immediately, for some reason, Swen had remained here… but from Irene’s perspective, she was following Swen rather than Luna, so she didn’t care much about where he was.

“Then, was the rumor about a magician appearing true?”

“It’s highly likely. There’s an insurmountable difference in military strength, after all.”

So the rebel army had destroyed an existing nation, and conveniently, a magician had appeared as well.

Swen’s words that “Lunarian will be the unifying monarch” flashed through Irene’s mind again.

“It seems the fall of the Karelia army will break the long-standing balance in the Southern Continent. We can’t just sit idle.”

After saying that, Serpina asked Irene a question with an indifferent expression.

“By the way, do you remember the name of the rebel leader?”

“The rebel leader… do you mean Lunarian Iniang?”

“That’s right. Lunarian was the name. Lunarian Iniang…”

…Huh?

The moment she heard that name, Serpina’s eyes went blank.

Her contracted pupils began to tremble ever so slightly.

She had heard that ‘Kyle von Einhart had declared himself a supporter of Lunarian.’

Until then, she hadn’t thought much of it. After all, the only name she had heard was ‘Lunarian.’

But… what?

‘Lunarian… Iniang…?’

“My lord…?”

Instead of hearing Irene’s concerned voice, what entered Serpina’s mind was—

“Princess. Please bring peace to this continent that has fallen into chaos again… so that my younger sister can live in peace too, please rebuild the unified empire… This is my last request.”

“If someone like you, Princess… had become my sister-in-law, it would have been wonderful… I’m sorry… that my lowly status… prevented it…”

Her brother Algot’s lover who had perished before her eyes.

Aria Iniang.