Ch.277Chapter 277. Just for Today

* * *

I was simply standing there, dumbfounded, catching her body as she fell into me.

I managed not to fall over. Today I want to praise myself for that silly thought as I lowered my head to check on Irene’s condition.

‘What’s happening…?’

Since she suddenly threw herself at me, I wondered if something bad had happened and asked her.

“Irene, did something happen?”

“No.”

“Did some problem occur?”

“I was fine. Nothing happened. I… was doing well.”

“Then why…?”

“…”

Instead of answering, she buried herself against me again and murmured.

I missed you, I missed you…

At first, I was surprised by her sudden embrace…

But as time passed, it wasn’t difficult to realize that the woman right in front of me was the one I should be holding in my arms.

“I missed you too, Irene.”

I gently stroked her red hair.

At the same time, I felt a sense of stability rising from my fingertips.

I’ve come to where I belong. The place I should be is indeed by this woman’s side.

If I had to name the first person I would ‘marry’… it wasn’t just a feeling that Irene always came to mind as the top priority.

Her natural scent naturally invaded my nose.

Whether she used perfume or not, Serpina von Einhart always emitted an intense citrus scent, while Reika’s skin carried the sweet smell of her favorite cake.

And Irene’s scent was… the most raw among them. A mixture of sweat and a woman’s natural scent.

Since she was always engaged in physical work, it was inevitable that her body scent would be more intense.

It’s funny. More than any fragrance of the women I maintained close relationships with, this primal scent stimulated something in me most intensely.

It wasn’t just her scent. Despite wearing armor, her oppressively sized chest that could never be hidden had the same effect. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t affected each time I saw it.

‘….’

…No.

Just because we’re meeting after a long time, harboring such thoughts would be disrespectful to her.

I desperately emptied my mind of these complicated thoughts.

Such thoughts… can wait for later.

I wanted to continue holding her in my arms and feeling her warmth, but now wasn’t the time.

As calmly as possible, slowly… I gently separated from her and asked.

“How is our lord?”

“She’s been well and healthy. We talked about many things. While you were away, only good things happened, so she looked happy.”

“Talked?”

“Yes.”

Something bothered me, but Irene would have her own privacy, so I didn’t pry further.

Instead, I brought up what came next.

“Did something good happen?”

“Swen, don’t you already know? Yurie claimed those terrible rumors about our lord were true.”

“I know. That’s why I went all the way there.”

“During the relief camp, the opinion about our lord improved tremendously.”

‘…Phew.’

I inwardly sighed with relief.

It seemed everything had gone according to my expectations.

From the moment my Intelligence 100 predicted it would be ‘an unhelpful endeavor,’ it was a foregone conclusion that Serpina’s reputation would improve—

Still, nothing was as pleasant as hearing the news of success directly.

After exchanging a few words of small talk with her.

“I’d like to talk more, but I have many things to do.”

“Yes, I know. I don’t intend to get in your way. And, um…”

Only then did Irene turn to Reika who was standing beside her.

“…Sorry. I should have… well, greeted you first…”

“Oh, no. It’s fine…! Hehe…”

“Still.”

And this time, she embraced Reika lightly.

“I missed you a lot, Reika.”

“Ah…”

Reika closed her eyes tightly and stroked Irene’s back as if comforting a child.

“Me too. I missed you, Irene. Were you well?”

“I was…”

“Good.”

Come to think of it, while Reika and I were away, Irene must have stayed alone in that vast mansion.

Even though she wasn’t completely alone with the servants around, it must have been very lonely without the people she talked to every day.

I calmly waited for their conversation to end.

“Well, see you later. Reika. …Swen, you too.”

“Yes! See you later, Irene. Let’s eat something delicious together tonight!”

“Please go inside. I’ll come back early.”

After leaving Irene behind, I finally followed Ian into the palace.

After walking a few steps.

“Um…”

“Yes?”

Reika suddenly spoke to me.

“This might be a bit random, but… I think Irene looks happiest… when she’s by your side, Swen…!”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes! She becomes… incredibly… feminine, I should say. Usually she’s extremely strict and cold… but she becomes like that in front of you.”

As Reika chattered like a teenage girl, I felt somewhat embarrassed and didn’t respond—

“…Me too.”

“?”

“I want… to be happy with both of you, the three of us together.”

‘…!’

I was surprised and turned to look at Reika who was following behind.

I thought that if it were the usual her, she would have lowered her head and mumbled awkwardly at such words—

But Reika was looking at me with unwavering, clear pink eyes.

“…I’m serious.”

“Reika…?”

…What’s going on?

Somehow, both Irene and Reika… today especially, there’s something, something difficult to explain…

Especially Reika, it’s as if she’s become a different person since we kissed.

As I was trying to choose words to respond, a man’s voice came from behind.

“There you are, Swen.”

“…General Ian?”

The person calling me was Ian.

I couldn’t help but feel relieved that my conversation with Reika had naturally ended.

“I was looking for you. You weren’t in the banquet hall.”

“I’m sorry. I was briefly greeting General Irene…”

“No. I don’t intend to scold you for that. I have something to tell you.”

“Something for me?”

Ian slowly nodded.

“Our lord is urgently looking for you. She said to come to the annex.”

The annex… that space where we drank together?

I don’t know why she’s looking for me, but when the lord calls, it’s a subject’s duty to go.

“I’ll explain at the banquet hall, so you go to where our lord is.”

“Ah, I…”

“P-please go… Swen.”

This time it was Reika, with whom I had been talking just moments ago.

She looked at me with a bright smile and said.

“I’ll go ahead… don’t worry… I’ll be fine! I can… manage on my own.”

She had become quite good at talking in front of me, but I was still worried if she could manage alone in that banquet hall—

Well, she was also a hero who had achieved great merit this time, so they wouldn’t treat her roughly.

I’ll trust the Advisor and General Ian here.

“Understood. Then, excuse me.”

I lightly greeted Ian and Reika before heading to the annex where Serpina was waiting.

* * *

‘She seems to have tidied up already.’

Every time I come here, I notice how beautifully maintained the garden is.

As far as I know, there isn’t a single servant who enters this place. Serpina must manage it all herself.

It must be very taxing to manage a garden of this size while not neglecting her duties as a ruler… yet she was accomplishing all sorts of things with that small body of hers.

When I opened the door and entered, Serpina was standing looking out the window.

“My lord. I heard you were looking for me.”

“…”

Serpina, instead of turning her head toward me… looked out the window and spoke to me in a somewhat submerged tone.

“Come here, Swen.”

As I approached her as she said—

“…!!”

…When I came to my senses, I realized I was once again embraced by a woman.

The citrus scent brushing my nose invaded fiercely, as if to erase all the body scent I had just experienced.

‘Today is a strange day.’

Just as I was thinking this might be a day when women are drawn to me, Serpina quickly spoke to me as if not wanting to give me time to think.

“…Swen.”

“Yes…”

Her body and voice trembled faintly.

I hugged her tightly, hoping it would calm her body.

“Did you not miss me…?”

Earlier it was “I missed you.” Now it’s “Did you not miss me?”

I almost let out a laugh at how the stark difference between the two women was evident in such simple words, but I managed to hold it back.

“I missed you, my lord.”

“…I see.”

There wasn’t much else said after that, but I didn’t rush her and calmly stroked her back.

How much time had passed?

Finally, Serpina began to speak little by little.

“Thanks to you… for the first time, I learned that there are people in the central continent who don’t hate me. Just by doing as you said… I was able to defeat Yurie.”

“That’s because sincerity always comes through.”

Yes.

Sincerity comes through.

All of this happened because she didn’t hesitate to take on a bad reputation out of her pure desire to ‘save as many people of the central territory as possible.’

Just showing her that not everyone in this world hates her gave this endeavor great meaning.

How lonely must a life be where you feel everyone hates you at every moment?

To her, who had walked through an unimaginably lonely tunnel, I could gladly offer my embrace.

“I missed you, Swen.”

“Yes.”

“Every time I lay in bed trying to sleep, I thought about you.”

“Yes.”

“The more I did… the heart of a woman, not a ruler, yearned for you. From head to toe, everything. All of me wants all of you.”

“…Pardon?”

The atmosphere of the conversation seemed to be getting… increasingly… out of control, and I was startled as I looked at her face.

Serpina’s golden eyes were trembling.

Before I could think about what to say to that, Serpina.

“Even just once, it’s fine. Even if it’s just for a moment. I won’t insist that you stay with me forever. So. Just for today—”

—be this body’s man.

Not Serpina the ruler, but Serpina the woman was whispering that to me.