Ch.365Side Story 1 – Journey to the Southern Continent (20)

Morning sunlight seeped through the gaps in the window.

The soft light gently illuminated the room, but Alicia couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes.

A memory she didn’t want to remember.

It was her first experience of complete defeat.

But.

What made the situation even more serious was the last words he had spoken.

—You haven’t forgotten our bet, have you?

That moment kept replaying in her mind.

Cassian’s gaze, his calm smile, and those words he had casually delivered.

“…!”

Alicia suddenly felt her entire body burning as she bolted upright, her heart racing wildly.

“N-No…”

She tried to calm herself, but the vivid scene dominated her thoughts.

Last night.

The gentle touch of his hand supporting her as she was about to collapse from exhaustion, and his composed yet somehow warm voice.

“I’m crazy, I’m crazy!”

Alicia clutched her face.

She felt suffocated.

If you lose a bet, you grant the winner’s request.

It had started as a joke in the training grounds.

Alicia had confidently agreed, and Cassian had smiled leisurely and said:

—Then, if I win… you’ll spend a night with me.

She had brushed it off lightly at the time.

After all, she never thought she would lose.

But the result was devastating.

A complete defeat.

Only now did that reality hit her with full clarity.

‘Do I really… have to spend a night with him…?’

Her lips went dry.

She tried to convince herself it was just a simple joke, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

But why was she so preoccupied with it?

Cassian’s smile unconsciously resurfaced in her mind.

She couldn’t understand what he had meant by those words.

Alicia grabbed her blanket and covered her face.

“…Aaaaaaah!!”

She curled up into a ball under the blanket.

‘Why am I feeling so embarrassed?!’

Her heart felt like it would burst.

Just last night, she had been consumed by anger and the feeling of defeat.

But now.

Why did Cassian keep appearing in her thoughts?

And why wouldn’t he disappear from her mind?

‘Am I… becoming strange…?’

Alicia’s face was completely flushed red as she muttered under the blanket.

At that moment.

Knock knock—

There was a knock at the door.

“Alicia! It’s me, Helden!”

Alicia flinched and jumped up from her bed.

“Helden?”

Helden, her colleague and friend from the Red Moon Clan.

She was calling Alicia with her usual cheerful voice.

‘What could it be?’

Alicia hurriedly straightened her blanket and got out of bed.

She carefully opened the door to find Helden standing there with a bright smile.

“I have good news!”

Helden’s face was beaming as if she were delivering wonderful news.

“…Huh?”

As Alicia tilted her head in confusion, Helden placed her hands on her hips with a proud expression.

“Lady Merin is going to represent the Red Moon Clan and request Cassian to cancel the bet!”

“What…?”

“She’s not just making a request, she’s going to offer proper compensation!”

As Helden finished speaking, Alicia’s mind became a jumble of thoughts.

—You haven’t forgotten our bet, have you?

He appeared in her mind.

And the subtle emotions she had felt when hearing those words resurfaced.

Should the bet really be canceled?

If it were, would Cassian accept it without any reaction?

Or would he feel even slightly disappointed?

“…Alicia?”

“Huh!?”

Helden stared intently at Alicia’s face.

“What’s wrong? Shouldn’t you be happy?”

“…”

Alicia couldn’t answer.

Should she be happy?

Then why did her chest feel so tight?

‘Could it be…’

Alicia strongly denied the thought that had crossed her mind.

That couldn’t be possible.

Cassian was the man who had mockingly proposed the bet as if predicting her defeat.

For someone as proud as her, it should have remained just a humiliating memory.

However.

Why did her heart feel this strange tingling?

And why did she feel oddly empty at the mention of cancellation?

At that moment, Helden suddenly crossed her arms heavily while looking at Alicia.

“Oh, what’s this? Are you perhaps disappointed?”

“W-What?!”

“You’re not, right? Well, even I wouldn’t be disappointed. Honestly, if it were Lord Teiran, maybe, but Cassian? He’s too ugly.”

“…Ugly?”

Alicia reflexively asked, and Helden shrugged her shoulders in response.

“Don’t you think? He’s not exactly charming, his expression is too stern, and honestly, even though we haven’t met many men, we can still tell what’s not appealing.”

“But he’s strong, isn’t he?”

“He is strong, but to share a bed with him…”

Alicia didn’t know what to say.

Helden wasn’t entirely wrong.

Cassian couldn’t be described as a dazzling handsome man.

However.

His intense gaze, sharp jawline, and the peculiar atmosphere he exuded when he smiled quietly.

Above all, didn’t he possess swordsmanship skills far surpassing her own?

All of these thoughts came to mind, and somehow, hearing him being called ugly made her feel uncomfortable.

“Do you judge people solely by their appearance?”

“We need to sleep with men to obtain superior genes, so isn’t it natural to consider appearance?”

“Is appearance the only criterion for superior genes?”

“You can become stronger through training, but you’re born with your looks.”

“…Helden, can you become as strong as him through training?”

“W-Well, no… but isn’t it good that the bet is being canceled?”

“What’s good about it?”

“If by chance… you slept with him and got pregnant… and had a male child, you’d have to leave the Red Moon Clan.”

Alicia let out a short sigh.

“Aren’t you going to sleep with Lord Teiran soon?”

“…Huh? Y-Yes.”

“So it’s okay for you but not for me?”

“T-That’s not what I meant…”

“Or are you afraid of having a male child? If so, tell Lady Merin right now that you won’t sleep with Lord Teiran. She’ll probably agree.”

Helden’s face turned bright red at Alicia’s sharp words.

“No… I actually want to sleep with a man… even if I have a male child.”

“Helden, there’s no need to be ashamed of that. It’s a woman’s instinct.”

Alicia’s heart was pounding.

Her mind was in chaos, and her body was filled with heat.

But there was no time to hesitate.

She immediately opened the door and stepped outside.

“Huh? Wait! Alicia! Where are you going? What, could it be—”

Helden called after her in a panicked voice, but Alicia didn’t respond.

Instead, she walked forward with quick steps.

Only one thought occupied her mind.

‘I need to see him first.’

The place where Cassian was staying wasn’t far from her home.

Her pace quickened as she walked, and her heart pounded loudly.

Tension and another indescribable emotion filled her chest.

‘This is a matter of honor!’

She told herself.

This wasn’t about simple emotions; it was about preserving the honor of the Red Moon Clan.

After a few minutes, a familiar building appeared before Alicia.

Cassian’s residence.

The door was closed, but voices could be heard from inside.

“Hah…”

Alicia took a moment to catch her breath in front of the door, then opened it without hesitation.

“Ah, Alicia!?”

Merin was the first to react to the sudden visit.

She rose from her seat in surprise.

“Why did you come here so suddenly?”

Cassian also quietly looked at Alicia.

The moment his gaze met hers, her heart skipped a beat again.

But she tried to maintain a composed expression as she stepped forward.

“Lady Merin, if we consider the honor of the Red Moon Clan, we should know how to accept the results gracefully.”

“T-That’s…”

“If we made a bet, we should humbly accept defeat. Even if the outcome is unpleasant.”

Merin spoke with a troubled expression.

“But, Alicia. I’m not refusing to accept the result… I’m just trying to change the terms of the bet. I’m offering Lord Cassian adequate compensation in return. This way, everyone can be satisfied.”

“N-No!”

“…Huh?”

“Even changing the terms of the bet damages our honor!”

Merin closed her eyes tightly in bewilderment before opening them again.

“Alicia… if you were to sleep with Lord Cassian and accidentally get pregnant, and if the child were a male—”

“Then you should have suggested changing the bet terms before Lord Cassian and I dueled! Changing it after the result has been determined would tarnish the name of the Red Moon Clan.”

Alicia’s voice trembled slightly, but her resolve was clear.

Merin also appeared very confused about how to handle the situation.

At that moment, Cassian, who had been silently listening to the conversation, spoke up.

“…Well, if that’s what she says?”