Ch.370Chapter 370. For Now, Call Me Comfortably

* * *

At Swen’s words, Serpina froze in place.

Huh?

What did he… just say to me?

If I didn’t mishear…

“Um… th-that… Swen.”

“Yes.”

“What did you just say? Did you… somehow… say something… strange…?”

Serpina’s voice began to tremble uncontrollably.

Thump, thump.

Her heart was beating so violently that she thought it had never pounded this hard in her entire life.

With her face completely flushed, fumbling awkwardly—unlike Serpina—

Swen, with an extremely relaxed expression. No, with an expression that seemed somehow enlightened, casually repeated that audacious sentence.

“I said that I like you, Lady Serpina.”

“What…?”

“I like you, Lady Serpina. I stay by your side because I like you. I didn’t leave because I like you. …In the end, I think that’s the reason we’ve come to this moment today.”

“When you say you like me, you mean, as your sovereign… as, um, an ideal ruler to serve—”

“No.”

Swen said very firmly.

As if he had no intention of turning back anymore.

“I adore you as a woman.”

“!!!”

“Lady Serpina, I… love you as a woman.”

“I, I…”

Serpina slowly rose from her seat.

Words she had wanted to hear so desperately.

She couldn’t deny that these were words she had only dreamed of hearing.

Serpina loved Swen. This wasn’t the ambition of an outstanding advisor, but the feelings of a woman.

After Jenna’s death, those feelings became much clearer than before. Now he was all she had left.

Whether thinking simply of the path of a sovereign, or simultaneously of her feelings as a woman.

That’s why when she heard his answer that Lunarian was indeed his lord.

She was going to say, ‘I’m sorry, but I cannot send you to Lunarian.’

She didn’t care if he hated her for it. She didn’t want to lie to him. If necessary, she was even prepared to use her body to keep him by her side.

But…

To hear him say “I like you” here.

She never dreamed she would hear him say he adored her as a woman.

“It’s too sudden, isn’t it? I’m sorry. But, in the end, that’s the only reason I’m not going back…”

“W-wait… wait a moment, Swen. I, I…”

The girlish heart of a woman who had received an unexpected confession naturally shed the mask of an emperor.

No, it wasn’t shed. It was dropped—let go. Not voluntarily removed, but stripped away by Swen.

“I, well… I don’t quite understand… um… Swen, you like me?”

“Yes. I like you.”

“You… love me?”

“…Yes. I think so.”

Swen said this with another smile.

It was the warm and gentle smile he had when he said he would protect her—the smile Serpina loved so much.

“No matter how close a lord-vassal relationship is, we wouldn’t normally be this close. In a way, I think those strange rumors weren’t completely baseless… but this is truly how I feel.”

“Th-then…”

Serpina bowed her head deeply, her ears bright red.

—Indeed.

She could not win against Swen.

Even if she had steeled her heart to take him away, how could she win against him when she melted at a single unexpected word from him?

Love tends to turn people into fools. But fools in love always wore happy expressions.

That’s how Serpina was now. She felt like she might cry from such joy and overwhelming emotion.

“Wh-what about Irene…? There’s Irene. Whenever you see her face, Swen, you make such a wonderful expression…”

Hearing this, Swen scratched the back of his head.

“That’s right. There is Lady Irene. …I love Lady Irene too.”

“Wh-what…!”

“It somehow ended up that way, but isn’t that not so strange…?”

She was momentarily surprised by his bold declaration of “love,” but thinking about it, it wasn’t really that strange.

A man could have four wives. It wouldn’t be a problem if he married Irene and then her.

The problem was that she was the sovereign and he was a vassal. A vassal could never make a sovereign his second or third wife.

“Th-then… perhaps, Miss Reika and Miss Iolline too…?”

“Ah. That. Miss Reika is correct, but… as for Lady Iolline, I’m not sure yet.”

“I see…”

—Thump thump thump thump…

Afraid that her violently beating heart would be heard, Serpina blurted out whatever came to mind.

“Th-then… what do you think… would be good to do from now on? If, if we’ve confirmed our feelings for each other, then…”

“Well, I’d like to start planning our future right away, but we still have things we need to do.”

“Things we need to do…?”

Swen looked out the window with a bitter expression and said:

“It seems a great war will break out soon. …With the Lunarian army, the nation of my lord.”

“…”

Serpina had also heard news about the war between the Lunarian army and the Brans army.

Lunarian had joined hands with Ohana and had properly defeated the Hesna army with deceptive tactics that abandoned diplomacy.

The southern continent would likely fall into the hands of the Lunarian army very soon.

Hesna was a somewhat intelligent woman, but she wasn’t the type to respond quickly in such urgent situations.

By that time, it was clear that the Brans army, with its balance of power disrupted, would ultimately be unable to stop the Lunarian army.

Perhaps the former Brans army could have, but the current Brans army, divided into three parts with most of its talented personnel split up… could never defeat the Lunarian army, the new power of the era.

It was difficult to imagine two different countries coexisting on this continent, which had been ruled by the unified Einhart Empire for a very long time.

In other words—it was inevitable.

A war between Serpina’s army and the Lunarian army for the fruit of a unified empire that numerous lords had risked their lives to grasp.

“So, I think we need to prepare for what’s right in front of us first. As much as I’d like to hold the ceremony soon… it doesn’t seem to be the right time yet.”

“Not the right time…?”

At Serpina’s words, Swen let out a short sigh.

“Lady Serpina. Since I’ll end up telling you everything anyway, I’ll tell you everything now. I have no intention of returning to the Lunarian army, but… that doesn’t mean I’m betraying my lord, Luna.”

“…!”

“The path I want to take is to create a situation where both Lady Lunarian and Lady Serpina can coexist. I can’t explain everything in detail right now, but there are mountains of things that need to be done for that—and I think that should be our priority now.”

The strongest sensation Serpina felt was curiosity.

More than the impossible word “coexistence,” honestly—she was curious about something else.

What kind of person is Lunarian Ineanne to you, what kind of ruler is she that you can’t give up on her even in this situation?

Why can’t you tell me?

If you really love me, I wish you would rely on me. I want to know what’s troubling you.

Just as you said you would carry my burden… I want to gladly share the burden of your heart…

“Lady Serpina.”

“…!!”

Swen unexpectedly caressed the cheek of Serpina, who was lost in thought.

Serpina did not avoid his touch.

“You must be curious, and I’m sorry I can’t tell you everything. But when everything is sorted out. When my mind’s eye shows me the most efficient and certain path, I’ll tell you everything. All of it. So for now, let’s focus on the fact that our feelings are mutual.”

* * *

“You’ll tell me everything… without exception when things are sorted out?”

“Of course.”

I quickly nodded.

There was no way I could explain everything to Lady Serpina yet.

The fact that as long as Lady Serpina exists, Lady Luna would inevitably become the ruler of the unified empire.

And that marrying Lady Serpina… might unnecessarily provoke Lady Luna.

Lady Luna thought of Serpina as the enemy who killed her sister. But I knew she wasn’t the one who killed Lady Luna’s sister.

And—this was where I placed my hope.

‘First, we clear up the misunderstanding. That’s where we start. I can’t bring it up openly now, but when only two countries remain and Lady Luna’s “destiny for the unified empire” becomes clear… we can resolve this peacefully.’

So. It would be better to hold the ceremony after that.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason—the “instinctive survival sense” I had felt before telling her was warning me that holding the ceremony right away was definitely not a good approach.

‘First, I need to talk with Lady Luna. The Brans army will soon fall anyway… and whether we like it or not, the moment of confrontation will come.’

My body hadn’t fully recovered yet.

Until then, the only thing our army could do was to focus on recuperating and helping with the internal affairs of Einhart Castle.

At that moment.

“…Swen.”

“Yes?”

“I won’t demand an answer from you. You said you’ll tell me when everything is decided, so I’ll wait until then. Because… because I… love you… just as you said you love me.”

Her extremely shy appearance was so cute that I unconsciously spoke in a playful tone.

“You’ve said you adored me before, but somehow it feels different now?”

I thought she might say something like ‘There’s a limit to teasing me…’ and hoped that would lighten the mood, but—

“Yes… you can’t help but feel that way.”

Serpina.

After saying that, she came closer to me…

“Lady Serpina…?”

“Swen. I’ll wait for what you have to tell me. But this… this feeling I can no longer wait for.”

“Even if just for a moment. Just a little… sprinkle of water enough to extinguish the intensely burning fire. If you don’t… I don’t know what I might do…”

“…!”

Before my eyes, Serpina closed her eyes slightly… and came closer to me.

And I—easily noticed what kind of situation this was, what she was asking of me.

…Well.

This much should be fine, right?

Thinking that… I gently press my lips against hers.

“…Mmm…mmph…mmm, chu…”

Our tongues intertwine.

It’s the taste of yuzu that I’ve felt before.

The difference is that back then, it was so sudden that I didn’t know what was happening and just endured it—

Now, I’m exploring the yuzu field spread inside her mouth as if to devour it.

The collision of her soft lips and tongue unconsciously made my movements rougher, but… Serpina accepted everything from me.

After mixing our tongues over and over again.

Eventually, a sticky thread forms between us as we gradually move apart.

Serpina looked at me with vulnerable eyes that seemed like they might break at any moment.

“I love you, Swen…”

“…I also—”

“Just for now, call me comfortably…”

She firmly cut off my words.

Hmm.

Well, since there’s no one else in the hospital room… it should be fine.

“…I love you, Serpina.”

“Yes… I love you.”

And we kissed again.

Following Irene, this was the first moment of mutual understanding with Lady Serpina.

At least in this moment, within this hospital room—it was a world that belonged only to Serpina and me, where no one could intrude.