The long-awaited Delphine was still captivating.
Her golden hair reminded one of the midsummer sun, and her blood-red eyes sparkled like rubies. She had immaculate, spotless white skin and sharp, defined features.
It would have been strange if she wasn’t beautiful.
Even a religious figure with a strong mind could not avoid harboring lust for this woman.
However, today Delphine’s complexion appeared somewhat weary.
It was a time when she should have been at the front lines. There must have been many reasons why Delphine couldn’t leave her post.
For instance, the betrayal of the Yuridina Marquis.
It was hard to believe that the old man, suffering from illness, was actually a vanguard of the Dark Cult.
But the witnesses were too credible, and the subsequent reports from Neoris were the same. They all pointed to the Yuridina Marquis’s suspicious dealings.
The Yuridina Marquis was not a particularly capable knight.
He had will and character but lacked overwhelming talent. In the Northern Region, this was a critical flaw.
Unlike Delphine, he had as many as six siblings.
Among them were those who clearly demonstrated the Yuridina lineage’s excellence. Nevertheless, the reason the Yuridina Marquis could wield the family’s power was that his abilities had explosively developed at some point.
Until now, it had been believed to be a case of late-blooming talent.
However, upon hearing the princess’s testimony, it seemed like a remarkably opportune moment, as if to say, “of all times.” The efforts blossomed just before the heir of the Yuridina clan was determined.
Delphine must have been aware of this fact as well.
Ceria, who was tormented by the need to restrain her father, ultimately couldn’t reach a conclusion. With Delphine’s return, it was only right that the decision-making power was given back to Delphine.
It was a cruel torment.
The climate of the coniferous forest was harsh. To return from the vast sea of trees and be faced with such a painful decision right away was overwhelming.
One could hardly avoid feeling sympathy.
After all, Delphine was the woman I had spent a night with.
I sat across from Delphine, who was silently filling her cup.
There was no need for permission.
Delphine glanced at me with a wry smile.
Even amidst that, her slightly seductive gaze was enchanting. Truly, it was a fitting expression for a “siren.”
“…What brings you here, my lord?”
The unexpected address momentarily left me speechless.
I had meant to discuss something serious, but my mind went blank.
I swallowed a nervous laugh and replied to Delphine.
“My lord?”
“Yes, my lord… It’s not incorrect, is it?”
Delphine’s slender finger extended. The meaningful smile on her lips seemed to touch my heart.
“I wanted your body that much, beast.”
“I clearly remember wanting to stop at the end…”
“That’s worse. After enjoying to the full, you say you won’t see it through?”
I was at a loss for words.
The relationship between a man and a woman was always like this. The worth of a man’s virginity and a woman’s chastity was not equal.
To a woman who has lost her purity, there would always be the label of a criminal.
I licked my lips and raised my hands in surrender.
“Alright. Let’s call me my lord then.”
“Don’t say it like it’s some generous favor… Well, it doesn’t matter.”
It was a voice mixed with lethargy.
She was hiding it under playful mischief, but there was no way Delphine was unaffected.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have shown me those feelings.
However, since that night, Delphine had changed.
Perhaps the transformation had been ongoing before that night and had burst forth at that point. But one thing was certain: Delphine’s attitude towards me had become complicated.
Was the physical relationship that important?
Delphine, tilting her glass, looked forlorn. She placed her hand on her forehead and let out a defeated sigh.
“…Isn’t it funny?”
“Not funny at all.”
“I find my state funny. It feels like everything I’ve known as common sense is crumbling. And I don’t even know what I should do anymore…”
With that, Delphine reached to fill her cup again. Had I not just then grabbed her hand, it would have happened.
Her blood-red eyes fixed intently on me.
I decided to communicate my intentions more directly. I poured wine into Delphine’s glass and brought it back to myself.
Then I drank the wine in one go.
The aroma was always fragrant. My body was startled by the sudden intake, but after all, it was already damaged beyond repair.
Delphine looked at me with a puzzled gaze, and I responded with an old memory.
“Do you remember? The day we first met.”
“Of course I remember; I showed my naked body to a man for the first time… I never thought that man would take my virginity.”
Delphine casually brought up our first night once more.
Was she trying to provoke my guilt, or was she wanting to transition to that topic naturally?
Of course, I had no intention of going along with it.
My voice came out stronger.
“That day, you offered me a drink. In the North, sharing a cup of wine signifies comradeship.”
Delphine closed her mouth tightly.
Her eyes held a complex mix of emotions directed at me.
Did she think it was unexpected?
I couldn’t say why this memory resurfaced so vividly. But one thing was clear: I knew exactly what I needed to say.
“We are comrades now, Delphine.”
“…Do you know how terrifying that statement is?”
The words that finally slipped out were somewhat warmed by alcohol.
Delphine spoke with a voice clearer than before.
“In the North, there are no soldiers who abandon their comrades and run away. Whether alive or dead, it’s but one life… There can be no betrayal or escape.”
The noticeably lower tone felt like a threat directed at me.
There was no turning back.
Do you have the confidence for that?
So, I found myself smiling wryly.
It was like watching a scared puppy.
Lonely and desolate, seeking out true comrades. The standards for ‘comrades’ only rose and became more demanding.
Desires to have but cannot possess.
That resignation was subtly emerging from Delphine’s voice.
The same was true for you—a derision directed at the world.
But those words pointed to Delphine’s true sentiments in reverse.
Despairing, scoffing.
The more it was so, the more she sought a genuine relationship. She was afraid of being ignored and betrayed, hence unwilling to freely give her heart.
Her inner thoughts were the exact opposite.
She wanted a conviction that transcended denial.
I was not adept at understanding a woman’s heart. Yet, for some reason, I could now see Delphine’s innermost feelings clearly.
“Is it really okay? Being the daughter of a traitor, standing on the brink of the North’s annihilation… and yet you still can’t let go. A fight where defeat is certain…!”
“You’ve been like this until now.”
Delphine’s passionate speech came to a sudden halt.
She wanted to say something, her lips quivered, but that was all.
I grew ever more confident in my deduction.
“Have you really achieved victory by betraying, abandoning, and deceiving…and applying the same standards to me? Can you not trust?”
“…Is that wrong?”
Delphine’s voice began to quiver slightly. Her eyelashes, peeking out from behind her closed eyelids, trembled as well.
She was drunk.
She wasn’t the type to reveal her true feelings so easily, but it was undoubtedly one of the factors.
Delphine was expelling long-held fears.
It was a justification she was throwing at herself.
“I’ve lived my whole life without being allowed to lose! I’m the sole heir and the Sun of the North… If I crumble, it’s not just me; all the people of the North will be watching my every move…!”
“And you want to believe.”
It was a sudden interjection that came after I had savored the wine.
Delphine’s breathing faltered momentarily at my remark.
I did not miss the opportunity.
“But I am not.”
My hand cautiously reached for Delphine’s hand.
At first, she hesitated, but eventually, she did not reject my hand.
Her trembling blood-red pupils looked at me.
Now, all that was needed was sincerity.
“There are no lords who abandon their wives.”
Delphine’s response to my shy confession was none at all.
For a moment she seemed to be lost in thought.
Then she smiled softly.
Finally, after a glimmer of tears formed, she gave me a strange smile.
It was a smile I had never seen before.
As if she had returned to her childhood, Delphine laughed brightly.
“So, my lord, do you have a plan?”
“There are elves.”
It was nonsense.
Though it was true, I had heard it from Pope Eyong and Ishya. In fact, even the detailed contents were confidential.
There was no way Delphine would believe me.
But then again, until recently.
However, Delphine burst out laughing.
“Fine, do as you please.”
Then with her finger, she brushed along my throat.
An enchanting smile rose above my vision.
“Win or lose, I don’t know, but… please don’t die. I don’t intend to make you a widower, do I?”
As she subtly began to dishevel her clothing.
The night was heated.
And a few days later, fully prepared, I stood atop a flesh monster.
“Please investigate Ceria.”
Recalling the last question I had left for Delphine.
The blood-stained letter.
It weighed heavily on my mind.
The final battle was about to commence.
My body propelled itself off the ground.
