Evading the guards of the Empress’s Palace was as easy as eating cold porridge.

Sneaking around without Cledius noticing had become so routine that I had figured out how to move without catching their eyes.

The sound of crickets chirping seemed to cut through the white moonlight. The night air was still cool after sunset, and Ilarid’s thin outer garment quickly filled with chills.

In the distance, I could see soldiers changing shifts again. Ilarid hid her body behind a building, waiting for the moment they turned their backs to quickly slip away. The timing of the guard changes was like the palm of her hand.

‘Am I really becoming like Lebel?’

When that thought occurred to me, I realized my mistake.

Seeing the moonlight made me think of Lebel shining white beneath it, and when I saw the shadows of trees, I developed a habit of looking again to see if he might be there.

Now it seemed all my thoughts would stop at Lebel.

Ilarid wanted to quickly shake off the thoughts flooding in. At this rate, she might really end up going all the way to the encampment on the pretext of a night walk to meet Lebel.

And after some time had passed.

Ilarid found herself near the encampment before she knew it. From a distance, shouts and cheers could be heard piercing the night air.

‘I don’t even understand my own heart…’

Had I come here instinctively? Suppressing the desire to see him all along?

Normally, she would have turned back immediately and returned to the Empress’s Palace. But this time, she wanted to face Lebel. And she wanted to tell him what he might consider an excuse.

That day, she was truly sorry.

With each step Ilarid took, the men’s voices grew louder along with sharp whistle blasts. Were they sparring? The dull sound of wooden swords clashing could also be heard intermittently.

She approached, gripping an invisible curiosity. As she got closer, Ilarid became increasingly conflicted. Should she announce her presence?

In that moment, her eyes met Lailo’s. Worried he might call out loudly, Ilarid beat him to it. She put a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet, and Lailo quickly understood her intention.

“Your Majesty the Empress, what brings you here at this late hour? Perhaps… you heard the news and came?”

“No, what…”

“A few days ago, we put out an advertisement to recruit more members for the Rikas Mercenary Group.”

Ilarid had always dismissed such advertisements as useless, but Lebel had personally placed one? She began to regret not looking through old newspapers.

“And then people came flooding in like a tidal wave. We never imagined it would be to this extent.”

It was quite a big, unexpected success. The corners of Lailo’s mouth curled up slightly as he spoke. In fact, when Lebel first said he would place an advertisement, they were skeptical. Even though they had a contract with the Imperial Palace, no one knew when it might end.

If the capricious Emperor declared the contract terminated tomorrow, the fate of the Rikas Mercenary Group would clearly become like borrowed rice sacks.

Nevertheless, quite a few people came. From individual mercenaries to retired imperial soldiers.

In the case of retired soldiers, even Lailo hadn’t expected it and could only stare with wide eyes. The captain, as if he had anticipated it, greeted them calmly.

“What could we do, we couldn’t decide by drawing lots. So after checking their basic physical fitness and skills, we went straight to the main test.”

“What was that?”

“A sword duel with the captain.”

Ilarid looked at the group of men gathered. Did all those people duel with Lebel?

He said that by the time they finished facing all the applicants and selecting personnel, the sun had already set and night had fallen. Moreover, thanks to those who insisted on staying to watch until the end even though they could have left when it was over, the area around the encampment was packed with people.

“Actually, the conditions sound very easy if you just hear them. You have to withstand all ten exchanges in a duel with the captain. But…”

Clap!

Lailo’s words stopped abruptly at the crisp noise. As he turned his head, the sound of people applauding could be heard.

“Hey, congratulations!”

“You actually did it, amazing!”

“You passed.”

A quiet voice announcing acceptance into the mercenary group. Though it was some distance away, Ilarid could instantly recognize Lebel’s voice among all the noisy sounds.

“Whew, another one finally made it.”

“It seems it was very difficult.”

“You have no idea. Most couldn’t even withstand ten exchanges.”

Lailo whispered in a lowered voice. Just lasting ten exchanges was amazing. If an ordinary person rushed in without knowing, they would have been knocked out in the first exchange and unconscious by the second.

“It’s almost over, please wait a moment. The fellow entering now is the last one.”

The final duel opponent looked quite young. He might have just come of age. Though his build was a bit small, his eyes looked good.

“Please take care of me!”

The man bowed deeply and shouted energetically. Ooh, the sound of people exclaiming in admiration spread low across the sandy ground.

With a shout of “Begin!”, Lebel gripped his wooden sword and swung the first attack towards his final opponent.

There were some minor crises, but the man was blocking quite well. Voices of encouragement could be heard among the gathered crowd.

If he could just endure the last two exchanges, he would pass. The man was still tense, reading Lebel’s movements. Though he couldn’t push back, he was determined to endure until the end. His firm resolve could be felt in the hand gripping the wooden sword.

Suddenly, Lebel twisted his sword to the side, aiming for the flank rather than the front. The startled man tried to twist his arm to block with his sword pointed down, but Lebel’s sword was faster.

The whistle sounded, signaling the end of the duel. Nine. If he had endured just one more time, he would have passed. Cries of disappointment erupted from the crowd, including the failed opponent.

“You didn’t meet the passing conditions. Good effort.”

The man hung his head, perhaps frustrated, but soon looked straight at Lebel. Then he shouted in a strong voice.

“If you recruit again next time, I’ll definitely succeed then!”

Though his body was battered and covered in dust from rolling on the ground several times, surprisingly, he was smiling. Seeing this, Lebel let out a faint laugh.

“Your spirit is good, so just polish your skills more before you come back.”

“Thank you!”

Applause broke out here and there. It was like their own little festival rather than a test. Was it okay for the atmosphere to be this good?

Even though some had to turn away after hearing they didn’t pass, everyone was chatting amicably, offering congratulations and consolation, and laughing.

“Anyway, the captain’s stamina to face all those people… it’s really something else.”

Lailo clicked his tongue jokingly, but he seemed full of pride in the fact that Lebel was their captain.

Lebel still didn’t seem to know Ilarid had come, as he didn’t glance towards where Lailo was, instead checking on the condition of those who passed and the other members. He didn’t forget to console those who had unfortunately failed either.

It was still a chilly night if you stood still. But Lebel seemed hot, as he took off his upper garment without regard for those around him. It was a natural action that could come out when only men were present.

Lailo, who had been quietly watching where the captain was, exclaimed in shock. With Her Majesty the Empress here, to suddenly take off his clothes like that…

“Wait a moment! Captain! Stop right there!”

But Lebel’s movements were much faster. A small sigh of “Oh no” could be heard from Lailo.

And the moment he took off his top, his eyes met Ilarid’s.

“Ah…”

Ilarid froze in place. As moonlight poured over Lebel’s body, countless scars revealed their existence.

The appearance of various twists and turns wrapped like snakes. All kinds of scars, neither straight nor curved, were spread across his entire body. Some looked like they had been burned, others cut by swords. There were even marks that looked like bullet wounds.

Were the traces of the years he had lived all pain?

Beneath the scars, the image of him that must have been tempered over a long, difficult time gradually came into view.

The split lines of his body were deeply carved, casting dark shadows across his form. The firmness that had been buried under black clothes all this time began to shine again.

And this was the first time Ilarid had faced a man’s bare body so directly.

Where should she put her eyes? She blinked quietly for a moment before suddenly coming to her senses and turning her back.

Her heart was beating incessantly. Ilarid prayed that the place where she was standing was not under the moonlight. Please let it be dark. Otherwise, her flushed cheeks would be clearly visible.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

Lebel’s voice was heard from behind. At the low voice flowing down her back, Ilarid shuddered.

Why did that dream have to come to mind at a time like this? His hand gently stroking her shoulder, her arm as he approached from behind.

Even Ilarid’s clothes were the same as in the dream. A nightgown with white lace. The only difference was the thin outer garment worn over it.

The sound of Lebel’s footsteps grew closer. The sound of breathing heard in the silence seemed particularly loud. Should she say something to Lailo who should be nearby?

“Um…”

She whispered quietly to the side, but there was no response. Whether he had gone somewhere in the meantime, the place where Lailo had been standing was empty.

There was still hesitation and embarrassment in facing Lebel like this. What words should she say first? She wasn’t properly mentally prepared yet.

‘What should I do, should I just go back like this…’

A warm sensation suddenly draped over Ilarid’s hesitation. When she came to her senses, a thick outer garment was weighing on her shoulders.

“It’s still cold out.”

As expected, that was a dream. It must have happened because it was no different from imagination. Ilarid turned around, inwardly feeling relieved.

He was already standing behind Ilarid, having put his top back on.

The gentle voice she had missed in her heart. His well-honed white smile and eyes curved like the arc of the rising moon were vivid.

“It’s late at night, are you perhaps having trouble sleeping?”

Ilarid nodded silently. Her gaze, directed downward, soon fell upon Lebel’s hands.

“Your hands…”

Only then did Lebel lift his hand to inspect it. Though he had changed the bandages in the middle, perhaps due to continuous friction, blood had seeped through onto the bandages.

“Are you badly hurt?”

“It’s fine. I’ll treat it when I go inside.”

Without realizing it, Ilarid reached out to examine his wounds. Lebel simply watched her actions quietly, offering no resistance.

From the other side, Eddie, unaware of the situation, approached with heavy footsteps. Just as he was about to raise his hand to call out to Lebel, someone hurriedly covered his mouth.

“Capta- mmph!”

“Eddie, clean up with the others and go in on your own. Don’t call the captain.”

“Why, why?”

“Hush, you’ll get hurt if you know. It’s one of those things that only adults understand. We don’t have time, so move quickly.”

Lailo, who had been standing slightly back from the two, grabbed the approaching Eddie and disappeared into the inner part of the encampment. From the intuition of a former married man, it was proper to vacate the place in such an atmosphere.

The Empress and the mercenary captain. An ill-matched status. A long silence continued, like the gap between their positions. After a while, Ilarid, who had been quietly looking down at Lebel’s hand, finally opened her mouth.

“Do you have fresh bandages?”

“…Yes.”

“May I help you change them?”

Ilarid couldn’t bring herself to look up at Lebel. If she met his eyes, she felt she wouldn’t be able to say what she needed to properly.

“I don’t mean anything by it, just that it might be difficult to do with one hand alone…”

As if wanting to grasp Ilarid’s fading words, Lebel curled his large hand inward.

The intertwining of fingers happened in an instant. The joints engraved with each of their times flexibly filled each other’s gaps.

“It would be my honor, Your Majesty the Empress.”

Was it just her imagination? When he finished speaking, a faint tremor could be felt.