With that, the hand gripping her waist tightened. The distance, not even the length of a finger, continued seamlessly.

Her wet hair tangled messily as it stuck to the opponent’s grip. As the cold lips were kissed by the opponent, they quickly softened.

Lips touched here and there. Occasionally, the cold air came in, assisting Cloé’s hesitant breath. Before long, it became soaked, but not for long.

Sigh…

Both exhaled deeply at the same time. The thin thread connecting their lips was as peculiar as the atmosphere when their subtle purple irises met. When the two sexes closed their eyes again, drenched bodies clashed with each other, exploring each other’s possessions.
Hot flesh fervently intertwined. The opponent’s part touched the ceiling, grazed along, and then returned to desire Cloé’s part.

The moist substance felt like it was pooling in the mouth. She wanted to breathe and pour out the liquid filling her mouth. However, she was afraid that the addictive act might be interrupted.

The liquid she had reluctantly swallowed was incredibly sweet.

“I’m going crazy.”

Yes, really crazy…

“That’s right, Cloé.”

It was a confusing and sweet kiss.

Since the first training session, Cloé had been dedicated to practice. She occasionally received corrections from Koon and practiced shooting arrows with Winter.

These days, with the hunting festival approaching, both Winter and Koon were busy. The knights under their command were no exception.

Without time to spare, they laid out their embroidery in the rooms.

In the hunting festival, there was a tradition of gifting a handkerchief with embroidery to the person they liked, and Cloé, as Koon’s official companion, wanted to gift it to him.

She embroidered a flower on the handkerchief she would give to the Emperor. On one side, a red rose elegantly sat, while on the other, a blue forget-me-not took its place.

The blue and pure forget-me-not, the red and seductive rose – they symbolized the things that distinguished an emperor from a friend.

‘Embroidery should be finished by tomorrow.’

The nearly completed handkerchief filled her with pride. She placed it somewhat conspicuously on the desk and stretched.

Beyond the terrace, she saw the knights practicing diligently.

‘Today, even if it’s alone, should I practice?’

The beautiful sight of a sweaty knight stimulated Cloé.

She couldn’t help but fidget her wrinkled hand. Her gaze kept going to the arrow leaned against her couch leg.

‘Well, it should be fine here.’

Near the imperial palace, in an uninhabited area, she considered practicing briefly.

She wouldn’t have to go far, and if she needed help, the knights training nearby would rush to her aid. So there shouldn’t be any issues.

Carrying her bow, Cloé searched for a practice location. Perhaps due to the upcoming hunting festival, every place was crowded with people.

After walking for about half an hour, she finally found a suitable spot.

A place for receiving guests, now a deserted palace. Behind it, Cloé began her solitary fight.

She moved her body, remembering Koon, Winter, and the other knights who had helped her. Feeling like there was no one to monitor her, she felt much more at ease.

After easily adjusting her posture, she pulled the bowstring. The forcefully released arrow soon embedded itself in a tree. This time, the bullseye was narrowly missed again.

‘Alright!’

Still, the start was good.

She aggressively picked up another arrow. Although she couldn’t hit the bullseye this time either, there was progress, stimulating her competitive spirit.

In the moment when she had used up half of the prepared arrows, she heard a sound that was only audible to Cloé from the surroundings.
Surprised, Cloé halted the movement to draw her bow.

“I didn’t know there was someone here.”

Upon hearing this, the opponent approached Cloé.

Ebon eyes, as black as obsidian, seized Cloé’s attention. They were mysterious eyes that were hard to read.

“I felt the same way. Oh, if you were scared because of my weapon, I apologize.”

Cloé belatedly showed courtesy.

“Fear? Haha!”

“…….”

“How could that shambolic skill of yours scare me!”

However, the belated apology seemed to fuel the opponent’s mockery.

“I hope you realize that you are being impolite to me.”

“Is it impolite to speak the truth? Well, noble etiquette is tricky. Oh, no. Come to think of it, you’re not a noble anymore. Maybe a beggar, but who knows.”

“…What did you just say to me?”

“A beggar. Even if you try hard to disguise yourself as a lover or friend, you can’t deny the fact that you were once the Emperor’s high-end courtesan.”

His elongated eye corners lifted even higher. His sly laughter made his demeanor even more contemptuous.

“I see. Then, who are you to spew such disgraceful words in front of me? Noble etiquette should be important even for those who were nobles.”

At Cloé’s words, the man’s face momentarily stiffened.

Briefly showing a poker face, he broke into laughter again. Eventually, he shrugged his shoulders and approached.

“Me? Cedric Theodore.”

“…….”

“Your damn brother.”