A few days later, he headed back to the barracks where Chloe was staying.

If he failed the mission again, he would lose face in front of his subordinates, so today he had to kidnap the princess.

Kun had devised a much more intricate and detailed plan this time. He intended to guide Chloe to a secluded place, claiming that the soldiers were unable to receive treatment in the barracks because of their injured legs.

It would be best to get rid of her quickly, as he felt faint every time he talked to a woman.

As soon as he entered the barracks, he shouted.

“Nurse, those knights over there…….”

His voice trailed off as he met Chloe’s eyes.

Soon, she dropped the bowl in which she had been grinding herbs, as if throwing it to the floor, and rushed over.

“Enoch, Enoch, are you Sir Enoch?”

She, who had taken care of countless patients, remembered Kun as well, even his randomly chosen fake name.

Naturally, his gaze lingered on the woman’s hand, clutching her robe.

A hand full of small wounds, very rough for a princess’s, with long white fingers that were beautiful but humble like a knight’s.

But instinctively, he wanted to touch it at will. He wanted to put it in the palm of his hand and squeeze it hard.

“I was so worried when you returned injured in just one day. Your leg is hurt today, too. Lie down quickly. I’ll take care of the wound.”

The opponent seemed to be undermining Kun’s determination with her soft voice.

Kun found himself staring blankly at the ground, having forgotten his plan entirely.

Crystal clear blue eyes, pure as a lake, projected his face beyond the pupils.

Clear eyes faintly expressed emotion.

Worry.

She was worried about Kun without knowing anything.

Ridiculous. Kun had to ignore that pathetic emotion. He had to say that he was fine and ask her to look at the other knights first.

After luring her into a secluded forest, he had to take her to his barracks.

A hostage to calm the knights’ resentment. An important woman to signal the end of unnecessary war.

“……Will you do that?”

Damned if he didn’t become weak in front of this woman.

(This is a time separator.)

It had already been four days since he started living in this musty barracks.

Last night, Kun sent a letter to the barracks where the knights were. He told them he had to stay longer unexpectedly and asked them to wait a little.

And this morning, with concern for his wellbeing, a confirmation reply arrived.

He was happy, not ashamed, to have delayed the operation.

A body admired by countless knights. A body that should be their role model, should be ashamed if it failed in an operation like this.

‘……I must be crazy. I’ve just resolved to come to my senses.’

But regardless of that emotion, he had to complete his mission.

Even if he was swayed by an emotion he had never felt in his life, even if he knew where that emotion came from, it didn’t matter.

He decided to keep his distance from her until this insignificant emotion subsided.

He did not speak to her when she brought him food every morning. She came to change his bandage every night, but he now dismissed her, saying he would do it himself.

Chloe’s face flickered before him every now and then before bed. Whenever he heard her talking to others, his nerves were on edge.

But as if time were medicine, the fever seemed to abate gradually.

At this rate, he would be able to shake off unnecessary emotions soon, and reexecute the operation.

The man who had become a teenage boy’s heart for the first time easily dismissed love.

It had been almost a week since Kun started ignoring Chloe.

Tonight, he treated his wounds alone and lay in bed.

Perhaps it was giving his always busy body some rest, but far from fatigue, he felt light.

So he decided to go out of the barracks tonight, for he was sure to stay awake all night.

No one would recognize the emperor’s dragon eye, and he had even dyed his hair for disguise, so no one would recognize him.
Near the back of the field hospital, the sound of voices began to drift through.

In the middle of a raging war, conversation at dawn usually meant one thing.

Soldiers were either planning a covert operation, or foolishly having an affair.

In this place, it was likely the latter.

Kun, who had no particular interest in gossip, turned away.

“If you keep making noise, the sound will…”

At that moment, a familiar voice caught his ear. It was a woman’s voice that had once made Kun’s heart flutter.

Being naturally skilled at reading emotions in voices, Kun easily detected that this tone only appeared when she was in trouble.

“Why, do you think wounded soldiers will protect you, Miss?”

While he was frozen, the other party responded. The mocking tone and words vividly described the current situation.

Perhaps because they were on the line between life and death, the knights’ desire for breeding had grown uncontrollable.

Amid the males’ rustling, Chloe’s presence was provocative.

A pretty woman kindly taking care of them, they had completely forgotten her grace and acted like beasts.