An ordinary person might be sufficiently upset about their story being discussed behind their back. However, Reus was not the kind of man to care about such trivial matters.

“You can talk about me all day if you like.”

“You’re teasing me again.”

“Not at all.”

It was a sincere reply, but Roel pretended not to hear and rolled her eyes.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll keep that in mind from now on.”

Though her gaze was sharp and her tone thoroughly sulky, Reus seemed to like even that, continuing to wear a relaxed smile.

Soon, Roel began to slowly recount her conversations with Helen after regaining some composure. As expected, there was nothing concerning in the content of their dialogue.

In fact, the topics were so trivial that he felt a bit sorry for making the woman uncomfortable over such things.

That is, until he heard what she said next.

“So I agreed to go watch the swordsmanship tournament that will be held in three days.”

“…Pardon?”

Could the tournament she was referring to possibly be the one held at the Leveren royal palace?

Reus briefly doubted whether his ears were functioning properly. But sadly, they were still firmly attached.

“Are you sure you know exactly what kind of tournament you’re going to?”

In this country, swordsmanship tournaments were closer to festivals than serious duels using swordsmanship. In particular, the summer swordsmanship tournaments were characterized by very casual attire.

Roel soon answered without the slightest hesitation.

“Of course.”

“…”

A swordsmanship tournament is just a swordsmanship tournament.

‘What’s so special about it?’

Roel, who was recalling the swordsmanship tournaments commonly held in the Asilite Empire, even gave him a look that seemed to ask what the problem was.

Faced with the woman’s nonchalant expression that showed she couldn’t understand his shock, Reus was left speechless.

* * *

Perhaps when they arrived in Leveren, he would get to see Roel’s excited face to his heart’s content?

When boarding the cruise ship, Reus had held such expectations. But now it seemed those unworthy bastards would get to see that precious face instead.

Without realizing it, Reus became serious and swung his sword a bit roughly, forgetting to control his strength.

There was a reason for acting so seriously.

Reus firmly believed that Roel liked handsome men, especially those with excellent physiques.

The reason he thought this was, of course, due to what happened at the festival street where he was with Roel last time. Specifically, the incident where they unintentionally got mixed up in the parade of winners from the handsome men contest.

The expression Roel had when some man placed a flower crown on her head – her slightly flushed cheeks and eyes somehow full of excitement – was a face he had never seen before.

While no one would dislike good-looking people with nice bodies, the truth was that Roel’s expression back then had nothing to do with the contest winner standing in front of her.

She simply made that expression because she really liked the flower crown she received.

However, Reus, who was quite inexperienced in these matters, not only made an absurdly wrong assumption, but ended up thinking that his existence was no different from random men passing by to Roel.

So when he thought of Helen, who had informed Roel about the existence of the swordsmanship tournament in Leveren, famous for its many handsome men, especially full of knights with good bodies, he couldn’t help but feel his insides boiling with anger.

That anger was fully reflected in the sword Reus wielded, and unfortunately, it was all absorbed by Claude, who had been begging to spar every day.

‘Somehow his momentum is even more ferocious than on the battlefield…’

As soon as he thought that, the swords clashed with a fierce sound.

Claude stumbled backwards from the force, but Reus continued his attacks without giving him a chance to catch his breath. Eventually, after not too long, Claude fell to the ground with a loud noise.

The knights of Leveren palace all turned their heads at the sudden loud sound, but Claude didn’t feel embarrassed at all.

There was no one here who didn’t know how skilled Reus was with a sword. He just felt a little unfair.

‘I never said I wanted to die!’

He had been happy that Reus finally agreed to spar with him without complaint these past few days, but that was truly a foolish thought. It was clear he had agreed just to make sure Claude would never ask to spar again.

He wanted to say they should stop, but it seemed like Reus would never spar with him again for the rest of his life if he did. However, he didn’t want to continue these moments where his life seemed to be slipping away either.

Taking advantage of Reus standing there stupidly, Claude stealthily tried to inch his body away.

“What are you doing sitting there?”

“…I think that’s enough for tod-”

The heavy sword fell in front of Claude, cutting off his words. Reus, who had willingly given up the sword he was holding, turned to go get a new one.

Unfortunately, today’s sparring was scheduled to continue until Reus’s mood improved.

“I-If I did something wrong, we could just talk it out…”

“Listen.”

“Let’s talk it out, I said!”

“If you feel responsible for your wife’s actions, pick up the sword.”

“What does that even mean all of a sudden!”

What does it mean? It just means shut up and stand up.

Reus shot a glance at Claude, whose eyebrows were furrowed with indignation, as if giving a final warning.

* * *

While Claude was being unilaterally retaliated against by Reus, Helen and Roel, who had grown noticeably closer, were sipping sweet alcohol.

The resolve to drink only until they felt good had long since faded along with their senses. Roel, who had let her guard down too much, was already half-drunk. Unlike her, Helen was still fine, with just the right amount of tipsiness.

“So how did you two meet?”

“Umm… Well, Reus…”

Except for her slightly relaxed eyes, Roel’s face showed no sign that she was drunk. After briefly pondering her answer with such an expression, Roel soon replied nonchalantly.

“He kidnapped me.”

“Ah, kidn- What?”

“So, like, somewhat legally… He took me away by completely lying, but then I went on my own two feet, so…”

Roel, who had completely let her guard down with Helen, didn’t seem to realize what she was saying. But fortunately, Helen didn’t take Roel’s words seriously. She just thought Roel was more drunk than she appeared.

Roel blinked her eyes slowly as she waited for the next question.

“Are you sleepy, Roel?”

“Yes, a little… Just a little.”

It seems like we should stop drinking together here. As much as she wanted to spend time together until late in the evening, whether getting completely drunk or not, Helen didn’t want to unnecessarily provoke Reus, who was already acting sensitive.

“There’s an escort knight waiting outside, so I’ll have you taken back. Come on, stand up.”

And so, the drinking session ended somewhat abruptly, and Teron, who received Roel’s hand from Helen, looked at the woman holding his arm with an uncertain expression.

Her face was always smiling, but now she looked just like an excited puppy. Add to that the smell of alcohol wafting from her, and he couldn’t help but ask naturally:

“Are you drunk?”

“Mmm… No.”

Her voice sounded very normal, so he thought she might not be drunk, but seeing Roel shaking her head out of sync, he could tell she was already quite intoxicated.

It seemed best to take her to her room quickly without wasting any more time.

“But Teron.”

“What?”

“I’m curious about something…”

Teron lowered his head straight down at the rather solemn voice. Roel, with a face as serious as her voice, continued speaking in a truly questioning tone.

“Why isn’t there any?”

“Any what?”

“I mean… ice cream.”

“What?”

“I mean, there’s no melon ice cream. Why… isn’t there any…”

“Is that your drunk habit?”

“Drunk habit? You’re going to give me a shot? Why…?”

“…Forget it. What’s the point of trying to have a conversation with a drunk person.”

“Why won’t you talk to me…”

Roel’s eyes drooped dejectedly, looking hurt. And soon after, she stopped walking. But Teron wasn’t fazed at all.

“There’s ice cream in your room.”

“…Really?”

“Of course it’s real. Have you only been deceived your whole life?”

Roel seemed to recall something briefly before nodding her head.

“That’s too bad. Anyway, the ice cream is in your room, so let’s hurry and go.”

“Okay.”

Unlike Reus who had been flustered on their first night, Teron deceived Roel quite skillfully. Finding Roel’s obedient following a bit amusing, Teron showed a comfortable smile in front of the woman for the first time.

* * *

After finishing tormenting Claude, Reus came out of the bathroom after taking a light shower. And immediately in his sight was the face of a woman he had seen once before.

A face beaming brightly with completely relaxed eyes curved upwards.

Yes, that was exactly the expression she had worn when she fell into his arms on their first night.

Seeing that she was still standing steadily on her own two feet, it seemed she wasn’t completely drunk. But regardless, Reus’s mood quickly soured.

He didn’t want to show Roel’s current appearance to anyone, no matter who they were. It was enough for him alone to be captivated by her face with half-lidded eyes and a silly grin.

Reus silently sighed and approached Roel, who still couldn’t stop smiling.

“Roel.”

The pleasant baritone voice quickly evoked familiarity even in her hazy, alcohol-addled mind. Roel slowly raised her head and stared intently at the face of the man standing before her.

He had meant to scold her, but seeing her slightly dazed eyes from the alcohol, he found himself at a loss for words. After silently staring at each other for a moment, Reus was the first to avert his gaze.

“Your Grace… Ah, Reus.”

The not-quite-sober Roel unconsciously mumbled the title she used to call him in the past. Then, quickly realizing her mistake, she added his name and nodded to herself as if satisfied, before slowly moving her feet.

Unlike their first night when she couldn’t control her body, she was walking quite normally now, which made him feel a bit relieved.

That’s when Roel, who had come right up to him, casually fell into the man’s arms.

The process was so natural that even Reus, who had unexpectedly received a hug from the woman he liked, didn’t realize for a moment what had happened to him.

But soon his body stiffened, and in an instant, all the complaints that had filled his mind evaporated.