“It was the temperature.”


  “Temperature?”


  “Yes, the temperature of the bed and the blanket…”


  The overload of embarrassment rendered Charlotte unable to continue on, and she turned her head away. Nevertheless, her explanation was enough for Roel to grasp her meaning.

  To put it simply, Roel did manage to make it back in time before Charlotte woke up from her afternoon nap, but the bed and blanket wouldn’t have his lingering warmth. That was how Charlotte realized that he had been slipping away while he was asleep.

  But… doesn’t this mean that she has been feeling for my lingering warmth on the bed every time she wakes up?

  Roel turned to look at Charlotte, but her face remained firmly averted. She refused to look him in the eye. He chuckled at that sight.

  Figuring that it wouldn’t be nice of him to point that out, he turned his attention back to the beautiful scenery before them.

  He had to admit that it was not without reason that Love Forest became a renowned scenic spot in the Sia Continent. The Miura Trees had a fragrance that filled the forest with a mildly sweet scent. Their rose-colored leaves were shaped like flowers, and they scattered all around the forest floor at the tug of the autumn breeze, dyeing their surroundings in the color of romance.

  It was such a breathtaking sight that Roel momentarily lost himself despite having seen plenty of picturesque sceneries during his travels. Charlotte also found herself mesmerized by the rain of rose-red flowers, and she subconsciously leaned closer to Roel.

  “How mysterious. This feeling of bliss in my heart… I feel like it’ll go on forever with this enchanting scenery before me. I don’t even dare to carelessly step around anymore.”


  “It sure is… though you mentioned that you feel blissed?” Roel repeated her words as he looked at her with gentle golden eyes. “Charlotte, do you feel blissed now?”


  “Of course. Actually, I should be asking you that question instead. Darling, do you feel blissed now?”


  “Me?”


  Roel was surprised to hear Charlotte directing the question back at him. He didn’t understand what she meant by that. Taking his reaction into sight, Charlotte’s forehead furrowed worriedly.

  “Ever since our reunion, you often look like you have a lot of things in your mind. I know that there are many problems you can’t escape from, but I still hope that the person I love can be happy.”


  “… Charlotte.”


  Roel found himself speechless at Charlotte’s heartfelt words. There was a tingling sensation in his heart that he could hardly repress. He knew what Charlotte was talking about, and the issue she talked about did indeed exist.

  Even though he hadn’t uttered a single word of complaint despite having become a target of the Fallens and was at risk of being attacked at any moment, the stress that he felt did increase by several fold. It wasn’t just his life that was at risk here; he might implicate those around him too.

  The incident that happened during the Braytown’s disappearance investigation mission was a good example. While their target was Lilian, he was the one who had brought the Fallens’ attention to her. No one would have known that she was an inheritor of the Ascart Bloodline if not for him.

  While his early departure afterward was planned, he followed through it with the intention of not implicating anyone else.

  He had never spoken about the immense stress he felt to anyone else over the past few months. He maintained a confident appearance even before Lilian. Yet, despite nothing about all these, Charlotte was still able to keenly pick up on the subtle changes in his emotions.

  Her concern struck a chord in his heart, and he took a step forward and pulled her into his embrace.

  Charlotte blinked her eyes in surprise, not expecting Roel to give such a huge reaction. However, she soon responded with a return hug.

  “Many things must have happened during my absence, darling.

  “Mmhm, I was feeling a little vexed. How did you notice it?”


  “There’s a saying in Rosa: A man can’t hide his troubles at home. You’ll have to try harder if you want to keep secrets from me, Mister Roel.”


  “Home, you say? I guess you’re right. I’m not good at hiding things from the ones I love. I don’t intend on trying any harder on that though, Miss Charlotte.”


  “You aren’t going to hide anything from me? That’s… really troubling,” murmured the red-faced Charlotte as she raised her head.

  Their eyes briefly met each other before their lips united as one, intertwining their feelings.

  A pair of affectionate lovers to the background of the rose-red forest; the maids couldn’t help but squeal amongst themselves. Hand in hand, the two of them spent hours walking leisurely around the forest before they finally returned to the convoy and resumed their journey to Rosa.

  The following evening, the Diamond Rivière finally arrived at Rosa City.

  The convoy’s insignia swiftly caught the attention of the civilians, and the members of the Sorofya House, who had received a heads up beforehand, warmly welcomed them.

  “Darling, I’ll be busy for the next two days. I’ll be going through a full-body checkup and settling work from the symposium,” said Charlotte.

  “Don’t worry, there are plenty of things for me to do.”


  Before the Sorofyas’ medical team, the two lovers whose feelings had deepened after their trip to Love Forest reluctantly bade farewell to each other. Charlotte went off to do her checkup and attend some meetings whereas Roel was warmly hosted by Rosa’s army.

  No one could have imagined that their temporary parting was a fatal mistake. All it took was a single night.

  The following morning, Roel was awakened by a ruckus. A shocking news was delivered to him.

  Charlotte was in a critical state.