Episode 61. Transferring to Aeshers’ Forces (2)
“Sleep together?”
When I asked back, Airen started to stutter in shock.
Her face, already flushed from cleaning, now turned tomato red.
“No, it’s not that! I mean, it’s time to sleep…! So, that means…”
“…”
Bringing it up herself, yet becoming so embarrassed, what was she expecting?
Despite this, a smile unknowingly spread across my lips.
Yes, this was the Airen Juliette I knew.
I glanced at the bed.
Hmm?
Though the bedspread was wide… upon closer inspection, it felt like two single beds were pushed together.
“Airen.”
“Y-Yes?!”
“This bed can be separated. Like this…”
I said as I divided the bed.
The double bed easily split into two single beds.
“So, you don’t have to be too embarrassed.”
“Oh…is that so.”
Mumbling something under her breath, Airen then seemed to gather her thoughts and spoke in a clearer tone.
“Okay, that’s right. Alright. Swen, let’s go to bed then.”
“Alright.”
Sharing a double bed wouldn’t have been bad from my perspective as a man.
But from her perspective as a woman, it could be quite embarrassing.
We weren’t even married yet, so it was understandable if she felt pressured.
“Marriage, huh…”
Since it had come to this.
Should I just take Airen as my first wife?
To be honest, I liked Airen. I didn’t know how she felt about me, but I felt I could marry her without any hesitation.
After all, she was beautiful, had a great figure, a wide hip believed to ensure easy childbirth, and high martial prowess.
But her value wasn’t just in her appearance. Her beliefs, pride, and the way she didn’t look down on those beneath her despite her high status were also very appealing to me.
Which man could refuse Airen?
In the game, to marry, you would talk, give gifts, complete quests, and fight together in battles to raise affection points until it felt like “Now might be a good time to propose.”
In this world that had become reality… what should I do?
Without a visible ‘affection meter,’ it was understandably cautious.
The most important thing was-
In the game, if you fail a proposal, not only does the affection meter drop to 0, but it also becomes so awkward that you can hardly talk to that female general again.
Unless you load a saved game file, marrying that female general becomes impossible if you fail the proposal due to not fulfilling a trigger or just bad luck.
I believed Airen and I had significantly raised our affection points, and I felt a strong bond between us like never before…
But I wanted to avoid a failed proposal that could make our relationship awkward at all costs.
I needed to maintain a good relationship with her until I could safely take her to Lunarien’s forces.
If our relationship soured here, I would have just ended up doing Yuri a favor.
Perhaps the best timing would be after Lunarien’s uprising.
Proposing after joining Lunarien’s forces should make everything okay.
Even if she rejects me, our relationship would only become awkward, but our work under Lunarien’s forces wouldn’t change.
Though it would hurt me deeply, spending more time together could increase affection points and thus the chances of a successful proposal.
Even if it’s not after joining Lunarien’s forces, the right timing might naturally come as we spend time together.
The key was not to rush and mess things up.
“Good night, Airen.”
“Good night, Swen.”
With that, she turned off the lantern-
And our long day finally came to an end.
*
After arriving at the new house with Swen, Airen’s thoughts on the double bed were surprisingly simple.
Ridiculously, it was about her first time.
Airen had lived her life wielding a sword. Growing up without knowing men, her loyalty was to a female sovereign.
Although many men had approached her because of her beauty, she had rejected them all for her duties.
Moreover, those were stories from her early days.
After it became widely known that she was disliked by Lynn Brans, no one reached out to her.
Even with her beauty, no one dared oppose their sovereign for her.
For the first time, the man beside her, Swen, had extended his hand to her.
Taking on the stigma of traitors together.
Naturally, Airen knew that his reason for leaving Brans’ forces was purely for her.
Even if waiting for Lunarien’s uprising, staying in a nation as large as Brans’ would have been more convenient than coming to a weaker nation like this.
Knowing he chose this less convenient path for her, she vowed to wield her sword for him.
So… if Swen were to request to share a bed with her.
She was prepared to accept it.
She had heard that the first time is more painful than pleasant… she wondered if her lack of experience might trouble Swen.
Or if her significantly larger breasts compared to other women might seem dull to him.
For the first time in her life, not as a warrior but as a woman in love, she was filled with ordinary worries.
Therefore, her bath that evening was inevitably longer.
Airen looked down at her body.
Her body, toughened from walking the path of a warrior, was far from the soft, beautiful, smooth skin she considered ideal for a woman.
Slightly rough, more firm than soft, with muscles and scars here and there.
A trained body had always been her pride, but why did it feel so displeasing today?
“Will Swen… even like this body…?”
She thought if he complimented her, she might feel okay.
With a fluttering heart, she tried to calm herself.
As sleep approached… when she was just about to settle,
“This bed can be separated. Like this…”
Hearing that, she let out a sigh of relief, but part of her was disappointed.
Without realizing, she let slip her true feelings in a small voice.
“I wish…”
Shocked at her own words, she glanced at Swen, but fortunately, he seemed not to have heard and didn’t comment.
Lying in separate beds, Airen looked at Swen’s bed and thought.
“Swen… if you want… I’m willing.”
Airen felt a tickling sensation in her stomach.
Like before, she discovered aspects of herself unknown when facing him.
It was a feeling she had never experienced with any other man.
Naturally… Airen couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.
* * *
In the royal palace of Anel Castle.
Parfalle, kneeling, spoke to Lynn with deep remorse.
“I apologize. If I could have come directly to Anel Castle instead of the south… I might have realized something was wrong.”
Airen Juliette had defected to Aeshers’ forces with over 30,000 soldiers.
This defection wasn’t just about losing soldiers and generals.
It was as if the spare force that could move freely without being stationed at the border had evaporated in an instant.
For Brans’ forces, which had already lost 20,000 men due to Carlince’s blunder, this was a fatal blow.
Moreover, the opponent was Aeshers’ forces.
They were the biggest obstacle to Brans’ forces’ plan
to quickly dominate the central region and confront the north and south.
Losing not just soldiers but also Airen, a highly capable general, was devastating. If her sword turned against us…?
“…”
Lynn remained silent, twisting her hair, but Parfalle knew.
She was barely containing her rage.
Having served her for a long time, Parfalle knew she had never been this angry.
Therefore, she was afraid.
The repercussions could easily fall on her.
So, she prostrated, begging for forgiveness. She wanted to live.
“Whatever punishment, I will accept it graciously.”
“…”
Honestly.
Parfalle, who knew better than anyone how Lynn had treated Airen, thought Airen’s betrayal was inevitable.
She couldn’t understand why Airen hadn’t left her side sooner, trying to earn recognition despite Lynn’s hatred.
But.
Swen’s betrayal was shocking to her too.
And he had cleverly sent her away with a letter.
She believed the letter because she never thought he would betray them.
Unlike Airen, for whom betrayal was understandable, Swen had no reason to betray.
He had proven his worth, and if he had stayed with Brans’ forces, he could have climbed the ranks. Competing for her position as the nation’s strategist.
If Swen continued to perform miracles and offer spot-on advice, she would have accepted losing her position to him.
No… not necessarily.
“If it’s for… saving Airen Juliette?”
Though now a distant memory.
On Swen’s first day, he had stayed with Airen at her house by Lynn’s order.
It wouldn’t be strange for them to develop feelings after living together.
Using his cleverness, Swen planned everything from the start to rescue Airen.
Including the last stand at the northern fortress, all for her.
Had he not performed that miracle, Airen would have been killed by Serphina’s forces.
The “honoring Carlince” excuse became mere justification after his betrayal.
Then, ultimately…
“It’s all exploded.”
With her sharp mind, Parfalle realized it was all Lynn’s fault.
But… because she was smart, she couldn’t voice this.
It could cost her her life.
Then.
Lynn finally spoke.
“Parfalle.”
“Yes?”
“What do you think?”
“About what…?”
Differing from Parfalle’s trembling inquiry.
Lynn’s demeanor was icy and resolute.
“It’s Airen’s doing, right?”
“Yes…?”
“She seduced Swen, didn’t she? With that vulgar, lascivious body.”
“???”
“She wouldn’t have… How else does this situation make sense? Swen said he wanted to make a name for himself, right? That he’d hand me the world. Then why… betray me? Swen? The Swen I brought in?”
“I… that’s…”
From the start, Swen planned everything for Airen.
The reason he initially brought up “not taking Airen” was right there – she couldn’t say that.
She couldn’t muster the courage to speak.
Lynn couldn’t accept it.
The idea that Swen she chose had abandoned her.
It was impossible for her to accept being rejected.
So, she blamed Airen again.
It was easier to accept that way.
Not a good habit, but for a leader who must remain unshaken, this trait had its advantages.
“…Airen Juliette… I can never forgive her…!!!”
Biting her lower lip in rage, Lynn suddenly began to laugh.
Her laughter was chilling, like being pricked by sharp icicles.
“Ha… Haha. Yes. I’ll show you, right before your precious eyes… how Swen truly becomes mine…”
Settling back into her throne, Lynn smirked, thinking.
Her dead eyes reflected pure madness.
“Wait for it… Swen. I’ll open your clouded eyes, deceived by that foolish girl, Airen…♥”
Seeing her unwavering resolve, Parfalle wisely chose not to advise.
It was a smart choice for her survival.
This Lyn is a little crazy