“Lady Carthia, are you okay?”

Lydia approached her with a worried face. Karion was no longer in sight.

Yurina gently shook her head to ward off Reynard, who was trying to block Lydia’s path. Raynard, noticing this, sighed and stepped aside.

“I’m sorry. It was rude, but I suddenly felt dizzy, so I left without even explaining myself.”

Yurina smiled as sweetly as she could, and Lydia took Yurina’s hand. Yurina intertwined her fingers with Lydia in an intimate gesture, though still for no apparent reason.

“No. On the contrary, I am sorry that I didn’t pay attention to the person who felt bad.”

“It’s not like that, so don’t worry too much.”

“If not, did I make a mistake?”

“No, nothing like that.”

At that moment, Lydia breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m glad then.”

She glanced at Edwin and Raynard standing next to Yurina, then tilted her head and whispered into Yurina’s ear.

“Actually, I didn’t interact much with other young girls while living in the manor. If I make a mistake, please understand me.”

She spoke as if she were telling a secret to a close friend.

But now that Yurina knew that there was Karion in the camp De Flon, she simply couldn’t accept her favor.

Yurina took her hand away from Lydia as naturally as possible. Raynard bowed politely to Lydia.

“Don’t take it as rudeness, but can I take my partner from you?”

“Oh, I’ve been pushing myself on someone who’s not feeling well for too long.”

Lydia stepped back, adjusted her hair ornament, and smiled shyly.

“I hope to see you more often in the future. I will send a letter to Carthia soon. Is that okay?”

There was no particular reason to refuse.

“Sure. I will wait for your letter.”

A whole avalanche of suddenness confused Yurina’s mind, and it took her a while to process everything. But it was necessary to develop their connection at least a little.

Since no one knows what Marquis De Flon is up to, it would be better to approach them cautiously and elicit answers than to blindly avoid their house.

Lydia lifted the hem of her dress to say goodbye, and then walked towards Karion, who was approaching from afar. Raynard looked at her back and grabbed Yurina’s hand.

He quickly led her out of the hall so that Yurina wouldn’t see Karion.

* * *

Today Reynard was uncharacteristically rough. When Yurina couldn’t handle his affection and tried to escape from his grasp, he tightly grabbed her waist and didn’t let go.

Her body was so hot that the air on her cheeks felt cool. It was difficult to breathe. Yurina gripped the pillow so tightly that her hands turned white and turned her head to the side.

“Yurina.”

Raynard called out to her, biting her earlobe and sighing.

“Look at me.”

His words sounded more like a request than an order.

“Look at me.”

Yurina opened her eyes and looked at him.

Beads of sweat hanging from Reynard’s chin fell on the back of Yurina’s head. Perhaps because of her sensitive skin, the sensation of sweat dripping down her neck was terrifyingly intense.

When Yurina reached out, grabbed his neck and hugged him, Raynard snuggled even closer to her. Yurina kissed him, who was suffering from shortness of breath.

“I’m here.”

“Yurina.”

“I have always been here… Mm.”

Yurina threw back her head at his sudden pressure. As she dug her nails into his shoulder, a strangled groan escaped Reynard’s mouth. After a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed Yurina’s thighs and began to move again.

His affection and emotion showed up simultaneously in his every move. He transmitted his anxiety from body to body.

‘Don’t worry so much.’

Yurina wanted to say those few words, but she couldn’t because Reynard was pushing her without a break.

Instead, she tightly hugged his hot neck in the hope that her sincere feelings would reach him at least that way.

* * *

Yurina resisted the urge to wrap herself in a blanket and sleep. After their intense activity, the duration of which no one could even count, the energy in her entire body dried up, and Yurina was so tired that she wanted to sleep right now.

She opened her eyes with difficulty and buried her face in Reynard’s bare chest, who was holding her as an arm pillow. Reynard combed her hair with the hand on which she had placed an arm pillow.

“Ray.”

“Huh?”

Yurina got closer and hugged him.

“I have a question.”

“What?”

“I wonder how you lived as a child.”

Reynard’s hand froze. Since she was in his arms, Yurina couldn’t see what his expression was now.

Is he puzzled or upset? Or angry?

Yurina thought she knew him well, but this was the first time she had come across such a topic.

However, she didn’t even have the confidence to check it out herself, Yurina pulled her arm out of the blanket and hugged him tightly. Reynard’s body, which was still hot, flinched.