‘...Why am I like this?’

    Thump. Thump. I was certain that when I entered, I had no thoughts. No ulterior motives; I simply came in because the door opened, and I was curious.

    Neither I nor Airen spoke a word; we just lowered our heads and scanned the floor.

    I felt like I would get swept up in an awkward mood if I stayed any longer, so I quickly forced a smile and, glancing at Airen, said in the most nonchalant tone I could muster.

    “Sh-should we head out? It doesn''t seem like anyone’s living here, but the caretaker might show up... It’s no longer our home, anyway. Let’s grab what we need and head back.”

    After saying that, I hurriedly tried to move.

    No. To be precise... I tried to move. If only someone hadn’t grabbed my wrist from behind.

    “...Airen...?”

    When I turned my head... Airen was staring at me, her mouth tightly pressed shut, as if she had made up her mind.

    “...”

    “W-what... is it...?”

    I forced an expression of uncertainty, but Airen didn’t seem to have any intention of giving me room to breathe. She spoke with a strong, resolute tone.

    “Swen.”

    “Huh?”

    “You... know what I’m trying to say... don’t you?”

    “Uh...”

    “You’re smart... so, you must know... right?”

    At that, my heart skipped a beat. Thump, thump.

    Contrary to my rational mind, my heart started pounding more intensely than ever before.

    “Because I’m smart, I know? Well, anyone, even an idiot, would know.”

    I knew exactly what she was implying, what could happen between a man and a woman in this situation.

    --

    We had, in fact, already confirmed our feelings for each other.

    I had told her many times. To wait for me. And she had responded every time. She would wait.

    So, it wouldn’t be too strange if the ''fruits of love'' were to come a little early...

    I cautiously looked at Airen.

    Her chest. Her most formidable weapon, something no other woman could rival, was right before my eyes.

    And I thought, how audacious... that if she just had that chest, the long night would feel so much more enjoyable. I’d probably lose sleep... in more ways than one.

    “...”

    We didn’t speak a word to each other.

    The dim heat of the faintly glowing torch, along with the moonlight streaming through the window, illuminated Airen like never before, making her seem more beautiful than I had ever seen her.

    What should I do?

    What’s the right thing to do here?

    Should I... cross that line with Airen?

    It’s not forced, and if she wants it too... then I...

    “...I...”

    At that moment, she, who had never trembled on the battlefield, spoke in a trembling voice, confessing her true feelings.

    “I’m not... as feminine as Lady Reika... and I don’t have the incredible beauty like the lady with my lord. All I can do... is give you... what you want... what men want... nothing else. I don’t even know where to start or how to do it...”

    “!!!”

    I flinched.

    I could clearly feel it. Something piercing my chest, something deep.

    “Soon enough, you’ll marry Lady Reika. After that, you might meet many other women. Women who are modest and beautiful like Lady Ioline will constantly pursue you. After all, you’re an amazing man.”

    “In the meantime, I... I must convey my feelings to you, Swen...”

    “I... I’m fine. No matter what... I’ll give you my all...”

    “If I don’t do this, I might not be able to keep you by my side... I’m not feminine enough for that...”

    It was strange.

    A beautiful woman like Airen, telling me she would “give me her all” in this kind of situation.

    Normally, with my heart racing, intense attraction, and sexual desire... to put it simply, I would be burning with the desire to ravish her.

    Despite how much I cared for Airen, as a man, it was a natural physical response to feel this intense attraction and even have the urge to ‘take’ her.

    But what I felt now was definitely something different.

    Pity. And... sadness.

    “Airen...”

    I stepped toward Airen and hugged her tightly.

    I gently stroked her back to calm her as she flinched.

    “It’s okay. You don’t have to do this. I won’t leave you, Airen. I never look down on you or take you lightly. No matter what moment, no matter who I’m with, I’ve never once forgotten that you’ve always been by my side.”

    “Swen...”

    “I truly appreciate your feelings. But, I... I don’t want you to force yourself to do something you don’t want just because you’re desperate. You know how I feel, right?”

    “...”

    I didn’t answer immediately but slowly continued to stroke her head until she responded.

    It’s okay. You can talk when you want to, and say as much as you want... I hoped my feelings would reach her without words.

    Eventually, she slowly nodded.

    “So, even after we’re married, it’ll be okay. Once everything settles, and in a nicer place... we’ll have an unforgettable day together. Let’s prepare beautifully and have a day that no one can envy. Okay?”

    “...Mm.”

    Of course, spending the night with Airen was a proposal I definitely didn’t want to refuse.

    Honestly, it would be a lie if I said I hadn’t once imagined making love to her in my mind.

    Her overwhelming chest had shaken me dozens of times, as a man.

    In my heart, I wanted to just pour all my instincts into her right now.

    But I didn’t want it to be like this.

    I wanted to do it in a situation where we could both relax, and I wanted to face it openly, with no rush.

    I didn’t want to take advantage of her anxiety to hastily take her.

    That was my true feeling.

    Airen, perhaps understanding my feelings, slowly looked up at me.

    “You... won’t abandon me?”

    “Yes.”

    “No matter what happens?”

    “Yes.”

    She listened to me obediently, so I thought she’d be relieved after hearing this...

    “Proof.”

    “...Huh?”

    “I need proof.”

    “...”

    What did she mean by that, “proof”? I thought about pretending I didn’t know, but...

    I didn’t want to ignore it. It wasn’t because I was thinking about her, but rather because it was entirely my will.

    And so, I...

    Placed my lips on Airen’s lips.

    “Mmm... Ugh.”

    Smooch, smooch... smooch, smoosh.

    This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

    The crude sound of our lips rubbing together filled the house where we had once laughed and talked.

    In the place where we had sweated together and talked about the past we had walked through and the future... we two shared a crude, sticky connection, almost instinctive.

    It was just our lips meeting, intertwining, but the heart-pounding sensation I’d never felt on any battlefield filled my entire body.

    Unlike the time I was suddenly taken under the falling flower tree, this time, I took my time, savoring her tongue.

    Airen kept passionately pushing against me.

    It was as though she wanted to erase all the memories this tongue carried and drown me in her color, fiercely, deeply.

    As we exchanged saliva and mixed our tongues... the presence of Airen inside me, once fleeting like Lady Reika or Lady Serpina, grew bigger and bigger.

    She made me a man. In a way, was I turning her from a general or knight into a woman?

    The more I hoped for that, the more I realized...

    “Phew...?”

    We finally, slowly pulled our lips apart.

    Squelch—saliva dripped down. We were still connected. Even after parting, we remained bound by a strand of spit.

    I stared into her violet eyes, my face flushed red.

    Her eyes were completely hazy, like she’d had a drink.

    The moment our gazes locked, we once again pressed our lips together.

    “Mmh... mmn... ngh... mmh... chuup... ?”

    An even filthier sound than before filled the empty room.

    I sucked on her lips, her tongue, slid my tongue along her teeth... I intensely explored every corner inside.

    Peeking through barely opened eyes, I saw Airen’s dazed expression as she focused entirely on the kiss.

    And I realized—

    Only I was allowed to witness this side of Airen Juliet as she melted.

    The knight who was always stern and dignified in front of others... became nothing more than a single—no, a single female in front of me.

    The moment I ? NоvеIight ? (Read more on our source) became aware of that—

    “Lady Airen...?”

    “......”

    Lady Airen gripped my forearm...

    And pushed me back, just like that.

    “Huh...?”

    Thud!

    I stumbled back a few steps and, perfectly timed, fell onto the bed where I had been trying to sleep.

    What?

    What kind of situation is this?

    Did Lady Airen... just push me down?

    Before I could even process what was going on—

    “......!!!”

    Lady Airen climbed right on top of me.

    I’ll admit, the phrasing sounds ridiculous. But there wasn’t a single better way to describe this strange scene.

    “Lady... Airen?”

    I spoke in a trembling voice, panicked... and only then did I realize my arms were pinned down by her.

    No matter how much I tried to move, it was useless.

    There was no way someone like me, with such low physical stats, could overpower a battle-hardened knight.

    Lady Airen, holding both my arms down, loomed over me and looked straight into my eyes.

    ‘......?’

    I felt warm droplets fall onto my cheeks.

    Sweat.

    They were beads of her sweat.

    Sweat gathered on her face and between her breasts dripped down onto my face.

    Her breathing, her soft breasts brushing against my chest from their sheer size, her violet eyes, her face, her red hair—everything was so close...

    ‘What... is this?’

    It was only when I had the foolish thought that I might get devoured by her like this—

    “Swen.”

    —that she finally parted her lips.

    “Y-Yeah... huh?”

    A completely idiotic answer spilled out of me, but she didn’t say anything about it. Instead, her deeply flushed face gazed into mine, and—

    “This is the last time.”

    “...?”

    “Swen... I’m so thankful for your kindness... I can feel how much you care for me, how much you try to be gentle. That’s why I trust you even more... I truly believe in you.”

    “But.”

    “For me... this might be the last time. If—if by some chance...”

    —If a similar situation ever happens again, I might not be able to hold back.

    Only after hearing Airen’s voice did I finally understand.

    This was the last time.

    If something like today happened again, my will would never be able to overcome Lady Airen’s.

    No—this wasn’t a matter of willpower anymore. When that time comes, both of us...

    Gulp.

    “Got it?”

    “Y-Yeah? Ah... y-yes!”

    And then, what filled my vision—her face, flushed so red it looked like it might burst under the full moon’s light... her tightly shut lips, and her chest, glistening with sweat.

    But more than anything else, what caught my eyes first—those violet eyes. Eyes raised solely to protect a single person, eyes so loyal and unwavering they made me want to protect her too.

    Even more than her beautiful figure or her face, I noticed her eyes first.

    Only then did I realize it and ask myself a question deep inside.

    Do I... love Lady Airen?

    It wasn’t a question directed at my 100 Intelligence brain, so of course it didn’t answer. Instead, I slowly nodded my head.

    I love Lady Airen.

    And I will never forget this moment, not even in the face of death...

    And so, the night of our "last prelude" quietly came to a close.