CH 96.2

‘…wh, why doesn’t he say anything?’

Hugging her, he didn’t speak, but instead kept stroking along her waist. Finally, just when she was about to break the silence, he opened his mouth.

“Are you mad?”

“Are you just asking or you don’t know?”

“Sorry.”

Silence followed again.

Katarina hated this silence.

It looked as if the silence were to continue, a crack would occur in the relationship.

And she didn’t want that.

Even though something hard to skim over had happened just a moment ago, she still loved him very much.

He was already a part of her life.

There was no way she could just rip him off of her and throw him away, out of her life.

So Katarina, as a sign of reconciliation in her own way, put her hand on the back of his hand, which was stroking her waist.

He stopped moving.

Instead, he kissed the nape of her neck. Katarina flinched, but luckily she didn’t make any strange noises, or more embarrassingly, moan. Stroking along her back again, he spoke.

“I sent Leslie back to her room after pacifying her. In the process, nothing you need to worry about happened.”

“What would I be worried about?”

“Do I have to put it into words?”

“…no. Don’t. I feel like my stomach will churn upside down.”

“Right.”

After that, Cloud said nothing more. Instead, he continued peppering Katarina on the nape of her neck.

He at times whispered how he loved her.

To which, Katarina realized that the corners of her mouth were trying to unravel.

‘No, Katarina, no. If you forgive him so easily, something similar will happen next time.’

She needed to get angry properly so that this would never happen again.

Definitely no halfway forgiveness!

However, that promise was shaken every time she felt tingles on her neck, and in the end, the promise seemed to be crumbling. Katarina let out a sigh.

“Is it true that you two only had a conversation?”

“It is.”

“Really?”

Katarina swung and turned her body around. Before Cloud could respond, she grabbed onto his hair, sinking her fingers into the locks, and kissed him on the lips. She licked his lips slowly, savoring them.

There was no sweet taste or sticky feeling.

Her tongue crept in between his lips before sneaking back.

After parting their lips, she buried her face in the nape of his neck and sniffed.

It was his unadulterated scent, not mixed with that of another woman. She had lived as a dancer and her sensitive nose could tell it apart.

Apparently, what he said was true.

‘But just in case.’

Katarina removed her face from the nape of his neck and met Cloud’s eyes.

In a coercive voice, she said.

“Take it off.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

Cloud swallowed his saliva and pulled off his clothes.

Before long, two forms of flesh were coalescing as coquettish voices echoed through the room.

When the bed stopped creaking, Katarina looked contentedly as she cradled herself in his arms.

“Really.”

Really.

* * *

“…I believe you comforted her well enough?”

“Yes. I did.”

“So why is she here?”

Katarina pointed a finger at Leslie, who was tethering her rucksack to her white stallion.

“Because now she’s a colleague on the quest of subjugating the Demon King together with us?”

“…”

“Don’t look at me like that, listen to me. I am a hero, and the duty of a hero is to defeat the demon king and his minions who disturb the continent, ain’t it? Of course, the journey is very dangerous. We’ll probably end up in a life-or-death battle several times. In that case, what you need is a colleague, a reliable one.”

“So, since she’s useful, we are taking her along?”

Cloud nodded his head.

As on the cue, Katarina let out a deep sigh. In her head, Katarina wanted to shout out loud to get rid of her immediately, but the fight between the former Archduke and Cloud, which she saw a while ago, stalled her.

She couldn’t do anything in that fight.

Leslie, on the other hand, could have been involved in some way or other.

Because she possessed the ability to.

Rationally and figuratively, she was a well-thought out choice.

“…I don’t trust her.”

But that didn’t mean her intentions were rational too.

Katarina whined, and Leslie lowered her head slightly, pulling up the sides of her dress.

“I’m sorry about what happened last night. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“Huh..?”

Leslie’s sudden countenance imbalanced Katarina on her heels.

Who had swapped the witch?

Leslie spoke again as Katarina could only stupidly open her mouth wide.

“Please forgive me.”

“Uh? Ah, yes… yes. It’s okay. Just… don’t do it next time.”

“Thank you. Miss Katarina has a big heart.”

""

“Yes…”

“Then, in exchange for your forgiveness, would you allow me to become Cloud-sama’s wife?”

“Ah, alright… wait what!?”

Katarina’s hand, which had been awkwardly scratching her cheek, froze. Leslie clicked her tongue.

“Here I thought it would be easy.”

“Wh, What?! What are you talking about?”

Leslie answered her question without hiding the intensive regret on her face.

“Last night, Cloud-sama offered me a place in his team. The benefits offered under the vocation are quite appetizing. However, it is nothing compared to the fact that I’ll have to leave behind the Principality. I set our engagement as an add-on benefit, but Cloud-sama said it wouldn’t work. So what I came up with as a compromise was the condition that I had to get permission from you.”

“…”

Katarina looked at Cloud in silence. He let out an awkward laugh.

“And now I miss a chance. Unfortunate.”

Katarina sighed as she wiped a hand at her face.

“Shedia.”

At her call, Shedia poked her face out of the shadows.

“Yes, sis.”

“Can you not kill these two b!tches?”

“Mmm…”

Shedia looked back and forth between Leslie and Cloud, assessing; and shook her head.

“I’m sure about scoring one but two… and if I don’t kill Cloud on my first attempt, I don’t think he will give me the moonstone.”

“Yes… I see…”

Katarina licked her lips and got off her horse. She patted Cloud on the thigh, prompting him to shift back, then she sat on the seat, positioning herself before him and spoke as she leaned on his chest.

“I won’t allow it, no matter what.”

“It won’t happen, so don’t worry.”

“Wasn’t telling you…”

Leslie smirked. “I’ll make you blurt out one day.”

“Damn it—”

Looking at the two women quarreling, Cloud smiled bitterly. It was a little far from the harmonious party he had imagined.

It was okay though.

This was a problem that could be solved if he coordinated well. While making plans for the future, he suddenly thought of another problem.

‘I’m going back to Prona now, what if they fight with those three?’

And what should he do if those three get territorial and bully their new colleagues?

“Your locution is as weak as can be. Are you really a noblewoman?”

“Then why do you covet other women’s men if you are a so called noble aristocrat? Isn’t that the behavior of a prostitute?”

“…I have got it all wrong. After you’re gone, there’s no need for me to seek permission, hmm?”

“You’re threatening me? Then, shoot. If you have the courage to be hated by Cloud, shoot your magic!”

Mulling over his thoughts, Cloud immediately shook his head. A scuffle or two wasn’t unexpected but they deepened bonds instead of triggering an all-out war.

Cloud, whose worries disappeared, began to plan the route back to the Kingdom of Prona.