Chapter 79

A sigh from Riorem spilled across my cheek.

Only then did I realize that what was stirring inside me was his semen.

Knowing it didn’t change anything. I was still under the sway of the pleasure that had pierced my mind without permission.

And then Riorem whispered into my ear.

“I love you, so…”

I don’t remember what he said after that.

Before my head could even process the colors, I passed out.

And until the day I left the mansion in Dynamis, Riorem never once told me what he had said back then.

The expedition that was supposed to end in a few weeks wrapped up even faster than expected.

No doubt, it was because of this man—who was more a strategic weapon than a human.

Come to think of it, I didn’t know much about Riorem outside of the bedroom.

I had monopolized him for a long time, yes—but he had spent even more time doing things I didn’t know about.

So what I knew about “General Riorem Velic” were just secondhand stories.

A man who had lived his whole life as a slave turned out to have extraordinary talent in battle.

They said he joined a mercenary corps the moment he first picked up a sword.

Even with a trashy blade, he could easily mow down enemies—so much so that the King of Arete was said to be so impressed he promised him knighthood and recruited him.

Tales that sounded like something out of a novel.

So honestly, all I could do was stare at him, dumbfounded.

“I get it now—why, on the day of Alpheios’ attack, everyone tried to separate you from me.”

Leaning against a tree, I spoke candidly.

Riorem turned to look at me.

We had come to the lake to bathe. Out of nowhere, dozens of assassins had sprung from the shadows.

But before I could even be surprised, Riorem’s sword dance began.

A few flashes of light, and in the blink of an eye, the assassination squad was annihilated.

Riorem answered with a calm demeanor, hard to believe from someone who had just taken on an entire unit alone.

“Are you referring to the incident in the royal capital?”

“Yes. When you fight, you’re like a legendary sword that can cut through anything. It makes sense they’d think it was dangerous to keep someone as fragile as me at your side.”

I admired him like someone gazing at a beautiful piece of art.

Riorem’s actions were perfect.

He used not only his own sword but also the weapons of fallen enemies to slaughter every last one of the living attackers.

If the assassins hadn’t been targeting me, it would’ve felt like watching a performance.

I slowly got to my feet.

‘I’ve waited long enough. I can finally bathe now, right?’

With a hopeful expression, I approached the lake.

It had been who knows how long since I’d last submerged myself in water.

Riorem looked at me briefly, then began hauling the floating corpses out of the water and throwing them onto the shore.

From his disgruntled look, it seemed he wanted to ask, “You really don’t mind bathing in this water?”

I walked toward the part of the lake where the blood hadn’t yet spread.

“Well, this must mean the war is truly over now.”

The momentum had shifted, and the assassination squad—likely sent as a last desperate act—was wiped out.

All that remained was to return to the royal capital.

“I wonder what the King of Arete will give you. You already have land, so I hope he bestows a suitable title.”

“Have you thought about it, Riorem? It’s better to decide in advance before facing the king. Of course, Teumesia will handle it well either way.”

“No.”

Cutting me off, Riorem spoke firmly.

“I have no intention of returning.”

“…What?”

A gasp escaped me.

Riorem strode toward me.

The man who had crossed the lake looked calmly into my face.

His blue eyes reflected my image—eyes wide, lips slightly parted in disbelief.

‘Ah.’

Only then did I realize I was flustered.

Even as I stood like that, Riorem continued calmly.

“I have no intention of returning to the capital or to Dynamis.

Once we vanish here, it’ll be hard for anyone to track us.”

I parted my lips slightly.

Only then did I understand the unease I’d felt when we left the capital.

Yes—that day, Riorem had looked like someone tying up all his loose ends.

I had ignored the possibility, thinking there was no way he would leave behind everything he had achieved.

Slowly, Riorem bowed his head to me.

Our eyes met as his breath touched my skin, and he spoke in a low, steady voice.

“So, will you come with me?”

Instead of replying, I swallowed my breath.

It was a historic moment, ending a long war with the Empire in victory.

The royal army’s garrison, having achieved such a great feat, was practically in a festive mood.

If we returned to the capital, wealth and honor would await.

And yet he wanted to leave it all behind.

“But… this is everything you’ve worked your whole life for.”

Abandoned in front of a temple and raised as a slave, Riorem had ended up in House Peroa.

Everything he had struggled so desperately to build in order to live as a “person.”

The general of the Kingdom of Arete.

The prestigious title of the Living God.

The castle of Dynamis and the other fiefdoms.

The wealth amassed beyond envy.

Power so great that not even nobles—nor princes—dared treat him lightly.

All of that was still there. He might even gain something greater than that now.

And yet… he says he’ll throw it all away.

I couldn’t find the words, my lips stumbling over silence—

And Riorem overlapped himself with me.

“…I didn’t expect to see that expression on your face.”

His muttered words were thick with heat, almost spat out.

And indeed—beneath Riorem’s wet clothes, his arousal was plainly visible.

Even while looking right at it, no lust stirred in me.

I simply… couldn’t understand him.

Was it the unguarded expression he wore for the first time in his life that surprised me?

Riorem kept gently touching my cheek again and again.

“You said it yourself, didn’t you? That even if we win this war, the troublesome issues we face won’t be over.”

“But you also said you couldn’t throw away everything.”

“I thought that, too.”

“Then… it changed?”

“Yes.”

His tender lips landed deeply upon my cheek.

“I just thought… better I throw away a few years of my life, than let you go on living in danger like this.”

“Just like how you accepted becoming my slave, even after losing everything.”

I slowly mulled over those words and opened my mouth.

“You still call me ‘my lady’ when you’re in a rush, don’t you?”

Riorem clamped his lips shut. In contrast, a smile crept back onto mine.

“When do you plan to leave? Today? Tomorrow? Or after the war ends?”

“I plan to move as soon as I sign the ceasefire agreement.”

He answered with no hesitation, as though it was a decision long in the making.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, my voice playful.

“What about the castle of Dynamis? Won’t it be a problem if the lord just disappears?”

“Do I have to worry about things like that too?”

At that, I burst into laughter.

“You’re right.”

Like an excited girl, I dove into Riorem’s arms.

“We don’t need to worry about those things anymore.”

Riorem had already done everything he could for the kingdom.

Come to think of it, so had I.

The lands of the Peroa duchy already belonged to the Kingdom of Arete, and if I disappeared like this, the issue of succession would be resolved as well.

I suppose we’ve repaid our debts.

“Have you decided where to go?”

“Is there somewhere you’d like?”

“I’m not sure. Somewhere not too crowded would be nice, I think.”

“Then how about the sea? You’ve never seen it before, have you?”

“The sea?”

Come to think of it, Alpheios once said he’d show me the sea too.

If both men kept talking about it, maybe it really was more beautiful than I had ever imagined.

“Then I suppose we should go back to camp and look at a map.”

“Is there anything else you want?”

“Hmmm.”

I rolled my eyes, then flashed a mischievous smile.

“I’d like a good bed. I thought my body was going to break taking you on those camp bunks.”

At my unarguable statement, Riorem fell into a long silence.

Finding such a lover adorable, I was the one who kissed his chest this time.

Then suddenly, a problem came to mind.

“Ah.”

At my murmur, Riorem looked into my eyes. I whispered discreetly.

“Be careful not to show anything in front of Teumesia. That girl’s got the senses of a ghost—she’ll notice right away and chase us down.”

At my words, Riorem nodded obediently.