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Chapter 14
When Anna left the stable, chatter erupted from the guards.
During the wedding they had worn thick veils, so they hadn’t realized she was an unexpectedly stunning beauty.
They had been surprised that she didn’t seem intimidated by their lord and even appeared to get along with him. But after watching more closely, they became even more shocked—because it looked like their lord genuinely liked Her Highness Bi.
Their lord, after all, was a war demon. On the battlefield, his name alone was enough to make even the most fearsome demons weep and stop fighting. Those who had been close to him knew well of his bloodlust.
When those red eyes began to glint… it was like hellfire was about to become a campfire.
And yet. And yet!
He was making such sweet, soft expressions toward Bi?
Sellen didn’t notice at all, but the guards—having served him for a long time—could immediately catch even the smallest changes in his expression.
It looked like honey was literally dripping from his eyes. Like a bear fallen into a honey jar.
That night, the tavern outside the outer fortress was buzzing with stories about Varas. It had started with the pink atmosphere between him and Bi.
But at some point, the drunken guards began talking about how terrifying their lord truly was.
No—eventually the topic shifted into whether he was even human at all, and stories of his brutality. No one knew exactly how it ended up like that.
Varas judged that in this condition, they could not possibly depart.
In the end, he dismounted and wrapped the cloak around Sellen again. She must have sensed something too, because she lowered her flushed face and did not resist.
He carefully adjusted the cloak around her hips and legs before finally feeling reassured and mounting the horse again.
Even now, she was overly stimulating to him. The girl trapped in his arms, using his body as support, felt too soft… too… too much. Too much.
And then she tapped his arm with her elbow.
“Aren’t we leaving?”
Varas didn’t say a word and simply set the horse in motion. The horse began to walk slowly, as if accommodating Sellen.
While riding, Varas focused on his breathing.
Her back, her legs—everything kept brushing against him out of sync. And perhaps it was his imagination, but she seemed tense, as if embarrassed.
He felt like he might bury his face in her neck at any moment, so he forced himself to keep his head straight and focus on breathing. Agony and pleasure mixed together into chaos.
Sellen, meanwhile, was glad Varas was behind her. The strong, rough arms enclosing her body, and the presence of his body against her back, felt wild and primal.
Especially his thighs—so firm they felt almost hard—gave her a strangely suggestive sensation.
Both of them rode in silence, suppressing tension and sighs, until they finally arrived at Le Belaverge. There was a small log cabin there.
Varas guided the horse naturally into the fenced yard of the cabin. Then he leapt down from the seat that had been both painful and intoxicating.
He tapped her shoulder as if telling her to get down, then extended his hand.
Sellen, once the horse stopped, quickly suppressed her rising smile. She composed her expression and placed her hand on his shoulder as she reached for his hand. But getting down was more awkward than getting up.
When mounting, she could step into the stirrup and push herself up—but dismounting meant removing her foot, leaving no support at all. She hesitated, unsure where to place her weight.
After a moment of panic, she leaned further forward, wrapping her arm around his shoulder for support.
“Excuse me,” she said softly.
Varas tensed his jaw. He had finally been trying to breathe properly, and now she was falling into his arms… what was this…?
Her breath brushing his ear made his breathing falter again.
He forced down his restraint—the thing he thought he didn’t need.
He lifted her waist as gently as possible and set her down on the ground.
As soon as her arms left his body, he forcibly tore away the lingering reluctance.
Compared to Varas, Sellen was relatively fine mentally. But once her feet touched the ground, her body screamed in protest.
It felt like she had walked here on foot rather than ridden on horseback. Her waist ached, and her hips were sore from constantly bracing herself.
Her stable mental state was only thanks to her physical discomfort.
The small log cabin looked well maintained, as if someone visited regularly. The grass in the yard was neatly trimmed, and the stable area looked clean.
Sellen sat on the steps in front of the cabin while watching Varas unpack the luggage.
“Do you come here often?” she asked.
While placing items beside the terrace, he replied,
“I haven’t come in a long time, so I’m not sure if ‘often’ is the right word.”
He then lit a fire in two stone fire pits nearby. Warm air spread gently as both fires were lit.
He took a pot from the luggage and hung it over one side.
“Do you want me to help?” she asked.
He let out a small laugh, as if he had just heard something strange.
It was the kind of laugh that came from genuine disbelief.
Strangely, that expression looked attractive. He suddenly seemed even more handsome.
Why?
She blinked several times in confusion, rolling her eyes to reset her focus. But when she looked again, there was no trace of a smile or mockery on his face.
All the food grilling over the fire had been neatly prepared and skewered—meat, vegetables, mushrooms, and fruit all cut into bite-sized pieces.
As they neared completion, Varas brought a trunk and placed it in front of them. From inside, he took out several types of alcohol and cheese, then closed it again and placed plates on top.
Sellen liked the makeshift table made from the trunk. It felt like playing house.
He placed the finished food onto plates for her.
Varas watched Sellen carefully.
She didn’t seem bothered by the small cabin or the lack of proper furniture, eating happily as if she were a child, eyes sparkling as she blew on the food.
He also prepared La Fontaine wine, her favorite according to reports, though he himself didn’t usually drink wine.
Sellen glanced at the bottle—and instead of the wine, she looked at the whiskey beside it.
Then she met his eyes with round, expectant ones.
She clearly wanted a drink.
Varas uncorked the whiskey and filled her glass.
“You’ve had this before?” he asked.
Sellen shook her head while watching the droplets of alcohol slide down the glass.
“No. But I don’t like wine—it’s too bitter.”
Varas’s gaze darkened.
He seemed to be searching for something in her. Even he didn’t know what.
According to the information he had gathered, she was supposed to like La Fontaine wine because it was mild. She supposedly couldn’t even handle two glasses of whiskey straight.
“Do you drink much?” he asked.
She smiled confidently and nodded.
The woman before him lifted her glass and took a small sip as if tasting it.
Then, as if satisfied, she took another small gulp and set it down.
Varas watched her eat cheese, then downed his own whiskey in one go without hesitation.
Ignoring the alcohol spilling from the glass, he set it down and refilled it again.
“There are many small animals around here,” he said.
Sellen looked up at him with interest.
“Squirrels or hedgehogs?”
He lifted his glass again and drank.
Tilting his head back, he swallowed and looked at her again.
“Rabbits and foxes too.”
The empty glass hit the trunk again as he refilled it.
As he raised the glass once more, Sellen grabbed his arm.
“Isn’t that too fast?”
Her face was already flushed from just a sip, her concerned eyes bright and beautiful.
Looking at her, he asked,
“Should I prepare a bow for hunting games? Do you like that?”
Varas’s atmosphere grew heavier. His voice lowered, and his gaze became intense.
Sellen swallowed hard and picked up her own glass. As his stare deepened, a chill ran down her spine.
He was staring at her as if trying to pierce through her.
Somehow… it felt like he might kiss her today.
She awkwardly clinked her glass against his and drank deeply.
She didn’t want her first kiss to happen after drinking, but she was too nervous to handle it otherwise.
Just one drink, she thought—and swallowed.
Her head suddenly swayed.
She tried to answer his question.
“Hunting…”
And then the world tilted.
