“Uh, yes?”

Holly cautiously responded, overpowered by Cahill, who then released her from his grip on her shoulder. His silver-gray eyes flashed dangerously for a moment.

“Decide right now…”

He seemed poised to rush at her, opening his mouth to speak. Yet, he was interrupted before he could say anything.

Knock. Knock-knock. Knock-knock-knock.

Someone outside was persistently knocking at the door.

Cahill, who had attempted to speak several times, furrowed his brow in frustration and then slammed his fist against the door.

“May I come in now?”

A familiar voice sounded from beyond the door as if having waited all night outside. Adam seemed just as irritated as he was.

“Why at this moment…”

Cahill gritted his teeth and leaned his forehead against the metal door, seemingly trying to cool his heated brow. Holly, trapped between the door and his body, rolled her eyes to glance at his profile. He was glaring with ferocity as though he could see Adam through the door.

“Can’t open it now, wait until morning.”

He bit out each word as if chewing them. Despite his subdued tone, the outside fell silent, seemingly getting the message.

‘Luckily, it doesn’t seem like much time has passed.’

Holly breathed a sigh of relief. She had lost consciousness only to wake up being carried by Cahill, and upon regaining her senses, she found herself pinned while bending her back. Embarrassingly, she had forgotten about the existence of their companions outside until Adam’s voice reminded her.

After telling Adam to wait, Cahill pulled away from her. Holly, picking up his shirt from the floor to clean up, suggested.

“Let’s tidy up quickly and open the door.”

As he stepped away from her, he looked back at her while holding onto the upper bunk of the bunk bed.

“It’s still far from morning.”

“It’s lunchtime now!”

Just as Cahill spoke, Adam’s exclamation came from outside the door. Cahill’s command to wait until morning seemed so absurd that it momentarily stunned him, unable to hold back any longer.

“…Lunchtime?”

Holly’s eyes widened in surprise when she heard that. The two had entered the room in the afternoon, past lunchtime. Despite some gaps in her memory, she couldn’t believe an entire day had passed without her noticing.

“So, I told you to wait until morning.”

As he responded nonchalantly to Adam’s comment, he gripped the bed frame tighter, making the veins on the back of his hand stand out prominently.

Crack—

The sound of something breaking made Holly furrow her brow.

“Another attack or something…”

Looking around with a feeling of unease, Holly was at a loss for words upon seeing Cahill holding the upper bunk of the bed.

“You said you were uncomfortable. Let’s lie down comfortably and continue.”

He smiled brightly, his eyes twinkling like a child expecting praise. His face was so charming that she lost the energy to be angry. He carelessly tossed the detached bed next to the other one and pulled a dazed Holly by the hand, laying her down on the now separate bed.

“Why did you clean here?”

Cahill, fumbling between her naturally parted legs, gazed at her with an expression as if asking why she bothered.

Feeling as if her soul had momentarily left her body, Holly blinked in confusion.

“…It felt icky.”

She meant that it felt too uncomfortable to simply get dressed as was. She wanted to hurry and dress and open the door to those waiting outside. She hadn’t imagined that Cahill, who was wilder than any beast, would consider doing it for another night.

“Is that so? You should have told me.”

Cahill touched between Holly’s legs with a look of regret.

“Uhng…”

Even a slight touch made her sensitive clitoris react with a tingling sensation. The reddened entrance clenched and then relaxed again, revealing a path.

“If you had told me, I would have sucked it for you…”

He caressed up to her thighs with a lingering touch, which was already marked with red spots he had left.

“Adam and Badin are waiting outside…”

Holly raised her head to look towards the door, her hazel eyes filled with apology. However, her hands that were more faithful to her instincts, caressingly touched Cahill’s thigh.

“It’s not cold, so it’s fine to sleep outside.”

Despite his words, the wind blowing at night over the sea made one shiver as though the cold was seeping into the bones.

‘The two of them come from a kingdom filled with ice, so they probably don’t feel cold at all.’

But she nodded, agreeing with him.

“If it gets cold, just go into any room and sleep.”

‘They’re not children. They can take care of themselves.’

Holly found herself agreeing with Cahill’s words inside. A laugh escaped her unexpectedly, and he looked at her with a puzzled expression as if asking why she was laughing.

“It’s just that we really seem to get along well.”

Hearing this, Cahill narrowed his eyes.

“You’re just realizing that now?”

Before he could finish speaking, Holly exhaled a warm breath, filled with contentment. Before long, their lower bodies were perfectly aligned.

* * *

Cahill looked at Holly with droopy eyes as if he might shed tears any moment. Holly stepped forward and waved her hand.

“I’ll be here studying with Adam.”

Mentioning Adam’s name made him visibly show his displeasure.

“Cahill.”

At her prompting, he withdrew his gaze from Adam.

“You might end up having dinner there if you’re late.”

Cahill was headed to the Geonin Palace. Because of his stubbornness in not wanting to expose Holly to more people, they decided she wouldn’t accompany him this time. They planned to minimize the time at the palace by avoiding meal times.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Cahill, reaffirming his plan, took her hand decisively. However, he lingered, still playing with her hand. Badin, who was to accompany him, stood by looking tired.

Holly, with an embarrassed face, lifted her heels. As their lips touched lightly before parting, making an embarrassingly loud smack, she felt a flush spread up her neck under his intense gaze.

“Be careful.”

Finally, Cahill and Badin set off for the lord’s castle. Holly suppressed the desire to keep watching them and turned away.

“Is the tearful farewell finally over?”

Adam, who had entered the cafe first to secure a spot, spoke with a grumpy face. Holly shrugged her shoulders as if she had no choice and sat down on the chair he had pulled out for her.

“This is a drink made from fruits and vegetables that are good for your body. Please try it.”

Her face lit up. In the early days of their journey by ship, they could eat fresh fruits and vegetables. However, as the days passed, vegetables became scarce, and eventually, they disappeared from their diet entirely.

“I’ve been missing vegetables… Thank you!”

While she picked up the cup with sparkling eyes, Adam watched her drink as if to confirm she liked it. Holly smiled awkwardly and sipped from the cup. The refreshing bits burst into her mouth.

“It’s really delicious.”

Seeing the smile on her lips, Adam’s mouth twitched with a hint of a smile. Then, as if not forgetting his original purpose, he tidied his cup to one side of the table.

“Listen while you drink.”

As she was about to put down her cup, Adam spoke and unfolded a map. The map included not only the continent of ‘Mont Glasica,’ which was everything Holly knew of the world but also the northern island, ‘Aisen.’

Between ‘Lauriue’ and ‘Geonin’ was a rugged jungle, which was why one had to travel by boat from Centuria to Geonin.

“Geonin is formed along the riverbanks. The land and weather are in optimal conditions for farming.”

__