“Then, can I borrow men’s clothing?”

There was a hint of displeasure in Lyla’s eyes. It seemed that alone was not enough to alleviate the remaining debt in her heart. Reading her expression, Holly quickly added,

“This, too, is about saving my life.”

Perhaps sensing the urgency in Holly’s voice, Lyla nodded quickly.

“I’ll tell Albert to handle it. You go back to your room and get ready to leave.”

It was a clear order dismissing her.

It seemed that Holly, who had clearly revealed her sins while being a savior of her life, was no longer welcome to Lyla.

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

* * *

Holly tried to wrap the long cloth around her chest.

As she pulled her chin down to look below, she sighed as her ample chest was still prominently visible, not completely concealed. She held the loosely draped cloth with one hand and gestured to Cahill with the other.

“Cahill, come here and tighten this for me.”

Cahill, who was savoring her exposed back, approached and grabbed her waist from behind before he gently caressed her exposed chest up and down.

Holly unintentionally moaned at the strange touch.

Throwing her neck backward, she leaned her body against his firm chest.

“No… we agreed to, haa, leave here.”

Cahill lowered the hand that was holding her waist and gently caressed her lower abdomen. The closeness felt like it could touch her cl*toris at any moment, making her opening twitch on its own.

“Ha, uh… Cahill.”

Holly overlapped her hand on Cahill’s, and she slid his hand into her pants.

Knock, knock.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door, but Holly couldn’t hear it due to the pounding sound of her heart in her ears. On the other hand, excited by her body movements as she burrowed against his crotch, Cahill, even more aroused, breathed heavily and sucked on her neck.

“Ah, haa… it’s good.”

His fingers moistened and slid between her legs. The flowing wetness eased his movements. Cahill, spreading her thighs, was about to push his fingers deeper.

“Should I pack your luggage?”

This time, accompanied by a knock, Adam’s annoyed voice could be heard. It was a rather tired voice as if he had been waiting at the door for quite some time.

Cahill, pretending not to hear, continued to caress her inner walls with his fingers.

“N, no! I’ll be out soon!”

But Holly, who regained her composure, pushed him away with her hips and pulled up her fallen pants before she handed him the cloth that covered her chest.

As he pouted while tightly wrapping the loose cloth around her, she lowered her head and looked at her chest, displaying a satisfied smile. With his help, she could now claim to be a man with chest muscles.

Having solved the most problematic part, her chest, Holly tied her hair. Cahill, captivated in an instant by the ponytail swaying in the air, lost his focus.

“Cute.”

He bowed his head, and their lips met with a smacking sound. Holly, who usually accepted it naturally, was startled this time and pushed him away.

“You can’t do this outside!”

“Why?”

Cahill, who kept trying to do something, was pushed away. So he asked in a dissatisfied tone. Holly, covering her chest with a cloth, put on the tunic that Albert had provided.

“Because I’m a man!”

The gazes witnessing same-sex love on the continent were sharp and uncomfortable. Holly had cross-dressed to conceal her identity, so standing out more in people’s eyes would be a big problem.

“It’s Holly.”

He spoke with an unjust face. Then, he stared at her intently. Seeing his gradually darkening pupils, Holly smirked.

“What’s wrong?”

Cahill, who hesitated awkwardly, spoke with a bitter face. Holly’s entire focus was on him, captivated by this unfamiliar sight of him.

He glanced at her sparkling eyes and spoke again.

“If, because I like you, I make things difficult for you…”

Though he couldn’t finish his sentence.

‘If he likes me…?’

Holly’s eyes widened at the contents of Cahill’s words, and then she nodded her head.

‘Well, there’s no reason to be jealous if he doesn’t like me.’

Cahill’s jealousy was so intense that it disregarded race and gender.

‘He keeps showing possessiveness like a child, making me think he’s seriously into me.’

As she was sorting out her tangled thoughts, his expression grew increasingly somber. With a reluctant voice, Cahill murmured,

“But I can’t let you go. I’m sorry.”

While she was listening intently, trying to understand his sudden statement, she soon recalled what he had said.

“If I make things difficult for you because I like you…”

“Still, I can’t let you go. I’m sorry.”

Holly, connecting Cahill’s words that followed after a pause, blushed.

‘After hearing Chase say that he caused trouble because he loves Lyla, his expression seemed to become serious…’

Holly laughed in disbelief and, without much thought, casually said,

“Well, it’s not like you like me that much.”

As she shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes flashed fiercely.

Holly was surprised by his fierce face and unintentionally stepped back. Cahill reached out to grab her, attempting to close the distance between them.

“Why? Why not?”

Cahill asked Holly as if interrogating her.

“What?”

She gazed at him with a bewildered face, blinking her eyes.

“I mean, we’re going to part ways after the journey. You’ll return to your country, and I’ll…”

“We’re lovers, aren’t we?”

Interrupting her stuttering words, Cahill glared at her with wounded eyes. Then, he retreated and gauged the distance that had opened up between them.

“I’ll try not to do anything you dislike…”

Cahill muttered with a drained voice. Holly, looking at his slouched figure, crouched down a bit. His ears, slightly drooping above his head, were visible.

“I don’t want you to distance yourself from me.”

He uttered while looking at her. His heart pierced deep into hers.

‘Perhaps Cahill is really seeing the end…’

His intense emotions made her heart race, and she felt breathless.

A pleasant smile tried to escape her lips, and she spread her legs widely and approached Cahill. Due to her suddenly kissing him, he tilted his head, but soon he smiled as if to say it was okay and embraced her.

* * *

When the group finished preparing and left Lyla’s house, it was close to sunset.

“I’m tired of mushrooms that taste like meat. Let’s go out and eat plenty of meat.”

Badin, who seemed to prefer staying in Lauriue the most, was the most excited. Holly nodded in agreement.

“Let’s not rest tonight and keep walking.”

“No. Holly is tired.”

Cahill quickly opposed Adam’s words. Although he gave an excuse for Holly, his eyes hinted at something more.

“It’s not that she finds it hard, is it, Your Highness?”

Adam, who had waited for hours at the door for the two of them, spoke sarcastically. Holly, feeling sorry for making him wait, interrupted his words.

“At least until we can escape the elves’ surveillance, let’s not rest.”

Cahill looked at her with betrayed eyes, expecting her to support him.

__