Sorry, I got distracted by your looks

There was no way I could share a tent with him.

Not only had I been covered in dust for two days straight, but my hair was an absolute mess. But that wasn’t the real issue here!

Even if I were freshly bathed from head to toe, sleeping together

was completely unacceptable.

No,

—that wasn’t the point either!

Even if it were a clean, luxurious bedroom,

That was the real problem!

Regaining my composure, I firmly declared, “We haven’t even had our wedding yet. Sharing a tent is inappropriate. If it’s only meant for one person, I’ll sleep outside instead.”

“Is that so?”

Mikrok lazily glanced around before casually nodding.

“Suit yourself. If you insist on sleeping outside, I’d recommend that tree over there.”

Without hesitation, he gathered the blankets from the tent and began setting up a sleeping spot—

“…Are you serious?”

I was too stunned to respond properly.

What if I rolled off in my sleep? I’d break an arm, or worse, my tailbone!

“I have a fear of heights,” I said, lifting my chin with as much dignity as I could muster. “I’ll just sleep here by the fire.”

That’s when he burst into laughter.

A loud,

laugh.

I blinked in confusion.

What’s so funny?

For a man who always wore a blank expression, hearing him laugh out loud was

unexpected that I momentarily forgot to be annoyed.

“You actually

how to laugh,” I murmured, more to myself than anything.

Mikrok suddenly went silent.

He slowly raised a hand to his lips, as if

was surprised.

Then, without another word, he climbed down from the tree and continued setting up the tent.

“You take the tent. I like the tree better anyway,” he muttered, his back to me.

Just as he turned to walk away, a wave of unease washed over me.

“Where are you going?” I blurted out, grabbing his arm.

“To wash up. From up in the tree, I spotted a decent stream nearby.”

“I’ll come too,” I said, standing up immediately.

The water would probably be cold, but I wasn’t about to waste the opportunity to finally bathe properly.

Mikrok tilted his head, his handsome face filled with amusement.

“Strange. You

to share a tent with me, but you’re fine bathing together?”

“Who said we’d be bathing

?!”

I

before I could stop myself.

But it was too late.

My mind had already betrayed me.

The solid chest I had felt against my back while riding…

The strong arms that had effortlessly lifted me…

The powerful legs that had pressed against mine whenever we gained speed…

I jerked my head away, my face burning.

“It’s not like the stream is a proper bathhouse! If Your Majesty washes

, I’ll wash

. So just mind your own business!”

“Are you sure?”

“Sure about

?”

“I plan on stripping completely.”

……

……

Silence.

A single brow lifted as he studied my reaction.

“Hmm. I expected you to either get flustered or yell at me. But instead, you’re just… thinking about it?”

Ah—

I had been too busy

that I had missed my window to react normally.

Keeping my head turned away, I forced a casual tone.

“We won’t be able to see each other, so I don’t care whether you strip or not.”

From the side, I heard him chuckle.

“Fine, then.”

Without further teasing, he turned and started walking.

I hurriedly grabbed a few necessary items and followed him.

Right now, the

of soaking in cold water outweighed any embarrassment I might feel.

*****

By the time we reached the stream, the surroundings were already quite dark.

A small waterfall fed into a clear pool of water—perfect for bathing and swimming.

As I scanned the area, I spotted a large rock that would serve as a good hiding spot while I undressed.

Good. I’ll drop my clothes behind it, then jump straight into the water.

When I turned back around, Mikrok had already vanished.

A splash from downstream told me he had already entered the water.

Relieved that he wasn’t lingering nearby, I quickly stripped down to my slip and stepped into the pool.

The water was a bit cold, but with summer still lingering, it felt

.

As soon as I submerged my head, my mind instantly cleared.

After paddling around for a bit, I grabbed the soap I had brought and started washing my hair.

The moon reflected off the water’s surface, shimmering with each ripple. The air was filled with the soft sounds of insects and the distant rush of the waterfall.

Everything was peaceful.

After rinsing off, I decided to float for a while, hugging my knees to my chest as I drifted.

I used to do this often with Robby after sword training in the summer.

It was such a silly game. There was no money or glory at stake, yet we had always taken it so seriously.

And,

, but I had

lost to Robby.

Drifting underwater like this reminded me of being in the womb.

With my hair and slip floating around me, I imagined that from above, I probably looked a little eerie.

The thought made me smile.

Just as I was sinking into complete relaxation—

A

suddenly yanked me up.

My lungs spasmed as water shot up my nose.

“

“

I choked violently, barely able to breathe as I was dragged out of the water.

But the hands gripping my shoulders refused to let go.

Finally catching my breath, I looked up—

And found Mikrok glaring down at me with a terrifying expression.

“What the hell were you doing?” he demanded.

“…What?”

“Was this your plan all along? Did you follow me here to

?”

…Huh?

Wait.

Does he think I was

?!

****

When Mikrok had first spotted the stream from the treetops, he had been in a good mood.

He had always loved the water, and on top of that, Leah had

decided to follow him.

It had been unexpectedly amusing to watch her scout for a place to change, her eyes darting around like a guilty thief.

For a second, he had considered

with her—standing too close or making a teasing remark—

But he had held back.

She clearly wanted to bathe even more than he did.

Giving her space, he had gone to the other side of the stream, stripped down, and jumped in.

The chill of the water sent pleasant shivers down his spine.

Floating on his back, he stared up at the sky, letting himself relax.

From the other side, he could hear the occasional splashing as Leah moved around.

For a brief moment, he even thought about calling her over to swim together.

But knowing her, she would

freak out.

And so, he stayed put.

…Until the splashing stopped.

And the only thing left was

.

Instantly, Mikrok sat up, his body tense.

He spun toward where Leah had been—

But there was nothing.

His heart slammed against his ribs.

Without hesitation, he

across the water.

For the first time in years, pure, unfiltered

gripped his chest.

In the dim moonlight, he caught a glimpse of something

.

Without thinking, he lunged forward—