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Suddenly.

Rudella snapped back to reality, eyes wide open as she straightened her back and glanced around.

It was as if she had been swallowed by pitch-black darkness, but a torch caught in the crevices of the rocky ground stammered out a faint light, barely illuminating the path.

The floor was littered with rough, irregular stones, but where Rudella had been lying was a flat, worn patch worn smooth over time, making it a comfortable resting spot.

However, the cold seeping from the stone floor was inescapable.

‘Where am I…?’

Rudella rolled her eyes and examined the walls. They were made up of coarse rocks. In some crevices, small moss and glistening droplets of moisture could be seen.

Drip drip.

She could hear the sound of rain. Rudella turned her head toward the sound. Aside from the torch, the only bright light came from outside.

Rudella realized that she was inside a cave.

“Are you awake?”

At that moment, a calm and comforting voice came from the entrance. It was Johan Harsen.

His condition looked quite poor, with his uniform torn in places and covered in scratches. It seemed like blood had flowed, leaving red stains on his once-white uniform.

“…Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, this is nothing.”

Johan trudged over to Rudella, holding two rabbits in his hands. He looked like he had just returned from foraging for food.

“Can you explain what happened?”

“Didn’t you know?”

“I’m not sure.”

“……”

Johan, sitting down, pushed the rabbits to one side and ignited a pre-prepared bonfire with magic.

“We were ambushed by unknown assailants. A clever ambush at that. While we were crossing the bridge beyond the border, the bridge suddenly exploded.”

Johan curled up slightly and held his hands out to the fire. The warmth was comforting, and he opened and closed his palms to soak it in.

“It seems that the other escort knights and detection mages are all dead.”

Having rescued Rudella, Johan checked the cliffs to ensure there were no other survivors.

But they were all found as cold corpses, and no one was left breathing.

“If we hadn’t had the carriage, we would’ve been crossing the river with them.”

“……”

Johan gazed at Rudella with deeply sunken eyes. His eyes, like a blue lake, held her within them.

“This is a cave between the cliffs. It’s suitable for hiding from the outside, and it’s time to recover.”

“We need immediate support—”

“That won’t be possible. The ones who caused the explosion are likely waiting nearby to finish us off.”

Those who blew up the bridge were aiming for assassination. They would certainly be thorough about cleaning up.

“Let’s hold out for five days. By then, the public affairs officers will realize something is wrong and send a scouting party with reinforcements.”

Once word got out that the Empire’s envoy hadn’t arrived in Sanburgh, the public affairs officers would move quickly.

“…Are you saying we have to survive here for five days?”

Rudella tilted her head slightly.

“Yes, but is that not to your liking?”

“That’s not it. I understand the situation.”

Johan began to unbutton his rain-soaked uniform as he continued to speak.

“Thanks to the puddle on the floor, we can at least get some water, and I’ll provide the food. We can’t keep the bonfire burning for long, but I can maintain body heat with my magic.”

As Johan stripped off his uniform, the muscles were revealed, marked with various small scratches.

Dark, dried blood was smeared on a deep wound in his side, and a red streak slowly trickled down his skin.

“Ugh…”

Rudella’s eyes widened as she held her breath, not solely from seeing the wounds or blood. She wasn’t that naive to be surprised by just those factors.

Instead, it was the sight of Johan’s sculpted body, defined by his lean muscles. His broad shoulders led to firm muscles, all without unnecessary fat.

Fine, tight muscle fibers flowed from his shoulders to his chest, with his abs chiseled out like grooves in stone.

“Hm. Cough cough.”

While admiring Johan’s physique, Rudella awkwardly cleared her throat and turned her gaze away.

“…It looks like the wound is deep.”

“I’m fine. I can endure it.”

“It can’t be fine.”

Rudella stood up and tore a strip from her dress. Whoosh! In an instant, Johan’s gaze snapped to her revealed white leg.

“I’ll use this for a tourniquet.”

“…Thank you.”

Johan wrapped the portion of the Empire dress around his waist, tightening it. The pain shot through, causing his brows to frown slightly.

“…Does it hurt a lot?”

“I can bear it.”

“It shouldn’t be bearable.”

Rudella observed Johan nod gently before looking back at the bonfire with a faint smile.

The warm light enveloped his facial features softly, creating a serene appearance as if he were sinking in a calm lake.

His calmness spread to Rudella, soothing her heart.

“Are you hungry?” Johan asked.

“I am feeling a bit peckish.”

“I thought so, that’s why I caught the rabbits.”

Johan lifted the two rabbits he had left behind, channeling his magic. A small blade formed from the wind.

“It might be a bit gruesome.”

“That’s fine.”

Though he had made a considerate effort, Rudella gazed at him with sparkling eyes filled with interest, showing no signs of repulsion despite the potential for gore.

Johan laid the rabbits down and made incisions to skin them.

He separated the limbs at the joints, taking out the innards, setting aside only the heart and liver.

The meat sliced smoothly and was divided into chunks. The skin, flesh, bones, and innards were swiftly separated.

“…You seem experienced. Have you done this before?”

“It’s my first time.”

“Interesting.”

Rudella watched, eyes wide with marvel as Johan butchered the rabbits. As a noble lady, she likely had never witnessed such a thing before.

Johan poked the pieces of meat with small branches and placed them into the gaps of the bonfire. Just a little wait and they would turn into nourishing food.

“…I’ll dry my clothes.”

“D-do as you wish.”

Johan hung his damp uniform near the bonfire, drops of rainwater soaking it.

“Did you go outside after it rained?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because that way, no tracks are left.”

Johan’s deep-set eyes locked onto Rudella’s, guiding their gazes to meet.

For no apparent reason, Rudella’s throat felt heavy. Was it because she was alone with a man in such a place? Her heart raced faster.

“If they went after us, they’re likely skilled assassins. While detection mages won’t use their magic due to the risk of being traced, they will be masters at finding tracks.”

Rudella tried to ignore the tension that threatened to stiffen her body and asked him.

“How can you be so sure they are assassins?”

“Because they must be the only ones.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

Although Johan had a vague idea of who had orchestrated the incident, he skirted around the details tactfully.

“There’s something to consider. Let’s talk about the mastermind later. Right now, we should first focus on recovering.”

The reason Johan could confidently assert that they were assassins was that they left no traces, no signs of presence.

If detection mages couldn’t pick up on them, then the ones capable of such actions were few.

Outside of those who make assassination their profession, who else could there be? Likely, only elite, top-tier assassins were mobilized for this job.

Then the question became, who was behind all of this?

Kasyis Lenokhnen had already attempted an attack once and failed, so he wouldn’t be able to move easily. The Duke was watching him closely.

And Kasyis had two means at his disposal: the aggressive hyenas and the Black Knights. But even they could not devise such a meticulous plan without evading detection mages.

In the end, the culprit narrowed down to one.

‘The Crown Prince.’

He could employ first-rate assassins and was the only one who could target both himself and Rudella.

Of course, the possibility of the Sanburgh Kingdom intervening also crossed his mind, but the odds were minuscule.

The moment they laid a hand on Rudella, the fiancée of the Empire’s envoy and the Crown Prince, the consequences would undoubtedly be severe.

They wouldn’t undertake such reckless actions that would jeopardize their own nation.

‘Fedelian, you madman. I never imagined you’d go as far as to try and kill Rudella.’

Indeed, one might need to question whether he thought with his head instead of his lower half.

“It’s cold.”

Rudella, hugging her knees, shrank even further. The air was cold. Furthermore, being inside a cool cave meant her body temperature would inevitably drop.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Johan slowly rose from his seat and approached Rudella’s side. His movements were resolute. He sat down next to her without hesitation.

“W-what’re you…?”

Rudella gasped as if her breath had been stolen. His arm brushed against her, and soon their bare skin touched.

Startled by the unexpected sensation, she instinctively shivered. Her body temperature rose when warmth seeped in, her face flushing as her heart raced.

“To maintain body heat, we need to stay close. I could use my magic, but using magic involves the risk of being traced, so it should be a last resort.”

To maintain body temperature, Johannes would need to keep the magic going for an extended period.

Unlike when he was butchering the rabbits or lighting the fire, the risk of being traced was present.

“Since we’re sharing warmth, don’t you feel a bit better?”

“It—it does feel better. Cough cough.”

Rudella quickly turned her head away and attempted to distract herself by looking outside the cave. Drip drip. Thick raindrops were falling.

“Hmm, cough cough.”

She fidgeted nervously, her gaze flitting around restlessly.

She would glance at the fire, then steal glances at Johan’s body, and just when she focused ahead again, her gaze would return to Johan.

“…Is there nothing to cover ourselves with?”

“Of course not.”

“…I see.”

Rudella’s face was pale as snow, but in contrast, her ears turned crimson.

“…So we’re to last five days here. I wonder if it’ll be alright.”

Rudella, feeling troubled, tried to change the subject to forget Johan sitting right next to her.

“It should be fine. As I mentioned earlier, we have food and water. I’ve set up a distortion barrier at the entrance, so we can’t be seen visually.”

Rudella tilted her head. As her silver hair cascaded over her shoulder, droplets trickled down.

“You mentioned the risk of being traced?”

“The barrier magic is safe.”

“Is it because it’s distorted?”

“Yes.”

Johan continued, though, with a cautionary note.

“Only the entrance has the distortion set up, but the inside remains as is, so we must be careful with our use of magic.”

“I see…”

Seeing Rudella fidgeting restlessly, Johan concluded she was feeling cold and pulled her shoulder closer.

“Come a bit closer. It would be disastrous if you catch hypothermia.”

“……”

Rudella’s face turned beet red. She had no immunity to men. No, to be precise, this strange atmosphere and physical contact felt too foreign.

Under the gentle light.

Alone with a man.

Both of them displaying a little bare skin.

Though she had many opportunities to see male muscles because of the Crown Prince, it was always repugnant and unpleasant.

All she had witnessed was him rolling around in bed with other women.

But Johan was different. His presence kept making her heart race, a tremor she couldn’t control.

A peculiar fondness for Johan left her feeling confused. It was challenging to label her feelings, but excitement and trembling mixed within.

Her heart thumped as if it were about to burst. What if Johan heard the thumping sound? It felt like she was choking.

Would he detect the sound of her racing heart?

Had he noticed her anxiety?

As such thoughts flooded her mind, Rudella’s heart sank deeper into disarray.

“It’s done cooking.”

Johan held up a piece of meat he had skewered on a branch, offering it to Rudella.

“It’s hot. Be careful while eating.”

“Th-thank you.”

She took the branch eagerly. Stomach rumbling, the roasted rabbit meat made her mouth water.

Rudella tasted rabbit meat for the first time. The texture of the meat was tender and savory, but her senses were already focused elsewhere. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Johan.

Her heart pounded loudly, echoing through the cave walls like a resonating drum.