When he opened his eyes, Yuder couldn’t immediately grasp where he was.

Where is this...?

Sunlight filtered through curtains drawn over the windows, softly illuminating the interior in a hazy glow. The ceiling that emerged in the light, the unfamiliar scent of the space—it all felt foreign. But a moment later, the memories of last night rose like a spring bubbling to the surface, and his mind snapped awake.

...Ah.

That’s right. This was Peleta Castle. Kishiar’s bedroom. Fragments of memories came rushing in—how he had become entangled with Kishiar, utterly immersed in desire until dawn.

It had been a time when neither the hour nor the place had mattered—nothing else existed but the two of them. Perhaps because they had finally reached Peleta Castle, which had carried so much weight, even Kishiar, who usually endured and held back in many things, had let go more than usual.

If there had been a Rank-2 Manifestation type Awakened who could perceive scent in the area, they would’ve panicked at the overwhelming concentration of fragrance that Kishiar had unleashed as he embraced Yuder. He had always been someone who used scent to wordlessly express emotions and intentions when spending the night, to provoke and guide his partner—but last night had far surpassed anything before.

That overwhelming scent had surged in as if everything he had used before had been nothing. It filled the room completely, devoured every strand of Yuder’s hair, and awakened every sense in his body without mercy.

It was like being submerged underwater. Every sense expanded a hundredfold, a thousandfold, wrapped entirely in the sensation. Everything had been overwhelming in its intensity. He’d felt something similar before, during past nights they had shared bodies—but not to this extent.

The usual thoughts of pacing or taking a break had not even crossed his mind. Every small touch burned up his stamina by several times, and simply perceiving through his five senses made him feel utterly exhausted—until eventually, everything became dreamlike, hazy, and indistinct. He’d even, rarely, thought it was too much. And yet, Yuder hadn’t wanted to let go of Kishiar.

Apparently, Kishiar had felt the same. In every recalled memory, not once had Kishiar’s presence left Yuder’s body.

The last thing Yuder remembered was lying atop Kishiar and closing his eyes briefly to rest.

That must’ve been around... just before morning light, maybe...

He hadn’t intended to fall asleep. He had truly meant to just shut his eyes for a moment. But when he opened them now—it was... now. He was taken aback. He didn’t know how much time had passed in the meantime, but judging by how clean his body was and how there wasn’t the slightest discomfort left, one thing was certain: it hadn’t been just a short nap.

The one who washed me... must’ve been Kishiar, obviously.

Normally, they stayed awake until the end, washed together, and then slept. But back during the heat cycle when he couldn’t take care of himself, he had often awakened like this—already clean. At the time, everything had operated by instinct, so he had simply accepted it. Since then, when it happened again, he could no longer say anything about it.

Well, if the roles were reversed, Yuder would’ve done the same for him—so maybe it was fine.

With a deep exhale, Yuder closed his eyes and moved his fingers. They all responded freely, but the overwhelming languor spread through his entire body like ripples—so deep he didn’t even want to move.

...Was it because my senses were too heightened when we did it?

“Awake?”

Just then, a hand came near and softly brushed back his hair. Turning his head, he saw the man lying beside him, smiling gently like a blooming flower. He looked slightly drowsy, but there was no trace of that grogginess one had just after waking up in his eyes.

Which meant—

“When did... mm, uhm. When did you wake up?”

He hadn’t realized it, but his voice was still thick with sleep. Even after clearing his throat several times, it came out rough and awkward. Still, it had to be asked.

“You didn’t stay up the whole time, did you?”

“No. I slept well. I just happened to wake a little earlier than you.”

Kishiar’s voice, too, was lower than usual—his usual softness slightly roughened, as if it still held some of last night’s heat. That made Yuder instinctively recall the night again—and quickly shake it off.

With his bare shoulder exposed, the man lay at a slant like something out of a painting and whispered playfully.

“Actually, if we’re going by the clock, I didn’t wake up that early either. Everyone else already had lunch and are busy working.”

“...Is that true?”

“Have I ever lied to you about something like this?”

No, he hadn’t. Yuder glanced again at the window where light was coming through and sighed.

“Have you eaten?”

“Of course not. I was waiting to eat with you.”

“And how could you know when I’d wake up...”

“This is exactly the kind of relaxed and joyful thing you can only do on a proper vacation.”

Kishiar smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Yuder’s forehead.

“Don’t worry. Watching your sleeping face, I lost track of time.”

“...”

Yuder now knew that he meant it—so he said nothing.

“How do you feel? Are you in pain anywhere?”

“I’m fine. Nothing hurts.”

“No dreams?”

It was a casual question, asked lightly—but Yuder realized it was the one Kishiar had most wanted to ask.

...So he woke up early and kept watching me, just in case?

Yuder met the red eyes studying him so intently, like they were trying to scan every part of him for signs of trouble, and shook his head.

“I didn’t dream at all.”

“That’s a relief.”

“...Commander... Did you dream?”

He almost said Commander as always, but switched his address midway. After last night, Yuder was no longer just Kishiar’s aide—he was a precious guest of the Duke of Peleta. He wanted his way of speaking to reflect that change.

It seemed Kishiar caught the intent—his eyes briefly widened in surprise, then he smiled.

“...Actually, yeah.”

That one word snapped Yuder fully awake. He sat up abruptly.

“What kind ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) of dream?”

“Calm down. It wasn’t anything serious or nightmarish. In fact, it’s hard to say exactly what it was because I don’t remember it well...”

“But surely you remember something. Tell me.”

Still lying in place, Kishiar let out a soft mmm as if giving up and finally spoke.

“I think... I was in the office, looking out at Peleta’s sea. I’m not sure if it was day or night. I just remember waking up while doing that. That’s all I remember.”

He looked at Yuder and repeated it once more.

“Really. That’s it.”

Just as he said, there wasn’t anything particularly bad about that dream. Yuder looked at Kishiar’s face for a while, as if trying to find some hidden fragment he might’ve missed, then nodded.

“Understood. It’s good that it wasn’t a bad dream. If you ever have a new dream again—please tell me.”

“That’s actually what I want to say to you.”

“Of course, I will.”

When Yuder answered solemnly, Kishiar smiled. The atmosphere fully relaxed. He didn’t seem to be in poor health compared to usual.

Seems like the extra scent he used last night wasn’t due to any health issue. That’s a relief.

While Kishiar got up and began dressing, he said he would personally bring the food and disappeared. At this point, Yuder had seen him do such things so often that he felt no discomfort.

Yuder stepped out barefoot and pulled back the curtain. What had been a trickle of light instantly flooded the room. Up until now, he hadn’t even known whether it was day or night—but now, the light told him it was late afternoon, just before sunset.

So I really slept through the entire day... Incredible.

Beyond the large window, previously covered by the curtain, was a small balcony. It wasn’t the kind of elegant balcony you’d find in a nobleman’s estate—just a plain stone railing enclosing a narrow space.

But it was enough to step outside, feel the wind, and look out. Unbothered by his bare feet, Yuder opened the door. The winter wind, though softer than the day before, still struck his body and cleared his head in an instant.

“...”

There was only one thing visible from the balcony.

A vast, deeply blue sea—so deep it looked nearly black.

Somewhere nearby, the cry of a bird rang out. Following the sound with his eyes, Yuder saw a ship gently riding the distant waves, white birds circling it.

And then, quietly in his mind, Kishiar’s voice from the great Sarain Forest resurfaced.

“—The sea by day is beautiful, but the sea at night is even more so. As sunset falls, the fishing boats that spent the day catching fish return home one by one, and flocks of birds cling to them, dancing along as they follow...”

Back then, Yuder hadn’t been able to see. He had only imagined the scene vaguely.

But now—that very scene was right here, before his eyes.