“...That’s both worrying and relieving, somehow.”

Medrauta nodded in agreement. Both she and Viviane had just finished speaking with one of the inn’s patrons and were now relaxing in their room.

The innkeeper had come out personally to thank them before they entered their room, gifting them with a basket filled with freshly roasted brisket which was a welcome surprise given that they’d only had rations to eat while on the road.

During their conversation with the patron, Medrauta and Viviane had learned Sakura and Riku’s escape took an awkward path. Their first thought had been to rush back to the interior gate, but alas their plan had been foiled when they arrived, finding it far more heavily guarded than anticipated. Surprisingly, they’d managed to hide here in Ancide for a few days and even make friends with some of the locals before being informed that Orinth was a much better place to lay low.

“Normally, I’d be a little suspicious about how convenient it turned out to be, but I do suppose that Orinth is the place to hide in this duchy. With them and Dame Marilyn hiding out in the same town, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets caught, but at the very least, we know where they are now. Problem is, so does Bastiche.”

“And he’s likely got a head start on us already,” Viviane pointed out. “Probably why he’s mandated such an early curfew. I’m not sure what the duchy’s food storages are looking like, but if he’s forcing the farmers to stop working so early, it can’t be looking good.”

“That’s for sure,” Medrauta replied as she took a bite of the brisket. “This whole thing’s been going on way before we arrived, so his stockpile’s probably going to run out in a couple days. Might be a good thing, actually.”

“Medrauta!” Viviane exclaimed, surprised at the cruel-sounding statement that Medrauta had so casually uttered. “How can you say that!? If the duchy’s stockpiles are gone, the people will starve!”

“What? Of course I know that!” Medrauta said, confused as to why Viviane was reacting so strongly. “But the farmland is all situated far from the capital. I mean, I don’t remember perfectly, but Dietrich, Jacynth, and Verda fiefs are the agricultural territories. If the stockpiles are exhausted, the capital’s gonna feel it first.”

“...Medrauta. There’re citizens in the capital too. Even if they’re nobles in league with Lord Bastiche, do you really think it’s alright for them to starve?”

Medrauta couldn’t help but laugh as she finally realized what Viviane had thought she meant. It was so far detached from her original intent that she found it incredibly silly. I guess it makes sense to Vivi, though... After all, she’s a noble and I’m a knight. Of course we’d think about stuff like this differently.

“H-Hey! It’s not funny!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Medrauta grinned, apologizing hastily before the misunderstanding began growing bigger. “I didn’t mean it that way, Vivi, I swear. What I meant was that the stockpiles are generally held inside the duchy castle, primarily for the purposes of withstanding sieges.”

Viviane’s eyes lit up in realization, her cheeks turning red in embarrassment as she realized she’d simply assumed Medrauta was saying something horrible without any real basis. “I-It’s me who should be apologizing... I... Without asking, I thought you wanted...”

Medrauta reached out and pat Viviane’s head. “Most of the classes in the noble curriculum are about logistics and resource management, right? It’s pretty normal for you to think of the citizens first rather than a siege.”

“That might be true, but still... I should’ve known better than to think that of you, Medrauta. After all, I know you well enough to know that you’re not that kind of person...”

Much to Medrauta’s surprise, it looked as though tears were forming in her lady’s eyes. She certainly hadn’t expected Viviane to react so strongly when it was just a mere mistake that the knight had brushed off easily.

“Hm...” Medrauta frowned. It looked like Viviane was deeply hurt by her own actions, and though the knight thought nothing of it, it was pretty clear that Viviane wasn’t going to let this go without providing some form of recompense. “In that case, how about you give me a kiss to make up for it?”

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“W-What!?” Viviane stammered, her already-blushing cheeks somehow turning into an even deeper shade of pink. “I mean... I-It’s not like I can’t but...”

“Or did you want to give me something... more?” Medrauta winked, leaning closer to Viviane now. It was time to take revenge on her lady for catching her off guard in the forest.

“N-No! A kiss is fine!”

“Oh? But I changed my mind, Vivi,” Medrauta said in a low voice as she stopped next to Viviane’s ear, slipping one of her hands into Viviane’s, their fingers intertwining and preventing the noblewoman’s escape. “The fact that you thought of me in such a way... It hurts so deeply. Only your gentle touch can mend the hole in my heart now.”

Viviane’s eyes spun uncontrollably as Medrauta suddenly kissed her, causing whatever she was about to say to immediately slip from her mind. Normally, she wouldn’t have been so flustered at the prospect of a mere kiss, but this was the first time the two of them had shared a room together.

While Medrauta and Viviane had both visited each other’s rooms before at the academy, they hadn’t actually slept in the same room before. It was pretty much impossible for knights to spend the night outside of the barracks after all.

Four knights were assigned to every room in the barracks, and the quartermaster would do a nightly headcount of everyone once the nightly curfew began. Of course, it was possible to sneak out afterwards, but the punishment for doing so was severe enough that the thought never even crossed Medrauta’s mind.

Viviane had mentally steeled herself at the prospect of sharing a room with Medrauta even as they set off on this journey, but there was a key difference between her original plan and the room that they were staying in now.

As a ducal heiress, she had an ample amount of monetary resources at her beck and call, allowing her to reserve rooms of the finest quality. Such rooms included parlors, dining halls, and multiple bathrooms, meaning that there were also multiple bedrooms as well as bedrooms with multiple beds. While she would’ve slept in the same room as Medrauta, she hadn’t exactly planned to sleep in the same bed.

Unfortunately for her, fate had decided to accelerate their relationship. Though the room they were staying in now was undoubtedly the inn’s best room by far, it was plagued by the fact that it only had one bed. Though it was a large bed, it still remained the only bed in the room.

And that was the crux of Viviane’s problem.

To make matters worse, Viviane had been sitting on the bed while Medrauta helped herself to a portion of the brisket, and now that Medrauta was helping herself to Viviane instead, it could only mean one thing.

Fwump!

Viviane fell backward against the bed, unable to resist as Medrauta’s body weight caused her to tip over. The two women were dressed only in their nightgowns now, and Viviane thought she caught a peek of what was underneath her currently-very-aggressive knight’s clothes as the garment’s collar was dragged down by gravity.

Medrauta smirked. “What’s wrong, Viviane? Didn’t you want to make it up to me?”

“W-Well...” Viviane could barely even form a coherent thought, much less respond to Medrauta’s provocations. Her body moved on its own accord, her arms reaching up to wrap around her beloved knight’s sturdy back.

H-Huh!? Medrauta hesitated as she felt Viviane’s arms give off a gentle pressure, pulling her downward. Now it was the knight’s turn to grow flustered. She’d planned to tease Viviane for a little longer and maybe exchange a few more kisses, but she hadn’t actually expected her lady to be so... inviting.

“W-Wait, Vivi... I think you got the wrong idea!” Medrauta hurriedly backpedaled. “I wasn’t—”

Medrauta stopped herself the moment she met Viviane’s eyes.

The noblewoman’s golden irises were filled with a warmth that could only be called longing, and a light as inviting as the flames of a hearth after a cold night. Viviane’s arms caressed Medrauta’s back gently, her slender fingers tracing the knight’s chiseled musculature before making their way to Medrauta’s lips and resting there.

“...Did I really get the wrong idea, Medrauta?” Viviane asked, her voice low and alluring as she recovered after seeing her knight’s hesitance. For some reason, knowing that Medrauta hadn’t planned for this caused her confidence to rise expeditiously.

Medrauta flinched, not expecting Viviane to so suddenly and quickly take the lead despite still being on the bottom. “I... Uh... I...”

No matter how hard she tried, the knight simply couldn’t form a proper answer. A twinge of frustration flickered across Viviane’s expression, giving her the strength she needed to push Medrauta off her and onto the floor.

“Oof!”

Without a word, Viviane pushed herself off the bed and walked toward the now-fallen knight with an expression of obvious irritation.

“W-Wait, Vivi! I’m so—”

Medrauta tried to get up, but Viviane’s leg shot out, pressing her foot squarely on the center of her knight’s chest and pinning Medrauta down. At that moment, Medrauta couldn’t help but feel a little scaroused. Just a little.

“Did I get the wrong idea, Medrauta?” Viviane asked again as she glowered down at Medrauta. “Yes. Or. No.”

“...N-No.” Medrauta answered meekly.

A smile touched Viviane’s beautiful lips.

“Good.”