"Shall we sleep together?"
When I asked back, Irene was startled and began stammering.
Her face, which had been flushed since we were cleaning, now turned as red as a radish.
"N-no... that's not what I meant! I just meant it's time to sleep...! I-I mean..."
"..."
She's the one who brought it up, yet she's this embarrassed? What am I supposed to do?
Despite myself, a smile spread across my face.
Yes. This was the Irene Juliet I knew.
I glanced at the bed.
Huh?
The blanket is spread wide, but... looking closely, it seems like two single beds pushed together.
"Lady Irene."
"Y-yes?!"
"This bed. We can separate it. Like this..."
I said as I separated the bed.
The double bed easily split into two single beds.
"So, there's no need to be so embarrassed."
"Oh... I... I see."
Irene said that, then lowered her head and mumbled something.
It was too quiet for me to hear clearly.
After a moment, as if she had sorted out her thoughts, she spoke in a clean tone.
"...Yes. Right, yes. I understand. Swen. Let's go to sleep then."
"Alright."
Sleeping together in a double bed wouldn't be so bad, but that was just from my perspective as a man.
From her perspective as a woman, it must be quite embarrassing.
We're not even married yet, so it would naturally be burdensome.
'Marriage...'
Since things have come to this.
Should I just take Irene as my first wife?
To be honest, I liked Irene. I don't know how she feels about me, but I would marry her without much hesitation if I could.
She's pretty, well-endowed, has childbearing hips, and high strength.
But that's not all her value. I also really liked her beliefs, pride, and consideration for those beneath her despite her high position.
What man could refuse Irene?
In the game, to get married, you had to keep talking to them, giving gifts, completing quests, and fighting together on the same battlefield to raise affection levels.
Naturally, there would come a point where you'd think, "I think I can propose now."
In this world where the game has become reality... how should I go about it?
Since it's reality, there's no visible "affection level," so I can't help but be cautious.
Most importantly-
In this game, if you fail a proposal, not only does the affection level drop to 0, but things become so awkward that you can barely speak to each other.
If you failed to meet certain triggers or were unlucky enough to fail a proposal, marriage with that female general would be off the table unless you loaded a saved file.
I think my affection level with Irene has risen quite a bit, and I sense a stronger bond between us than ever before...
But I wanted to avoid failing a proposal and making things awkward with her at all costs.
I need to maintain a good relationship with her until I safely escort her to Lunarienne's army.
If our relationship sours here, I'd end up only doing Yuuri a favor.
Perhaps the best timing would be after Lunarienne raises her army.
If I propose after joining Luna's army, everything should be OK.
Even if I'm rejected, our relationship would sour, but working under Luna's army wouldn't change.
Of course... my heart would ache a lot, but if we continue to get along well until then, the affection level would rise and the success rate would increase, right?
Even if not after joining Luna's army, the right timing might naturally come as we spend time together.
What's certain is that there's no need to rush and ruin things.
"Good night, Lady Irene."
"Yes... good night, Swen."
And with her turning off the lantern-
Our long day finally came to an end.
*
When Irene arrived at the new house with Swen and saw the double bed, her thoughts were quite simple.
It was, amusingly... about her first experience.
Irene had lived her whole life wielding a sword. Growing up without knowing men, even the object of her loyalty was a female ruler.
While her appearance wasn't lacking and many men had approached her, she had rejected them all for her training.
Moreover, that was only in the early days.
After it became widely known that she was disliked by Lynn Brands, no one reached out to her.
No matter how beautiful she was, not a single person was willing to take her while going against their lord.
The first person to reach out to her and share the stigma of being a traitor was the man beside her, Swen.
Naturally, Irene knew. The reason he left the Brands army was purely because of her.
Even if he was waiting for Lunarienne's uprising, working in a nation the size of the Brands army would be much more convenient than coming to this small country.
She had sworn to wield her sword for him because she knew he had forsaken that convenient path for her sake.
So... if Swen were to ask her to sleep with him.
She was prepared to accept it.
They say the first experience is pleasant, or rather, painful... what if she troubled Swen due to her lack of knowledge?
What if her unusually large breasts seemed dull to him?
These worries, which she had never had before, now occupied her mind—not as a warrior, but as an ordinary woman in love.
That's why today's bath was inevitably longer than usual.
Irene looked down, examining various parts of her body.
Having walked the path of a warrior, her body was far from the ideal woman she envisioned—one with white, beautiful, and smooth skin.
Her skin was somewhat rough, firm rather than soft, with small muscles here and there, and a few scars visible.
Her trained body had always been her pride, but why did it seem so unsightly today?
'Would Swen... like... a body like this...?'
Even if it's an unsightly body, it would be fine if he praised it.
After somehow calming her racing heart.
As bedtime approached... just as she was preparing herself for that moment.
"This bed. We can separate it. Like this..."
When she heard those words, she partly sighed in relief-
But clearly, part of her was disappointed.
So, without realizing it, she whispered her true feelings in a small voice.
"That's a shame..."
After saying it, she was startled and checked his reaction.
Fortunately, Swen didn't seem to have heard, as he made no comment.
And so they each lay in separate beds.
Irene looked at the bed where Swen was sleeping and thought.
'Swen... if you want me... I...'
Irene suddenly felt a tingling in her stomach.
Like before... in front of him, she could feel a side of herself she had never known.
This was a feeling she had never experienced with any other man.
Naturally... Irene couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
* * *
In the royal palace of Anel Castle.
Farfalle, kneeling, spoke to Lynn with great remorse.
"I apologize. If only I had come directly to Anel Castle instead of going south... I could have realized something was wrong."
Irene Juliet had surrendered to the Aishers army with over 30,000 soldiers.
This surrender wasn't just about losing soldiers and generals.
It meant the sudden evaporation of surplus troops that could move freely without being stationed at the border.
For the Brands army, which had already lost about 20,000 soldiers due to Kalinz's blunder, this was a critical blow.
Moreover, the opponent was the Aishers army.
Wasn't the Aishers army the biggest obstacle to the Brands army's plan to quickly dominate the central region and confront the northern and southern regions?
Besides the soldiers, Irene was an exceptionally skilled general. What if her sword was pointed at their army...?
"..."
Lynn said nothing, seemingly calm as she twisted her hair, but.
Farfalle, who had served her for a long time, could tell.
She was barely suppressing her anger right now.
In all the time serving her, she had never been this angry.
That's why Farfalle was afraid.
The sparks could easily fly in her direction.
So she bowed her head and prostrated herself. She wanted to live.
"I sincerely apologize for not making the right judgment. I will accept any punishment."
"..."
Honestly.
As someone who knew better than anyone how Lynn had treated the loyal general Irene-
Farfalle wasn't surprised by Irene's betrayal; it seemed inevitable.
Rather, she had never understood why Irene had stayed by Lynn's side all this time, desperately trying to earn recognition.
But.
It was shocking even to her that Swen, a new general who had claimed to want to achieve merit for Kalinz, had betrayed them.
Moreover, he had shown cunning by sending a letter to distance her from Lynn.
The reason she believed that letter was because she never thought he would betray them.
Unlike Irene, whose betrayal was understandable, he had no reason to betray.
He had already proven his abilities to some extent, and if he had continued, he could have competed for the position of national strategist, which was her position.
From Farfalle's perspective, if Swen had continued to perform miracles and give correct advice, she would have accepted losing her position.
No... actually, that wasn't entirely true.
If one "assumption" was added, his reason for betrayal became ridiculously simple.
'To save... Irene Juliet?'
It's a bit hazy now, but.
On Swen's first day of appointment, he stayed at Irene's house on Lynn's orders.
It wouldn't be strange for a young man and woman living in the same house to develop feelings for each other.
What's interesting is that the reason "to save Irene Juliet" also explains why he risked his life to hold out in the northern fortress until the end.
Because she was there.
He risked his life to protect her.
If Swen hadn't performed a miracle, Irene would certainly have been killed by Serphina's army.
His claimed reasons for the siege, like preserving Kalinz's honor, were just excuses at the point of betrayal.
So in the end...
Because Lynn needlessly persisted in antagonizing Irene, she lost both Irene and Swen.
Moreover, wasn't it Lynn herself who provided the decisive connection between the two?
Later investigations revealed that this expedition itself was decided after Swen advised that "if Irene is placed at the vanguard, her life could be in danger, so it would be better to send another general."
In other words, Lynn had tried to kill Irene. She was just betrayed in the process.
Swen had skillfully exploited that "intent to kill."
'What was bound to happen, happened.'
The sharp-minded Farfalle realized that everything was ultimately Lynn's fault.
But... because she was sharp-minded, she could never voice this fact.
One wrong move, and it would be her head that would roll.
At that moment.
Lynn, who had been silent, slowly parted her lips.
"Farfalle."
"...Yes?"
"What do you think?"
"...What do I think...?"
Unlike Farfalle, who was trembling with fear.
Lynn's attitude was very cold and calm.
"It was Irene, wasn't it?"
"Pardon...?"
"Irene seduced him, right? Swen. With that vulgar and lewd body of hers."
"...???"
"Otherwise, this situation... doesn't make sense, does it? Swen just said he wanted to rise in the world, right? He said he would give me the world. So why... does he betray me? Swen? Why would Swen, whom I personally brought, betray me?"
"...Well, that..."
From the beginning, that "wanting to rise in the world" was just a smokescreen.
From the start, Swen had planned everything to get Irene out of here.
The evidence lies in the fact that he first brought up the point that "taking Irene would be dangerous"—it would be good if she could say this, but.
She simply couldn't bring herself to say it.
Lynn couldn't accept it.
The fact that Swen, whom she had chosen, had rejected her.
She's fine with making her own choices, but it's impossible for her to accept being rejected.
So, once again, she finds the reason in Irene, whom she hates.
It's much easier to accept that way.
This wasn't a good habit, but... for a leader who must maintain mental stability in any situation, it could be considered an advantage in a way.
"...Irene Juliet... she betrayed me in the end. I thought she would. I never liked the look of that woman from the start. Born to a good father and serving me... so arrogant... don't you think?"
"..."
"The Aishers army, you said? Where that woman took Swen and ran."
"...Y-yes."
"Is that so? Then I'll have to show her. Right before her eyes, I'll show her Swen truly becoming mine... don't you think?"
"..."
"Let's quickly settle the western region. We're going to be busy for a while. We must repay the insult we've received. Right, Farfalle?"
Once again, Farfalle couldn't say anything.
She just hoped this tsunami would pass quickly...
She hoped that when her lord regained her composure, she would eventually realize her own mistakes.
After all, she still believed that, except for matters related to Irene, Lynn Brands had the qualities to become an excellent ruler.
And so, after Farfalle somehow managed to withdraw.
Alone in the royal palace...
Lynn rose from her seat and threw a decorative sword that was nearby.
"...Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!"
Crash!
The thrown sword made a rough sound as it left a mark on the floor.
Only after throwing everything else within reach did she begin to regain her composure.
Betrayal.
To be betrayed.
And of all people, by Irene Juliet.
By the woman she hated so much, whom she wished would die...
And taking Swen, whom she had personally brought...!
'Irene Juliet... I'll never forgive you, never...!!!'
She bit her lower lip hard as she vented her anger.
Detecting a slight taste of blood, she suddenly began to laugh.
The laughter was so cold and sharp that it gave the sensation of being stabbed by a pointed icicle.
"Haha... ha. Yes. Right before your eyes, I'll take back what you hold most dear."
Sitting back on the throne, Lynn thought with a snicker.
What reflected in her dead eyes was pure madness itself.
'...Wait... Swen. I'll open your clouded eyes that have been momentarily bewitched by a stupid woman like Irene...♥'
Seeing that she had no intention of changing her mind no matter who spoke to her-
Farfalle's decision not to advise her was indeed a wise choice from the perspective of self-preservation.