"Seraphine. I want you to stop seeing that friend of yours, Maria."
The moment everyone beneath the tent comprehended his words, the air seemed to freeze, much like the expression on Seraphine's face.
She had actually been on her way to meet that very same Maria when Ashen's voice stopped her.
Lucia, who had been quietly scribbling notes into a notebook off to the side, also raised an eyebrow.
'Just yesterday, we were meeting her without any issues… what changed, I wonder?'
As Seraphine slowly retraced her steps, even Alice, who had been fully immersed in a dozen floating screens while assembling what looked to be a long rifle, paused for a brief moment.
Her gaze, however, didn't linger for long.
Knowing how her best friend operated, she could already see where this was headed.
"Okay."
The moment she sat down beside him, she nodded obediently with a small smile.
'As expected,' Alice thought inwardly. 'You're a compliant little puppy in the end… just like me.'
"Also, don't speak to her anymore. If she tries to talk to you, ignore her. Treat her like a stranger." Ashen continued in the same flat tone.
"Yes..."
She nodded without even asking why.
What was the point?
Ashen had spoken, leaving her with only two choices: obey him or ignore him.
Since her lover held infinitely more weight in her heart than a friend she had only recently made, the choice had never been difficult.
Asking why or complaining about it wouldn't change that reality. If anything, it would only sow unnecessary conflict between herself and Ashen. So she chose not to ask, even if she was a little curious.
'He said it so decisively… my safety must somehow be at stake.'
She couldn't imagine how someone like Maria could possibly pose a threat to her.
But she trusted Ashen's judgment completely.
'But…'
She suddenly lunged at him, tackling him into a hug. "...if you are going to take away my friend, you should compensate me instead…"
Ashen caught her easily, still thanking god how easily this was resolved when he heard her whiny voice.
"Of course. What do you want?" he caressed her blonde hair indulgently.
"Sex," a hot whisper answered.
"Huh?"
"Tonight. Alone. You and me… until sunrise."
CRACK—
Ashen heard the sound of a pen snapping, followed closely by a resentful mutter. "Vixen…"
He ignored both and answered with a tone matching the indulgence in his eyes, "Your wish is my command…"
"Also… I might want to borrow your Somatic Autonomy skill for a bit later," she added cheekily.
"Okay…"
"Also…"
"Don't push it." It wasn't Ashen who spoke, but her best friend's irritated voice that halted her demands.
Seraphine merely poked her tongue at her before going back to burying her face in his embrace.
'My girls can be a bit too bratty sometimes…' Ashen thought amusedly.
***
Ashen had to let Seraphine go after that, since she had to head to the clinic regardless.
Attending to the injured was her primary duty, after all.
Naturally, due to the nature of her work, Maria was also stationed there as a guard.
Throughout the entire ordeal, she kept sneaking glances at Seraphine, wondering why she had missed their rendezvous.
Those same glances gradually became more and more uneasy as Seraphine completely ignored her.
By the time the Saintess was finally heading back, Maria could no longer bear the anxiety and hurried after her.
"Sera…! Wait, please."
I love you.
Seraphine did not.
She simply kept walking as though she hadn't heard a thing.
Maria, however, was persistent, if nothing else.
When she finally caught up, she stepped in front of her with a flushed face.
"...Seraphine? What's wrong...? Why are you ignoring me? Did I do something wrong?"
Tears threatened to spill from her already puffy eyes.
"I'm sorry... Please just tell me, and I'll fix it. Just give me another chance."
"..."
"Sera...?"
The blonde tilted her head with an utterly innocent expression.
"Sorry… who are you?"
"Huh...?"
"I don't know you. Please don't speak to me so familiarly. Also, my man warned me not to talk to strangers, so please don't approach me."
She naturally walked past her.
Maria remained rooted to the spot, utterly shell-shocked.
"Goodbye."
I love you.
"..."
As she stared blankly ahead, Maria finally understood what kind of person her "friend" truly was.
Her feelings had been genuine.
Her kindness had been sincere.
She truly had regarded Maria as a friend.
...But all of it had been built upon one simple premise—
That she remained accepted by the man who ruled over her heart.
'Her man warned her not to talk to strangers… huh?'
Maria did not miss the implication.
"I wonder what I did to earn your ire, Your Excellency…" she muttered dejectedly.
"But even so… Seraphine… my dear master… to place love even above your own personal relationships… as expected of you."
A faint smile slowly replaced the defeated look on her face.
"Truly worthy of your title."
She closed her eyes.
"I suppose it simply wasn't meant to be, but no matter... if I can't be your friend… I can be something mOrE."
***
It was the last day before the army finally resumed its march.
Everyone was busy dismantling tents and gathering their belongings in preparation for the next grueling advance.
Ashen and his party were no different, each occupied with their own tasks, too busy to pay attention to who came and went.
That was why they didn't notice a certain woman silently approaching until she was close enough to greet them.
"Hello..."
The moment she spoke, Ashen stiffened as his intuition rang like mad in the back of his mind.
The tent pegs slipped from his hands as he slowly rose to his feet, turning toward her with an expressionless face.
"Maria..."
He immediately noticed something was wrong.
She seemed unusually excited.
Her expression was split between anticipation and anxiety, and her steps were noticeably unsteady as she approached them.
Seraphine was the second to notice her, followed by Lapis, Alice, and Lucia, who turned toward the woman one after another.
None of them greeted her.
Ashen's order to Seraphine had, somehow, been unconsciously obeyed by all of them.
"I just wanted to talk to Sera for a moment… please. It won't take long, I promise."
"I will only say this once," Ashen replied flatly. "Leave."
"No... no, I can't leave... no... nonononononono..."
She clutched her head with both hands as though enduring an unbearable headache.
Then, just as suddenly...
She froze.
As though the pain had vanished entirely.
I love you.
Her head snapped upward.
An intense gaze locked onto the silent Seraphine.
"Sera... remember when I told you about the different kinds of love? There was romantic love... familial love... playful love..."
A broad smile spread across her face.
"There's also another very common kind that we somehow never talked about."
She spread both arms wide.
"It's the love between friends!"
By now, Maria's bizarre display had begun drawing the attention of the nearby soldiers.
"And even in this kind of love, I still follow the creed you imparted to me, my dear friend… my master!"
She took a step forward.
"When I love, I love wholeheartedly."
Another step.
"I shall never give up!"
Another.
"I shall be relentless!"
"And I shall never let go!"
Another step.
"Even if the other person rejects me, it simply means our understanding isn't deep enough… it means we still aren't close enough—!"
"So I'll make us closer… so close that we'll understand each other without any misunderstandings…"
Her smile grew brighter.
"By then… you'll surely love me back…"
"And you won't ignore me anymore."
She never took another step.
Not because she didn't want to—
But because she couldn't.
Ashen's spear had already appeared in his hand.
Sliiiick.
Thud.
Maria's head rolled across the ground...
Still wearing the very same smile with which she had confessed her love.
I love you...!