Morning had only just broken, the sun barely rising above the treetops.
The crisp click of a turning doorknob shattered the quiet atmosphere of the manor.
After carefully pushing open the bedroom door, sneaking outside on tiptoe, and gently closing it behind him, Kabe finally held his aching waist and let out a long breath.
"As the saying goes, women at thirty are wolves, at forty tigers, and at fifty they can drain the earth dry…"
"A four-hundred-year-old woman almost sucked my kidneys dry."
Just remembering how insane Irene had been last night made Kabe's legs tremble slightly.
The moment he realized she was still sleeping, Kabe, who had only managed to nap for two hours, immediately slipped out of the room. He was genuinely afraid she'd wake up and drag him into some "morning exercise."
Supporting his sore lower back, Kabe walked through the hallway toward the living room, planning to collapse onto the sofa for a little more sleep.
But before he could do that, the corner of his eye caught sight of a scarlet figure sitting upright on the couch with arms folded, seemingly asleep.
Among everyone Kabe knew, there were only two people associated with the color scarlet.
And since Irene was still passed out in his room right now…
Then the identity of the person before him became painfully obvious.
"Damn it… what kind of timing is this?! I slept with Irene yesterday, and Erza comes back first thing this morning?!"
Completely unprepared to face her yet, Kabe instantly panicked.
He immediately held his breath while staring at Erza, who appeared to still be sleeping, then slowly began retreating backward.
"Don't wake up… don't wake up… let me think of an excuse first!"
Praying internally, he tiptoed away at a snail's pace like he was performing some bizarre stealth art.
"Where are you going?"
A cool voice devoid of emotion suddenly echoed through the empty living room.
Kabe's heart instantly sank to rock bottom.
His body froze stiff on the spot.
Slowly, mechanically, he turned his head.
Erza had opened her eyes at some point. Her dark brown eyes stared directly at him without blinking.
Kabe awkwardly raised a hand and forced out a dry laugh.
"Y-yo, Erza. You looked asleep, so I was going to grab you a blanket. Didn't want you catching a cold."
"This level of chill means nothing to my body. But thank you for worrying about me."
"Huh?"
Her tone was so calm and normal that Kabe became suspicious.
"She's not angry? She's not questioning me? Does she… not know about Irene yet?"
To verify his guess, he suppressed the panic in his heart and casually walked toward the sofa while speaking as naturally as possible.
"Mission must've been rough. You got back this early and probably haven't eaten breakfast yet, right? Want me to make you something?"
Erza watched him approach, then frowned slightly and patted the empty seat beside her.
"Sit next to me. I haven't seen you for several days… I missed you a little."
Kabe paused briefly before immediately circling the table and sitting beside her, naturally reaching an arm toward her waist.
"She's definitely not angry. She even said she missed me. Looks like she really doesn't know anything yet."
The giant stone in his heart instantly dropped.
"As long as I can think of a proper explanation before Irene wakes up and convince Erza to accept things, everything should still work out."
That was what he thought while rapidly drafting excuses in his head.
But just as his fingers brushed against the soft fabric at Erza's waist, her calm voice sounded again.
"There's no need to make breakfast. Selene went back to grab some wine and said she'd bring food for me too."
Kabe's pupils instantly shrank.
Every muscle in his body tightened.
"Se… Selene? You already saw her?!"
"Mm, I did."
"And… my situation with Irene…"
Warning sirens immediately exploded inside Kabe's head.
The moment Erza showed even the slightest sign something was wrong, he was fully prepared to flee for his life before blood splattered across the room.
While his brain spun wildly, trying to predict every possible reaction Erza might have…
She suddenly leaned forward.
Her soft, warm, fragrant body directly threw itself into his arms.
Like a spoiled kitten, she rubbed herself against his chest affectionately.
Then she lifted her head and looked at him with watery eyes filled entirely with gratitude.
"Thank you, Kabe."
"Thank you for accepting Irene… for giving her someone to rely on."
"If Selene hadn't told me everything, I never would've realized Irene was suffering like that all this time."
"I've been far too selfish… far too inconsiderate…"
Kabe stared blankly at Erza, who not only wasn't blaming him, but was instead endlessly criticizing herself and even thanking him.
He instinctively leaned backward and inhaled sharply.
"…Huh???"
That single sound carried every emotion currently exploding inside him.
Confusion.
Guilt.
Shock.
But above all else…
Complete and utter bewilderment.
"SELENE! What the hell did you tell Erza?! What kind of settings did you install into her?!"
"I… you… Irene…"
Kabe became so scrambled he couldn't even form coherent sentences.
Meanwhile, Erza failed to notice anything strange about his reaction.
After speaking, she simply buried her face back into his chest and wrapped both arms tightly around his waist.