TCCIO 13

Chapter 13. Our Relationship

“While I wait for them to contact me, I’m going to try something else.”

Aaron lifted his head and looked at Delia with strange eyes. While keeping his gaze fixed on her, he slowly folded the letter in his hand. Delia’s eyes sparkled as she watched his long, strong fingers move across the letter.

“Them?”

“I asked them to investigate you.”

“A waste of effort. There’s nothing you can learn from investigating me. If it were me, I’d spend my time doing something productive instead.”

Aaron lazily responded as he placed the letter—detailing the situation in Kabat—on the table.

“If you don’t like being watched, reveal your identity and start proper negotiations.”

“That’s never going to happen. Who would benefit from that? Anyway, I’m going to eat the flowers.”

At Delia’s bold declaration, Aaron let out a small laugh.

“Fine. If our dear prisoner really wants to eat flowers that badly.”

The strange, tense air inside the tent briefly dissipated. Acknowledging that his prisoner was quite unusual, Aaron lightly gestured to a soldier. Following the signal, a soldier brought in a large bowl. A clean, white towel was draped over its rim.

“Place it there.”

A soldier entered with the bowl full of water.

“Put it there and leave.”

Aaron pointed to a small chair near the bed. Delia frowned as she watched the bowl being placed.

“Liar. You said you weren’t going to kill me. Are you giving me this so I can drink it and die?”

“No. Why would you drink it? It’s for washing.”

“Oh. That’s what it was?”

Finally understanding, Delia nodded and set down the bouquet of flowers. She reached for the towel and muttered,

“Not this. I want to take a bath.”

“You sure have a lot of requests for a prisoner.”

“There’s a lake not far from here. Can’t I go there?”

“You’re already thinking of other things.”

“I want to swim too…”

And escape. Her voice trailed off with lingering regret. Aaron firmly cut her off.

“No. You can’t let your wounds get wet yet.”

He gave a slight nod to the soldier, who bowed and left. Once the last soldier giving reports disappeared, only Aaron and Delia were left inside the tent.

“Ugh, Commander. You’re annoyingly strict about weird things. If you’re going to be like this, you shouldn’t have shot me in the first place.”

Grumbling, Delia dipped the towel into the water and wrung it out. She gently wiped her face and neck. A heavy silence settled inside the commander’s tent. After confirming that Delia was washing up, Aaron turned his head and took a few relaxed steps toward the table. He placed his sword, gun, and hidden weapons from his uniform on the table. Then he took off his jacket and loosened the buttons of his shirt. Running a hand over the back of his neck, he tilted his head back with a quiet sigh. The lantern softly lit the curve of his throat as it glided down.

Delia’s hand slowed in the heavy, languid atmosphere created by Aaron. She could feel it clearly: the relaxed air of a beast after a hunt. But she knew that if he sensed even the slightest hint of her trying to escape, his claws would emerge instantly. She had to escape—no matter what. This conflict of purpose between the two of them simmered silently beneath the surface.

“Want some help?”

Aaron’s voice pulled Delia out of her thoughts.

“Leave the tent. That would help.”

“Why should I? This is my tent.”

“Then at least let me leave.”

“If you could come and go freely, you’d be a guest, not a prisoner.”

“You’re no help. I can’t wash properly with you here.”

“Why? Between us…”

Aaron looked at her with a meaningful smile.

“Why? Between us. You’ve already seen everything, haven’t you?”

“Ugh, please. Stop saying that. I was a patient then! It couldn’t be helped. I don’t even remember it.”

Delia gripped the towel tightly. The soft red light from the lantern made Aaron’s half-exposed chest seem strangely sensual. Delia shuddered and drew a clear line.

“There’s nothing between us except being a prisoner and the enemy’s commander. That’s all.”

“Right. That’s the kind of relationship we have.”

At Delia’s sharp response, Aaron shrugged. His strong features cast deep shadows across his face, and in the night, his grey eyes seemed darker than ever as they settled on her.

“Then don’t resist and just obey. I’ll wash your back.”

“No. That’s not something people in our relationship should be doing.”

“Then pretend you’re still a patient. It couldn’t be helped, right?”

Aaron approached Delia and took the towel from her almost forcibly. He dipped it in the water and wrung it out. The quiet tent was filled with the soft sound of dripping water. Delia clicked her tongue and reluctantly unbuttoned her shirt. She pulled it off just enough to expose her white shoulders and back, her left arm still bandaged. Aaron gathered her loose hair and pushed it to one side. The delicate line of her neck flowed smoothly into her shoulders. Her shoulder blades stood out like wings on either side of her spine. She was a defenseless herbivore exposed before a predator.

“Have you not been eating properly? You’re so thin.”

Aaron moved the damp towel gently along the elegant lines of her back.

“I was busy trying to drive out the Imperial Army.”

“It’s pointless. Why work so hard for something that’s doomed? Just accept the fate of a weak nation.”

“That’s ridiculous. Our fate is to fight to protect what’s ours.”

The towel, trailing down her spine, caught on the shirt. Aaron briefly considered pushing it lower but instead smirked and brought it back up along her back.

“In the end, it’s the same for the people below.”

“It’s different. They already look down on us for being a small nation. How badly do you think we’ll be treated after being occupied? We’ll be exploited to the point of starvation. I can’t watch that happen.”

“But they probably don’t even know you’re working this hard for them.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Why go to such lengths for something no one will recognize?”

“Just because. I love Iorenti.”

As if confessing love, Delia’s body trembled. Aaron felt her shiver through his fingertips.

“So it’s unrequited. One-sided love.”

“Whether it is or not, just go back to your Empire. Stop coveting someone else’s land.”

“Should I really go back to the Empire?”

At Aaron’s lazy words, Delia spun around and waved her hand at him like warding off a demon.

“Great idea. Go. Leave. There’s nothing here for you.”

Aaron turned toward her and stared. His deep grey eyes shimmered with a golden ripple under his blue gaze. Her pale skin peeked through her hair, the loosely hanging shirt only heightening Aaron’s tension. He regretted pulling her golden hair forward. With a quiet sigh, he moved the towel again.

“Then come with me. To the Empire.”

“What nonsense…”

Caught off guard, Delia looked into Aaron’s eyes. That was her mistake. The moment she met those deep grey eyes, her heartbeat began to slow—as if turned to stone by the gaze of a mythical monster. His voice flowed into her like mist.

“Come with me to the Empire. As war spoils.”

“War spoils?”

Delia echoed him like learning a new word. Aaron’s sensual hand moved down her shoulder while her mind was still frozen.

“You’ll be the symbol of the Southern Three Nations’ conquest. My prize.”

His devilishly sweet voice whispered in her ear. Her dazed eyes snapped back into focus. Realizing what he meant, Delia scowled.

“So that means Iorenti already lost.”

Startled by her aggression, Aaron dropped the towel.

“Such temper.”

He clicked his tongue and picked the towel up from the floor.

“No matter how much you struggle, Iorenti will fall.”

“You devil.”

A devilishly beautiful one. She realized the cruel joke too late. To this demon, the struggle of a small nation was mere entertainment. A prisoner of a defeated country was nothing more than a trophy. Delia was disgusted with herself for being briefly enchanted.

“Get away from me. Don’t touch me again.”

She hastily pulled her shirt up and glared at Aaron. In response, he raised his hands and smirked playfully.

“As you wish, dear prisoner.”

Aaron stood up from the bed with a relaxed motion, while Delia angrily flopped onto it. The mattress shook with a thud. How dare he mock me? Gritting her teeth under the covers, Delia seethed. I can’t stay like this. I must escape. From him. The pain in her arm seemed to intensify with her rage.

The lantern went out, plunging the tent into darkness. Moonlight cast shadows across the tent, deepening the darkness even more. As the forest slept, the blanket shifted slightly. Delia peeked out, motionless like a statue. Her eyes shone faintly in the dark, reflecting determination. I will escape from that man.

Earlier that evening, Delia had been fuming under the covers, but the commander had remained calm. As if the charged atmosphere had been a lie, he went about his usual routine—reviewing documents, playing with his dagger, meticulously cleaning his gun. Eventually, bored, he began sipping brandy and watching his captured prisoner with curious eyes. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel his gaze. That lunatic. He’s definitely not normal.

Maybe that was a good thing.

There might finally be a crack she could slip through—because the mad commander watching over her had gotten drunk and fallen asleep.