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The sun continued its ascent, casting more morning light through the sheer curtains and painting warm, golden patches across the room.
Rover and Lupa lingered in each other's warmth for a little while longer, not stirring until the bustling sounds of the awakening city outside grew too loud to ignore.
As they washed up and got dressed, a few sickeningly sweet, natural gestures inevitably slipped out.
When Lupa adjusted Rover's collar, her fingers deliberately brushed against his jawline. In return, when Rover tucked a stray lock of red hair behind her ear, his fingertips lingered just a second too long on the sensitive shell of her ear. The touch sent a visible shiver down her spine, earning him a completely unthreatening, playful glare.
Every little movement was steeped in the honey-sweet intimacy of a newly established couple.
By the time the two arrived together at the hotel's breakfast buffet, Cartethyia had already been waiting for some time.
Right on cue, Abu popped out of Rover's Tacet Mark. The little Echo let out a massive yawn, stretched lazily, and then twitched its nose, immediately zeroing in on the extravagant breakfast spread.
"Slept so good... Wow, look at all this food! Yours truly is starving!" Abu declared, floating mid-air and rubbing its belly. "Don't mind if I do, Rover!"
After politely exchanging morning greetings with the pair, Cartethyia returned to sitting quietly at her table.
Watching them walk side-by-side, her icy blue eyes flickered. She sensed something... off, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly it was.
She just had a vague, nagging feeling that the atmosphere between the Righteous One and Miss Lupa today was... incredibly harmonious. Almost too connected.
It was as if invisible threads had wrapped them tightly together, pulling them into an intimacy far deeper than the camaraderie they usually shared as battlefield companions.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Rover said naturally as he approached. Displaying perfect gentlemanly grace, he pulled out a chair for Lupa, ensuring she was seated before taking the chair beside her.
Cartethyia didn't miss that subtle detail, but she simply lowered her eyes and quietly resumed cutting the food on her plate.
Lupa was visibly in a phenomenal mood. Her appetite was ravenous, and she even took the initiative to serve a slice of smoked meat onto Rover's plate. "Partner, you have to try this! It's so good!"
Abu, currently stuffing its face, paused to look up—first at Lupa, then at Rover. The little Echo tilted its head. Even though it didn't fully comprehend the complex intricacies of human emotions, it could tell the vibe at the table was strange. Especially Lupa. Her smile was so sugary sweet it was borderline excessive.
Throughout the meal, Rover and Lupa constantly exchanged glances. Their occasional low whispers and soft chuckles carried a seamless, private understanding that completely excluded anyone else.
Cartethyia remained silent. However, whenever she happened to glance up, she noticed that the Righteous One's gaze would occasionally shift to her. His eyes held a complex emotion that she couldn't immediately decipher. It looked almost like... guilt?
Breakfast continued under this bizarrely delicate atmosphere. Lupa enthusiastically regaled them with amusing stories from her time in the Seven Hills' arena, her voice ringing clearer and brighter than usual.
Rover mostly just listened quietly, occasionally chiming in with a few words of agreement. However, his eyes remained fixed on Lupa with an intensity entirely different from his usual demeanor.
Cartethyia was incredibly familiar with that intensity.
It was the exact same absolute focus he used when analyzing an enemy's weakness in battle. Only now, the lethal edge was entirely gone, replaced by an endless, bottomless tenderness. It left her utterly bewildered.
What puzzled her even more was the invisible synchronization between them.
Lupa barely had to glance at the sugar bowl before Rover naturally slid it toward her. Rover's water glass was barely half empty before Lupa seamlessly picked up the pitcher and refilled it for him.
They didn't even need to speak.
Cartethyia mechanically chewed on her Greenbranch Laurel Salad—usually her absolute favorite dish—but right now, it tasted like cardboard.
She kept her icy blue eyes cast downward, letting her long eyelashes conceal the turbulence in her gaze.
As a former Holy Maiden of the Convent and now a wandering knight, she was deeply accustomed to observation, especially when it came to the one she had sworn to follow.
Right now, her observational skills were operating in complete overdrive, frantically analyzing the "anomaly" sitting in front of her.
The Righteous One... seems to be sitting much closer to Miss Lupa than he did yesterday.
And Miss Lupa... whenever she looks at the Righteous One, the blush on her cheeks far exceeds the normal range of body temperature. And when the Righteous One returns her gaze, the muscles around the corners of his eyes twitch with an incredibly subtle, yet deeply buried gentleness.
Cartethyia couldn't accurately articulate what she was seeing and feeling. Her heightened senses were honed for battle, not for decoding romance, but this entire scene just made her feel inexplicably... uncomfortable.
Cartethyia's Conclusion: Nine parts out of ten, something is fundamentally wrong here.
The maiden knight had reached her preliminary diagnosis, even if she couldn't pinpoint the exact cause. She just instinctively knew that a familiar balance had been shattered.
"Cartethyia? Cartethyia?" Rover's voice abruptly pulled her from her spiraling thoughts.
"Yes! Righteous One!" She snapped her head up. Her reaction was slightly stiff, like someone who had just been caught eavesdropping.
Rover looked at her, his gaze just as gentle as it was on the morning they first wished each other good morning at the Aventurine Academy. "Is the food not to your liking? You've barely touched it."
"No, it's delicious. It's just..." Cartethyia faltered. She couldn't exactly say, I was busy analyzing the extremely abnormal behavior between you and Lupa.
"She's definitely just still thinking about the fight!" Lupa jumped in without missing a beat, using the serving fork to cheerfully plop a piece of bacon onto Cartethyia's plate. "Don't overthink it! You need to eat more to get your strength back!"
Lupa's smile was as radiant as ever, completely devoid of any hidden malice. Her genuine, straightforward concern suddenly made Cartethyia feel as though her own silent suspicions were incredibly rude.
She lowered her head. "Thank you, Miss Lupa."
Abu fluttered over, doing a full lap around Cartethyia before scratching its head with a paw. "Cartethyia's been acting super weird since she woke up! Did you not sleep well?"
Even Abu noticed.
Cartethyia felt a flash of embarrassment and simply shook her head. "I am fine, Abu."
Rover's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, that complex, slightly guilty emotion resurfacing deep within his eyes.
He looked as though he wanted to say something else, but ultimately settled for a gentle nod. "Eat up, Cartethyia."
"Yes..."
Breakfast concluded under that same strangely delicate atmosphere.
Once a thoroughly stuffed Abu flew off to find some fruit to aid its digestion, Rover turned to the red-haired girl beside him and spoke naturally. "Lupa."
"Hmm?" Lupa, busy wiping her mouth with a napkin, turned to look at him, her dark golden eyes shining brightly.
"I might need to leave the Seven Hills for a little while," Rover said, his gaze shifting to the knight sitting across from them. "After the recent battles, Cartethyia's body has gone through a lot of changes. The power within her has become somewhat imbalanced, and she needs a thorough examination."
"The Black Shores are experts in this field, and they have the proper facilities. I plan on escorting her there."
Hearing this, Cartethyia set down her knife and fork, giving a solemn nod. "Yes. I apologize for the trouble, Righteous One."
The bright smile on Lupa's face dimmed slightly, though she wasn't upset—her expression shifted to one of genuine understanding and concern.
She immediately looked at Cartethyia. "That's serious business! Your health is the most important thing. You definitely need to get that properly checked out!"
Then, she turned back to Rover. A faint, barely perceptible trace of reluctance flashed in her eyes, but her tone remained as breezy and supportive as ever. "Go, go! Don't worry about me, partner. Just focus on getting her sorted! When are you heading out?"
"When we got back yesterday, I contacted the local Black Shores operatives stationed here. They arranged for a passenger ship for us by noon today," Rover explained, glancing up at the clock on the dining room wall. "By my estimate, the ship should be docking in about three hours."
"We still have time then!" Lupa's eyes lit up, her boundless energy instantly returning. "Didn't Cartethyia say before that she wanted me to show you guys around the Seven Hills? We should go right now!"
A flicker of genuine anticipation finally broke through Cartethyia's icy blue eyes. She gave a small nod. "Yes. I would appreciate that, Miss Lupa."
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