Leon dreamed—a rare occurrence for the battle-hardened knight.
In his dream, he traversed the heart of a vast, shimmering desert. After pushing through a blinding sandstorm, he emerged to find Veronica standing beside him. Their eyes met in silent communication before they turned forward as one and began walking together. After countless steps across the endless sands, they halted before a magnificent sword. Veronica pointed to the weapon, and Leon wrapped his fingers around the hilt, determined to claim it for her. The moment he wrenched it free with a surge of strength, his eyes flew open.
Birdsong greeted the dawn as Leon gazed at the morning sky, where wisps of clouds drifted along. His attention soon shifted to the woman nestled against his chest. Dappled sunlight, filtering through the canopy above, kissed her peaceful face. Veronica slumbered deeply, her lips slightly parted, occasionally furrowing her brow or fluttering her delicate eyelashes as dreams played behind her closed eyes. Hers was a face he could study for an eternity without growing weary. No, even a lifetime of waking to this vision seemed woefully insufficient.
If they crossed the Whiteland border today as planned, they would reach Roberdin—the crown jewel of northern ports—within a month. Once settled, Leon intended to fulfill her wish for a proper sword before all else. His dream must have sprung from these thoughts occupying his mind before sleep claimed him.
With reverent care, he traced her collarbone with his fingertip, watching as a crimson flush bloomed and faded along the path of his touch. Unable to resist, he entwined his fingers in her silken hair and drew her closer against him.
“Mmm…” A soft sound escaped her lips.
He breathed in her intoxicating scent, filling his lungs with her essence. Desire coursed through him like wildfire, primal and consuming. He wanted more of her—all of her. His wandering touch must have disturbed her sleep, since Veronica blinked her eyes open for a moment.
“This can’t be real… Why is it morning here already? This is some cruel trick…”
Her words faded as slumber reclaimed her mid-sentence. Leon chuckled at her adorable protest, prompting another unintelligible murmur from her lips. He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead before reluctantly shifting to rise.
“You can sleep a little more if you’re tired,” he said softly. “I’ll summon you when breakfast is ready.”
“…No.” Her eyes fluttered open with effort. “I told you before… I hate being abandoned in the morning most of all.”
She forced strength into her gaze as though she was trying to shake off her sleepiness through sheer will. Leon had discovered she was far more susceptible to loneliness than he’d initially believed. She would force herself to match his schedule, rising early and retiring late despite her exhaustion. Whenever he caught her nodding off, a strange mixture of tenderness and guilt would wash over him, remembering that he had once left such a woman alone in darkness.
“Then shall I wake you properly?” he suggested, sliding his hand beneath her clothing and drawing forth a cascade of uneven laughter as his touch tickled her sensitive skin. He lowered his head to press his lips against her elegant neck, his hand continuing its exploration upward. The soft curves of her flesh yielded beneath his touch.
“You’ve grown softer here,” he observed, his voice husky with appreciation.
“That’s entirely your doing,” she retorted. “Someone keeps feeding me like he’s fattening me for the feast.”
“Even from that brief description, he sounds like a man worth keeping,” Leon replied with mock seriousness. “Never let him go.”
Veronica giggled at his shameless self-praise, her eyes meeting his with newfound lightness. The simple connection of their gazes ignited his body’s response. Her delicate face with its perfect features captivated him anew each morning. Veronica was beautiful—a fact only she seemed blind to, even as she grew impossibly more beautiful with each passing day.
“If you’re awake,” he said reluctantly, “go rouse the others.”
After drinking in her beauty one last time, he slowly withdrew his hand from beneath her garments.
“Are you going to fetch water?” she asked. “Aren’t we going to continue?”
Leon, poised to rise, froze at her ambiguous question. Turning back, he found Veronica had shifted to lie on her side.
When she saw him looking at her, she added, “I’m not fully awake yet.”
Leon stared silently into her innocent eyes. The wind whispered through the leaves above them. Her shoulders, perfectly formed, gleamed like fresh snow even in the dappled shade of their forest shelter.
She has no idea how her innocent words affect me, he thought. She doesn’t know how she drives me insane with every little thing she does.
“Later,” he said, listening to someone stirring nearby, the rustling sound breaking the intimate moment between them. “When we’re alone.”
He yearned to give her far more than mere comfort or warmth. He wanted to shower her with devotion so abundant that she would want to spend a lifetime with him, despite the weight of the Berg name he carried. He wanted to love her so completely that even if memories of their painful past surfaced unexpectedly, she would never consider leaving. But to do that, he could not afford to be complacent. He now had a family—his family—to protect and cherish.