Chapter 3
And why, instead of those ample brxxsts, did he keep remembering a pair of soft, modest brxxsts that fit perfectly in the palm of his hand?
“Huh?”
Aaron searched through his memories once more, carefully retracing them.
He remembered her face flushing bright red whenever their tongues tangled in a passionate kiss.
“Whoa…”
No, it was different. The woman was different.
At the time, he’d been so drunk he hadn’t known what was happening, but now that he thought back on it, they couldn’t have been the same person.
The alluring woman who had been flirting with him at the ball, and the unfamiliar woman in the memories that followed.
Then who, exactly, had he slept with? Who was the woman with whom he’d shared such a feverish, passionate night?
“Who was she?”
Why had the woman changed halfway through the night?
“What’s going on?”
No matter how hard he searched his memory, he couldn’t recall when it had happened.
He distinctly remembered sharing drinks with the seductive woman at the ball.
Yet the woman he remembered being with in bed was someone else entirely.
“Did I switch partners?”
Maybe something had happened after he’d gotten drunk. Perhaps events had unfolded that he simply couldn’t remember, and somewhere along the way, the woman beside him had changed.
It was possible.
Clutching his pounding head, Aaron started to climb out of bed. Then he froze.
His eyes locked onto the bedsheet.
“……”
There, unmistakably staining the white linen, was blood.
Did I… kill someone in this bed last night? Then why was there fresh crimson blood on the pristine white sheets?
“Impossible…”
Aaron’s face turned deathly pale as he arrived at an unthinkable conclusion.
“I can’t believe I… a virgin….”
What if this really was a virgin’s blood?
This was, without question, the greatest disaster of Aaron Schmidt’s life.
He was a Gold Hand, the kingdom’s most honored class of Holy Knights. If word got out that he had spent the night with an innocent maiden who had never known a man, his reputation would be ruined.
A Gold Hand was bound by a code of honor. And at the heart of that code was responsibility. If a Gold Hand took a virgin’s chastity, he was obligated to take responsibility for her for the rest of her life.
Of course, if the maiden herself declared that she did not expect him to fulfill that obligation, then he would be released from it. Otherwise, he was duty-bound to marry her and accept responsibility as her husband.
That was precisely why Aaron had always avoided virgins.
The women he occasionally spent time with were almost always married noblewomen or noble daughters who were already experienced. Until now, he had never made the mistake of touching an untouched maiden.
Yet the bloodstain before him could only mean one thing. This was the greatest blunder Aaron Schmidt had ever made.
Sleeping with her was one thing. The real problem was that he had no idea who she was.
If the woman were to speak first—I slept with Aaron Schmidt, and he refused to take responsibility—it would all be over.
He would be branded a dishonorable man who shirked the obligations that came with sharing a woman’s bed. He might even be forced to relinquish his position as a Gold Hand and retire from the capital in disgrace.
It was the worst crisis he had ever faced.
“I have to find her.”
First, he had to find the woman.
Whether he accepted responsibility or she rejected him, he had to find her first.
The problem was he didn’t know her name.
He couldn’t even remember her face.
Could I just pretend not to remember and hope it all blows over?
Absolutely not. If the woman chose to make the matter public, the case would inevitably be brought before the wizards.
They would use their cursed magic to determine whether her testimony was true. And if it was, Aaron would be publicly humiliated before the entire kingdom.
“The wizards?”
Something suddenly clicked in Aaron’s mind.
“That’s it… a wizard.”
The only way to find a woman whose name he didn’t know and whose face he couldn’t remember was with the help of a wizard.
Normally, he wouldn’t have anything to do with those people.
But if anyone could track her down, surely they could.
After all, wasn’t accomplishing the impossible exactly what wizards were known for?
“Grand Archmage Freyan.”
An ordinary mage wouldn’t do.
He needed someone discreet enough to keep the matter confidential, yet powerful enough to succeed.
Grand Archmage Freyan was the perfect choice.
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