"I understand," Roland said, picking her up by the waist and gently placing her on the bed. This simple action left him breathless. He unfolded the thin blanket and climbed in. Anna leaned closer, resting her head on his arm.

What should come next... foreplay?

He found himself getting nervous. This wouldn't do. As an "experienced" man, he couldn't show his unease in front of the young woman. Perhaps he should ease the atmosphere with light chat before taking action. Like... telling a dirty joke?

Just as he was racking his brains, Anna's soft voice sounded in his ear, "When you pushed me off the hot air balloon, didn't you think you might die?"

Roland paused, not expecting her to ask that. "I just did it instinctively."

"You are the future ruler of Graycastle, and the hope of the witches," she murmured. "I'm not worth you doing that."

"It's not a question of worth," Roland chuckled. "I couldn't just stand by and watch you get attacked. Actually, after I woke up, I thought about it carefully. If things hadn't happened so suddenly, and I had time to fully consider it before deciding, I still would have done it."

"I can't stop you, can I?"

"No, you can't." Roland pinched her nose with his other hand.

Anna's eyelashes drooped, and she was silent for a moment before saying, "Can you tell me about your past... I want to know more."

"Hmm, the past," Roland exhaled. He searched through the Fourth Prince's memories, preparing to tell a couple of anecdotes from the royal palace, but he swallowed the words back. His past didn't belong here, but to another completely different world. "I used to live in a big city, very, very big."

"Yes, the capital of Graycastle, many times larger than Border Town."

"After I was born, I was no different from ordinary people. I was a little clever, but not that clever. I studied diligently, so I was often praised by my teacher. But he didn't know that the graffiti on the classroom wall that was hard to erase was all drawn by me."

"He wouldn't dare blame you." Anna murmured.

"Haha, no way, he didn't need to do anything to me, just tell my parents," Roland said, shaking his head with a smile. "Back then, they wouldn't have shown any mercy when they disciplined me."

"Then, as I got older, my teachers kept changing, from junior teachers to mentors, and finally I completed all my studies with mediocre grades. Of course, compared to other people's children, I was always a little bit lacking..."

He half-closed his eyes, slowly recounting his experiences with a little embellishment. He hadn't experienced this kind of unreserved, unrestricted exchange of feelings in a long time. Since coming here, he had been playing the role of the prince, but at this moment, he felt like he had returned to the past, as if he was lying in a hotel full of classical charm, exchanging pleasantries with a girl he liked, and his tense mood gradually relaxed.

Perhaps it was time to take the next step?

Roland turned his head slightly, only to find that Anna had already closed her eyes, her chest rising and falling gently against his side, as if she had fallen asleep like a cat.

He was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle.

So that's it... she was tired too.

Come to think of it, in order to conceal their whereabouts, the witches had found a cramped and winding place in the mountains to hide the day before yesterday night. They also had to be constantly vigilant against attacks from beasts and demons, and they hardly slept all night. As soon as dawn broke, they continued to raise the Remote Viewing device to rush to Border Town. After returning to the castle, Anna spent another night guarding his bedroom. Two days and two nights without a moment's rest, the pent-up fatigue was bound to erupt. It would be strange if she wasn't exhausted now.

Perhaps her decision was made during this anxious and restless wait.

Although it was a little pity, Roland didn't mind this time. There were many days to come.

He leaned forward and kissed Anna's long eyelashes, whispering, "Good night."

*************

******

When the morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains into the room, Sylvie got out of the big bed and couldn't help but yawn a few times.

These past few days had been like an unbelievable dream. From discovering the demons to aerial combat, and finally escaping all the way back to Border Town, she felt that even being pursued and intercepted by the Church's Inquisition Army would not have been so stressful and tiring.

"Good morning," Wendy said. She had already changed her clothes and was holding a basin of water to wash.

"Good morning," she nodded. "You're up early."

"Getting older," Wendy smiled, "I need less and less sleep."

"Ah... is it dawn?" Nightingale rubbed her eyes. "Looks like I'll have to take a nap at noon today."

"Didn't sleep well last night?"

"Yeah, had a lot of dreams."

Sylvie curled her lips dismissively. She had clearly seen Nightingale go invisible to the third floor of the castle last night, and had lingered in front of the Lord's room for a long time. However, due to Nightingale's special ability, she didn't know what she wanted to do, but in any case, she came back very late. "You weren't..."

Just as she opened her mouth, Nightingale suddenly turned her head and stared at Sylvie, her slightly narrowed eyes speaking volumes—the latter immediately shut her mouth. The strength of this number one combat witch of the Witch Cooperation Association was obvious to all. The image of her intercepting and killing demons in the air like a wandering ghost was still vivid in her mind. If she were placed on Sleeping Island, even Ash might not be her match. Faced with her silent warning, Sylvie felt that it was better not to be too curious.

"What about last night?" Wendy asked strangely.

"Ahem," she said, "I heard her snoring last night, probably because she's been using too much energy these days."

"I think so too," Nightingale shrugged, took off her sleeping gown, revealing her well-proportioned figure, and began to put on the close-fitting underwear given by His Highness.

Speaking of which, now even Wendy had completely accepted this garment, and even seemed to be recommending it to herself.

It had to be said that Lord Roland was a truly terrifying person.

But at this moment, thinking of him, Sylvie felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

So there really were nobles who were willing to get injured for a witch.

Seeing Roland pushing Anna away without regard for his own safety, she felt that something in her heart had been touched. All the witches of the Witch Cooperation Association were not tools controlled by him, but his important subordinates, or even... companions. That instant reaction couldn't be faked. He was genuinely on the witches' side, just like Tilly Wimbledon.

If Roland and Tilly could stand together hand in hand, gathering the strength of both places, perhaps they could really create a new country where witches and ordinary people were indistinguishable.

She decided to write a letter to Lady Tilly.

Lord Roland is your brother, that's great. (。)"