Aquila turned her head, eyes hard."!?"Beneath her outstretched arms, she saw thick cuffs clamped around her wrists. Chains as heavy as they were thick ran up and fixed to the upper posts of the bed.What is this…!She tried to push herself up and let out a brief groan. Just as the gunshot wound had barely healed, a sharp pain surged from the shoulder the wolf had ripped into.Only now did she notice Noce’s robe—what she’d been wearing—was gone; bandages were wrapped round and round her shoulder and chest.He treated me and then tied me down…?Given the situation right before she’d blacked out, it was hard to understand. Aquila moved carefully, within the range that didn’t demand too much strength from her shoulder.She managed, barely, to sit up.Only then did the cabin come into view.The cabin that had been wrecked by the sudden battle and intruder was now perfectly set to rights. Broken ornaments and torn wall tapestries had not just been replaced—they were more sumptuous than before.But perhaps there’d been nothing to replace the smashed door with; it had been torn out entirely.Not quite… a day?Aquila glanced at the red sunlight seeping through the window and guessed at the time. Since it hadn’t yet turned evening, it seemed she’d been out cold from the night before through half the day.Her eyes swept over the floor where the wolf beastfolk had collapsed and the wall closet where Milio had hidden, then dropped again.Clank…Even the slightest motion of the chains on her cuffs drew a heavy iron rasp. Aquila let out a sigh.I should have forced an escape yesterday.She’d hesitated because of the unknown enemy assault and the storm, but now it seemed she might have missed a once-in-a-lifetime chance.Aquila squeezed her eyes shut and opened them.From beyond the yawning doorway came steady footfalls—and a faint scent of smoke."…You’re awake."Noce Mostro appeared and muttered when he saw Aquila sitting up on the bed. And the moment she saw him, she lost her words.…Why is he so gaudy?Instead of the robe she’d torn mid-fight, he wore a red cloak loosely draped, embroidered with intricate northern patterns. Beneath it, with nothing else on, his bronze, brutal chest muscles were bare, and across them a broad golden necklace—some western ornament by the look of it—flashed.His trousers were dark, wide through the thigh and narrowing at the ankle—southern cut, it seemed. As for the tie binding his hair low, the stitched number-mark and the bead ornaments at the ends were of a provenance Aquila could not guess, but foreign, certainly.Do great pirate captains dress like that by default?Staring at him glittering with curios from all over the world, Aquila was struck speechless for a moment. Meanwhile, the man’s outrageous natural looks swallowed all that clamor whole—an absurdity that drew a helpless snort from her.Whether /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ he noticed her gaze or not, he came on at an idle pace and plopped down on the edge of the bed."The skin’s closed, but you’re not fully healed. Stay still."Aquila saw a cup of water and a bowl of food in his hands. The rest of what he wore had been so ostentatious she’d noticed late.Noce set the cup on the nightstand and lifted the lid from the bowl.A nutty porridge aroma spread."Eat.""Ha…?"When Noce dipped up porridge with the spoon and held it out, Aquila made a dumbfounded face."Milio made it, crying.""…"She’d been about to refuse outright, but that sentence drew the words back down her throat. She pictured that kind child dripping tears, blaming themself for everything.Aquila glared at the spoon prodding her lip and, having no choice, opened her mouth. The savory scent of porridge filled it.…It’s good.Setting aside the chill emanating from the man feeding her.For some reason he didn’t like, he added in a colorless voice, "Chew properly and swallow.""…"What are you, my mother.Aquila wanted to protest, but this wasn’t the mood. Of all the times she’d seen him, Noce Mostro felt closest now to snapping.Annoy him further and she might find her legs chained next.In the end, she had to chew and swallow the thin porridge until his eyes eased.No sooner had she swallowed a mouthful than another heaping spoon brushed her lip.What is he even doing…?Why was this pirate angry—and in the middle of that, why was he waiting on her—she couldn’t begin to understand.She choked down spoonfuls, tense to the hilt, and her belly filled fast.Aquila turned her head to dodge the spoon coming in again."Urk, wait… I’m full.""From that little?""I don’t usually eat much."Eat too full and your body’s responses dull and your speed drops. Doing an assassin’s work, small meals had become habit.Noce clicked his tongue at the bowl, half remaining."We’ll build it up.""…Huh? Build what up?""Drink."Setting the bowl aside, he offered the cup this time.Aquila wore a face full of things unsaid, but she was in fact thirsty, so she brought her lips obediently to it.At the slightly rough touch guiding the rim, a runnel of water slipped past her lips and dripped down her jaw.Droplets wet her collarbone, slid over the bandages around her chest, and left dark stains."Huh…?"Just as she finished drinking and started to lean back, she froze a moment.His hand touched the bandages binding her chest.His fingers, which had brushed oddly along the damp wrapping, came to rest just above her wet breast. Then they traced the track the water had left.Collarbone, throat, chin, to the corner of her mouth—his tickling touch continued.His fingers reached her now-moist lips, and their gazes tangled.Seeing her not drawing away but watching him, almost studying him, Noce narrowed one eye.The empty cup fell and rolled across the floor, but neither paid it any mind. At some point his face had dipped to just before her nose.The fingers hovering at her mouth cupped her cheek, and their breaths drew close.Was he going to kiss her as-is?Aquila pressed her instinctively twitching hands down.Kissing this man helps me.The wounds from the fight with the wolf beastfolk hadn’t fully knit. While he slaked his desire, she had only to take in bodily fluids laced with healing.Thus, more easily even than taking the cup, her lips parted—just then."So, young lady."His lips, which she thought would cover hers, skimmed past her mouth and touched the shoulder wrapped in bandages."Who’s that bastard?""…!"The low, honeyed voice poured into her ear sent a resonance through her, and Aquila’s eyes slowly widened.She resumed the breath she’d cut off in haste, but his golden eyes had already narrowed."Hm…"His face withdrew again. Aquila felt her lips, damp from the water, go dry as if they’d never been wet.Noce’s mouth twisted; having had his suspicion confirmed, his mood soured deeper."So you did know him, didn’t you?""…No. It was my first time seeing him."It wasn’t too late yet.Aquila answered in the steadiest voice she could manage."If I’d known him, would I have fought to the death like that? Besides, someone took all my weapons, and I had a hell of a time because of it…""Ah, right. Looks like you did have a hell of a time."He tilted his head, echoing her words."Trying so hard to talk.""…""You could have killed him, but you didn’t. You just stalled—until you even handed over your shoulder.""…"She had no idea how a man who hadn’t been there knew that. Had Milio, shaking in the closet, managed to give him a fairly detailed account?Even as a kid—that one’s still a pirate.Crying, making porridge—and between it all, dutifully reporting to their boss.While Aquila sweated inside, he pressed her in a grim voice."Not going to talk?""I truly don’t know him.""Yeah? Then I can kill him.""…!"So the intruder was still alive.She couldn’t help flicking her gaze up at him; she instantly regretted it. The eyes looking down at her were stained with thick annoyance."Ah, your concern for some stranger is touching.""…I wasn’t concerned. I just—was surprised he’s still alive…""I’m curious too—about what information you just had to get chewed for.""…"Could he… have gotten a lead on Ouroboros?Aquila’s heart sped. She wanted to ask on the spot, but she wasn’t sure she could keep this topic going with him looking even more out of sorts than before.While she hesitated, Noce’s misreading deepened."So busy worrying about others you don’t worry about yourself. You haven’t even asked why you’re tied.""…Isn’t it because you thought I’d run?"Now that the toxin had been purged, she didn’t need to stay abed. If she escaped, that would be troublesome for him—so she’d guessed that’s why he’d tied her like this.But the twitch of his brow told Aquila at once her answer was wrong.

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