The Last Tent

Rad shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel the fog from his mind. He exerted all his strength to resist doing what was currently lingering in his thoughts. There would be an uncontrollable uproar if he went through with it. Not to mention the nightmares that would befall everyone.

Rad swallowed his saliva several times to keep himself in check and held his breath even tighter. Meanwhile, Bree attempted to stand upright again with an annoyed expression on her face.

"Arrogance." Rad muttered after his mind cleared a bit. He reprimanded Bree, who was stubbornly moving away, even though her legs weren't strong enough to support her.

"Duchess? Are you alright?"

Bree was about to snap back, but fortunately, Aima intervened, breaking the tension.

Like Campy, Aima had also joined this journey. Since earlier, she has hitched a ride on the carriage carrying the tents, along with other servants.

This might be the first time Bree warmly welcomed Aima's arrival and waved at her with relief.

"My lady, is your foot hurting? It's better if you rest inside the tent."

Bree agreed, considering it a good idea. With Aima's assistance, Bree walked towards the tent prepared for her. Her legs were strong enough to walk, though not without difficulty. She left Rad behind, not wanting to hear more of his victorious taunts.

It took them a while to reach the tent, as it was located on the edge of the open field, quite far away. They had already set up the tent perfectly, ready for use.

"Wait! Why are you bringing her here?"

Surprised to find Rad still nearby, Bree stopped and turned around, facing him with a puzzled expression.

Rad pointed to the tent. "This is my tent!" Rad correctly identified it.

He always slept in the red-patterned tent. On the front of the tent, the Valois family emblem was visible, featuring a black horse with two crossed swords beneath it. The main tent was specifically for him.

"The Duchess will also sleep here, Your Grace. With you."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Rad and Bree shouted simultaneously.

"That... That..."

Aima, seeing Bree and Rad both looking terrifying, was at a loss.

"What do you mean we'll be in the same tent?" Bree asked, hoping she had misheard.

"But that's what Campy said. I didn't..."

"CAMPY!"

Rad yelled, summoning Campy immediately.

Campy ran away from the group of servants who were receiving instructions from him. Campy was not only Rad's personal servant but also the head servant of Valois Castle. Unless there were specific orders from Rad, Campy was the one who decided which servant worked where.

"Your Grace," Campy bowed in front of Rad with a perfectly peaceful face. He seemed unaware that anything was wrong. Yet Rad looked on the verge of exploding with anger.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Rad growled.

"Meaning, Your Grace? I don't understand." Campy bowed again with an innocent expression.

"You arranged this, didn't you?" Rad accused Campy, looking at him suspiciously.

Rad know that Campy was not a careless person who could make such a mistake. Campy always checked the equipment twice before departure, so it was impossible for him not to notice the missing tent. It was deliberate, and Rad was pretty sure.

"Don't play around, Camp! I..."

"Yes, right! I don't want to be in the same tent with him!"

Bree, recovering from the shock, rushed to protest. Bree wanted to avoid any misinterpretation of her silent stance as acceptance of the 'they're sleeping together' suggestion. Bree clearly felt that it was a very bad idea. She didn't want to be next to Rad all night.

"Set up another tent!" Rad demanded from Campy.

For Rad, this was torture because it meant he had to hold his breath all night. It was impossible. Rad never told Campy about this weakness because he didn't want him to think too much.

Moreover, Rad couldn't explain why his body was now overly sensitive to Bree's scent, even though at the beginning of their marriage, it wasn't like this.

Campy bowed deeply again, apologizing to both Rad and Bree. "I'm really sorry. But..."

"Don't fool around, Camp! I'm not joking!" Rad reprimanded.

"I'm not joking either, Your Grace."

"It can't be like this! I..."

"Excuse me, Duchess." Campy turned to Bree, interrupting Rad's outburst.

"Forgive me. Here, I don't mean to meddle in your affairs, but wouldn't it be better if you slept in the same tent as Duke Valois? What if your father asks why you two are not in the same tent?"

That was the beginning of a lengthy scolding from Rad because he didn't want to admit that what Campy said was true. They couldn't avoid Trey's judgment if he saw Bree and Rad not sleeping in separate tents.

Bree herself felt her legs weaken, unrelated to the fatigue of riding. It was a resignation. She would suffer the most if her father found out that her relationship with Rad was not going smoothly. Her lies would be exposed. Her father would know she wasn't as happy with Rad as he thought.

"All good. Then excuse me; I have to quickly prepare the fire and dinner before the day turns into night and it gets cold."

Campy excused himself, bowing as he walked away with a face that was very calm and satisfied. Of course, he did it on purpose, as Rad suspected.

"Wait! Come back!"

Rad called out in a whisper, not daring to shout loudly, as Trey was not far from them, talking in front of the tent he occupied.

If Rad caused a commotion, he would be interested and ask why. Campy kept walking, either not hearing or pretending not to hear. Rad could only clench his jaws tightly, along with Bree looking at Rad with a stern face.

"Don't think of doing anything strange to me! Don't get close to me!"

With Aima's help, Bree stepped into the tent. Bree didn't forget that she should charm Rad, and being in the same tent was a great opportunity to do so.

She was free to do anything… anything, including physical temptations. But Bree pushed that thought as far away as possible. She wanted to win against Amber, but she wasn't ready to take it that far.

Too soon and too forced. Bree wasn't sane enough, remembering how Rad spent the night with all those women. She wouldn't do the same as them. Bree ruffled her hair in frustration as her hair tie came loose, letting her hair fall down her back.

It didn't affect Bree much, except that Aima would have trouble combing it later. But the wind carried that scent out of the tent, making Rad frown again, holding his breath.

That scent… That scent was driving him crazy. Rad didn't intend to do anything to Bree, but his body seemed to have a mind of its own every time he inhaled Bree's scent.

"What makes you so different?" Rad muttered, staring at Bree's back.