"I understand."

Lawrend's heart started to beat fast once again. This time it was from anticipation.

"Young Master, close your eyes and think about the blood contract."

Aleshia walked towards Lawrend slowly.

"O-Okay."

Lawrend closed his eyes and gulped hard. He thought about the blood contract, but his mind couldn't help but wander and imagine Aleshia moving closer to his face.

"Relax, Young Master."

Aleshia whispered. She slowly brought her lips closer and closer until it's only a centimeter wide space in between them. Aleshia closed her eyes and braced herself.

Aleshia touched lips with Lawrend before quickly pulling her head back. It was too intimate for her to handle.

"Hmm? The blood contract is still not off…"

Aleshia looked at her hands and at the details of the blood contract still appearing on it. She turned her head to Lawrend, and she saw that there was a daydreaming look on his face.

PINCH

"Ow!"

Aleshia couldn't help but pinch Lawrend's thighs in frustration. He was not thinking of the blood contract when she kissed him. They would have to do it again because of that.

"Why did you pinch me!?"

Lawrend exclaimed as he rubbed the part of his thigh where she pinched. It was sending him waves of pain.

"You did not think of the blood contract!"

Aleshia replied with a huff of anger.

"Ah… I'm sorry…"

Lawrend looked away guiltily.

"Hmph! If you don't think of the blood contract this time, I'll never do this again."

Aleshia snorted angrily. It was taking a lot of her courage to do this with Lawrend. If she had to kiss him a couple more times because of it, she would feel like it's her loss.

"Okay. I'll do it seriously this time."

Lawrend promised her before he closed his eyes once again.

Aleshia looked at Lawrend's lips and prepared herself mentally once again. She closed her eyes and moved her lips closer. Before long, her lips touched Lawrend's and moved away. And at that moment, they both felt the faint connections to each other brought by the blood contract disappear.

Lawrend opened his eyes and stared at Aleshia. Aleshia also opened her eyes and looked straight into Lawrend's eyes.

"Thank you for finally trusting me."

With a solemn voice, Lawrend whispered to Aleshia with a smile hanging on his face.

"And I'm sorry for not trusting you."

Aleshia added with a smile of her own. At this moment, she felt that her relationship with Lawrend had been drawn closer. It was a unique feeling that Aleshia had only felt from Ella. Of course, it's just a similarity. Aleshia didn't actually feel that she's close to Lawrend as much as she was to Ella.

"You should wash your face. It's white all over."

Lawrend couldn't help but say. Her face was still white from the cornstarch that Hereth had thrown to her.

"Y-Yes."

Aleshia stood up straight after hearing his words. Her face was red from embarrassment.

After Aleshia jumped down the carriage to wash her face with a gourd of water, Lawrend looked at the dead body in front of him. He poked it, and it was completely stiff.

Lawrend pulled a small part of her collar to look at the middle of her chest in his curiosity.

"It's really there…"

There were tree-like black markings on her body. It was coming from the place that he touched earlier and spread throughout her body. His memories told him that this thing would show up on her body because she was killed with his lightning spell.

"..."

Aleshia had just finished washing her eyes and face when she looked inside the carriage. She saw Lawrend staring inside Hereth's chest.

Lawrend felt that something was off, and he turned his head to the back of the carriage.

"Hi?"

Lawrend greeted her in reflex. Cold sweat started to pour down his back.

"What are you doing?"

Aleshia asked him in a low voice.

"I'm just checking her out. Wait, I didn't mean that!"

Lawrend answered her, but he soon realized that his words could also have a different meaning for her.

"And I thought I could trust you…"

There was a self-mocking in Aleshia's voice as she spoke. Lawrend knew that he messed up. He could only explain it to her.

"Look! There are these markings on her chest. I was looking at it."

Lawrend pointed frantically.

"Let me see."

Aleshia jumped up the carriage. She walked closer to Lawrend and looked at Hereth's chest.

"See! I'm not lying."

Aleshia looked at Lawrend and Hereth's cleavage.

"Pervert."

After saying so, Aleshia pulled Hereth's corpse down from the carriage. Lawrend helped her after seeing that she was struggling with it.

Throughout the operation, Aleshia was looking at Lawrend's hands and where he was touching them. If he even touches her butt or anything, she would look at him with deadpan eyes.

After they laid the corpse on the ground, Lawrend scratched the back of his head in awkwardness. It was hard for him not to touch some of Hereth's butt when they were unloading her from the carriage. It was just that hard to move her down.

"Are we burying her here?"

Lawrend asked Aleshia. It was scorching under the sun, and if they had to dig a grave for her, it would take quite a while.

"No. We're going to burn her body."

Aleshia replied to him. She was also aware of that problem. She hadn't had the chance to interrogate Hereth why she came here. That's why she was still nervous, as there could be other assassins on their way.

"There's no logs here to burn her with."

Lawrend looked around, and all he could see was grass. Just grass. If not grass, it would be the occasional tree.

"You don't have to worry about that."

Aleshia ruffled through Hereth's clothes before pulling out a small square piece of paper.

"Found it."

"What's that?"

Lawrend asked her in curiosity.

"It's a small magic circle designed for burning bodies. I guess she had one to use on you."

Aleshia explained to him. When Lawrend heard that it was for him, he couldn't help but gulp hard. It was a good thing that he was able to think fast. Otherwise, that thing would be burning his body.

"Alright, now burn."

Aleshia stamped the paper on Hereth's forehead before uttering a short chant. Suddenly, the symbols on the paper glowed, and Aleshia backed away. Then with an eerie silence, Hereth's whole body went up in flames.

"Let's leave now."

Aleshia motioned for Lawrend, and they both rode the carriage before leaving the scene swiftly.

What they didn't know was that a carriage stopped right beside the burning corpse a dozen minutes later.