8th March 1574 (I'm too tired to read the entire story to make sure that this date is correct, but more or less, should be)

With the rooster's screaming, my consciousness returned to me. Feeling the warm rays of the sun warming a part of my exposed back, I slowly raised my eyelids, only to be greeted with a warm smile of sleeping Elia. Resting her head on my arm, her hands were holding my other hand near her purring-through-the-sleep mouth.

After tiring ourselves out after just the first round, we ended up hugging tightly and falling asleep, without a care in the world of properly covering ourselves with a blanket. As such, while I could enjoy the privilege of gazing at Elia's now calm body all I wanted, I decided against it, moving my free hand on the back of her waist and pulling her closer to me.

While the atmosphere in the room could be still hot after the events of last night, we couldn't forget that not only did the fire in the stove died off long ago, we were still in the middle of a damned winter!

Just as I felt the softness of her skin rubbing all over my torso, her head started moving impatiently, soon for her face to unbury herself from my chest and tilt upwards, allowing me to gaze deep into her deep, greenish eyes.

"Good morning."

Raising my hand from her waist to her cheek, I caressed it with my fingers, as if unwilling to believe that such a charming sight was greeting me right at the start of the day.

"Good morning, dear."

With Elia's hands moving from the height of her chest towards my neck, she pulled my face closer and washed away my sleepiness with a long, soft kiss. While we were both lying naked, close to each other and even kissing, there was not even a hint of lust in this act. Instead of feeling pressured to turn her ower and sate my desires with her body, I firmly believed that if given the chance, I could just stay in the bed and continue staring in her eyes for at least a few hours more!

"While I would love to just stay like that, we still need to properly wake up."

With how smitten I was with this calm, happy moment of ours, it was Elia who had to take the initiative to break the impasse. A wise man once said a woman doesn't need to build a rocketship to get to the moon. All she has to do is to cheer on a man who will do it for her!

Suddenly breaking out of my light hug, Elia raised her upper body, revealing both the hickeys on her neck that I left there last night and the alluring line of her charms, highlighted with the rays of the morning sun, sneaking through the gaps in the window curtains, as if their sole choice was to accent the line of her slim waits and full breasts when she sat beside me on the bed.

Mesmerised by the sight, I couldn't stop staring at her to the point that regardless of what we did last night, she still covered her bust with her hands while throwing me a pouting look.

"Okay, okay, it's time to move."

Following Elia's example, I prompted my body up and moved out of the bed. Approaching the bail with water, commonly accessible in the rooms of a proper noble, I washed my face while ignoring the droplets of icy cold water falling down on my entire body.

With a sudden idea popping up inside my mind, I waited a moment while continuing to wash, eager to hear Elia's steps. As soon as the awaited sound reached my ears, I gauged the direction and the distance cupped my hands and threw a fistful of water at my fiancee!

"Ah!"

Suddenly sprayed by the icy cold water right on her naked skin, Elia jumped away, losing her foothold and falling over back at the bed. With a sweet shout of a surprise coming from her mouth, my lips curled up in a mischievous smile, before I approached her and gave her a hand to help her out of the sleeping place.

"What was that for?!"

At first, her face turned ugly, as if she considered my small trick as an attack on her honour, only for her lips to follow my example and curl up as she started to giggle.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

Helping her up, I moved to the place on the floor where I threw my robes back last night. Pulling them over my head, I quickly dressed up while enjoying the small show of Elia doing the same. Contrary to my expectations though, instead of dressing herself in her usual, manly clothes, she wore horseman pants and a light, almost see-through tunic, only then covering her upper body with a fur coat.

"Anyway, let's head out, to get some breakfast. What do you think?"

As soon as I finished binding out my kontus belt around my waist, Elia instantly got close to me, handing her hands on my arm, as if the notion of walking alone no longer applied to her. Reaching with my free hand and poking her cheek while holding back a wide smile from appearing on my face, I was about to respond when a knocking sounded on the doors of our chamber.

"Lady Elia, Sir Mike… We have dire news!"

Looking at each other, I moved to the front, putting my hand of the sabre's handle that I just attached back to my normal belt. After confirming that my fiancee would lose even a tiny bit of her dignity by letting someone see her in her current state, I focused my attention at the doors.

"Come in."

While I expected some kind of ambush, upon seeing the face of the same, loyal servant of the mansion that greeted us when we first arrived there, I felt relieved and moved my hand away from my weapon.

On the other hand, this old servant just needed a single look at the bed and the way we were positioned to realise something, making him lower his head as if he didn't want to shame us with his direct sight. At the same time, I could say with a certain degree of confidence that I could see his lips curling upwards!

"Speak."

If he dared to intrude on his lady's chambers so early in the day - after all, most of the nobles preferred to enjoy themselves in the morning, often shifting their living time a few hours past when the serfs and servants would live - he had to bring some vital intel!

"I'm sorry to disturb you so early in the morning, sirs!"

Bowing even deeper, Neren took a breath before raising his head, with all the traces of his previous happiness gone.

"Mayor Vlad and one of his retainers came to pay you a visit. They asked me to tell sirs, that sir Peter from Ropian is gathering his men and aims to raid this city!"