Barghest never would have dreamed that happiness would come so suddenly.
"Okay."
In response to her invitation, Ian's answer was brief and clear.
And so—
Tonight, Barghest was able to be alone with him.
"I'm so happy!"
With her previous experience, Barghest discovered that Ian didn't resist her at all.
This made her feel much more liberated.
"Ian, how about you?"
"..."
Ian glanced at Barghest and replied:
"If you're happy, I'm happy too."
"Eh—"
Just that one sentence was enough to make Barghest instantly excited.
"You seem to care a lot about my feelings, right?"
"Care about your feelings?"
"Mhm!"
Barghest nodded.
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have asked that question just now, would you?"
"I see, so I do care about your feelings—"
The moment Barghest finished speaking, she felt Ian lean in closer.
The next moment, a shiver ran through her entire body.
Because—
Barghest discovered that Ian was sniffing her!
"Wh-what are you doing?"
"Don't move."
Ian said this nonchalantly and then continued his action.
Thankfully, there was no one on the street right now, so even with him scrutinizing her scent like this, Barghest didn't feel too embarrassed.
It was just—
Being sniffed like this, Barghest felt her body starting to respond.
You see...
Because they were so close, Ian's soft breaths would blow against her.
Ugh.
Just a little was enough to make one feel a pleasant tingle.
How... how is he so good at these techniques that make a girl blush? (AN: Bruh..)
However, before Barghest could enjoy it for too long, Ian stopped.
A strange comment followed.
"Your scent is a lot like mine."
"How can that be?"
"..."
Barghest's mind instantly flashed back to the image of her mother, Morgan, making love with him.
Her throat moved slightly, and only then did she manage to squeeze out a sentence:
"Because we're the same."
"The same?"
"Yes, the same..."
As Barghest said this, she felt an unexpected touch.
Because Ian's hand had already wrapped around her waist.
He leaned in closer once more.
Barghest felt her breathing quicken considerably.
If she hadn't learned from Ian how to suppress her strength, she felt that she would definitely be excited enough to punch a hole in the ground right now.
Could it be... he already feels something for me...
Barghest found that she truly had no reverence for the concept of a "father."
"But why don't I want to eat you?"
"Eh?"
Ian's single sentence cooled down Barghest's overloaded CPU.
"Don't want to eat me?"
"Mhm."
Ian nodded.
"Your scent is very similar to mine."
"And it doesn't make me feel any resistance."
"But—"
"I just have no appetite."
"..."
Barghest subconsciously glanced down at him.
She seemed to understand what Ian meant by "no appetite."
There was no change at all.
It was nothing like when he was with her mother, Morgan, when he had that fearsome appearance.
"None at all?"
"Mhm."
Ian hugged Barghest.
He gently stroked her head, and continued in a tone that even he himself found puzzling.
"But I have this feeling that I really want to protect you."
"The kind where if anyone dares to bully you, I want to kill them."
"..."
This was a caress that not even her mother, Morgan, had ever given her. Barghest's face instantly turned red.
"I don't need you to protect me."
"Don't forget, I'm very strong myself!"
"So it's okay if you don't see me as a daughter—"
"What's a daughter?"
"Hm?"
Barghest raised her head.
She felt that things seemed to be developing in a direction very favorable to her.
"It's a girl who's very close to you, one who's related by blood!"
"That's me!"
"No, you're not."
Ian tidied Barghest's hair.
"You are indeed very close to me, but blood relation... I don't remember any such thing."
"Eh?"
The look in Barghest's eyes changed in an instant.
He doesn't know?
She suddenly realized that her mother, Morgan, was still hiding even more unknown secrets.
But—
This didn't seem to be a bad thing.
He didn't think she was his daughter, and her mother had never mentioned it.
Then maybe...
She had only witnessed her mother's secret affair, and not the process of her own birth?
Barghest let out a hot breath.
The sturdy female knight trembled all over.
She felt that luring Ian out tonight had been an absolutely correct choice.
"Then I must have been mistaken!"
"Not a daughter!"
"Definitely not a daughter!"
"But—"
Barghest looked around.
The weather hadn't been very good these past few days, so there was basically no one on the streets.
Even if there were, they were just passersby who paid no attention to her and him.
Otherwise, given their status, someone would have had to greet them and then be shocked.
"We can verify it further."
"Come with me!"
In a dark alley.
This was a place in Camelot where no one would come, dark and silent.
Barghest took a few turns and brought Ian here.
"Alright, this is the place!"
"We just need to verify it again!"
Barghest panted heavily.
It was clear that she was on the verge of a mental breakdown, and could go to extremes at any moment.
"How do you plan to verify it?"
"With this!"
Barghest slammed one hand against the wall behind Ian, pressing until a large handprint appeared.
Her other hand slid downwards, until it touched a certain something that seemed rather large even in the darkness.
Indeed, there was no reaction at all.
It was certainly different from that night when it had made her mother gasp for air.
But—
So exciting.
This was a situation she could never have imagined when they first met.
Barghest let out a hot breath like a lovesick woman and then continued to explain.
"If, no matter what, it doesn't react to me at all..."
"Then that proves I'm your daughter."
"But—"
Barghest's hand began to rub something that was still soft at the moment.
Ian's face was expressionless, while hers, in contrast, was full of excitement.
"If, on the other hand, it isn't so resistant."
"You, First Knight of the Round Table!"
Barghest leaned in much closer, almost touching Ian's face.
Her eyes were already faintly taking the shape of hearts.
She said something that even she found a bit absurd, yet it was the most important thing to prove at this moment.
"From then on, you are never allowed to see me as a daughter again!"
"Never again!"