As Theresa awakened once again in Erwin's tent, she discovered that she was still lying in his arms.

It was already nighttime, and the two were lying on the bed together in a very intimate fashion with the darkness of the night acting as a romantic backdrop.

"Why am I here with you?" Theresa bit down onto her lower lip as she looked up at Erwin, and her eyes were still quite bleary, having just awoken from her deep slumber, and they were also filled with a hint of shyness and unintentional seduction.

If another man had been in Erwin's place, they most likely wouldn't have been able to suppress their primal urges at the sight of her seductive display.

"You clung onto my clothes the entire way back and refused to let go, so I had no choice but to bring you here with me," Erwin said with a slightly exasperated expression as he set down the copy of "Laws of Time and Space" that he was holding.

A deep blush immediately appeared on her face upon hearing this. and she lowered her head in silence. She then caught sight of the new accessories that had been bound to her ankles and wrists before laying a hand on the band around her neck, and a wry smile appeared on her face. "Looks like I was unable to escape this fate, after all."

Thinking back to the traumatic event that had taken place in her life all those years ago, then looking at her enslaved self in the present, she was struck by a sense of amusement and sorrow. It seemed that her life was destined to be marred by misfortune.

"Didn't you already anticipate that this would happen?" Erwin asked.

"Of course not!" Theresa countered in a displeased voice. "How was I supposed to have anticipated that you would go to such extremes?"

"Do you think I would've felt safe keeping you by my side without doing something like this?" Erwin asked with a smile.

"You're a huge softie when it comes to women, so it had to have been that silver-haired wench that came up with this idea," Theresa said in a resentful voice.

"Don't talk about her like that," Erwin said as he gave her a stern glare.

"You can't tell me what to do! That silver-haired wen..." Before she had a chance to fully articulate the word "wench", a throat suddenly constricted, and she found herself unable to draw breath.

The reason for this was that Erwin had used his magic power to tighten the band around her neck.

Theresa gave Erwin a vicious glare before turning her face away, refusing to look at her. Her face was bright red from asphyxiation, and there were tears welling up in her eyes.

Erwin had only wanted to issue her a warning and had no intention of torturing her, so he immediately felt bad upon seeing her indignant expression. However, upon further thought, he realized that he had almost fallen into her trap.

It seems like she's quite skilled in emotional manipulation, Erwin thought to himself.

At this point, Erwin had already realized what Theresa's intentions had been for stepping onto the battlefield at Newfando alone.

"Your acting isn't going to work on me," Erwin said in an indifferent voice as he wound his arms around Theresa's delicate waist. As he did so, he couldn't help but be amazed by the unique sensation of her body. Her skin was just as soft and smooth as that of a normal human, but at the same time, it was also like skimming one's palms over a pool of water, resulting in a cool and refreshing sensation.

Theresa was struck by a sense of discomfort as she felt Erwin's breath on her neck, but as soon as she tried to resist, her arms were pinned behind her back, rendering her unable to move.

As it turned out, the pair of bracelets that she was wearing had been forced to come together by Erwin's magic power, and Erwin was looking very pleased with himself.

All of a sudden, Erwin's brows furrowed slightly, and he withdrew his face from Theresa's neck. Even though her body no longer possessed the same qualities as a human body, he could still feel the cold sweat beading up on her skin, and he asked, "Are you alright?"

"I, I'm fine," Theresa replied with a pale complexion.

Erwin turned her body around before carefully examining her expression. "Do you resent men?"

Having had plenty of experience with women, he had a sense of what women were into, and judging from his past experience, Theresa didn't seem like the type of woman who had homosexual tendencies. In addition to that, she had been lying in his arms for a long time already, and she didn't seem to have been repulsed by that.

"No," Theresa replied with her head lowered, refusing to look at Erwin.

Erwin heaved a forlorn sigh as he released Theresa with a wry smile, thinking that he had made an error in judgment.

To his surprise, Theresa immediately forced her way back into his arms.

Her arms were still locked behind her by the wrists, so she was unable to throw her arms around him and could only press her own body as tightly against him as she could.

Erwin patiently helped Theresa into an upright position, then looked at her with a serious expression as he said, "Even if you want to get rid of that aunt of yours through me, there's no need to make such a big sacrifice. I'm willing to help you even if you don't do this."

"Why are you insulting me like this? Just how much do you resent me?" Theresa asked as she stared at Erwin with a heartbroken expression.

"How am I insulting you?" Erwin asked with a surprised expression. "I'm just trying to tell you that there's no need to degrade yourself like this. I do like women, but not to the extent that I would forcibly have my way with anyone."

This was a rather shameless statement from him, and it was quite remarkable that he was able to say this without feeling any guilt.

Theresa was on the verge of tears, but she suddenly burst into amused laughter upon hearing this.

"What are you laughing at?" Erwin also burst into laughter, having realized that what he had just said was rather amusing. However, at the same time, he was a little frustrated by the teasing look on Theresa's face.

As Theresa continued to giggle to her heart's content, Erwin pounced on her like a wolf, pressing his body firmly on top of hers.

Theresa's cheeks were burning like a scorching cauldron as she felt Erwin's warmth against her chest.

"I can't stand being intimate with men, but if it's you, perhaps... I can give it a try," Theresa said in a quiet voice as she breathed into Erwin's ear.

"If you call me 'Master' in a pleasing voice, then I'll let you go today, how about that?" Erwin asked with a sly grin before giving Theresa's delicate ear a playful lick.

Theresa looked up at Erwin with a hint of gratitude in her heart. She knew that Erwin was suppressing his own urges out of consideration for her very obvious discomfort.

"Release my wrists so I can embrace you," Theresa said, then buried her face into Erwin's chest as if she had just said something extremely embarrassing. "I've never enjoyed an embrace from a man before."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I enjoy seeing my partners completely powerless and at my mercy," Erwin said with a faint smile.

Theresa couldn't help but raise her head to look at Erwin upon hearing this, and after gazing closely at him for a while, she suddenly chuckled, "It's a good thing that you have such a handsome face. Otherwise, no woman would be willing to be with you. Is the princess also with you for your looks?"

While she was lying in Erwin's arms in a semi-conscious state, she had heard Erwin refer to Onean as princess, and only then did she discover Onean's identity.

"I don't know about that," Erwin said as he pursed his lips.

"Tell me about your story with her. I really want to hear about your past." Theresa was unable to move her arms, so she laid down onto Erwin's chest in a comfortable position, looking as if she were settling in to hear a story.

Erwin's heart was beginning to waver at the sight of her seductive curves and gorgeous figure, but he couldn't devour her in this moment, so he could only look away as he continued to suppress his own urges.

"Why are you asking about me? You still haven't told me why you have such a vendetta against your aunt," Erwin said with an amused expression. "Am I your master or are you my master?"

Theresa's expression immediately darkened upon hearing this. "Why would you mention that old slut?"

Erwin couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"Tell me what's happened between you two."

"I'm not telling you," Theresa refused as she put on a goading expression.

Erwin gave a cold harrumph upon seeing this, then reached in to begin tickling her waist.

Theresa immediately erupted into a giggling fit from Erwin's persistent tickling, and as she did so, she writhed and struggled involuntarily, causing her breasts to wiggle back and forth against Erwin's chest.

By the time Erwin finally let up, she was already panting heavily, and she looked up at Erwin with a displeased pout.

"This is so frustrating! You're constantly flaunting yourself in front of me, yet I can't have you! This is no different from torture to me," Erwin sighed with a frustrated expression.

Theresa couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing this, and she cast a gaze that was as gentle as a pool of warm water toward Erwin.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not a saint with infinite restraint," Erwin said.

"Neither am I," Theresa said as she raised an eyebrow in a provocative manner.

Their eyes met, and both of them chuckled with amusement, but deep down, Theresa was feeling rather dejected, and a sense of resentment welled up in her heart. If it weren't for that traumatic incident in her past, there would've been no psychological burden preventing her from doing whatever she wanted with the man she loved. Even if he were a bit more aggressive and assertive, she wouldn't have resisted him, but all of that was simply impossible. That nightmarish experience had ruined everything for her, and that was why she was never going to give up her quest for vengeance against Sanfesa.

"How did a scoundrel like you manage to catch the eye of the princess?" Theresa asked with a curious expression.

"How do you know that princesses don't like scoundrels?" Erwin countered.

"That's a valid point." Theresa nodded in response. "Most of the women in this world are very dishonest with themselves. Perhaps deep down, she's very glad whenever you pounce onto her, even though she appears to be putting up resistance."

"That just sounds like blatant slander against her now," Erwin chuckled upon hearing this.

"That's not my intention."

"Do you like it when I pounce onto you?" Erwin asked as he looked directly into her eyes.

"Is that important?" Theresa asked with a puzzled expression.

"Of course," Erwin replied in a serious voice as he put away his joking expression.

"I do, I really do enjoy being intimate with you," Theresa said with a faint smile, but she was also completely serious. "You are the only one in this world who I would be willing to be enslaved by."

It's just a pity that my body is already tarnished and imperfect, Theresa thought to herself in a forlorn manner.

Erwin was able to clearly catch the hint of sorrow that flashed through her eyes, and this was the same inexplicable feeling that he had felt back on the Canston Plain. This was a rather perplexing notion to Erwin, and he couldn't help but wonder exactly what was making her so sad.

"What are you trying to see?" Theresa asked as she blinked in a cheeky manner.

Erwin was silent for a moment before replying with a smile, "I'm just thinking that perhaps both of us have some ridiculous stories that we can share with each other."

Theresa shook her head with a smile. "Perhaps yours is just a ridiculous story, but my story is not one that can be shared."