Transcendents were known for their strong constitutions in the Sia Continent, possessing strength, speed, burst power, and endurance far superior to that of ordinary humans.

With that being said, there were finer classifications within transcendents, where each transcendent had their own strengths and weaknesses. This was determined by various factors such as the field of specialization and, in particular, bloodline.

The differences that could be brought about by ones bloodline were massive.

Kurts Giant Bloodline granted him supreme strength that allowed him to ram down droves of enemies. Wilhelminas Dragon Bloodline excelled in all physical attributes, and that made her a terrifying foe to face off with in a one-on-one confrontation.

In comparison, Stuart and Charlotte were much more pitiful.

Stuart was the handyman whom everyone fought to team up with. His eye-related skills were a asset for field missions, particularly for scouting and detection purposes. However, when it came to physical brawls, he was doomed to get beaten up most of the times.

It was the same for Charlotte too. Her physical resilience was unfortunately weakened by the debuff from her High Elf Bloodline, which was why her ancestors had researched powerful equipment such as the Golden Soul to make up for their weaknesses.

Unfortunately for her, the Golden Soul couldnt be employed for battles on the bed.

Daybreak, the Diamond Rivire Convoy awoke to the first snow of winter. Feeling refreshed after a night of rest, they swiftly finished up their preparations before resuming the journey.

In the dining room, Roel and Charlotte were having breakfast together.

In a defiance of dining conventions, the two of them werent formally seated face-to-face as they ought should be. Instead, Charlotte was sitting on Roels lap with her head leaning against his chest while the latter slowly fed her. It was almost as if they had returned to half a month ago, when Charlotte was still severely ill.

What was different from usual was the absence of their usual cordial conversation brought about by their intimacy. Charlottes face was red in embarrassment, and she wasnt uttering a word at all.

Perhaps out of consideration for the embarrassed lady, there was no one else other than them in the dining room. Even Grace, who resolutely stuck with Charlotte under most circumstances, had excused herself to stand guard outside.

To be clear, it was not that the two of them were making use of the short time frame right before they returned to Rosa City to try out some new play. Rather, the circumstances had coerced them into this

Charlotte was unable to stand up by herself.

As powerful as the High Elf Bloodline was, it wasnt perfect. One of its key weaknesses was physical frailty. The Golden Soul could offset to some extent with its ability to fend off external attacks, but it couldnt protect her from internal attacks, which happened to be the problem here.

Earlier in the morning, Charlotte could hardly get up from the bed as if she hadnt slept enough. It was quite a struggle for her to sit upright, but moments later, she began clutching her abdomen with a furiously blushing face.

I-it feels really heavy in here Charlotte embarrassedly expressed how she was feeling.

This unexpected temptation lit a flame in Roels mind, and his heart started beating fast.

Unfortunately, that was barely the start of Charlottes problems. There was bound to be consequences after the long hours they had spent entangled together last night. In particular, Charlottes waist and legs were aching so much that walking was impossible for her.

That left Roel with no choice but to resume his full-time caretaker job after half a months hiatus. The two of them had a bath together, but seeing that Charlottes condition still hadnt improved yet, he lifted her up into a princess carry and brought her to the dining room.

That was also the cause of Charlottes embarrassment.

It was too obvious what had happened between Roel and her when the two of them had skipped dinner and locked themselves in their room. She might still have been able to maintain a poker face if she had gracefully walked out of the room, but to be unable to even walk

That was simply too embarrassing for her!

Roel looked at the auburn-haired woman in his arms, who refused to raise her head even since they settled down in the dining room, and he couldnt help but find the situation a little amusing.

Grace and the others have already left. You shouldnt be too bothered by it; it really isnt anything much. You werent shy at all last night.

!

Roel lightly pinched Charlottes cheek as he smilingly reminded her of her diligence last night. That only made Charlotte more embarrassed. She turned her head away, refusing the dessert he was delivering toward her mouth.

I-I was just testing Lord Peytras blessing! Thats why I

Yes, yes

I am being serious here! Why else would I push myself last night?

Charlotte hammered at Roels chest with an unhappy pout. Her words dragged Roel back to a solemn mood.

He had noticed from Charlottes behavior thus far that she didnt have a strong desire for physical pleasure. Their activities had always been spurred by either the intensity of their feelings for each other or the desire to have a child.

Lust had never been a motivating factor for her.

Considering that they were at an age where there was an overload of hormones, Charlottes drive was so low that Roel wondered if it was due to his lacking technique. However, he soon realized that the culprit might be her High Elf Bloodline once again.

High elves tended to be more self-possessed, possibly because there was a lesser need for them to reproduce due to their longer lifespan. Who knows? The combination of their infertility and low desire to reproduce might have just been the reason why the highelves went extinct in the first place.

All right, I was wrong. I shouldnt have teased you. Miss Charlotte, will you be kind enough to open your mouth now?

Having thoughts things through, Roel changed his tne and began gently coaxing her into eating. Charlottes face remained reddened, but she didnt pursue the matter.

Just like that, the two of them peacefully continued their breakfast.

The two of them were accustomed to coordinating with each other for this feeding session, having accrued a month of experience thus far, but even so, there were times when a slip in their movements resulted in breadcrumbs or butter on Charlottes lips.

Charlotte didnt bother brushing them off, choosing to patiently wait for Roel to clear them on her behalf as he usually did. However, Roel quietly stared at the food sticking onto her lips before abruptly leaning into kiss her.

Darling?

Mm. Its sweet, Roel murmured to himself.

Charlottes eyes widened in astonishment, and her lips started trembling.

D-darling, how could you

Its not our first time kissing anyway.

B-but those are food I was eating

I dont mind.

Roels curt responses only further stoked Charlottes embarrassment, and her head naturally lowered as a result. It took her a while before she finally formulated an argument against him.

Y-you cant do that in front of outsiders! Otherwise, people might think that youre of a lower position than me

Position? That doesnt matter to me, Roel casually replied.

He did understand where Charlotte was coming from though.

The existence of transcendent abilities on the Sia Continent meant that women werent necessarily weaker than men. Thanks to that, the gender imbalance here was much less pronounced compared to the medieval time in Roels previous world.

That being said, the mainstream school of thought on the Sia Continent was that men were the heads of their respective families while women took on supporting roles.

Considering the cultural backdrop, Roels little gestures indicated a high level of respect and fondness for Charlotte, which was why the latter was happy about it. Still, she was worried that he might be mocked for that, especially since she was of higher birth than him.

Roel understood those worries, but he found it a chore to conform to societal norms. It was not as if there were many people in the world who dared to mock him anyway.

Still, Charlotte was still very concerned about it.

But its important, she insisted.

As important as it may be, I dont want to live my life based on what others expect of me. I want to be close to people I like. I want to be able to walk away when I dont like a person. I think that having the freedom to choose is more important than observing societal norms.

I understand where youre coming from, but

Or do you dislike it when I act in such a manner? If thats the case, I wont do it anymore.

No, of course not! I Im just worried that others will look down on you for that, darling. Id be very upset if that happens, Charlotte clarified her stance with some difficulty.

Roel considered her point of view before finally giving a consenting nod.

All right. Ill hold myself back in front of strangers.

Darling, youre agreeing to it?

Mmhm. I cant bear to see you upset.

Roel tightened his arms and pulled Charlotte closer to him. The two of them looked at each other, and Charlotte revealed a faint smile. The atmosphere between them slowly sweetened up as their affection for each other overflowed.