To Seulgi’s dismay, the Strategist had not left Wei’Ya during the past three months and have been constantly looking out for the Prides. Seulgi had even found out that Joohyun sometimes followed Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun to meet with their hired spies for her to judge the men with her own eyes. Though the Strategist had reassured the Colonel that she was usually careful and had largely been living amongst the shadows, Seulgi’s heart still felt unsettled every time she thought about the dangers that lurked, waiting to prey on her lover.

Each time they had a rendezvous with one another, Seulgi would make sure to remind the Strategist of her own safety and try to convince her to return to their homeland. This time was no exception.

“Really, Colonel, don’t you have something more interesting to tell me?” The Strategist teased as she traced her fingers across Seulgi’s jawline which seemed to have become more defined over the past year. They had been lying on the bed in another teahouse, its owner, a contact and spy of Baekhyun’s once again.  

Joohyun must not have been expecting Seulgi to return that flirtatious gesture since she had flinched when Seulgi took a lock of Joohyun’s hair and twirled it. With a sly smile on her face, Seulgi dove for the Strategist’s neck and trailed small kisses along it. Muted sounds of contentment escaped from Joohyun’s lips as the Colonel increased their intimacy by touching the Strategist’s in places that had the ability to bring about enough pleasure.   

“Is this interesting enough?” Seulgi asked back wickedly and the grin on her face grew when she saw the partially reddened face of the Strategist, still recovering from the sensation she felt and the love she received from the emboldened Colonel.

Joohyun cleared before replying, “seems like you have been taught a lot of naughty things during your stay here, Colonel.”

Seulgi shrugged and put on a lazy smile, her hold on Joohyun never breaking, “but you like it?”

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t,” Joohyun replied. The smile that came after the Strategist’s reply however, was too enigmatic for Seulgi to decipher.

Disliking how she was unable to read Joohyun’s thoughts, Seulgi held the Strategist’s face by her chin gently and lifted it just as tenderly, “what is wrong?”

Joohyun shook her head and looked away, something which her Strategist rarely did and that action alerted Seulgi even more. The Colonel thought that being apart from the Strategist for a year had either truly impaired her ability to make out her lover’s thoughts or had caused Joohyun to become more guarded from her.

“Tell me,” Seulgi asked, her voice more insistent this time round and her hold on the Strategist’s chin became firmer.

The Colonel saw Joohyun setting her jaw and after taking in a deep breath, Joohyun looked into the Colonel’s eyes before cupping Seulgi’s face in return. Then she spoke, “do you find yourself changing?”

Seulgi blinked, surprised at how the question had been thrown back at her. Staring into Joohyun’s intense-looking eyes, Seulgi could suddenly hear the screams of the innocent men, women, and children whom she had slaughtered at the bequest of the Crown Prince. The blood that leapt into the air whenever she withdrew her sword from their bodies.

Joohyun must have known of the cruelties that the Prides and herself had committed in this land. No matter whether it was their own citizens or not, those were still fairly innocent lives that they have taken.

The Colonel pondered over what the Strategist had said for a few seconds before she nodded her head. It was neither a gloomy nor guilty nod, it was simply a nod to show that she had acknowledged Joohyun’s statement. She had changed.

There was sudden fear in Joohyun’s eyes, as if she was afraid that she might have implied something unpleasant. Then, the Strategist s her hand around Seulgi’s waist before she said, “but you are still the same Seulgi deep down. I know it… some of your ways may have changed and I have anticipated that but… you are still you…”

The faded screams and the sight of the sword that was stained crimson lingered in her mind but Seulgi managed a smile then brought a hand up to Joohyun’s hair. “Of course, I am still the Seulgi that loves you more than anything.”  

“The very same,” Joohyun agreed then continued, “you have matured even more… all five of you. I could see the decisiveness in your eyes.”

Seulgi heaved out a sigh, not knowing if she should be happy to hear those words from the Strategist. Shrugging, Seulgi then pulled the Strategist’s closer to her body and buried her face in Joohyun’s neck before whispering, “We have all done terrible things, me especially, but we know it is necessary of us.”

The Colonel then felt her Strategist caressing her hair this time round.

“I still love you no matter what you have done and you are right, it is necessary of you.”

“I think I might become even more cunning than you after this mission,” Seulgi japed, and her lips teasingly.

Joohyun let out a giggle before giving her reply, “really, Colonel? Show me how much more cunning you have become.”

Letting out a guffaw, Seulgi then resumed with peppering kisses along the Strategist’s neck. Kisses soon turned to tiny nibbles and the Colonel grinned slyly when she heard Joohyun give a sudden gasp when she