When Gideon summoned the door to the large bath inside his room, Delilah paused for a moment, clearly surprised by it, but she didn’t say anything.

She looked too nervous to even ask, so she simply followed him inside as he led her toward the locker area, telling her to leave her clothes there and keep them dry.

It took her longer than he expected, long enough that he eventually stopped waiting and walked ahead to the warm pool on his own. He lowered himself into the water, letting the heat spread through his body as it slowly eased the tension that had built up since earlier.

For a while, there was only the quiet sound of water, but his mind refused to stay still. The images from before kept coming back, the bodies, the cries, the weight of everything they had just gone through.

He needed to move faster.

The guard tower also needed attention. He had already seen it placed at the edge of the barrier, facing the cave where the Glowbats usually came from.

If what Summer said was true, those creatures would go into hibernation during winter, which only raised another problem.

Something else would take their place, and no one knew what it would be.

Not even Delilah had any information about it, since the White Death area was too dangerous to study properly, and that uncertainty only made everything worse.

Winter itself was already harsh enough. If the housing wasn’t completed in time, he had no guarantee that everyone would survive.

Before his thoughts could spiral any further, he suddenly felt a hand rest lightly on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Delilah standing there, wrapped in a white towel that didn’t do much to cover her.

It clung loosely around her upper body and barely reached her thighs, leaving more exposed than it hid, while her hair, usually tied, now fell freely down her back in soft waves. The change made her look softer and hot.

Gideon’s lips curved into a grin, which only made her face turn even redder.

"Stop looking at me like that," she said, her voice tight as she stepped into the water beside him. "You look creepy."

"What do you mean?" he replied casually. "If something looks good, why hide it? Feels like a waste."

She pinched his arm without hesitation, but he only laughed, the sound low and unbothered, as she settled beside him and let the water cover her.

"Enough," she said, her tone shifting as she looked at him again. "Tell me what happened. That woman... I’ve seen her before."

She hesitated for a moment, as if the memory itself was unpleasant.

"Her group tried to take Summer once. If a Freebound member hadn’t been there and killed the one responsible, she wouldn’t be here with me."

Gideon’s expression softened slightly at that. "...I’m sorry," he said, his voice quieter this time. "I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to bring that back."

Delilah shook her head, but her frown didn’t disappear. "Then why bring her here? What are you planning? Are you trying to use her to lure the leader of Skull Fangs?"

Her voice rose, frustration slipping through. "Do you want something to happen to this place?"

Gideon frowned, thinking it through more carefully now. It hadn’t crossed his mind before. From what he knew, Piggy had already been discarded and sent away, but that didn’t mean the leader, Victoria, wouldn’t take action.

"...You might be right," he admitted after a moment.

He leaned back slightly, his gaze lowering as the thought settled in.

"Or maybe Elaine already considered that," he added under his breath, almost to himself, because knowing her, it wouldn’t be surprising if she had her own plan behind this.

At the same time, Gideon did not think Elaine would go that far. They had already burned the base, and there was no evidence left behind that could link anything back to them.

Still, he needed to be sure.

"Is she known publicly?" he asked, his tone more serious now. "How did you meet her, and who else knows about her?"

"For safety," he added, "I need to make sure no one recognizes her here."

Delilah shook her head slightly. "Not really. She’s not that well known. She rarely shows up in Climber Rift."

She shifted a little in the water before continuing, "I met her because I pushed Jade to ban Skull Fangs. She came to the office, and the two of them started negotiating. She offered compensation, and said Skull Fangs would hand over half of their ’goods’ for a month."

Gideon raised a brow slightly.

"Jade couldn’t refuse," Delilah continued, her hands clenching. "And since the kidnapping didn’t actually happen, she told me to calm down and think it through."

She let out a breath. "Just remembering it makes me angry."

"I see..." Gideon murmured, rubbing his chin as he thought it through. "So the ones who know are probably Jade and the people close to her. Killian, maybe Kanna too."

That meant the risk was limited, but not nonexistent. He would have to make sure it stayed that way.

He then tells her the truth, "It has something to do with Eagle Union. It seemed like she knew more than she told us and we decided to bring her here to do more investigation."

Delilah crossed her arms again, her eyes gazed at him sharply as if deciding if he was lying or not, or if their way of investigating was worth it.

Then, she continued. "Alriight, I believe in your jugement. Now tell me. What actually happened out there?"

Gideon sighed, lowering his shoulders, half-dramatizing his posture just enough to make her feel sorry for him, and it worked.

"Are you okay? Is it that bad? I saw your robe covered in dried blood, and I even smelled arsenic on you. You’re still burning hot... what happened?" She touched his shoulder, as if trying to reassure him she was there.

Gideon had to hold back his laughter. He needed to sell it.

He turned slightly, staring toward the window with a dark expression, and that only made Delilah more worried.

Slowly, he leaned in and rested his head on her shoulder, his gaze slipping down to her chest, still covered but not enough to hide the curve. It looked good.

"I saw the most grotesque and heartbreaking scene in my life."

Then he started telling her everything. The story was dramatized, but not wrong. Just... pushed further than it needed to be.

"I saw a father gathering what was left of his wife and daughter with his own hands," Gideon continued, his voice low.

"He dragged himself across the ground when he found his daughter’s head inside that aberrant’s stomach... crying so much it felt like he was bleeding from it." He let out a heavy breath.

"A child lost her only parent, and the only thing left of her mother was just her legs. We couldn’t even find the rest, so we decided that was her."

"Alyssa still doesn’t believe it. She thinks her mother is alive somewhere... she even talks to herself, like she’s talking to her."

Yeah, some parts were clearly made up.

He’d make it up to them later. Maybe a good meal.

He just needs to work things out with Delilah aka moving their relationship to another stage, skinship if possible, sex.

"Ohh... I feel bad for them," Gideon said, ending the story, already feeling her hand gently running through his hair.

Delilah let out a long sigh. She clearly didn’t expect something like that.

"In my journey, I’ve seen many people lose their loved ones... the world has adapted over the past ten years. I thought something like this would rarely happen again."

She paused. "I was wrong. I can’t imagine what they’ve been through... and you too. That must have been terrifying."

"Yes..." Gideon murmured. "It made me think... if I keep playing around, my people could end up like that too."

"Maybe. You have been playing around too much. I barely see you in this territory," Delilah said.

"Remember, Gideon, you’re a leader now. A lord. You need to prioritize your people’s safety and the development of your land above everything else. From what I’ve seen, you let Jade drag you around too much."

Gideon lifted his head slightly. "Wait... really? That’s how you see it?"

"Of course. Why would you even help Elaine? You already have too much to deal with here. You should focus on this place more."

Honestly, the way she said it sounded less like advice and more like... something else.

He narrowed his eyes, then smirked. "Oh? Are you jealous because I spent the night with Elaine?"

Delilah froze for a second, then jolted, her face turning red. "W-what are you talking about?! Do you think I’m some teenager or something?! It’s not like that, okay!"

Gideon didn’t believe her for a second.

He leaned closer, lowering his voice just enough to make it worse. "Hmm... I think you’re lying," he whispered near her ear. "I did spend the night with her. She wanted to. But if you want the same, I wouldn’t mind."

Her body stiffened instantly.

Then she pushed him away, water splashing around them. "Ugh! Stop it! I never thought that—ah!"

Her foot slipped on the wet surface before she could finish. She lost her balance.

Gideon reacted immediately, moving fast enough to catch her before her head hit the edge of the pool. His hand slipped between her and the ground, stopping the impact completely.

But it left them in an awkward position.

’Too close.’

His body pressed against hers, close enough to feel the warmth through the water, close enough to hear her heartbeat. For a moment, even Gideon thought about teasing her again—

Then he stopped.

His eyes widened slightly as he looked at her face snd only then did he realize... his own cheek felt warm too.