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Camilla’s Romance Route wasn’t too difficult to progress through. While other main characters’ romance routes required constant attention and effort, Camilla’s route was relatively smooth once you got into it. The only real challenge was gaining the approval of her overly enthusiastic family. Even that wasn’t too hard, especially when considering the potential of Ian, a playable character.

However, the real difficulty lay in Camilla’s unpredictable personality and her tendency to live life based on her interests. The world was full of things that could entertain her, and she wasn’t the type to stick to one thing for long. To unlock her romance route, you had to become the most interesting and consistently intriguing thing in her life.

The problem here was that Gilbert had never tried to be that kind of person for Camilla. Sure, his actions during Tactical Combat might have been impressive, but since he became Gilbert, he hadn’t done anything to particularly catch her interest. While his actions did make him a figure worth noticing, it was hard to see how that would lead to opening her romance route.

The only moment that stood out was after the Gehenna Operation, when he had to guide Camilla, who was pushing herself too hard in training. He didn’t do anything special; he just felt bad seeing her overwork herself. But somehow, that moment triggered something in Camilla, and her romance route opened—or rather, she developed feelings beyond mere interest.

Eventually, Camilla expressed those feelings directly, and it was clear what she meant when she called out to Gilbert. But before she could even finish her sentence, Gilbert shut her down. He knew exactly what she was going to say, and he wasn’t interested.

But Camilla wasn’t one to be deterred. She smiled brightly and moved closer to him, saying, “Hey, Gilbert, I’m feeling uneasy.”

Gilbert’s eyebrow twitched. This wasn’t what he expected. He couldn’t understand why she suddenly felt uneasy.

“When I see you, I feel excited and happy, but also anxious. That anxiety keeps growing, and I don’t know why,” Camilla continued calmly. Gilbert realized this was just the beginning of her confession.

“Gilbert, remember when you told me to follow you if I ever felt uneasy?” she asked.

Gilbert sighed. So that was the moment that opened her route. He had pulled her out of a psychologically unstable state, and that had somehow sparked her feelings for him. At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it, but looking back, everything he did seemed to have a special impact on her.

And then there was that cringe-worthy line about following him. It was practically a confession in itself.

“So I’ve decided. I’m going to follow you. Is that okay?” Camilla asked.

Gilbert closed his eyes, unable to respond. This was entirely his own doing, and he had no one to blame but himself.

***

“Gilbert! Let’s go out and have fun!” Camilla called out.

“If you want to take someone else’s husband, you need permission,” Brynhild retorted.

“We’ve been friends for life, and you didn’t even ask for permission to call him your husband?” Camilla shot back.

Gilbert sighed as he watched the two bicker. This was the karma for all the times he had turned a blind eye to their antics.

On one side was Brynhild, a grand warrior from the Sigurd clan who had long considered Gilbert her husband. On the other was Camilla, the youngest daughter of one of the Empire’s three great Count families, who had recently started showing interest in him.

While they didn’t resort to physical violence, the fact that they were fighting over him gave Gilbert a constant headache. He had made his feelings clear, but neither of them was the type to listen.

Brynhild, as a member of the Sigurd clan, had no intention of giving up on Gilbert as a potential husband. Camilla, true to her personality, acted on her feelings without hesitation. As a result, neither of them wanted to leave Gilbert’s side, leading to constant clashes.

Today was no different. After finishing his training, Gilbert was confronted by both Brynhild and Camilla, who were vying for his attention.

Camilla wanted to go out and spend time with him, while Brynhild insisted that wasn’t possible. Gilbert tried to be fair and dismissed both of them, but of course, they didn’t listen.

“You told me to follow you, so you have to take responsibility!” Camilla said boldly, poking Gilbert’s chest.

Brynhild frowned and tried to grab Camilla’s hand, but Camilla had already pulled away.

Camilla’s bold expression of her feelings was a significant matter, regardless of Gilbert’s own feelings. Even though Camilla was known as the Empire’s unruly tomboy, getting involved with her could lead to scandal, especially since Gilbert was a hero whose actions would go down in history.

The fact that both Camilla and Brynhild were members of the Empire’s three great Count families only added to the gossip. Their families’ prestige and influence made this the juiciest topic in the Empire’s social circles.

“Commander, I thought you had left your past behind, but it seems there are still some remnants,” Angelina remarked.

Gilbert was at a loss for words. Objectively, his relationships with women did seem complicated. And if news of his engagement to the Consort ever got out, the situation would spiral out of control.

Even without considering Briana, who was involved in a sub-scenario, Gilbert had to deal with Brynhild and Camilla constantly bickering in front of him.

“Then, let’s let Gilbert decide,” Camilla suggested.

“Finally, we agree on something,” Brynhild replied.

Gilbert felt a cold sweat. This was not a situation he wanted to be in.

“Gilbert, you’ll take responsibility, right?” Camilla asked.

“Husband, surely you wouldn’t think that way?” Brynhild added.

The two turned their attention to Gilbert, who felt a wave of dizziness. As Kang Do-jun, he had little experience with romance, but the system’s settings helped him maintain his composure. Gilbert, with his rogue-like personality, didn’t react strongly to such situations.

Instead, he had to suppress the urge to respond harshly.

“This has nothing to do with me,” Gilbert said.

“Nothing to do with you? You made a promise to me!” Camilla protested.

“Indeed, my husband. Surely, our promise is more important,” Brynhild added.

Gilbert repeated his earlier statement, “It’s the same.”

“How can you say that? You accepted my hair, and now you’re saying this?” Brynhild exclaimed.

Both women were furious, but Gilbert remained silent. He had delayed the inevitable, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

He left the two bickering women behind and moved to a different spot. Despite their boldness, neither Brynhild nor Camilla dared to follow him. Even for them, fighting over a man was embarrassing.

“Maybe he only cares about arranged marriages…” Brynhild muttered.

“I should ask Lily for help…” Camilla whispered.

The two were lost in thought, grappling with the embarrassment of their first love. It was a beautiful, if awkward, moment of youth.

Probably.

 

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