Count Kaledra Does Not Understand
Count Kaledra Does Not Understand
Daniel held Lucy in silence as she wept bitterly like a child.
So that she could pour out every last drop of the resentment pent up inside her.
Only after crying for a long while was Lucy able to calm down.
Confirming that the light had returned to Lucy's eyes, Daniel raised a hand lightly.
Wrapping Lucy in a gentle embrace, completely relaxed, Daniel spoke.
He suggested she calm down for now and pull herself together while she took a bath.
Only then, realizing that her appearance must be a mess, did Lucy give a small nod.
With difficulty, Lucy uttered an apology and turned away.
After gathering a few clothes from her room, Lucy expressed her gratitude for Daniel's consideration and entered the bathroom.
Left alone for the moment, Daniel cooked in the kitchen.
Seeing her condition, it was clear she hadn't been eating properly, so he intended to at least prepare a simple meal.
While cutting carrots into large chunks with a kitchen knife, Daniel suddenly touched his neck.
'I nearly had a heart attack when she yanked on my tie...'
She had suddenly approached and pulled his tie, leaving him completely flustered.
Daniel had wondered if she was finally showing her true colors, but upon hearing her sobs, he had to change his mind.
Lucy was crying.
And very sorrowfully at that.
No matter how he looked at it, that was not behavior one would display in front of an assassination target.
'What on earth was that? Was she that glad I came back?'
No. There was a considerable gap between that and mere tears of joy.
'It was as if...'
It was closer to tears that resolved a past injustice.
Recalling the uncharacteristic sight of Lucy, Daniel finished slicing the carrots and set down the knife.
Gathering the carrots together, Daniel tipped them into the large pot that was boiling.
Inside the pot, chicken meat was simmering along with various other ingredients.
Thinking that the preparations were done, Daniel reduced the flame on the gas range.
'Done. Now it just needs to keep boiling until it's finished.'
Satisfied with his cooking, Daniel glanced around once and then stopped short.
He had noticed that the door to Lucy's room was open.
'If I look around Lucy's room...'
He might be able to obtain useful information.
Judging by the absence of any particular movement from the bathroom, he had plenty of time.
After taking a deep breath, Daniel carefully stepped into Lucy's room.
Even if she was a spy, entering a lady's room made him a little tense, but once he was actually inside, a sense of deflation set in.
"It's alarmingly tidy..."
A bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and curtains.
It was an arrangement so sparse that there was nothing else to be found.
Because of this, Daniel felt an inexplicable sense of dissonance.
Normally, a room expresses an individual's personality.
But in Lucy's room, not a trace of personality could be found.
There were no ordinary dolls or posters; the empty room felt devoid of any human warmth.
It was a space so hollow that you could believe no one had ever lived there at all.
'...Does she have no hobbies?'
Or had she never even had the opportunity to have one?
While unconsciously pitying Lucy, Daniel glanced over at the desk and flinched in surprise.
'What's this?'
There were books on the desk.
'Right. Books can exist.'
But the titles were the problem.
【To Seduce a Wolf-Like Man, Become a Fox!】
【Love Is Like War! How to Win on the Love Front!】
【34 Ways to Steal a Man's Heart!】
There were three whole books teaching how to seduce the opposite sex.
And they sat conspicuously in a room that held nothing but basic daily necessities.
These were books Lucy had bought in the past when she received orders to seduce Daniel Steiner, but because they had been kept in pristine condition, they still looked brand new.
Though outwardly flustered, Daniel soon regained his composure.
'...Does Lucy have a man she's seeing?'
As far as Daniel knew, there wasn't one.
In the first place, Lucy rarely opened her heart to anyone, let alone men; she didn't even open up to other women.
'If so, could it be that she's trying to seduce me?'
It was a reasonable deduction.
That deduction led to another.
'...A honey trap?'
The honey trap was one of the methods frequently used by spies of this era who were confident in their looks.
Lucy also objectively had a beautiful appearance, so it was not impossible.
'Then that behavior at the front door too...'
Daniel, who had been suspecting Lucy, shook his head.
'No way. It couldn't be.'
If that had been an act, Lucy would have to quit being a spy immediately and debut as an actress.
Because the sight of Lucy crying her heart out sorrowfully like a child absolutely could not be considered acting.
If so, what on earth was the meaning of those tears?
Just as he had a vague thought that it must be related to Lucy's past—
Sswaaa─
The sound of water pouring from the showerhead and striking the floor reached his ears.
Realizing that Lucy, having finished her bath, was washing up, Daniel hurriedly exited the room.
Moving naturally into the kitchen, Daniel prepared tea. A short while after the sound of the shower water ceased, Lucy emerged from the bathroom.
He turned to see Lucy walking out wrapped in a bathrobe.
Her silvery-white hair, still damp with moisture, shone whiter than usual.
As Lucy approached, Daniel poured tea into a mug and handed it to her.
"It's chamomile tea. Since you clearly haven't been sleeping well, chamomile tea helps with insomnia and stress, so it'll do you good."
Lucy, who had been staring blankly at Daniel, accepted the mug with both hands.
"...Thank you."
Nodding, Daniel pointed behind him.
"There's chicken broth soup boiling in the pot over there. I could have made other dishes, but since you looked like you'd been starving for days, I went with soup. You need to replenish nutrients without irritating your stomach, after all."
Feeling the warm heat transmitted through the mug, Lucy turned her gaze to the pot.
Steam was rising gently from the pot.
"After about two hours, turn off the heat and eat. It might be a bit bland, so you can add pepper and salt to taste."
Daniel's matter-of-fact explanation came as warm comfort to her.
After hesitating a moment, Lucy nodded, and Daniel let out a low sigh.
"Even putting oneself in another's shoes has its limits. An adjutant who bosses around her superior officer. So much for my dignity."
Feeling sorry, Lucy lowered her gaze.
Daniel lightly grasped Lucy's shoulder.
Just as she thought she was about to be scolded, Daniel lowered his voice and spoke.
"If you're thinking about my dignity, don't willfully starve yourself from now on. And don't be sick either. Understood."
Lucy's eyes widened slightly, not expecting to receive comfort.
After patting Lucy's shoulders, Daniel withdrew his hand.
"Make sure you recover your energy before Christmas comes. I hate the thought of going alone, pathetically, to a shop bustling with couples."
"...You mean Christmas?"
"Didn't I say we'd go eat stollen together?"
Stollen.
At that single, unremarkable word, Lucy realized once again that this was not a dream.
The Christmas she had thought would never come again.
Lucy's time had begun to flow once more.
"I will keep it in mind."
Seeing a faint smile forming at the corner of Lucy's lips, Daniel nodded.
He thought she had recovered enough of her spirits that it would be alright for him to leave now.
"Then I shall take my leave."
Picking up his uniform cap from the kitchen table, Daniel placed it on his head.
It was the moment he passed Lucy.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel."
Her voice was still cracked, but the tone alone was clear.
After a brief silence, Lucy gathered her courage and continued.
"I will definitely repay this kindness."
At the sound of her words, Daniel let out a low laugh.
"Kindness, you say. A certain doctor I once saved said the exact same thing. What a strange feeling."
Composing his laughter, Daniel spoke in a teasing voice.
"I'll look forward to it."
Flashing a subtle smile, Daniel moved to leave the quarters.
Inside the quarters now empty of Daniel, Lucy cradled the mug tightly, her face strangely flushed.
'I suppose before Christmas...'
She thought that she must acquire a nice outfit.
*
United Nations Permanent Member State of Edria.
Count Kaledra's office.
『Report No. 4158069 Bellanos Situation Report - 1600109839』
As he read the report that had come up from the intelligence division of the Central Intelligence Agency, Kaledra furrowed his brow.
The report stated that Daniel Steiner had pressured the Bellanos Cabinet Minister and successfully concluded the talks in a direction favorable to the Empire.
"Is this true?"
Deputy Director Vek of the Central Intelligence Department nodded.
"It is. That report has undergone cross-verification."
At this, Kaledra shut his eyes and gritted his teeth.
'Surviving the ship sinking is absurd enough as it is...'
Daniel went one step further and used his own death as a weapon, forcing the Bellanos Cabinet Minister into submission.
Thanks to that, the Empire was effectively secured against attacks from the sea.
Since Bellanos, having permitted the Empire to station troops, would serve as both a breakwater and a vanguard, blocking enemy attacks.
'This is troublesome.'
Originally, the Empire's destruction had been a certainty.
Everything had been proceeding according to plan, with not even minor flaws detected.
'The Allied Nations' victory was approaching as if it were within our grasp...'
Then suddenly, a man named Daniel Steiner appeared and was disrupting the plan, piece by piece.
Just like a hero in a story who resists the coming fate.
Grinding his teeth as he brooded, Kaledra slowly opened both eyes.
'No matter how outstanding a figure you are...'
A single, mere human could not possibly reverse the tide of a surging wave.
The Empire would collapse, and the Allied Nations would prosper.
'I will make absolutely certain of it.'
The war situation was also favorable to the Allied Nations, so there was no need to rack his brain over it unnecessarily.
'However...'
Because of Daniel's survival, he could not know what decision Lucy would make.
Recently, there had even been a report from the Palentia branch in the capital that Lucy might have had a change of heart.
And now, on top of that, Daniel had returned alive, making things even more troublesome.
For Kaledra, who had been arranging the board so that Lucy would fill Daniel's vacant position, this was nothing short of a bolt from the blue.
'Lucy's change of heart must not become an established fact.'
He could give up other things, but he could not hand over Lucy Emilia.
Sensing the crisis, Kaledra glared at Vek and spoke.
"Issue a recall order to Lucy. Immediately!"
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Vek nodded without a word of protest.
As Vek turned and left the office, Kaledra raised a hand and pressed his forehead.
His forehead was burning, as if he'd come down with a fever.
The root cause of this stress was, naturally, Daniel Steiner.
'Emperor of the Empire. Why on earth are you merely watching that bastard?!'
To Kaledra, it was utterly incomprehensible.
Every metric of judgment told him that.
'That bastard is...'
A monster who would one day swallow the Empire whole.