The Meeting of Two Women
The Meeting of Two Women
Christmas Day.
The Golden Rose Patisserie.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner and First Lieutenant Lucy Emilia, is that correct? It is an immense honor to have you visit our establishment. Would you kindly wait a moment while I confirm your reservation?"
Daniel nodded, and the clerk picked up a binder and checked the list.
Meanwhile, Daniel looked at Lucy standing beside him.
'I think this is the first time I've seen her in civilian clothes...'
Lucy was currently wearing a pure white blouse with a coat draped over her shoulders.
She had on a black pencil skirt underneath, so the lines of her body were subtly revealed.
It was a sophisticated and elegant outfit that naturally brought to mind a modern woman of this era.
'However...'
Perhaps because she wasn't used to wearing such clothes, Lucy seemed tense in some indefinable way.
'I understand. I know what that feeling is like.'
It was that feeling of having dressed up in the latest fashion to look your best, only to find yourself self-conscious of other people's gazes once you actually stepped outside.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Steiner. First Lieutenant Lucy Emilia."
My musings were shattered by the clerk calling our names.
Daniel turned his gaze, and the clerk responded with a businesslike smile.
"Your reservation has been confirmed. I will escort you to your seat."
The clerk stepped out from behind the counter and started walking, clearly expecting them to follow.
Lucy and Daniel followed without a word, and the clerk guided the two of them to a window seat.
"If you will sit here and wait, I will bring out your food and coffee."
The clerk bowed his head deeply and vanished, and Lucy and Daniel took their seats.
Sitting across from each other with a table between them, the two naturally looked at one another.
While Lucy blinked with an expressionless face, Daniel let out a soft chuckle.
Puzzled by that, Lucy was the first to speak.
"......Lieutenant Colonel? Why are you laughing?"
"No reason. It's just that I've only ever seen you in a stiff uniform, so you look different in civilian clothes. How should I put it... It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you look like a famous actress."
At the sudden compliment, Lucy parted her lips slightly, at a loss for words.
It was true that she had dressed up hoping for a compliment, but now that the moment she'd imagined had become reality, she couldn't figure out how to respond.
When she dealt with Daniel as a spy, there had been no hesitation, but now that she was trying to deal with him as a woman, her head was a mess.
Daniel, who had been quietly watching Lucy, raised his hand and took off his leather gloves.
"More importantly, you know that we have to drop by the Imperial Palace this evening."
"Ah. If you mean the banquet, I am aware of it."
Since Daniel had told her over the phone a few days ago, she couldn't have forgotten it even if she'd wanted to.
'I'm not entirely sure why I was invited too...'
But since the Imperial princess herself had summoned her, it was not something she could refuse.
"There's no need to be nervous."
Having removed both gloves and placed them beside the table, Daniel spoke.
"Even though it's called an Imperial banquet and may sound grandiose, in the end it's nothing more than a social gathering. If you watch your words, be mindful of your drinking, and enjoy the dinner..."
Daniel broke off mid-sentence and shut his mouth.
Because the clerk was approaching, carrying the Stollen.
"Here is the Stollen, a special Christmas menu item! Please enjoy!"
The clerk spoke cheerfully and set the Stollen down in the center of the table.
Then he placed two cups of coffee, warm with rising steam, in front of Lucy and Daniel before retreating.
"This is..."
Lucy, who had been looking down at the Stollen placed in the center of the table, showed a glimmer of fascination in her eyes.
"Truly, it looks as though snow has settled on the bread. It's pretty."
"It's bread that tastes as good as it looks. I'll slice it up right away, so wait a moment."
Daniel picked up the bread knife and cut the Stollen by gently pushing it straight through.
Only after slicing several pieces did he set the bread knife down.
"You eat first."
Daniel, who wanted to hear Lucy's impression, urged her to eat.
Lucy nodded slightly, picked up her fork, stabbed a piece of Stollen, and brought it to her lips.
Her eyes went round as she parted her modest lips and put the Stollen into her mouth.
'It's delicious...'
The moment it entered her mouth, the Stollen's sweet flavor unfolded.
Then, as she chewed the moist, soft-textured bread, a savory taste spread.
And the raisins that punctuated each bite added a refreshing touch.
After savoring the taste and swallowing the Stollen, Lucy was about to give her honest impression but hesitated.
It was because Daniel, who was looking at her with an arrogant smile, somehow seemed annoyingly smug.
It was exactly as if he were saying, 'See? It's good, right? How could something I recommended not be delicious?'
A perverse whim took hold of her, so Lucy hid her true feelings and picked up a napkin to wipe the corners of her mouth.
"......It's edible."
Of course, that didn't work on Daniel.
'She enjoyed it, and yet she's playing dumb again.'
Because the expression she'd shown when she took a bite of the Stollen had told him everything.
Thinking she was putting up a cute act of defiance, Daniel kept his smile and raised his hand.
"I'm glad it's edible. Then I'll have a bite too..."
Daniel's hand, searching for a fork, drifted aimlessly over the table.
No matter how he looked, there was no fork.
"Huh? It looks like the clerk forgot my fork."
He considered just picking it up with his hands, but the thought of sugar getting on his hands made him uncomfortable.
It was the very moment he thought he should call the clerk over.
"If that's the case, then I will feed it to you."
Lucy lifted the fork with the Stollen on it and leaned forward.
"......You'll feed me?"
He wondered if it was a joke, but Lucy's red eyes were simply blinking with incomprehension.
'What is this? Is it part of using her charms?'
Daniel, who wasn't sure but thought he shouldn't refuse, accepted the Stollen and ate it.
As he savored the sweet yet savory taste of the Stollen, Daniel glanced around at the other guests and spoke.
"Adjutant. I'm grateful for your kindness, but I think it would be better to order another fork."
"......Why is that?"
"Aren't there many eyes watching? Wouldn't it be troublesome if they misunderstood the adjutant and me to be lovers?"
Lucy, who had handed the Stollen to Daniel without any particular intention, belatedly flushed red.
"Ah."
Thinking that she had unintentionally acted like a lover, she was inexplicably ashamed.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel. I absolutely did not have that kind of intention..."
She belatedly tried to make an excuse, but the atmosphere had already become awkward.
After a brief silence, Lucy spoke in a voice that was barely audible.
"......I'm sorry."
Her ears turning bright red was a bonus.
*
When evening came, Lucy and Daniel, having finished their meal, headed to the Imperial Palace.
Guided by personnel from the Inner Court Office who had come out to meet them, Lucy and Daniel were soon able to arrive at the Detached Palace where the banquet was being held.
All manner of lights blazed brilliantly, as if advertising that the banquet was right here, and from the parking lot onward, well-known figures from political and financial circles could be seen conversing.
As they took in the sight and entered the Detached Palace, a Great Hall, made impressive by its enormous chandelier, unfolded before them.
Inside the hall, a lavish spread of food covered the tables, and in the center, an enormous Christmas tree flaunted its splendor.
Moreover, the Imperial Household Orchestra was playing classical music, making the atmosphere truly magnificent.
'I had heard that the Christmas banquet was different from ordinary banquets, but...'
Admiring it inwardly, Daniel went inside and took a seat with Lucy at a table on the edge.
He had decided that it would do them no good to unnecessarily stand out in other people's eyes.
However, once someone gained as much fame as Daniel, people naturally flocked to him even if he was in a corner.
"Isn't that Lieutenant Colonel Daniel?"
Even though they had barely sat down, a familiar voice was heard.
Daniel turned his head and saw Cedric, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, in a suit.
And because Selvia was standing right beside him, Daniel hastily rose from his seat.
The same was true for Lucy.
"Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. And Your Highness the Princess."
Daniel bowed his head according to etiquette.
Selvia looked at Lucy once, then turned her head toward Daniel.
"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel. Thank you for accepting the invitation."
"No, I am the one who is grateful for the invitation. I am honored."
"What is there to be honored about? Only the person worth inviting was invited. More importantly, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations says he has something to discuss with Lieutenant Colonel Daniel."
Cedric looked back at Selvia with puzzlement.
Because he had nothing in particular to discuss with Lieutenant Colonel Daniel.
But, quickly grasping Selvia's intention, Cedric nodded.
"As Her Highness says. Let us go over there and talk."
"Yes. Understood."
Having heard the answer, Cedric led Daniel away elsewhere.
Selvia, who had been watching their retreating figures, turned to look at Lucy.
"First Lieutenant Lucy? I understand that you are Lieutenant Colonel Daniel's adjutant. Is what I know correct?"
Selvia's lips were smiling, but her eyes were not.
Amid the peculiar atmosphere, Lucy nodded.
"That is correct, Your Highness."
"Good. Then from now on, I will ask First Lieutenant Lucy a few questions... Ah. For now, please sit."
"I must respectfully decline. I cannot sit while Your Highness is standing."
The smile on Selvia's lips deepened.
"I told you to sit."
Only then did Lucy realize that those words were not kindness but an order.
"......Understood."
Once Lucy was seated, Selvia calmly opened the conversation.
"Lately I have become interested in you, First Lieutenant Lucy. If you don't mind, could you tell me about the environment you grew up in? By that I mean your hometown or your relationship with your family."
The intent behind the question was unknowable.
But since she was in a position where she could not refuse, Lucy answered as she had been taught.
"......I was born in a village called Müllendorf, in the southwest of the Empire. To be precise, in a small cabin in the woods near Müllendorf."
"Hmm. And?"
"I was raised there by my grandfather. He took care of me with great affection until I was able to become independent. Afterwards, I entered the military academy, completed the curriculum, and was assigned to General Staff Headquarters, where I have been assisting Lieutenant Colonel Daniel."
It was a concise explanation without any extraneous details.
Thanks to that, Selvia also appeared to have accepted it.
"I see. You must have lived a fairly difficult life. Being raised without parents in a cabin by your grandfather would not have been an easy thing at all. I imagine that First Lieutenant Lucy's past could perhaps be summed up in a single word."
"......In a single word, you say?"
"Are you curious? Then I shall let you hear it."
Selvia placed her hand on the table and leaned forward.
Her glossy platinum-blond hair cascaded softly down over her shoulders.
Amid the tension, her blue eyes, the color of lapis lazuli, narrowed gently.
The moment Lucy unconsciously shrank back, Selvia smiled and moved her lips slightly.
"Lies."