A Fight That Isn't Easy
A Fight That Isn't Easy
When Daniel confirmed it, the confusion in Lucy's eyes deepened.
The obvious fact that Kelly was a dog struck Lucy like an unacceptable calamity.
And with good reason — Lucy had been thinking of Kelly as 'Daniel's ex-lover' all along.
Needless to say, there were even times when she felt a certain jealousy toward Kelly.
'So....'
Lucy had been feeling jealousy not over 'Daniel's ex-lover,' but over 'a dog Daniel raised,' and on top of that, she had been harboring a bizarre misunderstanding all on her own.
The moment she realized it, Lucy's face flushed bright red.
Her heart was racing so fast she could barely maintain her composure.
She desperately wanted to flee from this place, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Leaving now would be no different from confessing to Daniel a sin born from her own misunderstanding.
For Lucy, who always wanted to show only her best side to Daniel, it was simply not an option.
After keeping her mouth shut for a while, Lucy steadied her breathing as much as she could and finally spoke.
"...Colonel. If it isn't impertinent, may I ask you just one thing?"
Of course it wasn't impertinent.
When Daniel nodded, Lucy mustered her courage and parted her lips slightly.
"Colonel, have you ever been romantically involved with someone of the opposite sex?"
It was a question asked in the hope that Daniel might now say, 'That thing about Kelly being a dog was a joke.'
Because she thought that if she asked about his romantic history, Daniel would bring up an ex-lover.
But Daniel was simply baffled in more ways than one.
'We were talking about a dog, and now suddenly why romantic history....'
He couldn't understand it, but since there was no reason to hide anything, Daniel answered flatly.
"No. In the first place, it's wartime. Do you think romance is even appropriate right now?"
Daniel's answer drove the final nail into the formula of 'Kelly = a dog.'
With every escape route blocked, Lucy merely closed her eyes and bit down hard on her lip.
The pounding of her heart seemed to echo in her ears, and the world felt utterly far away.
As Lucy let out a quiet groan in her embarrassment, Daniel gave a dry cough.
He wasn't sure why, but the atmosphere was strange, so he wanted to change the subject.
"Adjutant. More importantly, didn't you say you had something to tell me regarding the audience with the Belanos diplomatic ambassador?"
At that, Lucy slowly opened her eyes.
Her face and ears were still flushed, but Lucy did her best to regain her composure.
Public and private matters had to be kept separate.
"...Yes. While Your Excellency was speaking with the businessman Hamtal in the reception room, a communication came from the Imperial Household. They requested that you personally go to greet the foreign ambassador entering the capital."
"The fact that they asked me, the Emergency Security Chief, to do that probably means they want to impress upon the Belanos diplomatic ambassador that the Empire is safe. Am I right?"
"I believe that is the intent as well. It coincides with the scheduled execution of collaborators on the day the Belanos diplomatic ambassador visits the Empire."
In short, it meant parading the execution of collaborators in front of the Belanos diplomatic ambassador and glossing it over with a message that 'Our Empire is safe!'
'What are we, some kind of execution sightseeing tour guides....'
Frankly, he wasn't keen on it, but it was an order from the Imperial Household, so he couldn't refuse.
"It's not a difficult task, so relay that I'll do as instructed. And...."
A rosy hue still lingered on Lucy's face.
Daniel, eyeing it with slight puzzlement, continued.
"Adjutant? It seems the fatigue from working through the nights lately is catching up with you. How about you go in and rest for now? Your complexion doesn't look normal."
Lucy opened her mouth to say she was fine, but then closed it again.
If she stubbornly refused Daniel's suggestion and pushed herself, she felt she might make another mistake today.
And it was true that fatigue had built up from working through the nights, so Lucy nodded without a word of protest.
"If you say so, Colonel, then I shall hurry my departure for today."
"Good. Get plenty of rest. Work efficiency comes from proper rest."
"Thank you for your consideration."
Lucy bowed her head deeply, handed the photograph she had been holding back to Daniel, then turned around and walked out.
It was slightly noisy outside.
Not long after Lucy exited through the open door, Frien entered the reception room.
"Colonel Daniel. I heard you were here, so I came by. Is this a good time?"
A gentle smile spread beneath her light-brown hair, which was braided back.
Maybe because her uniform wasn't stained with blood today, she didn't give off her characteristic brutal aura.
Except for the little problem that the smell of blood still clung to her uniform.
"...Frien. Come in."
Hearing Daniel's permission, Frien smiled pleasantly as she approached.
As Daniel sat on the sofa to rest, Frien sat down on the opposite sofa.
Looking down at the table, Frien spotted the cup filled to the brim with coffee.
"Good heavens. That businessman, Hamtal, didn't even take a single sip of this precious coffee? Just how luxurious is his usual drink...."
Frien raised her eyes and looked at Daniel.
"Colonel. If it's alright with you, may I try some as well?"
There was no reason why not, but he wasn't particularly inclined to encourage it.
"The coffee's gone cold. It won't taste the way it should. If you want to appreciate the true flavor, you'd be better off going to the pantry and brewing a fresh one."
"I'd rather not waste ingredients. More than anything, the time I spend with you, Colonel Daniel, is precious to me. I just want to get a taste of the coffee, that's all."
"Is that so. Then go ahead and drink."
There was no reason to stop her, so he gave his permission, and Frien leaned forward.
"...?"
Then she reached out her arm, grasped Daniel's cup, and lifted it up.
Leaning back again, Frien flashed a delighted smile.
"Thank you kindly, Colonel Daniel."
Saying that, Frien took a sip of the coffee.
Her posture was more reverent than someone taking a break, as if she were performing a religious rite.
'Wait. Didn't she mean she was going to drink what Hamtal left? Why does it have to be the one I was drinking....'
He didn't understand, but decided not to ask about it.
He simply watched quietly as Frien emptied the coffee and set the cup down.
"That was lovely. As expected of a premium product, the flavor is quite different."
"...Right. I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"It's because the coffee was from you, Colonel Daniel. Ah, by the way. Did you, by chance, fight with First Lieutenant Lucy?"
"Fight? With my adjutant? Me?"
"Yes. When I passed by First Lieutenant Lucy earlier on my way here, I noticed something strange. Her face was red and she was walking with her teeth clenched."
Having no clue what that was about, Daniel blinked vacantly before pulling out the photograph, just in case.
It was the picture of Kelly.
"Strange. All I did was show her this."
"What kind of picture is it?"
"Do you want to see?"
As Daniel handed the photo over, Frien took it.
Looking at the picture of a golden retriever smiling brightly, Frien rested a hand against her cheek.
"How adorable. It's a golden retriever, right? I remember raising one myself, long ago."
Yes. This was a normal reaction.
'So why on earth did Lucy react that way....'
From Daniel's point of view, it was utterly incomprehensible.
*
Arriving home early after leaving work, Lucy took a cold shower to forget her shame and changed into comfortable clothes for sleeping.
Afterwards, she tried reading a book and listened to the radio to pass the time, but the shame showed no sign of vanishing.
And so, at present.
Lucy was curled up, leaning against the headboard of her bed.
With a pillow clutched to her chest and her eyes half-open, her mind kept replaying the dark history.
Lucy remembered.
The time Daniel had told her that she was more precious to him than Kelly.
'I was happy about it. Like a fool....'
A person being more precious than a dog was only natural, after all.
The realization that she had failed to grasp that and had been happy all on her own was mortifying.
'And furthermore....'
Having believed that she and Daniel shared a special relationship, Lucy had gone and made her 'dog declaration' right in front of Selvia.
By declaring she would take Kelly's place, it was no different from declaring she would 'become Daniel's dog.'
Now she understood perfectly why Selvia had been so utterly bewildered back then.
Her face burned hot, and her heart fluttered wildly once more.
Unable to bear it, Lucy hugged the pillow tightly and let out a low breath.
To be honest, she was so ashamed she wanted to die.
Enough that if she could turn back time, she would pay any price.
But such a miracle could never happen.
Lucy, who had let out a low sigh, loosened her grip on the pillow she had been hugging.
'Still....'
Not all of it had been fruitless.
Because she had learned that Daniel Steiner did not have a lover.
'Maybe I could be....'
It was possible that she might become Daniel's first.
*
Meanwhile, in the dining hall of the Imperial Palace.
"So, has there been any progress lately?"
Only Selvia and Mariant were seated at the wide dining table, having their meal.
When Selvia did not answer, Mariant, who had been slicing her steak with an elegant gesture, spoke again.
"My dear child. Colonel Daniel is a fine match for a husband. There are probably other women besides you who have their eye on him. So wouldn't it be better to put a strategy in place now?"
Normally, Selvia would have brushed it off and said not to meddle, but she couldn't do that today.
Because what Lucy had told her previously had left a shock that was etched into her mind.
Selvia, who had been picking at her food, finally set down her utensils.
"It's not a wrong observation. As you say, Mother, there is a woman who likes Daniel."
"Oh my. A rival in love, then. Who is it?"
"Daniel Steiner's adjutant."
At the word 'adjutant,' Mariant put on an expression of sympathy.
"The person who stays closest to Colonel Daniel. It won't be easy to deal with, will it?"
"If only 'not easy' were the end of it, I'd be grateful. Daniel's adjutant is a scandalous woman who says things I cannot even comprehend."
"Things you cannot comprehend?"
Recalling Lucy's statement, Selvia's face flushed subtly.
Even now, just thinking about the words Lucy had uttered so boldly made it nearly impossible for her to think straight.
"That woman...."
After pausing for a moment, Selvia spoke with her eyes closed.
"Thinks it's perfectly natural to be treated like a dog by Colonel Daniel."
A misunderstanding born from a gap in information reached Mariant's ears.
It was a statement that Mariant, who had mobilized every means possible to seduce the former Emperor Bertram, found difficult to accept as well.
Mariant, who had set her utensils down just like Selvia, gently took Selvia's hand.
"My child."
A seriousness settled over Mariant's features, which had been tinged with constant mischief.
"You have met a formidable rival."
Mariant was convinced.
If things went on like this, Selvia would clearly be outmaneuvered by that fox-like woman.
'So somehow....'
She herself would have to help.