Why Are You Doing This to Me!
Why Are You Doing This to Me!
Once Ref delivered her confirmation, Daniel's worries deepened.
He'd been so caught up in getting dragged into incidents and steering the war to victory that he'd never given much thought to his life after the war, but when he reviewed his past statements, he realized he'd put himself in a rather complicated spot.
As Daniel remained silent, Ref withdrew her hand and smiled quietly.
"It's been a while since I've seen you flustered like this. Our resident playboy, Mr. Daniel? You look terribly troubled. If you'd like, I could at least hear out your excuses."
"......Excuses?"
"Yes. What on earth were you thinking, going around handing out blank checks like that?"
Daniel furrowed his brow and let out a low sigh.
"They weren't blank checks. It's just that at the time, I didn't realize how much potential for misunderstanding there was from the listener's perspective."
In Lucy's case, when he suggested they go see the sea together, it was to keep a promise from the past (a memory) that had never been fulfilled.
What he'd said to Frien wasn't a proposal to become her lifelong companion, but a declaration that he'd spend his whole life repaying the kindness she'd shown him.
As for Selvia, the situation at the time had been urgent, and he'd accepted her confession believing it was merely a childish mistake that had spilled out of her confused heart.
"Looking back, it's all my fault. I ended up toying with people's hearts."
Seeing Daniel's expression turn serious, a mischievous glint played across Ref's face.
It was the first time she'd seen Daniel—who was usually cold and self-assured—so cornered.
"If you've done wrong, shouldn't you receive punishment that fits the crime? Isn't the Empire's founding principle 'reward merit, punish failure'? Taking responsibility for one's mistakes is a virtue of our capable general, wouldn't you say? And really, this isn't even punishment. You'd be getting together with three women—shouldn't we call this a reward?"
"Ref. Don't go spouting off about someone else's business. I have one body. How exactly am I supposed to 'get together' with three?"
"Well, that's something you'll have to worry about from now on. As you said, the Empire doesn't permit polygamy, so it's bound to be a rather tricky problem......."
Ref, who'd been pondering how to tease him even more enjoyably, snapped her fingers.
"Ah! Come to think of it, that thing! You know!"
"......What 'thing'?"
"Aren't you the first person in the Empire's history to receive an additional award of the White Dragon Medal of Military Merit? As far as I know, anyone who receives an additional White Dragon Medal gets the right to petition a wish?"
She wasn't wrong.
"You mean the clause stating that an additional White Dragon Medal recipient may petition a wish to His Majesty the Emperor within one year of the award date."
"Yeah. Couldn't you use that to make polygamy possible?"
"......Ref. I'm sorry, but that isn't all-powerful. It's written as a 'wish,' but it's a provision with limited effect, and any petition is subject to review by the Imperial Household."
As obvious as it was, just because someone received an additional White Dragon Medal didn't mean they could have absurd wishes like 'make me the emperor' granted.
So even if it was called a wish, it could only be fulfilled within the bounds of common sense.
Meaning only wishes like receiving money or rising to an important post in the Empire were allowed.
Of course, because Daniel Steiner was the only person in the Empire ever to have received an additional White Dragon Medal, there was no precedent for exercising the wish petition right.
Ref, aiming at that loophole, asked with an innocent look in her eyes.
"You don't know unless you try, do you?"
"What?"
"I understand that there's a limit on its effect, and I get that it's subject to Imperial Household review, but if the Empire wins this war, you'll be a war hero who saved the nation. Don't you think something like polygamy would be approved?"
Daniel furrowed one eyebrow, but Ref continued with a nonchalant expression.
"Did I say something wrong? Or is there some other escape route besides the method I've just devised? Surely you're not going to pick the option of running away? That'd be the stupidest thing you could do. You know that, right?"
Daniel couldn't bring himself to deny Ref's words.
"......So you're telling me to petition His Majesty the Emperor to permit polygamy. Do you think His Majesty would accept that?"
"Whether it gets accepted or not is a problem for later. You've got to shoot first. Just worrying about it won't change anything, will it? Daniel. Toying with women's hearts and then doing nothing about it is irresponsible."
Ref's expression was so intensely serious that it was impossible to tell if she was joking or sincere.
"From what I can see, this is the best option, isn't it? That way, you can go see the sea with Lucy, take responsibility for Frien's life, and accept Selvia's love. Right?"
Ref let out a low laugh and lifted her coffee cup.
"You know this to some extent, don't you? That choosing no one right now, or taking only one as your spouse, would wound the other women."
"......Saying I'll live embracing all of them could hurt them in a different way."
"Hmm. Even so, wouldn't that be better than making it so they can't have you at all?"
Ref covered her mouth with her cup and smiled with her eyes.
"Of course, the choice is yours, not mine. I'm merely someone offering advice, nothing more. So go ahead, take your time and agonize over it as much as you like."
Daniel found Ref infuriating, but from a broad perspective, she was right.
Though Daniel's head was beginning to ache with worries about the future, he soon shook his head.
"......It's not a problem that needs to be thought about that deeply yet. All of your assumptions are premised on the Empire winning the war, after all."
"Strange logic. Are you saying the Empire could still lose, even now that nuclear development is complete?"
"The probability is low, of course. But......."
Daniel, too, believed without a doubt that the Empire would win.
However, the hidden threat known as Count Kaledra kept gnawing at him, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Because he couldn't predict how a man who'd use any means necessary for the Allied Nations' victory would behave at the negotiation table with the Empire after nuclear development was complete.
As Daniel trailed off, Ref nodded as if she understood.
"Alright. Then I suppose you'd best postpone your worries until after the war ends."
So saying, Ref downed the coffee left in her cup.
'And it'll be fun watching Daniel squirm in the meantime.'
Thinking back on everything Daniel had put her through, Ref couldn't help but smile.
*
The next morning.
Ref, who opened her eyes in the hotel provided by the Empire, furrowed her brow.
Because by her nature, Ref never set alarms except on important days; waking up on a weekday morning was something that simply didn't happen.
If one were to ask why the impossible had occurred, the answer would be the knocking sound currently pounding on her door.
"My lady! It's me! Diplomatic Envoy Worain! If you're in there, please open the door!"
Kwang-kwang-kwang!
It was hard to tell if he was knocking or trying to break the door down.
Ref let out a sigh, got up from the bed, threw on some clothes roughly, and walked to the door.
When she opened it, she saw Worain, breathing heavily.
Had he run all the way here?
Puzzled, Ref folded her arms and spoke.
"......What business do you have disturbing a lady's sleep? Don't you know beauties need their rest?"
"I apologize for disturbing your sleep. However, there is something you absolutely must see, so I've taken the liberty of visiting."
"Something I need to see?"
Wondering what he meant, Ref noticed a newspaper clutched in Worain's hand.
"What's that?"
"A newspaper carrying an article about you, my lady. It appears to have been published in small circulation by an independent newspaper company. I've already applied pressure to halt publication immediately, so there will be no further distribution. Still, I thought you should know, so I brought it."
"Huh? An article about me?"
Her curiosity piqued, she took the newspaper and looked it over.
Then, the photo printed on the front page made her doubt her own eyes.
"What. This is......."
The photo was none other than Ref having a conversation with Daniel at the café.
Judging by the crafty angle, it looked like someone had hidden outside the café to take it.
Even as she stood there dumbfounded, the article's headline entered her field of view.
【Lieutenant General Daniel's Secret Woman? Clandestine Rendezvous Captured!】
The moment she read the headline, Ref felt a chill run through her entire body.
An ominous premonition made her hands tremble and her breathing ragged.
Barely calming herself, Ref lowered the newspaper and looked up at Worain.
"Wait. How far has this spread?"
"Thanks to our swift response, we were able to prevent it from circulating publicly. However, since the process of controlling that newspaper company's articles required cooperation from the Imperial Household......."
Worain's voice dropped, sounding ashamed.
"Currently, the Emperor of the Empire will also be aware of this fact."
If Selvia knew about this, it was only a matter of time before Lucy and Frien heard of it.
Before she could even clear up the misunderstanding that she and Daniel were 'something special,' a new misunderstanding had been piled on top.
No, no matter how you looked at it, this was a misunderstanding well on its way to becoming established fact.
Ref broke out in a cold sweat and thought.
'Oh, fuck.......'
At this rate, she might end up departing this mortal coil before Daniel did.