The Contract in His Hand
If his friend—who always put on airs of being the most fastidious, sensitive man in the world—were to wake up and face this unexpected situation, he would undoubtedly throw a massive fit and act utterly insufferable. Noel had absolutely no desire to deal with that nonsense firsthand.
"Lieutenant, Lieutenant!"
The sergeant's voice, whispering desperately for fear of waking the Grand Duke inside, was pitiful. However, Noel pretended not to hear and quickly slipped out of the office.
"And here I thought he was a good man!"
A good man? Hardly.
I'm sorry, but I only look decent compared to my friend. I find his thunderous scoldings and tantrums just as agonizing as anyone else.
Swallowing the unspoken words, he practically fled down the corridor.
"I'm losing out because of you."
Curtis would always glare and say that whenever he saw Noel. Of course, it was an old inside joke between them. It was only natural that Noel, who laughed easily alongside the sensitive and strict Curtis, would seem to have a relatively pleasant personality.
Though my personality isn't actually that great.
It was true. Strictly speaking, he was merely reaping the benefits of Curtis's bad temper. Noel was actually quite strict himself, and in some ways, incredibly stubborn. This was especially obvious in how he treated his younger sister, Agathe Montpis.
"Dear brother! Curtis-nim said he loves that woman, but I think otherwise!"
When his sister, still completely delusional, had shrieked those words upon returning home last night, Noel had bypassed their mother and grounded Agathe himself. If a beloved youngest sibling refused to snap out of it, a harsh punishment was necessary. This was all because his friend possessed such an excessively handsome face.
What's the point of having a face like that if you don't even use it?
The most bleak moment since he had known his friend Curtis was when Curtis actually declared his marriage to Chloe Amboise. That bastard. For all his pretense of being sensitive and calculating, he was secretly quite impulsive.
Of course, that didn't mean he disliked his friend. He liked him, respected him, and even felt sorry for him.
I just don't want to endure his terrible temper just because we're friends.
The moment Curtis realized he had fallen asleep tangled up with Chloe Amboise, his reaction would be entirely predictable.
Will about an hour be enough?
Noel checked the time on his wristwatch. The sun had risen long ago, and it wouldn't be long before his friend came to his senses. Pretending to know anything about his friend's bedroom affairs—where he would currently be writhing in sheer embarrassment—would only bring exhaustion. It was always best for one's peace of mind to play dumb.
If he thoughtlessly poked his head in to wake him and accidentally let slip a smirk along with a "I knew you'd end up like this," he would undoubtedly be showered with every curse in the book. Thus, for the sake of his own safety, Lieutenant Noel Montpis decided to pretend he had seen absolutely nothing this time.
Of course, there was also a small part of him that wanted to see his friend get a taste of his own medicine, especially since Curtis had ignored all his warnings and rushed into marrying his aide. Naturally, Noel didn't suspect for a second that his friend had actually developed romantic feelings for the fake Grand Duchess. Noel, of all people, knew exactly where the ruinous nature of Curtis Shan Berk's personality originated.
Humming to himself as he walked down the corridor of the Royal Guard building, a chuckle escaped his lips. Go ahead and suffer a little. With that thought, he pushed open the door to the officer lounge.
"Good morning, sir."
"Ah, good morning."
A few officers smoking cigars in the lounge offered Noel a casual salute. Noel returned the salute and sat at a table in the corner of the room. It was a common enough sight for Noel, who was always buried in paperwork, to bring a stack of documents out of the Grand Duke's office to work while enjoying a cigar in the lounge.
"Are you alright?"
As Noel clipped the end of his cigar, the conversation of the officers standing across the room caught his ear. It was a voice he knew well: Warrant Officer Ezra Dubois.
Come to think of it, didn't they say Warrant Officer Dubois shattered Captain Henri Devreux's molar yesterday?
Noel gently rolled the blunt end of the cigar between his fingers. It seemed his cigar cutter had grown dull.
Well, the 2nd Squad and Captain Devreux's 6th Squad have always been at each other's throats.
When Noel had first transferred from the army alongside Curtis, his very first task had been to analyze the dynamics between the squads within the Royal Guard. The 2nd and 6th Squads shared many overlapping duties, which naturally bred hostility. Overlapping duties meant ample opportunities to find fault with each other's work. Though it was rather amusing that the catalyst this time had been Chloe Le David Berk.
"What if I'm not?"
"Captain Devreux is out for your blood."
"That bastard can plot all he wants. Tell him to go ahead and die of old age while he's at it."
Noel glanced over at Warrant Officer Dubois, who was talking so brazenly. With a bruised jaw and a swollen eye, it was clear he had been in a proper brawl.
Come to think of it, Warrant Officer Amboise was close with Warrant Officer Dubois.
The two people Chloe Amboise had befriended immediately upon her commission were Warrant Officer Dubois and Warrant Officer Renard—the leaders of the 2nd and 1st Squads, respectively. In Georges Renard's case, his frequent blunders had constantly grated on Curtis's nerves, but those mistakes had drastically decreased after Chloe's commission. He had clearly received a great deal of help from her, even if Warrant Officer Renard desperately denied it. And as for Warrant Officer Dubois...
He once submitted a document that was obviously written by Warrant Officer Amboise. No wonder he feels indebted.
Chloe Amboise probably didn't realize it, but she had a habit of flicking the end of the word 'Ivannes' whenever she wrote it. Since it was written in the royal official script, it wasn't obvious at a glance. However, Noel, who had served on the front lines where all sorts of spies ran rampant, was highly skilled at distinguishing the individual handwriting of each aide. Thus, when Warrant Officer Dubois had brought in a 2nd Squad report written in Chloe Amboise's hand, Noel had almost asked if he was joking. But well...
He just chose his friends wisely.
Noel thought idly, taking a drag of his cigar. Compared to his own miserable existence of constantly cleaning up after his friend, their camaraderie was downright endearing.
Once again, he recalled his youngest sister's words.
"Brother! Just listen to me! I really think the Grand Duchess dislikes Curtis-nim!"
"Agathe. One more word, and I won't even let you step out of your room."
"Curtis-nim's marriage won't last long anyway!"
"Alright. Alice, did you hear that? Your mission is to make sure the young lady you serve does not leave her room for a week."
"Ahhh! Brother!"
Unfortunately, his sister's prediction had missed the mark. Noel, too, had shared her thoughts until this morning, believing that Chloe found Curtis utterly repulsive. But seeing them sleeping tangled up in that cramped little aide's bed... well, she probably didn't hate him that much.
Or perhaps ten million shings was just too sweet to resist.
The reason Noel had tried to stop Curtis was because Chloe Amboise didn't strike him as a particularly deep thinker. How should he put it? She was incredibly sharp when it came to the immediate future, but she rarely seemed to give much thought to the distant future.
Just look at her deal with Warrant Officer Dubois...
Noel found it a miracle that she hadn't been swindled yet. Selling her own reputation for a few boxes of cookies was proof enough. Curtis had casually brushed it off, saying, "It's not like they rumored they were dating," but in Noel's eyes, it was highly problematic in more ways than one.
Well, perhaps it's precisely because of those traits that she and Curtis make a decent match.
In Noel's eyes, they were so different that they actually complemented each other. Curtis always tried to look far ahead and strive for perfection. He kept his senses razor-sharp to prepare for every possible variable and was highly adaptable. However, that was strictly limited to the battlefield. The battlefield, after all, fell within the domain of force and violence.
But outside that domain, things were different. Curtis was inherently terrible at reading others or considering their feelings. Of course, that was partly because he had never needed to. He was royalty, after all; why would he ever need to cater to anyone else?
On the other hand, Chloe Le David Berk acted with consideration for others' perspectives and was adept at managing emotions. If a situation required it, she knew how to compromise herself just enough to secure a return. She was also quick-witted. These were virtues naturally possessed by those of lower standing. However...
It was then, as his thoughts began to spiral, that a voice interrupted him.
"Lieutenant Montpis."
"Oh, ah. Yes?"
Startled by the sudden approach, Noel removed the cigar from his mouth. It was Warrant Officer Ezra Dubois, who had walked over from across the room before Noel had even noticed. He was looking down at Noel with an exceptionally grave expression.
"I have something to say to you."
"Oh, yes. Go ahead...?"
"It's not something I can discuss here."
"What on earth is it...?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Noel realized something was terribly wrong.
Ezra Dubois was holding something in his hand.
It was a dirt-stained piece of paper, so thin that the writing on the back was clearly visible.
And written upon it...
It was in Noel's own handwriting.