Meanwhile, at the Royal Guard
Meanwhile, the Royal Guard was in an absolute uproar on the day Brigadier General Berk and his aide were scheduled to return to work for the first time since their wedding. Although the initial buzz had died down a bit, high society weddings always invited gossip from all corners. Furthermore, as the Royal Guard was essentially a microcosm of aristocratic society, tongues were still wagging furiously over the Brigadier General's marriage. In particular, an immense exchange of opinions took place regarding the navy-born aide who had become the Brigadier General's wife. These opinions generally fell into three camps.
"I'm telling you, this is definitely Stockholm syndrome. Chloe must have lost her mind from all that overtime. Otherwise, how on earth could she marry the Brigadier General?"
"No, I think she was blackmailed. Honestly, no matter how gorgeous the guy is, having His Majesty the King play matchmaker is just too creepy."
"Forget that. Don't you feel sorry for Warrant Officer Amboise? How is she supposed to live in the same house as the Brigadier General?"
First: the faction that pitied her fate, raising the possibility that Chloe Amboise had been coerced.
"Why? The Brigadier General's face is absolutely to die for."
"Right, and didn't she come from the navy? Have you ever seen those simpletons think things through? She probably just flew into the flame like a moth, blinded by his looks."
"Hey, people think love is some grand thing, but it's really nothing. Once your eyes meet and you end up in bed together..."
Second: the faction that believed Chloe had genuinely fallen for Curtis, whose looks were universally praised without objection. Notably, in this scenario, Chloe's intelligence was usually assumed to be on par with that of a mosquito larva.
And finally...
"Her ambition to seduce a man while working overtime is insane. Now she's the Grand Duchess. Must be nice."
"I heard her family's financial situation is pretty pathetic. She must have targeted him for his status. Did she use her body to seduce him?"
"She's got some tricks up her sleeve. Who was it again? She even played the girlfriend of that squad leader. Talk about thick-skinned. How do you switch guys that fast?"
There was the faction that sneered, believing Chloe Amboise had calculatedly married up. And as is usually the case, the ones peddling this last opinion had the loudest voices.
The cafeteria, which was responsible for feeding the Royal Guard, was no exception.
"Hey, hey. Mathieu, you dumbass. Shut up."
However, one of them, who possessed a shred of situational awareness, jabbed the ribs of the guy who had just brought up the squad leader's girlfriend.
"What?"
"Just shut up."
But it was already too late. Warrant Officer Ezra Dubois, who had just finished his shift rotation and entered the cafeteria for lunch, was standing right in front of them with his tray.
"Was that meant for my ears, Sergeant Mathieu of the 3rd Squad?"
"Salute! My apologies, sir! Absolutely not!"
Warrant Officer Dubois was famous for being an easygoing, good-natured man. Today, however, his expression was so fierce that he looked like someone you should never, under any circumstances, cross. Sergeant Mathieu, who had been merrily gossiping about Chloe Amboise marrying up, froze instantly.
"Then whose ears was it meant for?"
"We... we were just joking amongst ourselves, sir!"
"Ah." Ezra glared at them, his eyes narrowing sharply. "I'll be sure to let the 3rd Squad Leader know that his men have quite a colorful sense of humor."
"M-my apologies, sir!"
The two squad members broke into a cold sweat, utterly at a loss. Watching them squirm, Ezra let out a sigh and turned away. Was that it? Just as the two began to look around in relief...
"And," Ezra spun back around, fixing them with a cold stare. "If I catch you flapping your lips like that again, I'll make sure your life in the Guard becomes a living hell."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Leaving the two men who had saluted reflexively, Ezra slammed his tray down. Clatter! The empty metal tray hit the floor with a deafening, echoing crash.
"Clean it up."
As the two frantically scrambled to pick it up, Ezra turned and walked toward the officers' table. Georges, the 1st Squad Leader who had watched the entire spectacle, smirked.
"Dumbass."
"Shut up before I pluck every single hair out of your mustache. This is all your fault anyway."
Georges shrugged at the sharp retort. Ezra could blame him all he wanted, but in the end, Ezra Dubois was the one who had actually gone ahead and executed Georges's joke of introducing Chloe to his mother as the 'woman he loved.' Ezra knew this all too well, which was undoubtedly why he was drowning in self-loathing.
"Well, who could have guessed Chloe would marry the Brigadier General? If I'd known, I wouldn't have suggested it either."
"Just eat your food."
"Yes, sir, yes, sir." Georges chuckled and picked up his spoon. But as he looked down at his tray, he let out a sigh as if a sudden realization had just hit him. "Oh, it's pumpkin chicken braised in wine."
"What about it?"
"It's Chloe's favorite, you idiot."
Sitting with his arms crossed, Ezra's brow twitched. The Royal Guard cafeteria actually served decent food. While it couldn't compare to the gourmet meals the noble young masters were used to at home, the basic quality was guaranteed since it was prepared by the palace's apprentice chefs. It was only natural that Chloe had never missed a single meal here in the past, often claiming the menu was incomparable to the navy's.
Among all the dishes, pumpkin chicken braised in wine was her absolute favorite. "Sweet! Pumpkin chicken braised in wine!" Chloe used to copy down the weekly lunch menu every Monday and stick it on her desk, even going so far as to draw little red ink hearts next to that specific dish.
"Have you heard anything?" Georges asked, prompting Ezra to scowl.
"Heard what?"
"Come on, you escorted Chloe for a whole day. You must have heard something."
"Nothing."
"Oh, please! Since when did Ezra Dubois become so tight-lipped?" Georges snorted. His carefully groomed mustache fluttered, but Ezra remained completely unmoved.
It was only the day before yesterday that Lieutenant Noel had canceled the rotation schedule for the squad leaders to take turns escorting Brigadier General Berk. Apparently, the Brigadier General himself had claimed it was unnecessary. In the end, Noel and a few others who had always handled his security would continue to do so...
"But why hasn't anyone said a word about Chloe's escort detail?"
No instructions had been given regarding the security of the new Grand Duchess. This was exactly what Georges was curious about. Chloe was no longer just an Amboise; she was now Chloe Le David Berk. As a member of the royal family, she required a proper escort. By this point, a dedicated female guard detail should have been formed for the Grand Duchess.
For instance, the 5th Squad of the Royal Guard had been established last year specifically for Crown Princess Beatrice after her marriage to Crown Prince Frederick. For reference, the 1st Squad handled palace security and VIP protection during events inside the castle, while the 2nd Squad was responsible for managing entry and exit to the palace grounds. Since the King had his own separate personal guard, the 3rd Squad was tasked with guarding key areas like the King's offices. There were several other squads as well.
Ezra was actually wondering about the exact same thing Georges had brought up. However, instead of sharing his doubts, he cut Georges off bluntly.
"How should I know?"
"You bastard. If the 2nd Squad Leader doesn't know, who does?"
"Ah, Grand Marshal Victor summoned her, so they'll figure it out!"
Indeed. The reason Chloe's name was being tossed around the cafeteria again today—a full week after the wedding—was because she was returning to work today, ten days after her marriage. If counting from the day the marriage was officially announced, it had been about three weeks. And of course, she was arriving with Curtis Shan Berk, her superior officer and husband.
"Man, must be nice. I was on duty at the main gate today, and I saw Chloe arrive in a car with the Brigadier General."
"So what?"
"Did I ask you to do anything? I'm just saying it must be nice. That car was the Beau Blue Palais the Brigadier General bought this year. You couldn't afford that even if you sold yourself."
With Georges, a massive car enthusiast, prattling on endlessly, it was only natural that Ezra finally snapped.
"Just eat your damn food!"
"Hey, why are you taking it out on me?!"
"Because you keep blabbering about things I don't care about! And keep your voice down, will you?"
Belatedly realizing his volume, Georges glanced around. The onlookers who had been shamelessly eavesdropping flinched and immediately pretended to be absorbed in their own conversations. Only then did Georges realize he had been acting just as thoughtlessly as the gossiping fools he usually despised.
"Ah, whatever. It's not like I was badmouthing Chloe. I'm just happy to see her riding in a car instead of walking all that way to work every single day when her house is so far. What's wrong with that?"
"I get it, so just shut up."
Stubborn bastard. Realizing Ezra was in no mood to talk, Georges grumbled and scraped his spoon against his tray.
"Well, I get where you're coming from. It must be mind-boggling to hear that a friend you were trash-talking the Brigadier General with just yesterday was actually dating him the whole time."
"..."
"And now... she's royalty."
Georges didn't think Ezra had been in a particularly pleasant mood while escorting Chloe either. Georges himself had been quite close to Chloe. To have a friend you were casually throwing around insults with suddenly become the Grand Duchess—anyone would be at a loss for how to treat her.
Georges's assumption wasn't entirely wrong, though the underlying reason was slightly different. When Ezra first heard they were getting married, he had thought it was a joke. Even when the wedding was officially set, he had simply laughed it off because it felt so surreal. He had briefly worried about what to tell his mother, but then figured, "Whatever. When I actually find a woman I love in the future, my mother won't be able to oppose it because of this rumor anyway."
But Ezra's perspective had completely shifted the moment he stepped into the wedding hall.