A Hand
It was a hand. "Shall we hold hands?"
They were still right outside Grand Marshal Victor's office, and the royal guards on duty were a mere two paces away. Thus, she couldn't ask Curtis if he had eaten something bad. Besides...
"Isn't that something you should ask before you grab my hand, Your Grace?"
Her hand was already held. By Curtis.
The texture of his supple lambskin glove—clearly made of the finest leather—was disconcertingly soft. Feigning indifference, Chloe looked back and forth between her hand and Curtis. Curtis merely stared at her in silence. If he's going to act, he could at least try to smile.
Chloe whispered back, "Is this because of the Grand Marshal's advice?"
"I'm trying to follow it as much as possible within the palace. He said our physical distance was the issue. I hadn't even realized."
A sigh escaped her lips. She glanced around before whispering as softly as she could,
"With all due respect, if you're going to hold my hand with such a miserable look on your face, I'd rather you didn't bother."
"How harsh. For me, this was a once-in-a-lifetime resolution."
"If it's a once-in-a-lifetime resolution, you could at least take off your glove." Chloe pinched Curtis's hand, which was still clad in leather.
Curtis gave a crooked smile. "The Grand Marshal told us to keep it moderate. Haven't you heard that people don't change overnight?"
Oh, please. So holding hands with a glove on was his ultimate compromise.
Since the guards standing a few paces away were watching them whisper with puzzled expressions, Chloe spoke quickly.
"Fine, let go of my hand and let's move. Before rumors spread that the Grand Ducal couple is having a marital spat."
"Shall we?" As if he had been waiting for those exact words, the man released her hand and walked beside her.
Their audience with Grand Marshal Victor must have dragged on, for the angle of the sunlight had completely shifted since they first entered the Security Department building. The sweltering summer breeze grew cool as it swept through the corridors of the royal palace. This was thanks to the ancient magic of the dragon cast upon the palace grounds. Perhaps because of this, the occasional Security Department officials they passed were dressed in long-sleeved attire despite the season.
"How does it feel to return to work after three weeks?"
"I'm not sure yet. I'll probably have to actually do some work to find out."
"There is indeed a mountain of work piled up waiting for you."
"That is the most horrific thing I've heard all day."
The two walked at a slow, leisurely pace. Officials and palace servants bowed politely as they passed. The eyes watching the rumored Grand Ducal couple sparkled with curiosity, but none dared to commit an act of outright rudeness.
Chloe finally spoke as they left the Security Department building and passed the gardens near the Ministry of Finance. Given the heavy workload of the finance department, the gardens were practically deserted.
"So, what is it?" Though she asked, neither of them stopped walking.
The man replied with his signature wicked smile, still moving forward. "You said you wanted to be discharged, didn't you?"
"I did."
"Is that still your wish?"
"Is it even possible?"
"Congratulations. It's impossible."
Is he mocking me?
"His Majesty the King exerted every ounce of his power to dismiss you from your post as my aide. But he failed."
"Hmm?" When Chloe looked up at Curtis, he gave a faint, gentle smile.
It was the quintessential smile of a man deeply in love, yet the words coming out of his mouth were strictly business.
"Do you remember the contract you signed when you transferred from the Navy to my command?"
Racking her brain, she recalled such a document. Two years of mandatory service. Absolutely no resignation permitted, and so forth.
"I remember. Because of that contract, every time I was subjected to military discipline, I prayed to Grand Asad to let me get injured—not enough to die or suffer terribly, but just enough to qualify for a medical discharge."
"...Do you never consider that it's the fault of the people getting disciplined in the first place?"
"I did think that if I ever found the person who invented the term 'collective responsibility,' I would absolutely exterminate three generations of their family."
Curtis fell silent for a moment before changing the subject. "...Putting that aside, the clause in that contract mandating two years of service as my aide has made things quite complicated."
In other words, the very contract Chloe had once cursed, wishing it would let her go, had surprisingly saved her.
The military law of Ivannes held authority over many other laws. On the surface, the low-ranking naval officers claimed it was out of respect for the founding dragon, Ivanneres. In truth, however, it was a policy born from the reality of sharing borders with three different kingdoms. Active-duty soldiers, regardless of their social rank, were treated as soldiers first and foremost. It was the same logic Chloe had used to put Agathe Montpis in her place.
However, when it came to royalty, their status could not be entirely ignored. No matter what military duties a royal was performing, they were generally considered secondary to their royal obligations. Chloe was no exception. The King's initial demand had been her discharge.
The late Queen Consort had passed away about five years ago. Currently, the only female members of the royal family were the Marquise of Flandre and Crown Princess Beatrice. The King demanded her discharge under the pretext of wanting Chloe, as the Grand Duchess, to take over the general duties of the royal women, including hosting royal banquets.
Warrant Officer Chloe Le David Berk must perform her duties as a member of the royal family.
As the commander of the military, Grand Marshal Victor is requested to permit the discharge of Chloe Le David Berk so that she may fulfill her honorable royal obligations.
The memorandum of understanding sent by the royal family to Grand Marshal Victor was merely a formality. It was a procedural courtesy to mutually reaffirm that while the military respected royal authority, the royal family also respected military law. Under normal circumstances, the order would have been executed immediately.
But Grand Marshal Victor presented a highly perplexing document in response. It was officially titled the transfer contract of Warrant Officer Chloe Amboise, though Chloe herself referred to it as a slave contract.
"Do you have any idea how difficult it was to find an aide for me before you arrived? The Grand Marshal stamped that clause repeatedly and even went out of his way to obtain His Majesty's personal seal on it," Curtis said, chuckling.
I humbly beg your forgiveness, but as this document bears His Majesty's personal seal, it is difficult for the Grand Marshal to unilaterally void it under his sole authority.
It was the ultimate pitfall of bureaucracy. Because the King himself had signed the contract, the Grand Marshal claimed he lacked the authority to unilaterally dissolve it. Dumbfounded, the King attempted to void the contract himself, but it was impossible. This was due to the aforementioned fact that Ivannes's military law superseded many other authorities.
Though it cannot be compared to the royal authority, the name of the great dragon Ivanneres must be respected...
The Palace Affairs Department of Ivannes advised that even if the King had personally signed a document related to the Navy, he could not unilaterally cancel it. This was because Chloe was from the Navy—making her a nominal candidate for the Dragon's Bride.
The King flew into a rage. A lizard that died three hundred years ago is interfering with me?!
In truth, the "lizard" wasn't actually dead, but whether it was alive or not was merely a convenient excuse, so it could be ignored. However, if the King acted so recklessly, the nobles of the provinces and borders would begin to fear that the King might also disregard the treaties he had made with them at any moment. Left with no choice, the King consulted the Palace Affairs Department once more. What must be done?
You must obtain the permission of her direct superior.
And who was Chloe Le David Berk's direct superior? Curtis Shan Berk. Naturally, Curtis Shan Berk flatly refused the order. Perhaps as a result of this, rumors were circulating that two chairs in the King's office had been smashed that day, requiring the Palace Affairs Department to replace them.
"You seem highly amused."
"Why would I be sad?"
He looked ready to hum a tune. She now understood the gist of the situation. Warrant Officer, you've got yourself a damn good husband. A very, very good one. That was why Grand Marshal Victor had made those remarks. Since Curtis had refused, the Grand Marshal's hands were tied as well.
"And here I thought..."
"What?"
"Well, I thought you were actually trying to protect me, Your Grace."
"..."
It was exactly as she said. Based on the Grand Marshal's words, Chloe had assumed Curtis had stubbornly shielded his subordinate from the King's grasp. But it seemed the reality was slightly different.
"A lot has happened during the week I was away."
After a brief silence, Curtis added, "Who's to say I didn't protect you?"
"Pardon? You, Your Grace? Why would you?"
Chloe blinked and looked up at him. Curtis stared down at her, looking utterly dumbfounded, and opened his mouth to speak, but Chloe beat him to the punch.
"What could you possibly gain from doing that?"
"...What?"
"Maybe the Grand Marshal would, but certainly not you."