The Finance Department Garden
At those words, the Grand Duke sitting before her hastily covered his mouth with one hand. It was impossible to tell whether he was stifling a laugh or simply dumbfounded by her audacity. But since it wasn't a question that required an answer, Chloe pressed on.
"Does it make sense to treat your beloved Grand Duchess worse than a raw recruit? You are a brigadier general, yet you lack even that much magnanimity?"
Chloe smirked, leaning forward. She reached out and poked the Grand Duke's epaulets with her finger.
"If you had earned those stars solely on account of your royal blood, I wouldn't even bother saying this. Am I wrong?"
It was a classic military discipline routine. Hey. I'm only saying this because I care about you, man. You know how things work, so why are you acting like this?
"What? Offended? Then call it off."
The old playground taunt of 'if you don't like it, don't marry me' had officially upgraded to 'let's get a divorce.' Chloe shrugged, waving her left hand. The amethyst ring caught the morning sunlight, flashing brilliantly.
"Should I give this back?"
It was then that the man, who had been covering his mouth, raised his head to look up at her. His lips twitched for a long moment before he finally spoke.
"If I could have done that, I would have obeyed His Majesty the King long ago."
"Oh? Dropping honorifics already—"
"I went too far. I apologize. I was rude."
"..."
"So please, don't say things like that."
What was this? Just as she registered how incredibly gentle his tone had become, Curtis reached out, grabbed her arm in a flash, and pulled her toward him. Before she could even let out a startled gasp, Chloe tumbled forward. To be precise, she collapsed straight into his arms.
"Ah—"
By the time she came to her senses, she was nestled right between Curtis's thighs. Good heavens, how scandalous! As Chloe instinctively struggled to wriggle out of his embrace, she froze at the sound of his voice whispering in her ear, his arms wrapping around her back.
"Stay still. There really are people watching."
At those words, she rolled her eyes to scan the surroundings. Sure enough, behind the garden trees, she spotted several Finance Vice-Ministers peeking over with curious eyes. She knew their faces well from dealing with the Royal Guard's budget. Trapped in an awkward, half-kneeling position within his embrace, Chloe tried her best to steady her voice.
"Our position is a bit..."
But she immediately regretted speaking.
"Ah," the man murmured. He looked down at her in his arms and, without a moment's hesitation, hoisted her right onto his lap. Suddenly, Chloe found herself in an even more undeniably intimate embrace.
In stark contrast to how remarkably stable and secure she felt sitting on his thighs, Chloe's mind was in utter chaos. Crazy, crazy! You crazy bastard! What do you think you're doing...
"D-do you think this will make me forgive you? Let go of—"
"I'm sorry."
Her body stiffened automatically as she looked up at the man holding her. A faint smile played on Curtis's lips.
"I only behaved that way because I was hurt by what you said earlier."
"...What?"
What was he talking about? Wait, was this an act? Was he doing this for the audience? Yet, his voice was neither loud nor performative. Cradling the bewildered Chloe, Curtis continued.
"You're right. I promised to always respect you, but I forgot myself for a moment. It's only natural that you're angry. But..."
"..."
"Isn't it a waste to squander one of your precious three wishes like this?"
Chloe squirmed. Her ear felt terribly ticklish. She couldn't tell if it was because his warm breath brushed against her skin every time he spoke, or because of the Finance Vice-Ministers whispering and gossiping behind the garden hedges.
"My sister Leah—whom you know very well—always says something."
"..."
"If you save it for too long, it'll go to waste."
The man, who had been biting back his amusement, finally burst into a low chuckle and buried his face in her shoulder. Chloe flinched in surprise, but Curtis held her tight and whispered.
"Stay still."
"No, but right now..."
"This is exactly why I can't just throw you to His Majesty."
At his quiet murmur, Chloe found herself listening intently. The man continued.
"How could I throw a Grand Duchess who bites back after just a few words straight to the King? I'll have to play every card I have, whether it's the dragon or Grand Marshal Victor."
Is he saying that if he throws me away for his own convenience, it'll only come back to bite him? As Chloe blinked and opened her mouth to speak—
"I, as your subordinate..."
But the man, his voice laced with amusement, held her tight and pressed her firmly down against his thighs.
"Your Grace. I apologize, but if you keep squirming like that, it will make things rather... difficult for me."
!
Chloe was twenty-six. She had never been in a serious relationship, but she was no fool. She understood exactly what he meant in an instant.
"Ah! Let go!"
But the man still refused to release her. Not only that, but because he held her so close, his lips naturally brushed against her ear.
"I will swear one thing to you."
Suddenly, his tone shifted. Something about it was different. Chloe blinked in spite of herself.
"No matter what you think, I have no intention of throwing you to my brother like prey. If it ever came to that, I would rather flee to Glintland, just as you said."
"..."
"Do you understand?"
Why was that? The way he asked seemed to float strangely in the air between them, devoid of any clear direction. It was almost as if... he were speaking to someone other than Chloe.
"Ah."
Suddenly, Chloe's gaze drifted over to the vice-ministers, who were craning their necks behind the garden trees to get a better look. Right. He's doing this for the audience... Reaching that conclusion, Chloe carefully extended her arms.
!
The man stiffened as her hands suddenly wrapped around his neck. Chloe whispered softly.
"I am simply glad the Brigadier General has finally understood his subordinate's words."
"..."
The body pressed against hers shook slightly with a quiet, breathy chuckle. Stop laughing, will you? Tightening her laced fingers behind his neck, she whispered carefully into his ear.
"So, what should we do now? They're still watching."
She could feel the soft movement of his cheek pressed against her ear. Was he smiling, or... It was strange. Just moments ago, she had been internally cursing him out as a crazy bastard for suddenly grabbing her.
Yet at this very moment, for the first time, Chloe felt glad they were embracing. Because as long as they held each other like this, they would never have to see the expressions on each other's faces.
But Curtis Shan Berk was not a man who ever did what Chloe wanted. He began to loosen his grip, attempting to pull back and look at her face.
!
Was he trying to remind her once again of what an incredibly annoying superior officer he could be? In a panic, Chloe reflexively tightened her arms around him once more, only to gasp in shock at her own actions and hastily pull her hands away.
The man stared at her with a look of sheer bewilderment for a moment, then leaned his face close to hers again. He whispered in her ear.
"What would you have me do, Your Grace? Would it satisfy you if a lowly brigadier general like myself knelt before you for a performance review?"
"...Here in the Finance Department garden?"
"Indeed. It would be the perfect way to spread rumors that Brigadier General Berk has gone utterly mad for his new bride."
"You certainly seem to have lost your mind. Brigadier General, are you aware that you've got dirt all over your clothes?"
Chloe hung her head, letting out a sighing lament to hide her burning face. The man chuckled softly at her reaction. The distance between their lips was barely a finger's width. Every time she spoke, her warm breath tickled his lips.
He felt as though time had suddenly slowed to a crawl. Though she didn't seem to realize it, this brief moment of holding her felt incredibly shocking and foreign to Curtis. Aside from his mother, he had never been this physically close to anyone in his entire life.
The same went for the dirt transferring onto his clothes. Normally, he would have pushed her away immediately. This, too, was driven by pure impulse.
Brigadier General. At first, hearing his aide call him that had been absurd, and then it had made him laugh. Ah, right. There was a clause like that in our contract. Let's see you try it... He had intended to brush it off lightly, playing along just enough to humor her.
But the next moment—Brigadier General. Do you love me?—something stirred deep within his lower abdomen, sending a sudden jolt through him. What was this? It was a bizarre sensation he had never experienced in his entire life.
And every time Chloe babbled on, the man lowered his head, his eyes wide. She probably assumed Curtis had simply hung his head in defeat. He hadn't. He was trying with every ounce of his being to avoid looking down at his own lap.
He couldn't comprehend the situation. Or did he? For a split second, Curtis Shan Berk almost wondered if his lifelong fastidiousness around women had actually been because he was a closet masochist. Of course, given everything he had endured in his life, that hypothesis quickly lost its ground; it was far too late to discover a new kink.
Should I give this back? The sudden surge of possessive irritation he felt at those words proved it. This was simply... because he wasn't used to this. That had to be it.
And so, he reasoned: Once I get used to it, it will be fine. That was the only reason he had pulled her close—this woman who now shared his name, Chloe Le David Berk.