The Rank That Trumps All
He had merely lowered his raised voice, but it was enough to break the icy tension. However, the meaning of his words was so baffling that everyone could only look at one another, rolling their eyes in confusion. Then, they noticed that Curtis's gaze was still fixed on Ezra.
“If I hear anyone in the Royal Guard throwing around the title of 'Her Highness the Grand Duchess' again, I will have them dismissed from duty for breach of military discipline.”
In other words, even if she was the Grand Duchess, Chloe's military rank was still only a warrant officer, and he wouldn't tolerate anyone calling her "Your Highness" on duty. It was indeed the attitude of an exemplary superior officer, but...
The looks the three of them exchanged as they stared at Curtis in lingering confusion were identical. But you just walked in here holding that very warrant officer's hand like a pair of lovebirds...
But what could they do? In the military, you follow orders. If you don't like it, get promoted. Rank was everything in the army, and if the Brigadier General said so, then so it was.
Georges was quick to read the room. “Understood, sir!”
After a brief glance at Georges, who saluted once more, Curtis turned his glare back to Ezra. “Do you understand, Warrant Officer Dubois?”
“...Yes, sir.”
His face made it abundantly clear that any actual loyalty had been thrown to the dogs.
The Grand Duke didn't waste any more time on Ezra. Instead, he looked toward Chloe and clasped his hands behind his back.
“I will see you after the battalion commanders' meeting. Squad leaders, report to me after that.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes... Your Grace.”
Chloe stammered, uncharacteristically flustered. Curtis watched her, then deliberately pulled off his gloves and tossed them to her. “Dispose of these as you see fit.”
“...Yes, sir.”
Why? Catching the gloves on instinct, Chloe carefully studied Curtis's expression. For some reason, his attitude felt incomparably colder than it had just moments ago.
Of course, Curtis had been acting incredibly cold ever since they ran into Georges and the others. But if he had been like a sheet of ice then, his back as he walked away now resembled the eternal snows of the far north. It felt like his coldness had leveled up.
“Sergeant Sarah de Tornier.”
“Ah, yes!”
He called out to Sarah out of nowhere. Startled, Sarah instinctively squared her shoulders and tensed up. Curtis, still facing away, asked:
“I recall you are the daughter of the Viscount Tornier. Do you have something to say to me?”
“Oh.”
Sarah was momentarily stunned, her cheeks flushing. How had he known she was about to speak, only to shut her mouth because of the tense atmosphere?
“It is nothing major, but I had something to ask regarding a personal matter... I was planning to request an audience anyway, or rather, to speak with your aide, Warrant Officer Ber... Berk...”
In truth, Sarah's business was simply to ask, 'Your Highness the Grand Duchess, would you care to join us for tea at our estate? My mother is very eager to meet you!...' As such, it wasn't something she should have been asking Curtis in the first place.
Even if it were something to ask Curtis, etiquette dictated requesting a meeting through his aide first, so looking for Chloe was technically the correct approach. However...
“Speak now,” Curtis said.
Sarah panicked. I was just trying to say we wanted to see your wife, why are you suddenly stepping in? ...But she could hardly say that out loud. So, she carefully chose her words.
“First, allow me to congratulate you on your marriage. It is just that my mother, Viscountess Tornier, mentioned she would dearly love to exchange greetings with Her Highness the Grand Duchess... Since I also serve in the Royal Guard, humble as I am, my mother...”
The man did not let her finish. “Only the Grand Duchess?”
The "Grand Duchess," who had been listening blankly, blinked. But Sarah was the only one who truly understood what Curtis meant.
“The... the Grand Duke as well?”
Adjusting his cuffs with his bare hands, Curtis looked down and let out a soft chuckle. It wasn't his usual cynical sneer. On the contrary, it was a refreshing sound, almost enough to catch the onlookers off guard.
“I can well imagine that a mother who has sent two of her proud daughters into the military must have many worries. I shall pay her a visit sometime soon.”
Startled, Sarah instinctively covered her mouth. Due to the Viscount's martial temperament, every child of the Tornier family, starting from the eldest son, had joined the military. Her older sister, Theodora, was in the Kingdom's Army; though not in the Royal Guard, she was a key figure active in the central command.
“I am deeply honored! I had no idea Your Grace would know of such things...”
“Brigadier General,” the man gently corrected her instead of answering.
But his tone was remarkably gentle, a stark contrast to how he had corrected Ezra or Georges just moments ago. Naturally, Sarah's face flushed bright red.
“It is hardly a proper substitute, but... ah.”
Curtis paused mid-sentence, as if only now noticing the three warrant officers staring blankly at them. Then, he offered his arm. The three warrant officers' eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
“Let us walk and talk. We can discuss the details on the way.”
“P-pardon?”
Sarah, equally flustered, cupped her cheeks with both hands. The arm Curtis extended toward her was unmistakably offered in escort.
Sarah instinctively glanced toward Chloe. Her eyes asked, Is this okay?
But Chloe had no idea if it was okay either. Of course she didn't. As far as Chloe knew, Curtis Shan Berk had never offered to escort any female officer in the Royal Guard like this. It was completely contrary to military etiquette.
As if to urge her along, Curtis spoke again. “This is my first day back in a week, so I have a tight schedule of meetings. My apologies, but this is the best window of time I can manage.”
“Ah, yes!”
In the end, Sarah hurried forward and lightly rested her hand on Curtis's arm. The man cast a brief glance back toward Chloe's group before turning on his heel. The two of them began to converse, quickly vanishing from sight.
Chloe blinked. The corridor felt suddenly drafty.
“Hey. You okay?”
It was Georges who lightly grabbed Chloe's shoulder. The familiar, mischievous face of her friend was, naturally, tinged with genuine worry.
Chloe grinned. “Have you been doing well while I was gone?”
Only then did Georges's eyes soften with relief. Come to think of it, she had basically been out of contact ever since she was summoned by Curtis mid-punishment that day. Though she had returned to work yesterday, she had barely stepped out of the aide's office due to the mountain of backlogged tasks.
Instantly reassured, Georges clapped Chloe hard on the shoulder, loudly venting all his shock and bewilderment over the past few days.
“Seriously, though! The day after you left with the Brigadier General, the newspapers suddenly announced you two were getting married! Do you have any idea how much I freaked out?!”
I freaked out too... was a confession she couldn't make. Chloe gave a weak laugh. “Things just turned out that way...”
“What's with you? You feel like a sheet of paper! Why are you so drained? Is the Grand Duke starving you?”
That wasn't it. For some reason, all the strength had just drained from her shoulders. And the moment she looked over Georges's shoulder, she realized her exhaustion stemmed from her own tension—caused by Ezra, whose face was frozen like stone.
Her Highness the Grand Duchess. Ezra looked as if he were dying of sheer awkwardness. Yet, despite that expression, he lingered, his eyes continually drifting back to her for some unknown reason.
Chloe tried to ignore his gaze, playfully swatting Georges's hand away. “What are you talking about? The Grand Duke eats like royalty. I've actually gained weight.”
“Stop lying! Look at how loose your sleeves are! You've lost weight, clearly. Did you starve yourself for the wedding like a fool? Hey, at our age, skipping meals will rot your bones!”
His dramatic nagging was filled with warm concern. Feeling a sudden prick of tears, Chloe deliberately wrinkled her nose and rubbed the tip of it with her finger, changing the subject. “Haha. Everyone was really shocked, right?”
Georges, who had been grumbling, fell silent for a moment before bursting out even louder. “Of course they were, you crazy girl! Tell me the truth. Did the Grand Duke threaten you?”
This was likely the most sincere concern hidden beneath all his banter.
“Well, if I had to choose, it wasn't really a threat...”
“Then?”
“It was more of a temptation...”
For the record, she deliberately omitted the subject to mislead him. The missing subject was money.
As expected, Georges gasped, covering his mouth with both hands in mock horror. “Really? Seriously? Then don't tell me you were dating the Grand Duke while joining in on my rants about him? Oh my god, Chloe, you...”
“That's how it happened...”
“You're a true soldier...”
She received a somewhat misguided compliment. With a deeply moved expression, Georges made a show of pulling Chloe into a headlock, spouting his usual nonsense about how she could easily become a master spy with a bit of training, and how a poker face was indeed a soldier's greatest virtue.
Of course, there was one person who didn't share the sentiment.
“I'm heading in first. Georges, wrap it up and don't be late for the squad leaders' meeting.”
It was Ezra Dubois, his face still frozen as he spoke and walked away.
Georges bellowed at Ezra's retreating back, “Hey! You heartless bastard! Aren't you even glad to see Chloe?!” but it was no use.
“What is wrong with that guy? Hey, don't let it get to you.”
“It's fine. I expected as much, honestly.”
And she meant it. In truth, Chloe had anticipated that very few people would treat her as casually as Georges did now. After all, a colleague who had suddenly returned as the Grand Duchess? How incredibly awkward that must be. If anything, Georges was the strange one for acting so normal.