Chapter 6
“Gasp—”
“Ah…!”
Tracy shoved Valentin away with surprising force and quickly stepped aside. Valentin stumbled back, staring at her in confusion. Realizing what she had done, Tracy hurriedly snapped her feet together, clasped her hands behind her back, and lowered her pale face.
“I-I’m sorry, Colonel.”
“N-No, I just thought you might be in danger… I’m the one who startled you. Besides… I’m not your superior officer, so you can stand at ease.”
“Ah…”
She had fallen into the position out of habit. Releasing her hands from behind her back and relaxing her stance, she found herself standing awkwardly several steps away from him.
An uncomfortable silence settled between them.
Tracy struggled to breathe as her heart pounded violently.
Calm down. Calm down. It’s nothing. He’s not someone who would hurt you.
For the briefest instant, memories of being dragged away as a prisoner slashed through her mind.
Mocking laughter filled with contempt echoed in her ears. The sharp crack of a whip rang out, and her back burned as though it had been scorched by fire. Cold sweat trickled from her palms down the nape of her neck and along her spine.
She tried desperately to steady herself and regain her composure, but her vision gradually blurred. Her mind went blank, and her breathing became constricted.
It felt as though the past had seized her once again, dragging her back into that nightmare.
Her entire body froze.
“I was careless.”
Valentin’s voice jolted her back to reality.
Tracy lifted her head and clenched her teeth.
“It was my fault, Colonel. I shouldn’t have grabbed you without thinking. Please forgive me.”
“No. Soldiers are trained to be wary of anyone behind them. Someone who’s spent a long time on the battlefield would naturally react the way you did. I was the one who let my guard down.”
“…”
He was apologizing to her, even though she had been the one who shoved him.
No matter how much he owed her for saving his life, wasn’t anyone normal supposed to be offended by a reaction like that?
Especially someone raised in the military hierarchy.
Could it be… he’s treating me as his friend’s fiancée…?
When she looked at it from that perspective, it made sense.
To someone outside the military, she was simply the fiancée of Valentin’s friend.
As her racing heartbeat gradually settled, Tracy drew in a slow breath.
“Thank you for being so understanding. Even so, my actions were excessive. Please accept my apology.”
Only after finishing did she finally look him in the eyes.
He looked bewildered.
“I was the one who interfered unnecessarily.”
“No, Colonel. You only got involved because I wasn’t capable enough.”
“Sergeant, this is—”
“What’s with all the noise so early in the morning? Did someone come over?”
At that moment, Todd’s sleepy voice drifted down from the second floor.
The wooden stairs creaked as he descended, each step groaning until his boots landed on the floor.
His boots scraped loudly against the wood, as though he hadn’t bothered putting them on properly.
Valentin looked between Tracy and the entrance before walking toward the doorway.
“Huh? Seymour?”
“Haskins. You’re finally awake.”
Even seeing Todd’s rumpled appearance, Valentin smiled just as he had the day before and held out his hand.
Todd grinned as he shook it, giving Valentin a once-over.
“What brings you here? And how’d you even find this place?”
“I asked at headquarters. We needed somewhere private to discuss the negotiations. You know what the office space they assign to allied forces is like.”
“Oh, right. So you came to my quarters?”
“I couldn’t very well disturb my superior while he was working.”
“Hahaha! Fair enough. Wouldn’t want to give a one-star general a reason to complain. Good thinking.”
While the two chatted, Tracy quietly picked up the footstool and carried it away.
Todd noticed and narrowed his eyes.
“Huh? Why were you in the kitchen? What were you two talking about that made so much noise?”
Tracy stopped walking and straightened up.
Valentin answered for her.
“I asked her to make some tea.”
“What? Why hasn’t she served you tea yet?”
“I only just arrived. Besides, shouldn’t the homeowner be the one welcoming guests?”
His teasing tone made Todd chuckle.
“She’s my fiancée. She’ll be the lady of the house eventually anyway. Besides, you’re the rude one for showing up unannounced and expecting hospitality.”
“…I figured you’d say that, so I brought a gift.”
“Oh? Good. I knew you weren’t completely lacking in manners. What is it?”
“Well…”
Valentin hesitated, trailing off as though something displeased him.
Then he narrowed his eyes.
“By the way… why don’t you have a housekeeper?”
“What’s with that out of nowhere? You don’t trust the sergeant?”
At Todd’s irritated tone, Tracy looked up.
Valentin was already shaking his head.
“That’s not what I mean, Haskins. I’m asking whether it’s right for your fiancée to be doing a housekeeper’s work.”
Todd yawned broadly and ruffled his hair.
“Seriously? You show up and immediately start lecturing me? You really never change.”
Watching him grumble, Tracy instinctively shrank her shoulders.
Whenever someone got scolded because of her, Todd always ended up taking it out on her later.
After yesterday’s slap, she was even more nervous.
She had thought she was used to it by now.
Apparently not.
“With the war going on, I couldn’t exactly leave strangers alone in my house. I was planning to hire someone soon anyway. Just let the sergeant handle it for today.”
Valentin’s eyebrows twitched, though Todd failed to notice.
Instead, Todd turned to Tracy.
“Sergeant, make me some coffee. I’ve got a hangover.”
“…Understood.”
“Haskins.”
Valentin tried to stop him, but Todd casually draped an arm around his shoulders.
“We help each other out, remember? Didn’t you hear? I recruited the sergeant myself, and I even rescued her when she was captured.”
“…Yes. I heard.”
He was referring to when Todd first recruited Tracy as a sniper, and to the incident a month into the war when she had been taken prisoner.
Todd liked to tell everyone how he had saved Tracy twice, turning it into one of his favorite heroic stories.
Of course an allied officer like Valentin would have heard it.
“So don’t feel guilty. He’s my guest. Isn’t it only natural for your future sister-in-law to look after him?”
“Future sister-in-law…? Really…”
Valentin let himself be pulled along for a few steps before suddenly stopping.
He turned back toward Tracy.
The guilt on his face was even more obvious than before.
“Just this once, please.”
“It’s no trouble. I’ll bring it right away.”
“Two cups—mine and his.”
Todd held up two fingers.
His expression clearly asked, Got it?
Tracy could only lower her head slightly.
“Yes.”
She could still feel Valentin’s dissatisfied gaze on her, but before long he disappeared into the living room.
Todd’s hearty laughter and Valentin’s quieter voice gradually faded away.
Soon the kitchen was silent again.
Only Tracy remained.
Tea… and coffee. Two cups…
There hadn’t been any mention of one for herself.
Just as Valentin had implied, she was being treated exactly like a housekeeper.
But she had no right to refuse.
If anything, she had to work even harder.
She couldn’t afford to upset Todd—the man who held her life in his hands.
Tracy filled the kettle with more water and lit the stove.
While waiting for it to boil, she searched for coffee beans and the necessary equipment.
But there were no coffee beans.
She checked every cabinet and storage space, yet found nothing remotely resembling coffee.
There weren’t even that many belongings in the kitchen.
Why couldn’t she find them?
…Sigh.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Tracy reluctantly headed for the living room.
Her steps felt heavy, though her footsteps remained soft and nearly silent.
The moment she entered, Todd’s laughter stopped.
Todd looked at her with obvious annoyance, while Valentin regarded her with concern.
“If you’re back already, I’d ask if it’s done—but your hands are empty.”
“…I’m sorry, but I couldn’t find the coffee beans or the grinder.”
“Oh, come on. I drank coffee before. Don’t tell me it just disappeared.”
The irritated words burst out exactly as she had expected.
Calmly, Tracy replied,
“If you could just tell me where they’re kept—”
“How would I know? The previous housekeeper must’ve put them away.”
Todd raised his voice, but when he noticed Valentin watching him, he shot him a sideways glance.
He sighed sharply and waved a hand dismissively.
“Forget it. Since we’ll need snacks too, just serve Seymour his tea, then go buy some bread—and grab coffee while you’re out.”
“I’m fine.”
“Oh, shut up. Eat breakfast before you start working. We’ve got negotiations to think through. How are you supposed to use your brain with a hangover and an empty stomach?”
“…”
Valentin fell silent.
Tracy gave a small nod.
“Understood. I’ll bring your tea first.”
She immediately turned back toward the kitchen.
Behind her, she heard Todd click his tongue.
“She’s so inflexible. If it weren’t for me, who’d ever take her in? Don’t you think?”
She couldn’t hear Valentin’s answer.
But it didn’t matter.
Things always turned out exactly the way Todd wanted.
After serving the finished tea, Tracy immediately went outside.
She spent her own money to buy expensive coffee and sandwiches.
Even then, the colonel complained at her, asking why she had bought nothing more than sandwiches.
Fortunately, Valentin stayed for quite a long time, which spared her from listening to even more of Todd’s venting.
What she never imagined, however, was that the very next day, Valentin would arrive with a housekeeper.
