Chapter: 04
Cervante laughed heartily at the Sultan’s words. As though they were absurd from the very beginning, he embarrassed Palamas with his laughter. Then, all of a sudden, his laughter stopped, and his expression turned cold.
“He is my man.”
A brilliant light shimmered in Cervante’s obsidian-like eyes.
“People from Solencia are hopeless when it comes to money.”
“That may be so, but we do not buy and sell people as though they were objects. Every human being has dignity.”
“Let us hear what the person in question has to say.”
The Sultan turned his gaze toward Dennis. He pressured Dennis with a persistent, piercing stare. But Dennis quickly regained his composure and stood his ground, refusing to be intimidated by his presence.
Dennis did not know how he had figured out that she was a woman, but there was a very high chance he had merely guessed. Even if he had received some divine revelation, Dennis had no intention of groveling before the king of an enemy nation.
“I am a citizen of the Solencia Empire. Forever….”
“I see….”
Palamas smiled ambiguously as he looked back and forth between Dennis and Cervante.
“Captain Dennis, you may return to your seat.”
At Cervante’s command, Dennis returned to his original seat without the slightest delay. After that, only practical negotiations continued, and the meeting finally ended three hours later. The adjutants immediately rushed toward Dennis.
“What did the Sultan whisper in your ear?”
“Money, women…? Did he say he’d give you whatever you wanted?”
“Or did he offer you an entire harem?”
Their greatest concern was how extravagant the conditions offered by the Sultan were. That was not all. They could hardly contain their excitement, saying things like even the women who milked sheep in Harman were beauties.
Meanwhile, Dennis heard nothing, as though the wind were blowing through his head. Even now, Palamas’s words echoed in his mind like a reverberation.
‘Those idiots don’t know you’re a woman.’
There was one thing Dennis had realized for certain. There were no eternal secrets in this world, and if she continued living while taking such risks, she would not be able to die peacefully when her time eventually came. At the moment when everything seemed hopeless, it was Cervante’s words that awakened Dennis once again.
‘He is my man.’
The firm determination and trust that had appeared on Cervante’s face when he said those words. That was what made the exhausted Dennis stand up again. She could not even describe how happy she had been. However, the day of negotiations did not end peacefully at all.
“You bastard, let’s get along from now on.”
“Dennis de Albiere, the talented man coveted not only by our commander but even by Sultan Palamas!”
“Show some respect to the goddess of the infantry!”
The mischievous officers all rushed toward Dennis at once. Buried beneath three men, Dennis was tossed around and rolled across the ground.
“Hey, everyone, calm down!”
They jokingly fought among themselves over who would get Dennis, even going so far as to wrestle. They were so rough that the buttons of Dennis’s uniform came flying off, leaving her rolling around in the dirt like a ball.
Did she really have to use her strength while rolling around on the dirt like this…?
Whenever Dennis managed to shake them off with all her strength, Lieutenant Colonel Barthel would grab one of her legs. As soon as she barely managed to break free, Major Lauro wrapped an arm around her neck. As if those two were not enough, Gael from the administrative department joined in as well, and the three began an all-out brawl over Dennis.
‘This won’t do. I’ll have to beat them all senseless.’
If she let them continue, they would tear apart even the undergarments covering her chest, and if that happened……
She did not even want to imagine it. Dennis somehow managed to pull out the expandable baton tucked into her boot. What idiots. They still had not realized that she was faster and more agile than any of them.
Even after three years, Dennis still found it impossible to get used to men’s rough and reckless antics. Regardless of rank, men were all immature. Once they drank, they became no different from wild dogs, and even when they played, it often did not end until someone ended up with a bloody nose.
‘Ah! This is seriously getting tiresome.’
She could barely breathe. At this rate, she was going to be crushed beneath the three men. No matter how much she screamed, they seemed unable to hear her and continued fighting. Dennis was just about to swing her baton with a grim expression when—
Thud! Thud!
Black military boots kicked the three officers one after another. As the view gradually cleared through the cloud of dust, the person standing there was Cervante, wearing a black coat. Without even using his hands, he subdued all three soldiers with nothing but his feet.
“Enough with the joking around.”
Thud!
Gael was sent flying.
“Do it.”
Thud!
Blood gushed from Barthel’s nose.
“I did.”
Thud!
Lauro’s face was slammed straight into the dirt.
Before Dennis could even understand what was happening, she was already draped over Cervante’s shoulder. Cervante slung Dennis over his shoulder and headed toward the quarters. Then, he suddenly spoke.
“What did that bastard Sultan say?”
“Pardon? Ah… Well, you know.”
Dennis could not tell him exactly what she had heard, but she also did not want to lie with her own mouth, so she hoped Cervante would make his own guess.
“He told you to come to him, didn’t he?”
“That…… is correct.”
As soon as Dennis finished answering, Cervante began spewing every curse imaginable. It was the first time Dennis had realized just how proficient he was at swearing.
“Wash yourself. I’m going to check on those idiots rolling around in the dirt.”
Cervante left Dennis inside the quarters and walked away. He did not return until after midnight. The strong smell of alcohol filled the room, as though he had been drinking with the officers.
Cervante and the soldiers returned to their homeland, welcomed warmly by the citizens of the Empire. After staying in the capital for ten days and completing the disbandment ceremony, everyone would return to their respective hometowns.
After returning to the Empire, Dennis found it difficult to see Cervante. He was summoned to the imperial palace and attended various events, while Dennis was excluded from his escort duty. In a way, it was Cervante’s consideration. Since Dennis had worked hard protecting him during the war, he wanted her to get plenty of rest.
Instead, three officers took turns escorting Cervante. Even so, Dennis could not simply relax. She had to decide what she would do from now on.
‘What should I do?’
Her desire to remain under Cervante’s command clashed with her guilt over deceiving everyone, deepening her worries.
‘The war is over anyway. Commander has capable officers like Gael, Barthel, and Lauro by his side….’
No, that was not enough. She could not rule out the possibility that spies sent by the Sultan might target Cervante’s life.
Just as Dennis was drowning in this swamp of confusion, Lauro arrived with some unexpected news.
“The commander is receiving a medal. Of course, so are we….”
“That’s good news.”
“There’s even better news, Captain.”
“Better news?”
What Lauro handed Dennis was a newspaper. The headline immediately caught her eye.
<The marriage of Cervante de Rojas, Commander of the First Infantry Division who captured Sekari Fortress, and Princess Catarina is imminent>
‘Commander is getting married…!’
She had never seriously considered it before. It was something she should have anticipated and thought about long ago, but……
Cervante was young, capable, and, of all things, a duke. Princess Catarina was a fitting match for him. Yet Dennis could not easily recover from the shock. The blood throughout her body seemed to freeze, and chills ran down her spine.
“Captain Dennis, what’s wrong with your face?”
“Pardon? My face….”
“You’ve gone completely pale.”
“Ah, I’m just tired.”
“I thought you were shocked because the commander is getting married.”
“Why would I be? It’s something to celebrate.”
“Right. It is something to celebrate.”
With that, Dennis no longer had any reason to worry. She felt pathetic for having been trapped in such futile thoughts all this time.
Dennis parted ways with Lauro and headed toward her quarters. Her mind was still dazed, and it felt as though the ground itself were rising toward her.
Just then, a soldier came running toward Dennis.
“Captain!”
It was an administrative soldier she knew by face.
“What is it?”
Dennis quickly composed her expression and looked at the soldier as though nothing were wrong. The soldier soon handed her a letter. At that moment, Dennis saw Cervante walking toward them from the far end of the corridor, his back to the light. Startled, Dennis quickly shoved the letter inside her uniform.
“Commander.”
“Dennis.”
Why was he smiling so brightly at her today of all days? He must be happy now that his marriage to the princess had been confirmed.
