Chapter 48. Just the Two of Us. Cozy. Friendly.
The sun’s heat was quite intense, as if summer was truly beginning in earnest. The gardens of Iorenti Palace were filled with imperial soldiers busy working on canal construction. Like warm sunlight stripping away a traveler’s clothes, the soldiers couldn’t bear the heat at the worksite and started taking off their shirts one by one. Their muscles, honed by training, were fully exposed under the sun. As the palace maids passing by let out quiet gasps, the sound of shovels digging grew even louder. Colin, staring blankly at the scene, spat out roughly:
“I just can’t live like this.”
“If it’s too hard, you should go inside and rest. I’ll take charge of the canal work.”
“That’s not it. The canal work itself is no big deal. It’s part of the training, so I can handle it.”
About ten years ago, the Stilleitz Empire’s army mostly consisted of mercenaries. But under the strong will of the former emperor, the military system was reorganized, and the standing army was greatly expanded. This meant there were many more professional soldiers always ready to fight for the empire. For these career soldiers, strict military discipline and intense training were daily routines. Compared to their usual training, the canal work was a light warm-up. They were even relieved to skip more intense exercises. However…
“Why are you so angry?”
Colin glanced at the commander standing in the center overseeing the work. Dyke followed Colin’s gaze to the commander.
“What on earth is wrong with him?”
Even under the scorching sun, the commander’s spot was filled with a chilling aura.
“How can anyone live suffocating like this?”
Seeing Aaron’s expression, both Colin and Dyke immediately turned their heads away, as if they had seen a messenger of death.
“What’s the problem? You even met the princess you wanted so badly.”
“You even got her engaged, right?”
“Then why is he so grim?”
Colin had been a retainer since Aaron was the heir of the Duke family. Having spent many years together, he could roughly guess the situation just from his expression. The Supreme Commander seemed calm outwardly but was in a very dangerous state. The usual playful smile he wore like a mask was nowhere to be seen. Colin felt that if they made the wrong move, they might end up buried here.
“Is it because of what happened last night?”
Colin frowned, recalling the servant caught last night in the palace’s secret passage. Dyke, watching Colin hesitate, spoke cautiously.
“Actually, the princess hasn’t let go of the queen’s hand for several days.”
Colin’s mouth fell open in shock.
“Why? You visited her every day.”
“The queen keeps her close and won’t let her go.”
“Then just ignore it and drag her like last time.”
Dyke took a step back, horrified at Colin’s complaint. He stared at his superior with wide eyes, as if seeing a madman — quite disrespectful for someone looking at his commanding officer.
“That’s not possible.”
“Why not? She’s just a princess from a defeated country anyway.”
“Do you think the princess would stay still? She’d be fighting for her life, either you or her would die.”
“Even though she’s called a princess now, if she were taken hostage and dragged to the empire, she wouldn’t say a word.”
“Absolutely not. I still shudder thinking about the chaos when we tried to bring her to the empire as a prisoner.”
Dyke rubbed his palm, which stung from the memory. The princess was one who fought fiercely, attacking the empire’s soldiers indiscriminately, saying she’d rather die honorably in battle than be taken away. Such a princess wouldn’t go quietly as a hostage.
“And you know what? When that failed, she even took poison.”
Thanks to what Dyke told him, Colin already knew about the protest the princess staged by taking poison — and how he almost died in the resulting battle. The mad commander’s frenzy made both allies and enemies tremble with fear. The memories Dyke brought back spread over Colin like black ink in water, filling him with dread. Colin wanted to live a long life.
“What about tying up the queen?”
Dyke shook his head, reminding his superior of his foolishness.
“The person the princess respects the most is her parents.”
“That won’t do. We absolutely must not touch them recklessly.”
“Yes. Absolutely not. It would be disastrous.”
Even as the two whispered, Aaron kept throwing and catching a sharp blade into the air with a blank expression. It was a finely sharpened sword—one wrong slip and it would sever a finger. Aaron’s hand movements were flawless. The moment the commander’s mood shifted, that blade would fly somewhere and pierce deeply. Colin desperately hoped it wouldn’t be his heart, shaking his head.
After thinking for a long moment while stroking his chin, Colin spoke quietly:
“A well-fed beast doesn’t attack prey passing right in front of it.”
“Then should we bring him something so he’s not hungry?”
Colin nodded at Dyke’s quick reply. It was nice to connect with Dyke again after a while, as he instantly understood the metaphor.
“Yes. That would be best.”
Upon receiving permission, Dyke answered firmly:
“Alright. I’ll ask the royal chef to prepare something worth eating.”
Colin looked at Dyke with a bitter expression. Of course — no way this rookie could be on the same wavelength as him. Colin clicked his tongue and grabbed Dyke’s arm as he tried to run to the kitchen.
“No, that’s not it.”
“If not that, then…”
“We have to let him meet the princess before we get eaten.”
“Huh?”
“Hmm…”
Colin looked at Dyke intently, then grabbed his chin and pulled it toward him, turning it to inspect his face.
“Skin’s good.”
“What are you doing?”
“Facial features are well placed.”
“Colin, assistant!”
Despite Dyke’s grimacing face, Colin ignored him, lost in thought.
“Hmm. Your parents must have prayed a lot.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Dyke shouted roughly, shaking off Colin’s hands.
“What does that have to do with the current situation?”
“Don’t be like that; try acting a bit more gentlemanly.”
“Why should I act gentlemanly when the assistant is mocking me?”
“Not to me. To the queen’s maid.”
Dyke stepped back, alarmed by Colin’s words.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Colin grabbed Dyke’s cheek with both hands, pressing firmly. Dyke, unable to escape, flapped his mouth like a fish out of water.
“Let’s try to melt her with this pretty face.”
“No way.”
Dyke fiercely resisted, moving his hand toward his sword’s hilt.
“Think carefully. This is necessary for our survival…”
Shing! A sharp flash streaked past Colin and Dyke’s eyes. Aaron’s sword sliced exactly between their intersecting gazes and stuck into a nearby tree. Colin was so startled he couldn’t finish his sentence. Dyke’s hand, moving toward the sword, froze in midair. The two stood frozen, facing each other.
Like marble statues, a cold voice seeped into their ears:
“You two… cozying up and dating right in front of me. Just to show off.”
Aaron clenched his teeth and spoke each word forcefully. Colin and Dyke shook off the chill piercing their hearts and straightened their bodies toward the Supreme Commander.
“Didn’t you hear the order to finish this quickly?”
“Yes, sir. We heard it clearly.”
Aaron’s ominous aura filled the garden restoration site. Even though it was midsummer, goosebumps rose from the cold. Soldiers watching the stiff aides swallowed hard.
“But you two just mess around? Cozy, just the two of you, friendly?”
Dyke protested indignantly:
“We’re not friendly.”
Aaron’s eyebrows twitched angrily at Dyke’s objection.
“Aren’t you friends? The military discipline is getting lax.”
“No, we are friends.”
Feeling hopeless since no explanation would escape the commander’s anger, they knew any reason would be a problem. Every imperial soldier there understood the commander’s mood. The digging grew more intense. Dirt began flying behind Aaron like a fountain.
“Try that again. Dating. Fighting.”
Looking at the flying dirt, Colin and Dyke answered in unison:
“Not that. No way.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then what is it?”
As Dyke blushed, Colin quickly replied:
“We were estimating the success rate.”
“Success rate?”
“The probability of this guy bribing the queen’s maid.”
Aaron’s eyes changed to a puzzled look. Colin noticed Aaron’s sharp aura soften and dared to explain further.
“We were calculating the chance of bribing the maid to separate the queen and princess.”
“Hmm.”
Aaron eyed them suspiciously.
“We were calculating the chance of success while looking at this guy’s face.”
“So, what’s the success rate?”
“About 60%.”
Dyke was shocked by the conversation between his two superiors.
“Only 60%?”
“His face is decent, but he lacks guts.”
“Tsk.”
Aaron was displeased with Colin and Dyke’s words when a soldier approached.
“Commander, time is up.”
Aaron looked up at the sun hanging high in the sky.
“Is it already that late?”
Despite his usual cold demeanor, he sighed heavily and ordered Colin:
“Make it happen. Raise the success rate to 200%.”
Colin’s mouth curved into a wide grin.
“Yes, sir. I’ll train him well.”
After hearing Colin, Aaron turned and walked toward the palace. Once Aaron disappeared inside, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Colin.”
Dyke finally released the complaints he had been holding back.
“There’s no way I can do something like that.”
“Didn’t you hear the order? It must be done.”
“But…”
“Our survival depends on it.”
Ignoring Dyke’s grimace, Colin clenched his fist and spoke:
“Operation name: Extract the baby deer.”
Baby deer princess. Sorry, but you’re going to become the prey of hungry wolves.
“This mission must succeed.”
Colin’s solemn voice echoed through the flying dust.
“Dyke, it’s special training from now on.”
Oh, gosh. This poor guy