Chapter 66: Put Me Through to the Person in Charge
“How many men are there, anyway?”
Delia let out a hollow laugh at Aaron’s absurd misunderstanding.
“What on earth are you imagining? Boswell is a traitor to Iorenti, and Sir Juliano and Sir Afran are just senators who discuss state affairs together.”
“Then what about Mei?”
“Mei is the commander’s subordinate.”
“Subordinate?”
Aaron, consumed by jealousy, took a deep breath to steady himself as he quickly recalled the personnel stationed at the palace.
Most of the Sturletz command and soldiers left in Iorenti territory had been deployed to the border.
The only imperial troops remaining at the palace were the commander’s direct unit, who had been with him since planning the operation to capture Delia.
But no matter how he searched his memory, he had never heard the name Mei.
“There’s no one like that among my subordinates.”
“She’s the empire’s spy that the commander secretly sent into Iorenti’s palace.”
“Spy?”
At the word “spy,” Aaron gasped in alarm.
It was as if the jealousy-fueled anger he had been feeling was instantly sucked away with that breath.
“The commander’s subordinate, Mei Carlo, infiltrated Crown Prince Alfredo’s aide position. She would know a lot about you, brother.”
“Mei Carlo?”
Ah, so Day’s codename was Mei.
Aaron let out a low sigh at this new realization.
He slowly pulled away from Delia, whom he had pinned against the wall, and stepped back slightly, pretending to be calm.
“I need to check something about you, brother. There’s something I need to hand over, too. So have the commander call Mei.”
Aaron looked into the air, avoiding her gaze, pretending not to pay attention to Delia’s confident demand.
Call an imperial spy?
Aaron slowly backed away, trapped in a situation where he couldn’t move either way.
“That’s a bit difficult.”
Delia furrowed her brows sharply as she glared at him.
Why was he reacting like that when they were talking about her subordinate?
Well… if I could predict his reaction, he wouldn’t be my commander.
“Commander!!”
Delia grit her teeth, cupped Aaron’s cheeks with both hands, and pulled him close, forcing his averted eyes to look at her.
“When I was taken prisoner, you said you learned my identity through that person.”
“Ah, well…”
Aaron, flustered, trailed off and rolled his eyes nervously.
Facing Delia’s sharp blue gaze, he felt frozen in place.
Desperate to avoid her scrutiny, he frantically diverted his gaze elsewhere.
“You used Mei to confuse us.”
“I never did that.”
“The commander ordered it, didn’t he? And now you pretend not to know?”
As Delia’s tone grew sharper, Aaron swallowed dryly.
His throat tightened with tension.
He had gotten angry for nothing. He should have quickly changed the subject if he realized Mei was referring to Day.
Aaron regretted how he had let his jealousy flare over Delia’s talk of another man.
When the master truly got angry about Iorenti, it was terrifying.
Aaron had no choice but to endure helplessly.
How could he calm her down?
He pondered deeply and told a truth no one would believe.
“Princess, I don’t know about this.”
“The commander is the empire’s supreme commander. Mei is under his command.”
Delia’s anger grew as she faced this incomprehensible truth.
“Placing spies in foreign countries, using them here and there, and now pretending you don’t know anything?”
“It really has nothing to do with me.”
“Isn’t that too much? You despicable Sturletz commander.”
Delia’s accusation made Aaron’s chest tighten.
He finally looked her in the eyes instead of dodging and glared back.
“Despicable? Princess, isn’t that a bit much?”
“Using a spy to investigate people, spreading false information, causing fear and division—that’s despicable.”
“I never gave that order. Mei isn’t my subordinate.”
“If an imperial spy isn’t the supreme commander’s subordinate, whose subordinate is she?”
“The spy organization isn’t under my jurisdiction.”
“You exchanged information with Mei.”
“That was during the war. We collaborated because of the circumstances.”
Aaron’s firm denial made Delia pause.
In Delia’s frozen mind, Mei’s words flashed quickly:
“My master ordered me to protect Your Highness. Take care of yourself.”
She had assumed the only person who could give that order was Aaron.
So naturally, she believed Mei was his subordinate.
But if not Aaron’s subordinate… then someone else was watching over her through Mei.
Who could it be?
A chilling shiver ran down Delia’s spine.
“Really, she isn’t the commander’s subordinate?”
“Really not. We only agreed to work together until the Southern Three Nations’ conquest war.”
“Then whose department is she under? Put me through to the person in charge.”
“That’s empire confidential. You could get hurt if you knew.”
Aaron didn’t open his mouth easily, even under Delia’s fierce insistence.
He couldn’t let the precious princess meet some spy organization’s head.
Even imagining it made his stomach churn.
“Confidential or not, hand me the person in charge immediately.”
Delia’s blue eyes flashed with a fierce light.
She pressed harder on Aaron’s cheek with her hand.
Backlit by candlelight, the shadow cast on her face looked darker than usual.
It seemed as if she would charge off to confront the person in charge at any moment, exuding a deadly aura of darkness.
“Call them immediately.”
“This is for your own good. Don’t concern yourself with a despicable spy organization living off deception.”
“Then hand them over. Do you know how disgusting it feels to be deceived?”
“I’ll make sure you won’t be fooled again. If you stay by my side, you’ll never be deceived by them again.”
Even with her hand pressing against his cheek, Aaron didn’t push her away.
It was better for her to hold his cheek like this.
When it came to Iorenti, the master’s temper could flare instantly.
Since his master was currently angry about the spies infiltrating Iorenti, Aaron obediently submitted, like a well-trained dog, to her grip.
So when talking about Iorenti, he’d have to endure being held like this.
A soft sigh escaped Aaron’s lips.
“Princess, forget the past when you look at me. Let’s just think about the coming era of peace.”
“Then at least call Mei. I need to confirm something with her.”
“Right now, Mei isn’t important, Princess.”
“What could be more important than this? Don’t dodge the question, Commander.”
Not wanting to provoke his master any further, Aaron quickly changed the subject.
“Princess, there’s something more important than that.”
He kept her hand pressed and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.
Startled by the sudden force, Delia was pulled into his embrace.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment.”
“Let go of me. Are you trying to sneak away?”
Delia placed her hand on his chest and leaned back.
She tried to escape, but her waist was already firmly encircled.
The more she struggled, the more he pressed against her.
“The story isn’t over yet. You can’t just change the subject like that.”
Aaron tightened one arm around her slender waist.
With his other hand, he grasped her hand that was on his cheek.
It was as if he had never been submissively letting her touch him before.
No matter how hard she tried, her hands couldn’t move him even slightly.
Aaron slowly moved her hand to his lips, holding it firmly.
“Until now, you’ve been speaking, Princess. Now it’s my turn.”
He pulled her hand to his lips and held it there.
“I did everything my master asked.”
He traced her hand while breathing hotly onto it.
“I got the Senate’s approval, got your parents’ permission, and even received the Queen’s approval today.”
Each time he spoke, his lips brushed her fingertips.
His low voice sent shivers through her.
“We’re really getting married now. Yet here you are talking about some random men. I should be the one angry.”
Even as he spoke, Aaron bit her fingertips lightly.
“Ah!”
Delia’s soft cry echoed in the quiet corridor.
Aaron was nibbling her fingers, the moist and warm contact sending sparks.
A shiver ran down her spine, her fingers tingling.
She tried to pull her hand away, but he held it even tighter, licking the marks he left behind.
The wet, messy sound echoed softly in the hallway.
“C-Commander.”
The warm, tender touch heated her body.
Like sucking on a sweet candy, the intimate contact wrapped delicately around her fingers.
Even just touching her fingertips made her breathless.
“Stop it.”
Delia’s flustered reaction made Aaron smile mischievously and lift his lips slightly.
He trailed his lips along her hand, pressing a mark like a seal.
“Who would see this?”
The more Delia tried to pull her hand away, the more persistently he pressed his lips.
“Hmm…”
Aaron’s low moan carried a slight tremor.
“Then we can do this in the room, right?”
“Room?”
“We don’t have to stay with the Queen anymore. You’ll be alone in your room, right?”
“Oh, probably?”
Since the Queen officially permitted it, she wouldn’t be hidden in her room.
“Then I’ll come to your room, Princess. I have something to give you.”
Aaron caressed her delicate ring finger repeatedly.
Just the soft touch against his fingertips consumed him with desire.
The heat of greed in his gray eyes surged instantly.
“W-What is it?”
“It’s a secret.”
Not a trace that disappears in days. Not a hidden mark.
A mark visible to all, one that remains forever.
Not a painful scar from the past, but a symbol promising a sweet future.
I’ll put a ring on this finger.
Aaron whispered with a smile on her palm.
“Tonight, I’ll tell you.”
