The next day.
Daniel reported to the General Staff Headquarters and entered the operations room to deliver his briefing to Ernst, the Chief of Staff.
After completing the formal report, Ernst smiled in satisfaction and inford Daniel that from now on, he could carry out his duties in a private office.
The reasoning was that soone as talented as Daniel didn’t need to spend ti mingling with the other staff in the operations room.
Daniel firmly refused, but Ernst, as if the matter had already been decided from above, added the word “order” to his statent and remained unyielding.
As a result, even though the day had already stretched into the afternoon, Daniel found himself working in his private office.
Not far away, Lucy was also reviewing docunts—an added detail to his surroundings.
Watching Lucy as she sat at the desk, completely focused on her work, Daniel leaned back in his chair, feeling the fatigue creep in.
‘So, I’ve returned to the capital….’
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the situation Daniel had hoped for.
Because he had returned from the battlefield with an overwhelming number of military achievents, the likelihood of being dragged into the succession struggle between the prince and the princess had skyrocketed.
For now, he had managed to temporarily stave off involvent, but there was no telling when their claws would reach this far.
‘And to make matters worse, even His Majesty doesn’t seem to trust ….’
From Daniel’s perspective, the emperor’s attitude yesterday had felt as though he were testing his intentions.
He wasn’t sure what conclusions the emperor had drawn from that interaction, but he doubted they were favorable.
‘Even the people in the General Staff seem to be avoiding .’
When Daniel entered the operations room earlier that day to give his report, the awkward silence had left him feeling uneasy.
He had expected to be welcod back with warm greetings, but the staff instead seed subdued, stealing nervous glances at him.
A few staff mbers approached and offered greetings, but even those felt stiff and unnatural.
— “M-Major Daniel! It’s truly a relief to see you return safely!”
— “Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you need anything!”
— “The Golden Cross dal…! I heard H-His Majesty awarded it to you personally?”
The vague sense of fear in their voices and expressions still lingered in his mind.
‘So the rumors have spread. That I ruthlessly threatened the foreign minister of the enemy nation to force a negotiation….’
It was an obvious misunderstanding, yet his position left him unable to refute it.
In trying to untangle one knot, he had only managed to tie several more in its place.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Daniel looked toward Lucy, clinging to her like a drowning man grasping at straws.
“Lieutenant. Do I seem scary to you?”
Lucy looked up, blinking a few tis before answering.
“I’m not sure I understand the intent of your question, but in my view, Major, you are not a frightening person.”
Can’t you be at least a little scared of ?
Suppressing his inner thoughts, Daniel simply nodded vaguely and pretended to focus on his work.
Seeing this, Lucy also turned back to her docunts and resud reviewing them.
Still glancing at Lucy, Daniel flipped through a few papers before setting them down again.
Today, it was impossible for him to concentrate on work.
“I suppose I should stop by the officers’ club after work….”
At Daniel’s muttered comnt, Lucy’s ears perked up.
‘…The officers’ club?’
As far as Lucy knew, the officers’ club at the Imperial General Staff Headquarters was more of a social gathering place in the style of a bar that served drinks and cocktails.
Sensing an opportunity, Lucy glanced at Daniel and slowly began formulating a plan.
*****
After work, Daniel headed straight to the officers' club without a mont's hesitation.
Lucy, who witnessed this, lingered around the vicinity for about an hour before entering the club herself.
The one-hour delay was a deliberate move to create the impression that their encounter was purely coincidental.
‘Alright. Let’s begin.’
Lucy stepped into the officers' club and scanned the surroundings.
The soft glow of elegant lighting illuminated the interior, complented by wooden panels and velvet sofas, giving the space a classic and refined atmosphere.
The sight of junior and senior officers mingling and sharing drinks made it clear why the place was considered a hub for social gatherings.
‘Now, where is Daniel Steiner…?’
Lucy’s eyes moved around as she searched for her target, eventually spotting Daniel sitting alone at the bar table.
After steadying herself with a deep breath to calm her nerves, Lucy approached and took the seat next to him.
“Major? So this is where you were.”
She spoke naturally, but no response ca from Daniel.
When she glanced over at him, he was gripping the glass on the table with one hand while resting his forehead in the other, eyes closed.
He appeared to be lost in thought.
Lucy wasn’t sure what he was thinking about, but she instinctively felt that interrupting him might not be the best idea. Instead, she looked up at the bartender.
“Excuse …”
“Hm? Oh. Miss, what can I get for you?”
Caught off guard by the bartender’s friendly tone, Lucy hesitated for a mont before responding.
“I’ll have the sa thing as Major Daniel.”
“Ah, scotch whiskey? Specifically, Johnnie Walker. It’s smooth, sophisticated, and easy to enjoy—a fine choice.”
The bartender pulled out a clean glass, dropped a large ice cube inside, and poured the golden whiskey.
“Here you go.”
Lucy nodded and accepted the glass handed to her.
The whiskey’s amber hue shimred under the soft lighting, adding to the ambiance.
Lucy gently swirled the liquid in the glass, catching a faint reflection of her own face.
‘Alcohol….’
It had always been sothing she avoided since it offered no real benefit to her espionage work.
But if she wanted to bond with Daniel and, ultimately, ‘seduce’ him, this was a hurdle she needed to overco.
Steeling herself, Lucy closed her eyes and took a sip of the whiskey.
Her face imdiately scrunched up in discomfort.
‘Ugh….’
It felt like fire scorching her throat as it went down.
The sharp, lingering burn of alcohol in her mouth was outright unpleasant.
Why does Daniel drink this stuff?
Still reeling from the taste, Lucy turned to glance at Daniel, only to be startled by the fact that his posture hadn’t changed one bit.
‘Wait….’
Was he… sleeping?
Blinking in disbelief, Lucy looked toward the bartender.
“Excuse , I have a question.”
“...What would you like to know?”
“Has the Major been drinking a lot?”
Following Lucy’s question, the bartender glanced at Daniel and smirked, shrugging his shoulders.
“Oh, yes. Seems like he had a rough day. He downed seven glasses in a row. Kept mumbling sothing philosophical—sothing about life being an endless chain of suffering—and then closed his eyes. He’s been like this ever since.”
Lucy couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“…”
She had planned to pretend to be drunk and use that as a pretext to seduce Daniel, but instead, she found herself dealing with a man who was already completely passed out.
Letting out a low sigh, Lucy stood up and bowed slightly to the bartender.
“I apologize on the Major’s behalf for any inconvenience he may have caused.”
“Huh? Oh, no need for that. Honestly, Major Daniel is one of the most polite drunk custors I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t mind if more patrons were like him.”
“Thank you for saying that. As for Major Daniel…”
Looking down at Daniel, Lucy spoke as if she had resigned herself to her fate.
“I’ll escort him back to his quarters.”
Reluctantly, Lucy found herself unexpectedly tasked with keeping an eye on her drunken boss.
*****
After arriving at the quarters, Lucy unlocked the door, stepped inside, and laid Daniel down on the bed.
Daniel, now sprawled out on the bed, shifted slightly and mumbled quietly.
“Water…”
Lucy, who had strained herself dragging Daniel back to his quarters, felt the veins on her forehead bulge.
‘Should I just kill him?’
If an assassination order had co down at that mont, she might have pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Staring down at Daniel with dissatisfaction, Lucy eventually walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of water.
She figured giving him at least one glass of water wouldn’t be too much trouble.
Returning to the bed, Lucy knelt beside it, holding the cup, and lightly shook Daniel’s shoulder.
“Major, I brought you so water.”
Her intention was to get him to sit up since drinking while lying down posed a choking hazard.
However, Daniel, completely intoxicated, showed no signs of getting up.
Annoyed by his lack of response, Lucy shook his shoulder a bit more firmly.
That’s when it happened—
Suddenly, Daniel grabbed Lucy’s arm and yanked her toward him.
“...!?”
Before she could resist, Lucy was pulled forward, causing her to drop the glass.
As she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, she slowly reopened them to find herself staring at Daniel’s chest.
It took Lucy a few monts to process the situation.
She was in Daniel’s arms.
“...!”
Her eyes widened like a startled cat.
While she struggled to figure out what to do, Daniel gently cradled the back of her head and pulled her closer.
“Don’t go…”
His deep voice brushed against her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
At that mont, Lucy recalled sothing Frien had once told her—
— “n are wolves by nature.”
Right. No matter how cold-blooded Daniel Steiner was, he was still a man in his pri.
‘But even so…’
She hadn’t expected to end up in his embrace like this.
Although her instincts scread at her to push him away, her mission kept her rooted in place.
Just as she tensed up, Daniel murmured again.
“It’s muddy over there… The headmaster’s going to scold you…”
Headmaster?
Lucy blinked a few tis before letting out a quiet sigh.
‘Sleep-talking.’
Realizing the truth, she quietly pried herself free from Daniel’s arms and stood up.
Looking down at him as he lay fast asleep, Lucy’s gaze lingered on him for a mont before she snapped out of it, quickly stepping away from the bed and fleeing the quarters.
Thud.
After shutting the door behind her, Lucy exhaled as though all her strength had left her.
Leaning back against the door, she clenched her fists tightly.
‘That was dangerous…’
She thought it was dangerous, but she couldn’t quite define what exactly had been so dangerous about it.
Lucy’s face flushed red as she nervously clutched the hem of her uniform skirt.
She then lowered her gaze, biting down on her lower lip.
For so reason, the pounding in her chest showed no signs of calming down.
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