Chapter 07
Dios, after obediently answering, opened his mouth again.
“Is the Lefevre family using that unknown armor as an excuse to propose a marriage alliance with you, Commander?”
“Marriage?”
“Isn’t that it?”
“If you’re going to say nonsense like that, go say it to Raphael.”
Schloitz made a very annoyed face and walked off with his long legs, heading to inspect a golden pillar. When Dios mentioned the word “marriage,” every knight nearby perked up their ears.
But Schloitz didn’t show even the slightest bit of interest. And that was just how he was. Despite his age and status, which would easily allow him to take any woman as a fiancée or wife, Schloitz Procyon showed a strangely total disinterest in marriage or matchmaking.
No one could even remember the last time he was seen around a woman.
The only time he had any contact with a woman was when he went to the capital to attend his delayed debut ball, after receiving a royal invitation.
And even then, he danced with only one person.
Blandaire Lefevre.
After that, he didn’t dance with anyone else and returned to the military. That was all.
Yet, there had never been any rumors about him having feelings for Blandae Lefevre. And the reason was simple.
Everyone at the royal ball had been carefully watching his every move, and they saw how dry and uninterested his expression was when he looked at her. With a face that cold, there was no way it could be love.
“Schloitz?”
Schloitz’s hand, which had been reaching toward the golden pillar, paused briefly in the air. But only for a second. No one noticed.
Just like always—just as he had done for over ten years.
****
A few days later
The military base, which had once been quiet with few people, was now filling up again.
Many divisions had returned from their deployments. But more people meant more chances for unexpected trouble.
“Sir Raphael. You’re not going to drop dead, are you?”
“No, of course not!”
I tilted my head, noticing the dark shadows under Raphael’s eyes. He looked extremely worn out. At one point, he almost fell asleep face-first into his breakfast tray.
“I’m sorry, Sir Blandae.”
“You haven’t been sleeping, have you?”
“Just a little…”
“How little? A day? Two?”
“…I haven’t slept in a week.”
I looked at him in disbelief. Could it be that Raphael Clovis died in the story not because of betrayal, but from overwork?
“Why are you pushing yourself so hard? If the First Commander’s work is too much, give some of it to me.”
“No, no! That’s not it. You won’t be too busy until late spring. I’m just swamped with my usual workload right now…”
“So… lots of work?”
“It’s because the former commander’s followers are all coming back now.”
Then I finally understood.
There wasn’t much detail about Schloitz in the story, but I had read and reread what little there was so many times that I practically memorized it. Even after being reborn in this world, I had written down everything I could remember.
That’s why I remembered every word clearly.
In The Mad Beauty’s End, Dios really hated Enrico Lefevre.
The reason was simple: Enricor came from the kingdom’s most powerful noble family.
Before the heroine Ruri joined the military, there had been a huge internal conflict when several high-ranking noble families tried to divide up control of the army. Many of them plotted and schemed—only to be completely wiped out.
Lefevre hadn’t actually been involved, but since Enrico joined the army anyway, it made sense for someone like Dios—who had already been through so much—to look at him with suspicion.
That’s how the story explained it. And that was it.
Or maybe… I just remember everything because there’s so little written about Schloitz to begin with.
After finishing my meal, I stood up.
Schloitz hadn’t returned yet, and Raphael told me to go rest while he finished his work. He looked like he was on the verge of death.
“Oh, well if it isn’t Sir Raphael.”
“…?”
Raphael’s face tensed up for a split second, then smoothed over. He turned around with his usual gentle smile.
“Sir Marc Hunt. When did you return?”
“Four days ago.”
“I haven’t seen you at all. You must’ve been very busy.”
“Well, I am the Second Commander of the army. Lots of people to see, you know?”
“Yes, of course.”
The smile on Raphael’s face changed slightly. Even I could tell it meant: Gotcha. Finally caught you.
The man in front of him—Second Commander Marc Hunt—looked a bit flustered.
Then Raphael turned to me.
“Oh, that’s right. I believe you haven’t been formally introduced yet. This is Sir Blandae Lefevre, recently appointed as First Commander under the direct order of the Supreme Commander.”
“……”
“The previous commander could only authorize up to the Second Commander. So it’s been quite some time since I’ve seen a First Commander in this army. I’m sure it’s the same for you, right, Sir Marc?”
“……”
“Oh, and Sir Blandae—this is Sir Marc Hunt, the Second Commander. I apologize, I almost forgot to introduce him.”
Marc’s face turned red, then pale.
This was exactly why the position of First Commander had remained vacant for so long in the army’s history. Very few previous commanders had accomplished enough to be given the royal medal needed to authorize that role.
The military promoted based on merit alone, but not everyone had the authority to grant certain titles—even among Supreme Commanders. The kind of medal granted by the king made a big difference.
And even now, Schloitz was already shaping up to be one of the greatest commanders in history.
I guess the former commander didn’t receive the medal needed to approve a First Commander.
So I understood why Marc’s face looked like it was about to explode. He gave me a curt nod and stomped off in an angry huff.
These guys…
They were all giving me barely polite greetings—just enough to avoid getting punished for disrespect.
They must think I’m just some clueless noble lady.
And since I had even picked the black uniform—without knowing it was politically sensitive—they probably saw me as a troublesome presence hurting their positions.
But I trained under Lord Balock for over ten years. I wasn’t someone they could easily intimidate.
****
The next morning, I went to the training grounds.
“…So the Duke of Madros told the king that I—”
“Sir Marc, behind you…”
Marc was chatting enthusiastically with some other commanders when he turned around—and saw me. His expression changed quickly.
“Oh, well, if it isn’t our First Commander! Sir Blandae Lefevre!”
“Sir Marc Hunt.”
I tilted my head.
Yesterday, he had definitely been wearing a red uniform.
But today, he was wearing black.
Hmm… Is he mocking me? Or trying to curry favor?
Either way, I didn’t care.
Because the next thing he said was completely random.
“Did you know? The eldest daughter of Duke Madros is very beautiful.”
“…?”
“And she’s the same age as your brother—the next head of the Lefevre family.”
“……”
“The Madros family is royal-blooded, so wouldn’t they make an ideal match with the Lefevres? As you know, the seven great families rarely have daughters these days.”
True enough.
“All the few noble daughters out there are already engaged. Well, except one—Lady Titania Rosier. But she’s only an adopted daughter, not a true blood of the Rosier family, so she doesn’t really match the Lefevres, right?”
“So?”
“Given how likely a marriage alliance between Madros and Lefevre is, shouldn’t you make sure you’re on the right side of things, Sir Blandae?”
Technically, nothing he said was wrong.
But Enrico’s marriage wasn’t any of my business. I was more interested in something else.
“I heard Commander Schloitz Procyon is the same age as my brother too.”
Marc’s smiling face stiffened.
“Wouldn’t it be even more beneficial for Duke Madros to propose a marriage alliance with him instead?”
“Th-that’s… not quite right. As you know, Duke Madros has always held a strong admiration for the Lefevre family…”
That was the first I’d heard of it.
Sure, Lefevre members were often well-liked, maybe because of our rare ability to purify corruption. Even nobles tended to be fond of us.
But that meant Duke Madros’s supposed “admiration” was probably no deeper than anyone else’s.
Besides, Madros had basically had the title of Supreme Commander snatched from him by Schloitz. If he wanted to save face, marrying into Schloitz’s side would’ve made way more sense.
That’s when I realized—
So he already proposed and got rejected, huh.
With how persistent he seemed, I bet he didn’t just get rejected once. Probably three times, at least.
Now imagine if I really were a clueless noble lady.
Even with my high-ranking position, this was still a new and unfamiliar place. I hadn’t even been here a full week. Anyone would feel nervous.
In a typical social setting, Marc’s words might have been enough to embarrass or pressure someone into silence.
After all, he was a skilled, experienced swordsman and the Second Commander of the military.
So for the sake of all the young cadets who’d be joining this army in the future and might feel the same fear—I crossed my arms with a smirk and stood my ground.
