TWWSY 28

Chapter 28

“Ah, you must mean Lady Mielie. I’ll call her for you. Please wait a moment.”

The displeasure on the nobleman’s face was evident. With a flick of his hand, as if he no longer wished to deal with a mere “attendant,” he turned and strode directly toward where Mia was standing.

‘Well, that saves me the trouble of listening to that awkward exchange any longer.’

Mia watched Étienne briefly and thought silently.

“Hello, Marquess An. You must’ve had a hard journey coming all this way.”

Even formal greetings have a time and place. And this was not it—especially after they had greeted him with someone who couldn’t even speak the same language properly. Marquess An seemed all the more irritated by Mia’s casual tone.

“Yes, I’ve come a very long way just to see you people. But I suppose that effort must seem like a joke to you.”

“I sincerely apologize for my subordinate’s rudeness. He was a fairly competent man back in Etalon, but it seems he’s hopeless when it comes to dealing with people in Verumese.”

“I hope you’re not planning to brush this off with a mere apology. I expect proper action—”

“Of course, Marquess. We were actually planning to invite you to dinner soon. There’s a product we’d like to introduce in Veridian, and we thought it best to reach out to your house first.”

There was only one thing Mia remembered about Marquess An from her past life: he was a talentless noble who was desperate to open trade with Etalon—particularly with Grenier.

She had simply poked at that soft spot, but seeing how the marquess’s expression quickly brightened, it seemed he hadn’t changed much in this life either.

“That sounds like a fine idea. I’d be delighted to build a more personal friendship with you. No need to organize anything grand—just come by the mansion in two days. We’ll share some tea.”

The marquess replied with a forced smile tugging at his lips.

“It would be my honor,” Mia said with a bow.

To bow several times a day—such a thing was almost a record for a high noble.

It took several more hours of flattering and entertaining to finally send the marquess on his way. Only then did Mia allow her displeasure to show.

The reason for her irritation, of course, was none other than Deputy Commander Renard, who had stood sulking against the wall the entire time Mia was pandering to that vain marquess, clearly disapproving.

Mia let out a sharp sigh. He had caused all the trouble and yet stood there with his chin up as if he had done nothing wrong—that attitude irked her even more.

‘Maybe it would’ve been a politically wise move if he even understood politics in the first place…’

“Renard.”

Mia called his name in a low voice and walked toward him. His face was stiff with tension.

“How do you plan to explain today’s events?”

Her sharp gaze pierced him.

“You said you’d take full responsibility for anything that happened if things went according to your plan.”

“……”

“And yet the responsibility you speak of seems so light, so insignificant.”

“I’m sorry. It was my shortcoming,” Renard ground out through clenched teeth.

He hated admitting it, but the fault was undeniably his. Normally, he wasn’t one to take responsibility for the messes he made, but with no one else to blame—not the commander, not the strategist, not the woman rumored to be the commander’s lover—there was little use in even trying to wriggle out of this one.

“What a pitiful excuse.”

“……”

“Renard, what was the reason behind your disappointing performance during this operation? Was it due to a lack of support in the army? Or perhaps inadequate training at the military academy? What would the marquess—who was always so proud of you—think of this?”

“If ‘sorry’ isn’t enough, what else do you want me to do?”

“Well, for one, taking proper responsibility would mean stepping down from the position you’re clearly unqualified for.”

Renard’s face flushed bright red.

“If you dismiss me now, the deputy commander seat will be vacant. Are you really planning to let the commander handle everything alone, before the war’s even begun?”

“Whether the commander can handle it or not isn’t for you to decide, Renard.”

For the first time, Étienne, who had never involved himself in their conflict, finally intervened.

“So the fallout from this situation also isn’t your concern.”

He walked over to Mia and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Besides, don’t we already have someone quite capable in the unit who could take over the deputy commander position?”

Mia hid her shock and kept her face neutral. She had already lined up a few candidates to replace Renard, but she had never dared to think that Étienne would consider her for the role.

After all, she had once killed him in a past life—giving her more authority now would hardly be beneficial for him. Still, saying out loud that she hadn’t agreed to any of this would only make things worse in this situation.

Renard let out a bitter laugh.

“So you were both in on it from the start. Aren’t you afraid of the goddess?”

“Whether I fear the goddess or not is no concern of yours, Renard.”

Étienne’s tone was cutting to the end, and Renard was dragged out, no longer resisting but raging.

He knew far too many military secrets—and in his past life had even sold out the army—so they couldn’t exactly let him wander free on the streets of Veridian. Thus, Guest Room 502, meant for dignitaries from Luinal, was converted into a temporary prison for the now-former deputy commander.

“Since it’s come to this, why don’t you just enjoy your time off? Pretend you’re on vacation.”

The mocking words stabbed into Renard’s back like a dagger.

✦ ✦ ✦

“For now, it’s best if we stay in this room together.”

Mia spoke as she opened the door. Now that their relationship as lovers had been made public, it was important to show that naturally to the troops. Étienne nodded with a smile, not offering any objections.

Mia set down her luggage and strolled slowly toward the bed, passing through the long corridor of the room.

Perhaps because it had been arranged by Grenier’s people, the room was ridiculously spacious—more than necessary. Though Mia was accustomed to luxury, she was far more familiar with cramped offices and endless paperwork, making this feel almost burdensome.

‘And yet, with all this space, there’s only one bed. How ridiculous.’

Still, there was no way she could share a bed with the commander. Last time, she had taken the bed, so this time it was only right to offer it to Étienne.

“Should I sleep over there?” she asked, gesturing toward the window.

Étienne shook his head.

“No. It would be better if we sleep together. I could never let you sleep on the floor.”

Mia tried several more times to convince him to take the bed alone, but Étienne was oddly stubborn on this point. It would’ve been easier to understand if he were this persistent about opposing her plans instead. In the end, Mia had no choice but to raise the white flag.

“You don’t have any awful sleeping habits, do you, Étienne?” she asked with a sigh.

“I was a cadet for eight years and have been in the army for another six. I’ve been living in communal quarters since boyhood, and not once has anyone complained about my sleeping habits. You could say I’m quite well-behaved.”

Of course, Mia thought. Who would dare criticize the son of House Rochefort over something so trivial? Still, she reluctantly nodded and lay down next to him.

Thankfully, the bed was large enough to fit them both with plenty of space to spare.

✦ ✦ ✦

Morning sunlight streamed in through the window. Mia groaned, feeling like something heavy was pressing on her chest, and slowly awoke. Flashes of her past life—random, disjointed memories—had filled her dreams.

But what she woke up to was even more startling.

She was completely wrapped in Étienne’s arms.

His arm was draped around her waist, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Not even with her parents had she experienced such close physical contact.

“Rochefort.”

At the stern sound of her voice, Étienne flinched but didn’t seem inclined to move.

“Wake up, Rochefort.”

She shook him.

“Mmm… I told you to call me Étienne…”

He mumbled as he buried his face in the nape of her neck. His arm around her back pulled her in tighter.

“You promised you’d call me that… Mia…”