‘We got caught!’
Aiden immediately spun around, pointing his gun at the other person. The one who had startled him raised both hands in a panic.
“W-Wait! I don’t mean any harm. It’s just… you looked like someone I know—”
“…Doug?”
Aiden asked in a doubtful voice. The person wearing a dark cloak pulled tightly over their face had a voice that sounded strikingly familiar.
It was his first subordinate—a soldier who hadn’t received proper training and was clumsy but kind and pure-hearted. He had followed Aiden into hopeless battles and was eventually captured alongside him in a prison camp.
The figure in the darkness flashed a bright smile.
“Yes, Captain. It’s me, Douglas.”
Aiden couldn’t believe his eyes. Slowly lowering his gun, he muttered in a dazed voice,
“How… How are you here…?”
“The world sure is small, isn’t it?”
It could have been the perfect moment for a heartfelt reunion hug, but the group pursuing them was closing in fast. Doug grabbed Aiden’s arm and pulled him.
“First, Captain, let’s head to my house.”
He explained that he lived in the nearby house and had peeked outside when he heard the commotion, only to spot them.
“You’re the only young man I know with silver hair like that, Captain. I came out just in case.”
It was a fateful encounter, like a gift arriving just in time.
* * *
“I apologize for the state of my house. It’s terribly shabby, isn’t it?”
Doug said as he seated them at an old, worn-out table, offering an apology. Aiden and Anje protested earnestly, saying it was fine, but their words of courtesy couldn’t mask the reality. The house was indeed small and filthy to a degree that rendered excuses meaningless.
It was smaller than the barn on the Dilton farm, with broken windows covered haphazardly with cloth. The floor was sticky and grimy, having been neglected for what seemed like ages. Scattered liquor bottles around the house clearly hinted at the owner’s pastime.
“I haven’t made tea in a while, so the teacups are… Oh, here— no, damn it, it’s cracked! This cursed house, nothing here is in one piece.”
“It’s all right, Mr. Doug. Aiden and I both brought our own drinks,”
Anje quickly said, shaking the water bottle hanging at her waist to reassure him. Doug scratched his unruly hair before slumping into a chair opposite them with a subdued expression.
“Th-that’s a relief, then.”
He fidgeted with his large hands awkwardly before hesitantly turning his gaze to Aiden.
“So, uh, Captain… Who is this?”
“Ah, I forgot to introduce her. This is… my wife, Anje Fitzroy.”
It felt slightly embarrassing to introduce his spouse after so long. Anje, too, blushed a little before nodding politely.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’ve heard stories about you, Sergeant.”
Aiden had mentioned Doug before—despite his occasional blunders, Doug was one of his cherished, straightforward subordinates.
“A-Ah, your wife! I’m, uh, Douglas Palmer. Everyone calls me Doug, yes!”
Doug leapt from his seat, hastily rubbing his palms against his pants before offering his hand to her. Anje shook his hand gently with a polite smile.
“You seem quite startled?”
“Yes, well… It’s just… The captain always used to say that marriage was for weak people who couldn’t handle loneliness—ouch!”
“Ahem.”
Aiden coughed meaningfully while kicking Doug in the shin, cutting off his tactless comment.
Realizing his slip-up, Doug quickly shifted the topic.
“By the way, who were those people chasing you earlier, Captain? They looked pretty threatening.”
Although Doug had known Aiden for a long time, Aiden chose his words carefully—not out of distrust, but to avoid endangering Doug with any involvement in the matter of the throne.
“They’re after some documents we have. They’ve been chasing us to get their hands on them.”
“There’s someone persistent behind them, and it’s been troublesome.”
Wherever they fled, the Duke of Glasster would follow them relentlessly. To him, Anje and Aiden were vital “pawns” that could overturn his current situation.
Doug, ever simple-minded, blinked and then said,
“Why not destroy the documents right in front of them? Tear them up or burn them. Wouldn’t that make it clear there’s no use chasing you anymore?”
“That’s one way, I suppose.”
“But he’s not the type to let it go… I fear he might try to retaliate.”
Aiden and Anje exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. If it were the Duke of Glasster, he would undoubtedly fly into a rage and might even charge at them, saying they should all die together.
“Hmm…”
Doug furrowed his brows deeply before shaking his head and opening a bottle of liquor.
“Man, what a headache. Let’s have a drink, shall we?”
“I’ll pass.”
Wanting to stay alert in case of any attacks, Aiden politely declined. After a brief hesitation, he asked,
“But why are you here, Doug? You must’ve received some compensation for your service.”
Doug gulped down a swig of strong liquor, let out a satisfied “Ah,” and wiped his mouth roughly before replying curtly.
“Yeah, I got my compensation. But… a damned friend of mine claimed he could triple it if I invested in his scheme, so…”
He, who was illiterate, trusted a friend who read the contract aloud for him and signed it boldly. He believed that with the compensation tripled, he could buy a house and even get married.
However, he later found out that both the friend who requested the investment and the one who read the contract were accomplices. From the start, their plan had been to deceive him, exploiting his naivety.
Aiden’s face darkened.
“To think such a thing happened… I’m sorry to hear that. I should’ve reached out earlier to check on how you were doing.”
After returning to his hometown, there were times when his comrades would come to mind. But even though he missed them, he hesitated to contact them, afraid that meeting them again would only make the nightmares of the prisoner camp more vivid. He was also worried they might resent him, leaving him too ashamed to face them.
“Oh, no, sir. I’m the one who has no face to show. You always warned us to be careful of the world, but I acted foolishly.”
Doug grinned awkwardly, scratching his head again. Truthfully, he too wanted to reunite with his comrades, yet a part of him wanted to keep his distance. He didn’t want to show them the miserable state he was in after the scam, living aimlessly in despair.
“I still should’ve paid more attention—”
“Ah, Captain, if you keep saying that, I won’t know where to put myself. After all, you saved my life on the battlefield countless times.”
“Really? Did he?”
Anje interjected, hoping to lighten the mood. Since Aiden rarely boasted about himself, she was curious to hear the details.
“Yes, you wouldn’t believe how amazing he was. Every time I thought it was over, the Captain would leap over the trench, and bam, bam, bam! The tide of battle would turn in an instant.”
“Wow.”
Perhaps excited to revisit stories of the war after a long time, Doug elaborated on Aiden’s heroics, even embellishing the details of events the protagonist himself barely remembered.
“You’re exaggerating, Sergeant.”
Aiden chuckled, giving a light rebuke before briefly clearing his throat.
In truth, Aiden had something else he needed to apologize to Doug for. Back in the prison camp, there were things he had wanted to say to his suffering comrades.
Perhaps meeting Doug today wasn’t just a coincidence—it might have been fate giving him a chance to say the words he had postponed for too long.
“Doug, I need to tell you something—not just to you but to all the other comrades as well. Back in the camp… I feel so ashamed. Even though everyone was suffering so much, I did nothing to help and only focused on my own comfort…”
Anje clasped one of Aiden’s hands, hoping to give him the courage to continue. Bolstered by her gesture, Aiden finished his words.
“…I’m truly sorry.”
“Captain, what are you saying!”
Doug slammed the empty bottle on the table and stood halfway out of his seat, shouting.
“Everyone knows you have nothing to apologize for! If anything… we were just relieved you didn’t suffer as much as we did. Why are you apologizing? The real fault lies with those wicked enemies, not you.”
Aiden, suspecting Doug’s kind words might simply stem from his good nature, felt his eyes grow misty. A part of the guilt he had carried for so long seemed to lift slightly.
“Really? Thank you for saying that. I’ve always worried that you all might resent me.”
“Resent you? Not at all. And it’s not just words. Didn’t you risk your life to help us escape from the camp later on?”
Aiden let out a hearty laugh, shrugging.
“I just took advantage of the opportunity when an attack on the camp created an opening. It was nothing special.”
“Modest as always. You could’ve escaped faster and safer on your own, but instead, you brought out the injured and stayed behind to cover us.”
For Aiden, it had merely been an act to ease his conscience. But Doug, clearly moved, blinked his bloodshot eyes as he recalled that moment.
“Really… I need to repay that debt somehow. I can’t believe I still haven’t done anything to help…”
“No, Doug. Just giving us a place to stay like this is already more than enough.”
TL/N: I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE?
Anje also felt immensely grateful that Doug had lightened the burden Aiden had carried in his heart. Reaching across the table, she tapped the back of Doug’s hand lightly.
“Really, Aiden. Don’t tell me you’re sulking just because I tapped his hand a bit?”
“Whe—When did I ever sulk?”
* * * *
If you want to support the Translator, Translator’s Ko-Fi:
