Chapter 5
“Well, uh…”
The king, who had suddenly been presented with Curtiss fiancée, stuttered for a moment while looking at his aide. Curtis Sean Burke responded with his hands behind his back.
“Second Lieutenant Ambroise.”
Ah, he hesitated because he didnt know her name.
“Yes, Ambroise!”
The king replied irritably and rubbed his forehead. Then he turned to Chloe and asked,
“How many years have you served?”
“Unfortunately, she is from the navy and thus was deemed unsuitable as a match for Crown Prince Frederick. It turned out to be fortunate for me.”
Curtis answered again, his chin held high, his confident reply coming off as particularly irritating.
The king was annoyed.
“Shes too convenient a match, which makes it all the more suspicious!”
That much was true. As absurd as it was, Chloe’s status and background fit perfectly with Curtis Sean Burkes situation. While she was a lower noble, she didnt fall under the strict marriage restrictions between different social classes.
Moreover, she was from the navy.
Female soldiers in the Ivannes navy, for various reasons that will be explained later, are not considered suitable for quick marriages. Therefore, the king himself had issued a command to exclude women from the navy from being considered as potential matches for the crown prince during the royal marriage negotiations.
‘Crafty man….’
By this point, Chloe was starting to suspect her superior. At first, she thought the Duke was crazy to talk about marrying her. But now it seemed like this was a carefully laid plan by Duke Burke.
Regardless of her suspicious gaze, Curtis Sean Burke smiled broadly at the king and responded.
“Doesnt her beauty and intelligence dispel any doubts?”
Chloe involuntarily squeezed her eyes shut.
The king, looking as though his blood pressure had shot up, feigned falling back. Meanwhile, Curtis, who had shamelessly responded, intertwined his fingers with Chloes and held her hand firmly. The surrounding high-ranking nobles finally began to murmur.
The king held his forehead and groaned. Then he turned to Chloe and spoke again.
“Second Lieutenant Ambroise. Swear on the endless horizon that you are indeed my brothers lover.”
‘If you wanted to call him a worthless scoundrel, as a proud soldier of Ivannes, I would wholeheartedly agree with Your Majestys opinion.’
Though others might not understand, Chloe, who was now forced to hold hands with her despicable superior and was falsely accused of being his lover, thought to herself.
Of course, being a very intelligent aide, Chloe did not say this out loud. Instead, she looked at Curtis with a troubled expression.
“…Your Excellency.”
Curtis was smiling at her, but his eyes were not. Moreover, he gave a stylish nod.
To onlookers, he must have looked incredibly impressive. Dressed in his grand Royal Guard uniform for the banquet, with his handsome face and the sudden warmth in his usually cold demeanor.
But to Chloe, it was just,
‘Answer correctly.’
A threatening smile.
‘Wow, this is a real dilemma.’
Chloe hesitated for a brief moment. If she said, “No, I’m not,”it wouldnt take long for Curtis Sean Burke, who had mercilessly drilled her on the training ground this afternoon, to get in serious trouble.
But the situation didnt wait for her.
“Second Lieutenant Ambroise, answer quickly,”the king urged her. It was a familiar situation. When she signed the papers to become Curtis Sean Burke’s aide, the officer in charge had hurried her in a similar way… Chloe thought vaguely.
‘Damn, bargaining should be done after knowing the price.’
She should have taken her time signing that contract, considering the situation, just three months ago.
But there was no other choice. While Chloe was a proud and brave soldier of Ivannes, she wasnt brave enough to say to the king, ‘Excuse me, but can you wait a moment while I negotiate with my superior?’
In the end, she swallowed hard and spoke.
“First, please understand generously. I hesitated because I am overwhelmed with emotion at being in a position to answer something in front of Your Majesty.”
“Stop with the long-windedness. Is it true?”
At the kings prompt, Chloe felt Curtis squeeze her hand firmly. She glanced at Curtis. To others, it might have looked like a sweet glance between lovers, but to her, it felt filled with a deadly warning. Chloe raised her eyebrows slightly, then turned her head back toward the king.
Yes, it is true,she finally said. I am Curtis Sean Burkes lover.
The room fell silent, with all eyes on Chloe and Curtis. The kings face showed a mix of disbelief and frustration, but Curtiss grip on her hand relaxed slightly, and she could feel his relief.
Very well,the king said slowly. If that is indeed the case, I suppose there is no issue.
Chloe could only hope this would be the end of it, but she knew better than to expect an easy resolution. As the kings eyes bore into her, she felt the weight of the situation fully settling on her shoulders.
“…It is true. I was recently proposed to by Brigadier General Curtis Sean Burke.”
A vein bulged on the kings forehead. At the same time, exclamations like “Oh my…”and “Good heavens”burst from the surrounding nobles.
“However, the Ambroise family only received the first-class merit decoration three generations ago. We are not of the same rank as Duke Burke, so I initially refused.”
“Second Lieutenant.”
Curtis’s teeth ground audibly as he called her name. In contrast, the king stood up triumphantly.
“Whether those absurd lies are true or not, she admitted it, Duke!”
But the king’s triumph was short-lived, interrupted by a sudden “sob.”The king was taken aback. A sob? A sniffle? He turned towards the direction of the sound and his jaw dropped.
Curtis’s aide, whom he had just been pressuring, was wiping away tears while looking up at Curtis. What happened next was even more shocking. The woman with pink eyes buried her face in Curtis Sean Burke’s arm and spoke.
“But how could you do this in front of His Majesty, darling!”
Darling.
No one had ever imagined anyone calling Curtis Sean Burke by such an intimate term. All the nobles present felt a momentary camaraderie with the kings position.
“Chloe is so moved! Yes, lets get married!”
In other words, everyone who heard her was mentally cleaning their ears, just like the king.
Naturally, the Ivannes social scene was thrown into an uproar that day.
***
Night had fallen, and it was already past midnight.
“We need to talk
The other furniture was also arranged with an exquisite and thoughtful touch, adding to the room’s grandeur. Anyone entering this office for the first time would be impressed by the atmosphere of refinement that pervaded the space.
However, for Chloe, who had been here for over three months, it was just a place for overtime, a room she had come to loathe. The beautiful desk, the furniture, the chairs—all were merely tools for long, tiresome nights.
And the source of all this was now sitting at that elegant desk. Chloe walked over, removed the brooch from her collar, and handed it to him.
“Hum.”
Curtis frowned as he recognized the brooch.
Chloe had perfectly wrapped up the day using that brooch Curtis had casually pinned on her. And by “perfectly,”it meant she had turned the tables during a critical moment.
‘Second Lieutenant Ambroise, do you understand that lying to the king is tantamount to treason? If you two were truly planning to marry, why was it kept secret?’
Despite Chloe’s performance, the king had been furious, unable to believe they were actually lovers.
Once again, Chloe proved herself to be a quick and intelligent aide. Instead of confessing to the king, she had fished around her body for something.
And then she pulled out the brooch.
“This,”she said, presenting the brooch, “was given to me by Curtis Sean Burke as a token of his promise. It bears his family crest, signifying his intent.”
The king had scrutinized the brooch, his expression a mixture of suspicion and intrigue. The nobles, too, had leaned in, murmuring amongst themselves.
‘Its true, Your Majesty,’ Chloe had added, eyes wide and sincere. ‘I was overwhelmed by his proposal, and we decided to keep it secret to avoid unnecessary complications. But the love and commitment are genuine.’
This had thrown the king off balance. He knew the significance of such a token. And while still skeptical, the brooch had given Chloe’s story a veneer of credibility that was hard to immediately dismiss.
Curtis, watching the scene unfold, had been impressed by Chloe’s quick thinking. It was a brilliant move under pressure, and it had worked. The tension had eased just enough for them to exit the audience chamber without further incident.
Now, back in the office, Chloe placed the brooch on the desk. Curtis picked it up, examining it with a thoughtful expression.
“Well done, Ambroise,”he finally said, looking up at her. “You handled the situation remarkably well.”
Chloe sighed, the weight of the days events finally hitting her. “I dont know how I did it, honestly. I just knew we had to make it believable.”
Curtis nodded, his demeanor softer than usual. “You did more than that. You saved us both a lot of trouble.”
Chloe slumped into a chair, exhaustion evident on her face. “So, what now? How do we proceed with this… engagement?”
Curtis leaned back, considering her question. “We continue with the charade, at least until we find a way out. For now, you’re officially my fiancée. We need to keep up appearances.”
Chloe groaned inwardly. “Great, more overtime.”
Curtis allowed himself a rare smile. “Indeed. But Ill ensure you’re compensated for it. And who knows? You might even find it… enlightening.”
Chloe rolled her eyes, but she couldnt help but smirk.
“Lets hope so, Your Excellency. Lets hope so.”
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