Chloe was originally in the navy. The weakest branch of the Ivannes Kingdom’s military, the navy.
But three months ago, a strange notice appeared in the navy.
Why were they recruiting his aide from the navy? There was even an additional condition.
<A 400% incentive will be paid quarterly upon commissioning.>
‘Are they looking for cannon fodder?’
‘Maybe it’s a scam, and you’ll end up on a shrimp boat.’
However, there was someone who fell for it.
400% quarterly was 160,000 shings. The quarterly food cost for a family of six.
That’s what she thought back then.
Now, Chloe Ambroise had something she wanted to say to her past self.
“Chloe, that was the price of your life…”
“No, no. I was just talking to myself.”
“I see. The Duke will be out shortly.”
“The Burke mansion is beautiful at sunset. Feel free to enjoy the view until the Duke arrives.”
‘Today was supposed to be my day off!’
It was hard to say if she was lucky or unlucky.
When working on a day off, she would typically receive 150% of the normal work pay.
Regardless, Noel clicked his tongue.
“It seems the Duke is determined to take you to the banquet, Second Lieutenant Ambroise.”
Chloe tilted her head in confusion.
“…Haven’t you heard anything from His Excellency?”
Second Lieutenant Noel hesitated. Chloe blinked.
“…Is there something I should know?”
Anyway, if Noel had closed his mouth, it must be something Chloe didn’t need to know.
“Do you know about today’s banquet?”
“I only know that it’s a pre-diplomatic event with Glintland.”
“Ah. Actually, it’s more like a pre-marriage meeting event for His Excellency.”
“…Who’s supposed to be getting married?”
Chloe looked up at Second Lieutenant Noel with disbelief.
Looking down at her with a smile that seemed to say ‘I knew you’d be surprised,’ Noel explained.
“His Excellency is soon to have a marriage meeting with the Duke of Glintland.”
“He’s not in such a prestigious position after all.”
“No, not quite. It’s more like our Duke got caught.”
“That man… made a mistake? His Excellency?”
“Well, it all comes down to bloodlines.”
Chloe responded without much emotion.
Whatever the bloodline, I wish I could catch that weakness too.
Just then, a dazzling figure emerged from under the mansion’s facade, attended by others.
“Just in time, His Excellency is coming out.”
Chloe stuck out her tongue. Noel laughed.
“‘Ugh,’ Chloe? What exactly do you see His Excellency as?”
“I don’t know. A punishment vending machine?”
Noel seemed to think Chloe was joking. But Chloe was dead serious.
‘I was called a sewer rat by my navy buddies.’
But to Chloe, it was a completely useless trait.
He was a pretty punishment vending machine. Curtis Sean Burke was exactly that to Chloe.
“Second Lieutenant Ambroise, if you’re here, why aren’t you running over? Are you crawling?”
There it was, the harsh command from the punishment vending machine.
Not even a greeting, just straight to reprimanding.
Of course, Chloe was a soldier who followed orders without question.
“What’s with your uniform? Didn’t the navy teach you how to iron your dress uniform?”
“Apologies. It must have gotten wrinkled while I was running.”
“What about the ceremonial decorations that come with the uniform?”
Chloe asked in a daze, then realized her mistake.
‘Well, the navy didn’t have such things!’
Having come from a navy without much ceremony, Chloe never thought to use them.
So, Chloe hadn’t even thought about them in the three months since she joined.
‘Couldn’t someone have told me!’
“Apologies. I will correct it.”
Surprisingly, Curtis did something unexpected.
He clicked his tongue and then removed a decorative badge from his own jacket.
It was a luxurious piece made of red jewels and silver, clearly not standard issue.
“Wear this. My aide can’t look like a mess at the banquet.”
Not only that, but he even pinned the decoration onto Chloe’s lapel himself. Her eyes widened.
“Uh. Apologies, Brigadier General.”
Wasn’t this really expensive? Chloe looked down at it in confusion.
Was Curtis Burke really personally fixing his subordinate’s uniform?
‘Does he actually care about me?’
Or did he get hit on the head?
Curtis, unaware of Chloe’s thoughts, clicked his tongue again.
“It’s like a pearl necklace on a pig.”
Guess he didn’t get hit on the head.
That one sentence shattered any semblance of goodwill Chloe might have had.
she’s gonna get something even better. PAYBACK 😂😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣