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Chapter 27
“Captain, what did you just say…?”
After having fervently discussed marriage, Gale found himself dumbfounded and had to ask again.
Though not as close as an army commander and a general, Gale had served under Debert for quite some time. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. It seemed that the commander’s slightly dishevelled appearance wasn’t just due to his injuries.
“Is there someone you’ve been thinking about?”
Arthur asked the question that Gale dared not voice. His tone was light, but the gaze he cast out of the window was oddly heavy.
“A Marquess’s daughter? An Earl’s? Well, what does it matter? She’ll end up being Lady Cliff in the end.”
His blue eyes finally turned towards his friend.
“As long as she’s suitable, that’s all that matters.”
He smiled as usual, but somehow his lips felt stiff. Was he trying to issue some sort of warning? It seemed absurd that he insisted on ‘a suitable woman.’
Whether Debert didn’t hear him or simply thought it unnecessary to respond, he continued staring at his palm.
Arthur couldn’t see into his friend’s mind, but one thing was certain. At this moment, she was probably all Debert could think about.
“I mentioned it last time.”
Arthur’s smile widened, trying to hide his twisted intentions. He didn’t want Debert to catch onto his vile thoughts.
“You never do give a straight answer,” he added.
* * *
“I don’t know if the captain will recover before the battle. Not that he cares about recovery, anyway,” Gale remarked as they descended the stairs.
“Gale.”
Arthur stopped abruptly, a wave of nausea hitting him. He wished someone else could take his place in this miserable situation.
“Let’s talk outside for a moment.”
“Yes, sir.”
The commander’s face was set in a hard expression, completely different from his cheerful demeanour in the isolation room. Gale, sensing the shift in mood, couldn’t help but grow serious as well.
Arthur headed for the hospital’s rear exit. The deserted open space leading to the nurses’ quarters had an eerie atmosphere, even during the day when the hospital was full.
Arthur deliberately chose this spot, looking around once before pulling out a cigar. He needed to appear like a careless officer to any onlookers.
Gale politely declined the offered cigar, subtly gesturing towards the hospital as if worried his fiancée might catch him.
Arthur chuckled lightly. If he told Gale he looked like a fresh, unspoiled youth, the young colonel would likely be horrified.
“Damn it.”
His hands were sweaty, causing the lighter to slip repeatedly. After several failed attempts, Arthur cursed and spat out the cigar. His already dry mouth felt even more parched.
Gale was growing anxious as his superior delayed the conversation. In a war zone, serious talk could mean life or death. He had miraculously reunited with Ines and didn’t want to part again.
Please, let it be nothing serious.
His trembling voice betrayed his hope.
“Commander, what is it?”
“Debert is being excluded from the operation.”
Arthur blurted out the words as if Gale’s question had been the trigger.
“Just as I said. General Debert will be excluded from this operation. Colonel Bottam and I will be in charge. The main strategy meeting will take place in my tent at midnight, so be there on time.”
The intelligent Colonel’s mouth hung open in disbelief.
“But… how can we go into battle without Commander Debert…?”
Arthur swallowed the bitter taste rising in his throat.
“It’s the Emperor’s order.”
“The Emperor’s order?”
The absurdity of the situation, combined with it being an imperial decree, left Gale in utter confusion.
“I understand following your command, but Bottam? Don’t you know what he’s like? He doesn’t even understand the basics of strategy—”
“Gale Wellington.”
Arthur’s icy gaze bore down on his subordinate. The commander’s stern tone made Gale straighten his posture.
“Apologies, sir.”
“It’s good to trust your superiors, but never forget your loyalty to the crown.”
The soldiers of Nexus viewed Debert and Arthur as the two pillars of the army, like fire and water. Their personalities couldn’t be more different.
While Debert led with fierce energy and strict discipline, Arthur approached command with humanity and inclusiveness.
Arthur’s current sternness was unusual for him, but then again, how many people truly knew what he was usually like?
The sight of the rigidly upright Gale made Arthur avert his gaze. The urge to vomit was overwhelming.
“Dismissed.”
He kept his head turned until the sound of Gale’s retreating footsteps finally faded.
“What a pathetic wretch.”
An indistinct guilt always lingered around him.
Even though he had no intention of repenting.
Arthur leaned against the outer wall, something catching his eye. Amidst the sparse weeds and dirt, there was a broken pen. He picked it up, examining it from different angles, but there wasn’t even a single initial engraved on it.
“Looks like it’s in the same state as me.”
Arthur slipped the pen into his pocket. To most, it was just a piece of trash, but he couldn’t help but keep it. It wasn’t unusual for him to do so, given his usual tendencies.
He hoped someone would rescue him in the same way.
* * *
“Oh? Hello there!”
Despite Dixie’s cheerful greeting, the usually chatty atmosphere between Dixie and Arthur at the field hospital was now awkward.
The prince, who normally would have shared gossip he’d heard from somewhere, merely nodded stiffly.
Dixie’s eyes darted nervously towards her friends. But Ines, embarrassed by the incident in the isolation room, deliberately turned her back, while Beth was busy preparing medicine for Debert.
Arthur, who had been quietly watching Beth’s back, finally spoke up hesitantly.
“Are you heading to the fourth floor? If so, let’s go together.”
The tone was akin to a gentle command.
Beth maintained a respectful distance as she followed behind him. Arthur’s silence only added to the already awkward atmosphere of their shared journey, making the situation even more uncomfortable.
“Ugh.”
Not knowing where to place his hands, Arthur stuffed them into his trousers pockets, only to let out a short gasp. A drop of blood welled up on his finger, pricked by the sharp tip of a pen.
“Damn it.”
His low murmur was laced with frustration.
Beth, unsure of what to do, halted her steps. The sight of Arthur’s usually pleasant face muttering curses like a common ruffian struck her as jarring.
As she looked at him, the image of Raphnel, who had always belittled and looked down on her, overlapped with his.
It made sense that the siblings would resemble each other, but it wasn’t just their appearance; their demeanour was also similar.
Arthur quickly descended a few steps and angrily threw the pen into a trash can in the hallway. The pricked finger throbbed painfully. Perhaps this ridiculous display was the result of some pathetic self-pity.
Though his mouth was filled with the urge to spew all manner of curses, he couldn’t bring himself to do so in front of Beth.
Cracks form in an instant. Once a crack appears, the object is inevitably destined to break. And so, Arthur feared that the moment he had spent his life protecting his mask was now.
It was only when they reached the isolation room that Arthur finally spoke.
“… Take care.”
Even after the door to the isolation room had opened and closed, Arthur did not leave his spot.
Through the small window, he saw two people who never would have guessed he was watching. Debert looked the same as always. His face showed no signs of emotional change.
But what we see isn’t always the whole story.
Sometimes, humans have an irrational tendency to trust bizarre, illogical judgements over reason.
“Raphnel, you might be right.”
A breeze blew past.
For Debert and for himself.
The sound of his heels echoed loudly as he walked towards the hospital director’s office.
* * *
Even as she raised the steaming teacup to her lips, Lady Molly’s eyes never left Arthur.
The prince, who had once brightened the dreary battlefield, merely held the teacup in his hand, showing no intention of drinking it. Worried by his demeanour, the lady finally broke the silence.
“Is something the matter?”
“Ah, yes. There’s something I need to tell you….”
Only then did Arthur snap out of his daze, his lips parting.
Unlike the harsh words he had spat at Gale earlier, he found it hard to speak in front of the lady.
Lady Diana Molly was someone who had watched him grow up and who had, at times, cared for him more than his own mother. She was one of the rare people who had shown him affection without expecting anything in return.
It was difficult to expose his vulnerability in front of such a person. No, he didn’t want to. He feared she might look at him with contempt.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Go on, then.”
The corners of the lady’s eyes softened kindly. The wrinkles that time had etched on her face added to her dignified grace.
“The operation that Debert mentioned last time has been cancelled.”
Clatter. The lady’s teacup collided with the saucer. Her suspicion that it wasn’t just an ordinary conversation was correct.
“Debert is excluded from this operation. He… doesn’t know.”
“He doesn’t know?”
An operation without the general’s knowledge? The confusion that had been present on Gale’s face now appeared on the lady’s as well. Seeing her expression made Arthur’s heart sink even lower.
“It is by His Majesty’s orders.”
“But how? An operation without Debert?”
“Lady!”
The lady’s small, despairing murmur ignited a fire within Arthur.
“The Nexus Army belongs to His Majesty, not to Debert! The hospital’s sole duty is to assist in the commander’s operations.”
The lady quietly met the commander’s gaze.
How dare he raise his voice to Lady Molly?
Regret washed over him.
But, deep down, he knew the truth. He had always been this way. The only reason he had the audacity to raise his voice to the Duchess was because of his feeble pride in being of royal blood.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Lady.”
Arthur’s hand, which covered his eyes, trembled faintly. The dried blood from the penprick still clung to his finger.
“It’s alright. I can’t begin to imagine the burden of fighting such a nerve-wracking battle.”
Her genuinely reassuring words felt more harsh than kind.
But there was still more for him to reveal.
“A field hospital is needed.”
“Yes, that’s been discussed before.”
“As it’s a top-secret operation, please gather only those who can keep their mouths shut.”
The lady nodded calmly.
“I’ll make a selection.”
“For example.”
When he lowered his hand from his eyes, his subdued blue eyes flickered.
“Someone like Beth Janes.”
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