TVPSTDK-46

‘Hmm.’

Feeling awkward for no reason, Giscard quickly unclenched his tightly gripped hand.

At this rate, it was as if he…

‘Am I… conscious of Administrative Officer Astrid?’

That couldn’t be.

TL/N: YEAH, SURE, SURE.

Giscard hastily shook his head inwardly.

He’d received a lot of help this time, and it must’ve made him start thinking unnecessary thoughts.

Not to mention, Cassia herself had stepped forward, saying she’d act as bait for the demonic monsters.

‘…Come to think of it.’

For a moment, his blue eyes sank deeply.

‘When I’m near the Administrative Officer, I strangely feel as though my aura is being purified.’

The longer aura is used, the more it becomes tainted, clouding one’s reason and burning away their life.

But at Cassia’s side, he didn’t feel any of those side effects.

As if she were acting as a purifier herself.

‘This is something I definitely need to look into.’

He thought he should have a serious conversation with Cassia about this matter.

With that thought—

Giscard quietly closed his eyes.

It was a peaceful sleep, one without even dreams.

* * *

Two days later.

With a bright, beaming face, I was facing the Northern Commander-in-Chief—whose face was flushed red and blue in embarrassment.

Ah, you’re wondering why I’m having a private meeting with the Commander-in-Chief?

Well, obviously…

“Astrid, Administrative Officer.”

Right on cue, the Commander-in-Chief opened his mouth, as if he’d made up his mind.

“No matter what the case, barging into the Commander-in-Chief’s Office like this puts me in a rather difficult position.”

Sip.

Instead of replying, I leisurely took a sip of tea.

Perhaps he thought he was being ignored—blue veins popped on the Commander-in-Chief’s forehead.

‘Like I care?’

Regardless, I savored the tea’s aroma once more.

Honestly, I was ignoring him on purpose.

At the same time, I narrowed my eyes.

‘This tea… I’m sure I’ve had it before?’

Its scent and taste were exquisite.

More precisely, it was good enough that even the palate of ‘Cassia from the original story’ wouldn’t have objected.

If it suited the tastes of this body that had lived a life of luxury, then these tea leaves must be of considerable quality.

Should the Commander-in-Chief—someone who should be a model of discipline—really be indulging in such extravagance?

‘Now, what was the name of this tea again?’

Just as I was racking my brain—

The Commander-in-Chief clenched his teeth and continued.

“No matter what, you’re still an administrative officer in the Northern Command Headquarters, and I’m its leader. Dropping in like this without notice is—”

Clack!

A loud sound rang out as the teacup clashed against its saucer.

It was because I deliberately set the cup down with force.

“……”

“……”

Silence followed.

I stared blankly into the Commander-in-Chief’s eyes.

At first, he gritted his teeth and tried to hold his ground, but eventually, he began to fidget restlessly.

Well, of course he did.

Guilty conscience pricks the feet—it wasn’t like there was just one thing wrong here.

Just look at the huge mess caused by his precious nephew, the commander of the 4th Knight Order.

That commander had blatantly ordered the replacement of barrier stones to be neglected, and because of that, the sealed monsters broke free.

On top of that—

“You’re aware, aren’t you?”

I casually spoke.

“That I nearly died this time.”

“……”

At my blunt statement, the Commander-in-Chief looked as if he’d been struck in the head.

The authoritative attitude from earlier had vanished completely.

The Commander-in-Chief immediately switched gears and stammered out a response.

“W-Well, even so… You weren’t harmed at all, and besides—”

Seriously? All this guy ever does is make excuses.

I stared directly at the flustered Commander-in-Chief and shot back again.

“Well, in my opinion, Your Excellency doesn’t have the right to say that.”

His face twisted all at once.

“…What do you mean by that?”

“The only reason I wasn’t hurt was because the Azure Dawn Knights fulfilled their duties properly.”

Without so much as raising an eyebrow, I continued.

“And Your Excellency has done nothing but shield the 4th Knight Order Commander just because he’s your nephew.”

“T-That’s…!”

“Let me ask you this. While our Knight Commander was fighting off the monsters, and our knights were cleaning up the aftermath—what was the 4th Knight Order Commander doing?”

I looked straight at the Commander-in-Chief, lifting both shoulders in an annoyingly casual shrug.

“From what I hear, he slipped away quietly—like a rat.”

A rat.

Even at that blatant term, the Commander-in-Chief only bit his lips hard in frustration.

He couldn’t even make a proper rebuttal.

‘Well, the 4th Knight Order Commander did cause quite a serious incident this time, didn’t he?’

I sneered sharply.

“He secretly swapped out the barrier stones and tried to pin the blame on our knights for his own mistake.”

“……”

The Commander-in-Chief now wore an unmistakably troubled expression.

‘Hmm, in that case…’

Watching him closely, I suddenly shifted my tone and spoke in a more amiable manner.

“Please listen, Your Excellency. To rise to the position of Commander-in-Chief, you must have gone through tremendous effort, right?”

“You’re stating the obvious.”

The Commander-in-Chief replied through gritted teeth.

I looked at him leisurely.

“If you were to lose such a valuable position… not even because of your own mistake, but your nephew’s…”

Feigning heartfelt sorrow, I asked in a melancholic voice.

“Wouldn’t it be terribly painful and unfair?”

At that moment, the Commander-in-Chief’s eyes widened.

“What are you trying to say!”

At that very moment, poison was poured into the Commander-in-Chief’s ears.

The fear of possibly being stripped of his position.

To a man like the Commander-in-Chief, who prioritized self-preservation above all else, it was the most fatal poison of all.

“Isn’t that right? If, by any chance, this incident were to reach His Majesty the Emperor’s ears…it could seriously impact your personnel evaluation, you know.”

I continued to persuade him.

“Failing to manage the 4th Knight Order Commander under the Northern Command is a major issue in itself—but that Knight Order Commander is your nephew, isn’t he?”

“T-That’s…”

“Some might suspect that you gave him special treatment because of your family ties…”

Hearing my words, the Commander-in-Chief stiffened noticeably.

‘Struck a nerve, did I?’

I chuckled inwardly, but outwardly, I kept my voice gentle and smooth.

“Besides, I hate to bring it up myself, but the Empire’s only princess nearly died, you know.”

At that, the Commander-in-Chief’s pupils trembled slightly.

“Not only the Imperial Family, but the Duke Diaz—my maternal family—would also be outraged…”

I trailed off as if expressing concern for the Commander-in-Chief.

Then I cast a sideways glance at him.

Now, his face was as pale as a blank sheet of paper.

His lips trembled before he finally shut his eyes tightly.

“What is it you want?”

His cracked voice spilled out at last.

‘Ah, is this your surrender?’

Smiling brightly, I answered.

“Please release the 4th Knight Order Commander.”

“By release, you mean…”

“You understand what I mean, don’t you?”

My smile deepened with subtle intent.

“Dismiss him.”

“……”

He must not have expected me to be this direct.

The Commander-in-Chief’s pupils shook violently as if an earthquake had struck.

Still, he didn’t give in so easily.

“I understand what you’re getting at, but if I fire him so suddenly, it could cause chaos among the knights.”

Well, I figured he’d respond this way.

I narrowed my eyes and calmly asked:

“Your Excellency. What happens if there’s one rotten apple in a basket of apples?”

“……Well.”

“Just as one rotten apple spoils the whole bunch, the same goes for the 4th Knight Order Commander.”

I continued in a quiet, firm tone.

“If you don’t cut him out now, the entire 4th Knight Order will rot. And furthermore…”

After drawing out my words for a moment, I finished with a chilling tone,

“You’ll rot along with them, Your Excellency.”

“……”

Now, the Commander-in-Chief’s expression was completely hardened.

‘Rot along with them.’

Surely, the Commander-in-Chief himself understood best what that meant.

He was afraid of being dragged down by the 4th Knight Order Commander.

“And if you’re concerned about disorder within the knights, how about this?”

I softened my gaze with a devilish allure.

“Rather than appointing someone new, why not promote a knight already within the same Knight Order?”

“Someone from within the same Knight Order…”

“What do you think of Sir Gerard?”

TL/N: WOW! I’M REALLY AMAZED, THAT’S MY GIRL. SHE’S SUCH A GIRLBOSS. GET THEM, QUEEN~~!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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