I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander-Chapter 187

As Daniel confirmed it, the confusion in Lucy’s eyes deepened further.

The simple truth that Kelly was a dog struck Lucy like an unforgivable catastrophe.

And it was no wonder—until now, Lucy had believed Kelly to be “Daniel’s ex-girlfriend.”

She had even felt a pang of jealousy toward Kelly on occasion, which said it all.

“So that means...”

Lucy had been jealous of not “Daniel’s ex-girlfriend,” but “a dog Daniel had raised,” all while wildly misunderstanding things on her own.

Realizing this, Lucy’s face turned bright red.

Her heart was pounding so hard she could no longer maintain her composure.

She wanted to run away from this place immediately, but she couldn’t.

To leave now would be no different than confessing her misunderstanding and shame to Daniel directly.

And for Lucy, who always wanted to show only her best side to him, that was impossible.

Remaining silent for a while, Lucy eventually calmed her breathing and opened her mouth.

“...Colonel, if it’s not too impolite, may I ask you one question?”

Of course, there was no reason he couldn’t.

When Daniel nodded, Lucy took a breath and forced herself to speak.

“Have you ever been in a romantic relationship with a woman?”

It was a question born from the hope that Daniel would say, “It was a joke that Kelly’s a dog.”

She thought that if she asked about his romantic history, Daniel would mention an ex-girlfriend.

But Daniel was simply confused.

“She was talking about a dog just a moment ago, and now she’s asking about relationships...”

He didn’t understand it, but there was nothing to hide, so he answered plainly.

“No. And in any case, we’re at war. Do you think romance is even feasible?”

That answer firmly hammered in the equation: Kelly = dog.

With no exit left, Lucy simply clenched her teeth and closed her eyes.

Her heartbeat thudded in her ears, and the world felt distant and blurry.

As Lucy stood there drowning in shame, Daniel cleared his throat.

For reasons he didn’t quite understand, the mood felt strange, and he wanted to change the subject.

“Lieutenant. More importantly, didn’t you say there’s something I should know about the reception with the Vellanos ambassador?”

Only then did Lucy quietly open her eyes.

Her face and ears were still flushed red, but she tried hard to regain her composure.

One had to separate public from private matters, after all.

“...Yes. While you were speaking with the businessman Hamthal in the reception room, a message came from the Imperial Palace. They’ve requested that you personally greet the incoming ambassador to the capital.”

“As Emergency High Commissioner, they’re asking me to greet him—that must be to impress upon the ambassador from Vellanos that the Empire is safe. Is that right?”

“That’s how it seems to me as well. They scheduled the execution of collaborators to coincide with the ambassador’s visit to the Empire.”

In short, they wanted to show the Vellanos ambassador the execution of collaborators and say, “Our Empire is perfectly safe!”

“What am I, some kind of execution-tour guide...?”

To be honest, he wasn’t too thrilled about it, but it was a direct order from the Imperial Palace—he couldn’t refuse.

“It’s not difficult. Tell them I’ll do it. And...”

A faint flush still lingered on Lucy’s face.

Noticing that with a hint of curiosity, Daniel added,

“Lieutenant? You look like the exhaustion from all your recent all-nighters is catching up with you. Why don’t you go rest? Your complexion doesn’t look normal.”

Lucy opened her mouth to say she was fine... then closed it again.

If she refused out of stubbornness, she might end up making more mistakes today.

And it was true she’d been pushing herself with late-night work.

So Lucy silently nodded without protest.

“If you say so, Colonel, I’ll head out a bit early for the day.”

“Good. Get some proper rest. Productivity comes from rest, after all.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

With a polite bow, Lucy returned the photo she was still holding to Daniel and turned to leave.

There was a bit of noise coming from outside.

Not long after Lucy exited through the open door, Frien entered the reception room.

“Colonel Daniel. I heard you were here, so I came by. Do you have a moment?”

Under her loosely braided light brown hair, a gentle smile spread across her face.

Perhaps because her uniform wasn’t stained with blood today, that usual chilling aura she gave off was absent.

Though the lingering scent of blood on her uniform was still ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) something of a problem.

“...Frien, is it? Come in.”

With Daniel’s permission, Frien approached with a soft giggle.

Taking a short break, Daniel sat on the sofa, and Frien took a seat across from him.

As she glanced down at the table, Frien noticed a coffee cup filled to the brim.

“My goodness. Did that businessman, Hamthal, not take a single sip of this precious coffee? Just how luxurious must his tastes be normally...”

Lifting her gaze, Frien looked at Daniel.

“Colonel, if it’s alright with you, may I have a taste?”

There was no real reason to refuse—but Daniel didn’t particularly feel like recommending it either.

“The coffee’s cold now. The flavor won’t come through properly. If you want to enjoy the taste as it should be, it’s better to brew a new cup in the break room.” freёnovelkiss.com

“I’d rather not waste the ingredients. More importantly, I treasure the time I spend with you, Colonel Daniel. Just tasting it is enough for me.”

“Is that so. Then go ahead.”

Since there was no need to stop her, he gave his permission, and Frien leaned forward.

“...?”

Then, reaching out, she picked up Daniel’s cup.

Pulling her body back, Frien smiled cheerfully.

“Thank you for the drink, Colonel Daniel.”

With that, Frien took a sip of the coffee.

She did so with a reverent posture, as if performing a sacred rite rather than just enjoying a break.

“Wait. Wasn’t she going to drink what Hamthal left behind? Why mine of all things...?”

It made no sense to Daniel—but he decided not to ask.

As he simply watched her in silence, Frien finished the coffee and set the cup down.

“That was delicious. As expected of a premium blend, the taste really is different.”

“...I see. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“After all, it was coffee from Colonel Daniel. Oh, by the way, have you and Lieutenant Lucy had a fight?”

“A fight? With my adjutant?”

“Yes. I passed by Lieutenant Lucy just now on my way here. She was walking stiffly, face all red, and biting her lip. It seemed... unusual.”

Blinking blankly, not understanding what was going on, Daniel took out the photo, just in case.

It was the photo of Kelly.

"Strange. I just showed her this, that's all."

“What kind of photo is it?”

“Why don’t you take a look.”

As Daniel handed over the photo, Frien received it.

Seeing the picture of the golden retriever smiling brightly, Frien placed a hand on one cheek.

“How adorable. A golden retriever, right? I remember raising one a long time ago.”

Yes. That was the normal reaction.

“But then why did Lucy...”

From Daniel’s perspective, it was completely incomprehensible.

****

Having returned home early, Lucy took a cold shower to try and wash away the shame and changed into comfortable clothes for sleep.

Afterward, she spent time reading and listening to the radio, but the shame refused to fade.

Which brings us to the present.

Lucy was sitting on her bed, leaning against the headboard with her legs drawn up.

Hugging a pillow tightly, her half-lidded eyes stared off as her mind endlessly replayed her humiliation.

Lucy remembered it clearly.

Daniel had once told her she was more important to him than Kelly.

“And I was happy. Like a fool...”

Of course, a person should be more important than a dog.

And yet, not realizing that, feeling joy over it alone—it now felt mortifying beyond belief.

“And on top of that...”

Believing that she and Daniel had a special relationship, Lucy had, in front of Selvia, declared her intent to replace Kelly.

In effect, she had said she would be Daniel’s dog.

Now, she completely understood why Selvia had looked so shaken at the time.

Her face burned and her heart pounded again.

Unable to stand it, Lucy let out a low sigh, hugging her pillow even tighter.

To be perfectly honest, she felt so humiliated, she wanted to die.

If she could turn back time, she would pay any price to do so.

But miracles like that didn’t happen.

Letting out a shallow sigh, Lucy loosened her arms around the pillow.

“Still...”

It wasn’t as if she’d gotten nothing out of today.

She now knew that Daniel Steiner had never had a lover.

“Maybe I could...”

Maybe she could become his first.

****

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace dining hall.

“So, has there been any progress lately?”

Only Selvia and Marianthe were seated at the wide square table, having dinner.

When Selvia didn’t answer, Marianthe, slicing her steak with graceful motions, pressed the issue again.

“Dear, Colonel Daniel is a fine candidate for a husband. I’m sure other women have their eyes on him besides you. Don’t you think it’s time you started planning ahead?”

Normally, Selvia would have brushed it off and told her not to worry—but not today.

Because the words Lucy had said to her remained etched in her mind like a shock.

Picking at her food for a while, Selvia finally set down her utensils.

“You’re not wrong. Just like you said, there is a woman who likes Daniel.”

“Oh my. A romantic rival. Who is it?”

“Daniel Steiner’s adjutant.”

At the word adjutant, Marianthe made a sympathetic expression.

“The one who stays closest to Colonel Daniel... that won’t be an easy opponent to deal with.”

“If only it ended at not being easy. Daniel’s adjutant is a vulgar woman who says things I can’t even begin to understand.”

“What kind of things?”

Recalling Lucy’s words, Selvia’s face flushed slightly.

Even now, remembering what Lucy had said so boldly made it nearly impossible to think straight.

“That woman...”

Pausing for a moment, Selvia finally spoke with her eyes closed.

“She thinks it’s perfectly normal to be treated like a dog by Colonel Daniel.”

A misunderstanding born from a lack of information now reached Marianthe’s ears.

Even Marianthe, who had used every means possible to seduce the late Emperor Bertham, couldn’t easily accept a statement like that.

Setting down her utensils just as Selvia had, Marianthe gently took Selvia’s hand.

“My dear.”

The playful glint that had always danced in Marianthe’s eyes was gone, replaced by a serious expression.

“You’ve met a formidable rival.”

Marianthe was certain of it.

If things continued like this, Selvia would undoubtedly lose to that fox-like woman.

“Which means I absolutely must...”

Help her, no matter what.