Contract of Submission with the Enemy - Chapter 12
“Excuse me…?”
The brown-haired man stared in shock, unable to believe his ears. Aster, without blinking, repeated, “Lick it. Your precious military equipment is dirty, so you should clean it.”
The man’s face turned pale.
As he stood frozen, unable to respond, Aster’s black eyes flashed ominously. “Do I need to say it a third time?”
“No, sir!”
The man squeezed his eyes shut, then slowly knelt on the floor. Trembling, he began to lick his boot. The other trainees, unable to watch the disgusting scene, stood rigidly, staring straight ahead.
An oppressive silence, like the edge of a blade, settled over the dining hall.
Finally, Aster’s harsh expression softened slightly. “What’s your name again?”
The man, who had paused in licking his boot, cried out, “Devel Jacqueline!”
“Alright, Trainee Jacqueline. From this moment until midnight tomorrow, you will live without one of your boots. Consider it a lesson on how inconvenient it is to be without proper gear on the battlefield.”
“Understood…”
Aster turned to the remaining culprits. “And the rest of you.”
They flinched and quickly recited their names and ranks. Aster spoke bluntly, “You will join Trainee Jacqueline in fasting until midnight tomorrow. Since you participated in wasting food, you’ll face the consequences.”
“Understood!”
As they responded energetically, Aster smiled grimly and added, “If you get too hungry, feel free to pick up and eat the food off the floor. In wartime, you’ll miss every piece of food you waste today.”
The trainees dared not lift their heads. Aster’s expression hardened as he said, “No answer?”
“Understood!”
Aster turned his gaze to someone else. “Rité Rainhills.”
Rité looked at him silently. Aster spoke calmly, “Follow me.”
He turned and walked away without waiting for her response. Unlike the other trainees, she didn’t answer, but it didn’t seem to matter.
Rité jumped down from the table and casually tossed the fork to the accomplices.
She smirked and said teasingly, “Don’t mind me. Go ahead and eat.”
Though their faces turned red with anger, none of them dared to respond or look directly at her. They instinctively understood that the pecking order had been established by what had just transpired.
Rité nonchalantly left the dining hall and followed Aster into a room.
It was Aster’s office.
Rité glanced around the room. It contained only the bare minimum of necessary furniture and items. No other officer’s room could be so spartan.
Aster removed his uniform jacket and carefully placed it on a chair, then placed his black leather gloves neatly on his polished wooden desk.
His movements were precise and disciplined. Like his office, he seemed to operate with only the necessary minimum of actions.
There was an inexplicable loneliness and emptiness in the room and in him. As she watched his taut back in his perfectly fitted shirt, Rité felt as if he might disappear to some unknown, distant place at any moment.
Soon, an aide brought in a serving cart with two trays. Rité glanced at the trays. The food on them was far superior to what the trainees were eating.
Aster picked up one tray and held it out to Rité with one hand. “Eat. If you don’t, you’ll die.”
He spoke as if it was a matter of course. Rité glared at him, ready to knock the tray from his hand. But Aster, as if taming a wild horse, calmly pulled the tray back.
“Do you want to be punished like those trainees?”
When Rité turned her head sharply away, Aster placed the tray back on the cart and took the other tray to his desk. “Suit yourself.”
He began eating the food in front of her, slicing the steak slowly and elegantly, and placing a piece into his mouth.
“The steak is excellent. Our military really does provide fantastic meals.”
Rité unconsciously swallowed. Meat was a precious resource. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had eaten meat.
The smell of the meat was driving her crazy. She finally gave in to her instincts, took her tray, and began devouring the steak. Aster looked up from his desk and smiled.
“That’s right, eat. You’ll need your strength if you want to kill me.”
At his words, Rité paused momentarily. Aster, still smiling, continued to eat his steak with elegance.
Rité ignored him and focused on her meal. The meat, juicy and tender, melted in her mouth—it was like a taste of heaven.
She held the steak in one hand and grabbed a spoon with the other. The other dishes were also of a quality she had never tasted before.
Rité scooped up a large spoonful of corn dish and stuffed it into her mouth, barely swallowing before tearing into the meat. She had no room for pride as she voraciously consumed the food, her face nearly buried in the plate. Eventually, she realized the room had grown silent around her.
Rité glanced up cautiously and met Aster’s eyes. He had set down his fork and knife and was quietly watching her. As her hunger subsided and her sanity returned, her face flushed with embarrassment.
She realized she must look quite barbaric, a far cry from the person who had just threatened to flip her tray. Aster chuckled softly and offered his plate to her. “Want to eat mine too?”
With her cheeks bulging with food, Rité glared at him defiantly, looking like an angry hamster. Aster couldn’t help but laugh. Feeling humiliated, Rité looked back down at her plate. Aster pushed his plate closer to her and said, “Eat up. Like I said, you need to put on some weight. There will be times when you won’t be able to eat, so take what you can now.”
Rité stared at his plate without responding. She wanted to eat, but her pride kept her from moving. Aster, his expression turning serious, asked, “Do I need to feed you myself for you to listen?”
Jolted by his words, Rité began eating his food as well. Aster chuckled again, and Rité’s pride made her blush even more.
When the meal was over, Aster pointed to a cot in the room and said, “You can sleep here tonight.”
“What?” Rité looked at him with anxious eyes. Aster smiled nonchalantly and replied, “After causing such a commotion, who knows what might happen if you return to your quarters. But if you prefer, you can go back and sleep with the beasts.”
“…”
“I recommend taking a fork with you for emergencies. In a war zone, you should always have a weapon on hand.”
Rité sat staring at the floor with a troubled expression. This place wasn’t particularly safe, but considering what had happened earlier, she doubted anyone in the army would welcome her now.
As if reading her thoughts, Aster approached her, grabbed the armrests of her chair with both hands, and leaned in close. “If you want to make sure no one bothers you, you have two options. Prove that you have an ability strong enough to intimidate them, or become my perfect partner.”
Rité glared at him from up close. Aster smiled slyly and said, “Choose whichever option you prefer.”
With that, he straightened up, closed the door, and left the room. Alone, Rité’s mind was a jumble of thoughts, but she was full and warm, and soon felt her tension melt away as sleep overcame her.
Sleeping peacefully in the heart of enemy territory…
It seemed ridiculous, but despite her rational thoughts, she fell asleep the moment she lay down on the bed, as if dead to the world.