Chapter 2. Remember Reality at Every Moment

Anne gazed out the window, deeply lost in thought.

‘Was I always interested in romantic relationships?’

Of course not, she hadn’t even held a man’s hand in her previous life before dying. It wouldn’t be strange if she turned into a virgin spirit because of it.

It could have been an opportunity.

Life would be boring here, with modest wealth and stability.

‘Does his coming to me mean he’s interested in me?’

“I quite like you.”

Thinking back to his words, Anne couldn’t calm her heartbeat.

Honestly, she might not mind sleeping with this insanely handsome man at least once.

She had heard that such an act could feel like heaven.

Anne wasn’t ugly, but she wasn’t a stunning beauty either. And with her plain red hair, she was puzzled by the man’s interest, but she didn’t care.

She had heard that such an act could feel like heaven.

Just as Anne, who had taken a moment to wash her face, was about to stand up, a loud noise came from the field hospital entrance.

“Where is she? Where’s that wench?”

Anne jumped up and quickly found a towel to wipe her face. She quickly got ready to leave, but time was not on her side.

“You wench!”

The voice, like a metallic shriek, made Anne’s shoulders tense up.

It was the Countess of House Evian, one of the major patrons of the Carl Hessen’s Field Hospital, flanked by the snake-like human, Gabriel Evian.

“Sigh.”

Anne’s face turned with an inward sigh.

The reddish bruise on her cheek where the Countess had struck her was beginning to swell.

‘He mustn’t see this…’

“What brings you here today?”

“You’ve been poor all your life, and now that you have control of this large sum of money, you spend it as if it were yours.”

The countess’s frown lines deepened hideously. She tapped the cane she had brought with her on the floor.

“Don’t be mistaken. This isn’t your money. How dare you spend someone else’s money so recklessly?”

“Countess, I only bought what was necessary with the donation.”

At that, Countess Evian’s jaw clenched, and her eldest son Gabriel raised his hand. Anne’s head snapped up again.

“That’s why you’ll always be poor. Most of the patients are commoners who will soon die, so why spend such a large sum on them?”

At that, the medics gathered around her and looked at Anne with uneasiness. Everyone knew that arguing back would only result in more beatings for Anne.

“Yes, I will correct it.”

Anne’s answer sounded familiar, and the countess looked at her with a flush of red and a vicious glare.

“Is that all you ever say, that you’ll correct it? Huh?”

This couldn’t be resolved with mere words. This month saw a record number of injuries, so a large sum was needed. Anne, prepared for the consequences, had nothing to hide.

“…We’ve had a lot of wounded this month, and besides, isn’t House Evian exempt from conscription in exchange for contributing to the war effort?”

“What? Is that your excuse!”

As if irritated, Gabriel Evian raised his hand to strike again. Anne closed her eyes and stood still.

As she felt every time, closing her eyes and waiting for the slap was nerve-wracking, and she already knew the pain that was about to come.

“Duke, Duke…!”

‘Duke?’

When the slap on her cheek didn’t come, Anne opened her eyes at the sound of the frightened countess’s voice.

Her head was jerked up, curtseying to a man.

Anne acknowledged the man’s presence and spoke in a low voice.

“…Commander?”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

As the Countess stood speechless at his question, the blood rising to her chin, Anne took a step forward to quickly defuse the situation.

Behind her, Anne heard a voice that sent chills down her spine.

“I only beat her up because I heard she was cheating on me with another guy while we were dating, and that’s why my mother….”

Anne smirked slightly. Of all excuses, that one.

It might have worked before Evan Davis was hospitalized, but there was no way this lie would work with the man who had occupied a bed here for days.

“Cheating?”

“Yes. I took pity on a girl like her working hard at the field hospital… treated her well, and she became so conceited. I’ll handle this and leave. I don’t want to disrupt your rest….”

Anne felt a strong wave of nausea. ‘Treated her well, my foot.’

Even though she knew this was a terribly unfair situation, she couldn’t bring herself to speak up.

Technically, a commoner couldn’t argue with a noble.

Her shoulder still ached from the last time she talked back. Anne prayed for this to end quickly.

“Anne Riley, is this man right?”

Anne’s head snapped up and her gaze fell on Evan Davis. He looked at her quietly and then winked.

‘Did you just wink at me?’

Normally, she should have remained silent, but she was tempted to trust the man.

To see if he could really protect his subordinates as a commander….

For a moment, she hoped to be treated properly as his subordinate.

“No, it’s not true.”

“What? You wench!”

Gabriel, raising his hand like his mother, was stopped by Evan.

“Not a wench. This is Lieutenant Anne Riley, a soldier working in this field hospital, and soon to be Lieutenant Anne Riley working in the National Capital Hospital, Gabriel Evian.”

The words startled not only the Evian family, but the medic as well. At the same time, there was chatter.

The Military Capital Hospital was the most prestigious hospital in the Terran Empire, and only those selected from among the elite physicians were allowed to go there.

Though its physicians didn’t go to battlefields, just being appointed there was a significant honor for Anne.

Compared to that, the Evian family seemed like a useless, petty noble house.

“…Oh, no, a lieutenant!”

The Countess looked at Anne, her eyes narrowing in disbelief.

“Yes, she was promoted to lieutenant. She’s no longer just a warehouse manager.”

Gabriel, his face full of discontent, reached out to grab Anne, but Evan pulled her into his arms.

The seemingly intimate act stunned the medics who had been watching the whole thing, their mouths agape.

“What business do you have with my subordinate?”

“Anne, Anne Riley. In that case, I’ll give her a chance to become my wife. Even though she’s of common origin…”

Anne’s face turned cold as she remembered how Gabriel had been flirting with her every chance he got.

Sighing heavily, she turned away, trying not to look at him.

It was then.

“It seems you don’t understand that proposing to a woman who already has a lover is pointless.”

“What!”

“Anne Riley is my lover.”

The one most surprised by this statement was Anne herself.

“What does that mean?”

Anne, staring anxiously at Evan, tried to say something as she urgently grabbed his hand.

Evan tightened his grip on her hand.

Then, with his other hand, he ran his fingers through her hair and pressed his lips to hers.

Everyone gasped again.

“Miss Ann Riley is not only pretty but beautiful. It’s troublesome when small fry like you keep coming around, bothering her.”

‘What?’

Anne recalled how she looked in the mirror and lowered her head in embarrassment. Amid the murmurs from a distance, she clearly heard someone say,

“What? Did he say Lieutenant Riley is not just pretty but beautiful?”

“Yeah, she is pretty.”

A medic snorted at that.

“Well, you and the commander have never seen Lieutenant Riley when she first arrived here.”

The conversation was audible to Anne, and there was no guarantee Evan wouldn’t hear it either. With her red hair and tired face, she was far from beautiful. When she first arrived, she was covered in dirt and so skinny that she looked on the brink of starvation. She had sighed in relief many times, grateful to be working here despite the memories of hunger and helplessness.

But…beautiful?

Should I take all the money I’ve saved and run? How am I supposed to face the other medic?’

Anne could only stare back, embarrassed by the situation.

After a long silence, Gabriel shouted in disbelief.

“You’re lying!”

“You don’t seem to understand the situation.”

The hard, unforgiving voice echoed through the hospital.

But Gabriel didn’t understand, and he ranted again.

“A duke and this wench as lovers? Does that even make sense?”

“Who are you to speak like that?”

“I-I…”

Evan Davis clenched his teeth so tightly that the veins in his neck stood out, and Gabriel stumbled back on his feet.

Beside him, Countess Evian could only stare at Anne with disdain, still in disbelief.

“Now please go away, and thank you very much for your patronage, but I wish you wouldn’t come to me like this every time, giving me less than half of what you first promised.”

“You’re an uneducated b*tch. I didn’t mean to be so mean, but…. Don’t you know we’re the biggest donors, you f*cking crab!”

“Your esteemed son is exempt from the war in exchange for donations, isn’t he? And about being the biggest donors, I’m sorry to say this, but the initial amount promised was indeed the largest. The current donations barely cover the cost of the cheapest bandages.”

Countess Evian was furious to the tips of her hair as Anne spoke the words she had never spoken before.

But she could only snort in front of everyone, and then whispered to the servant she had brought with her.

‘She’s probably planning to flee.’

Feeling slightly relieved, Anne watched as Evan gently pushed her towards Kyle. Then, with a quick movement, he grabbed the Countess’s wrist just as she tried to escape. Startled by Evan’s grip, the Countess stumbled, knocking over a vase behind her. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the room.

“Ouch!!!!!”

The countess was unharmed by the thick fabric of her skirt.

But the underside of Evan’s white shirt was beginning to stain red again.

“Commander!”