The Night with Commander - ✿ dusk blossoms ✿

Chapter 3 – Part 2

“Lieutenant Riley, jump.”

For some reason, his firm voice seemed trustworthy. Like a spell, Anne leapt down the hole.

Then, with a jolt, she felt Evan’s arms around her thighs and shoulders.

Closing her eyes tightly, she breathed a sigh of relief that she had made it down safely.

Blue eyes, bright in the darkness, looked up at her.

“See, I told you to trust me.”

“P-please put me down.”

Evan slowly lowered her so that her toes touched the ground.

The ground beneath them was damp, and she couldn’t see anything, which felt a little strange.

Normally, an underground passageway like this would have at least a wall light, since it was meant for nobles to use in times of emergency….

Right now, they have to rely on candlelight at best.

“It’s hard to see.”

“Slow down.”

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, Anne stopped, and someone else in the line stumbled.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

A gravelly voice echoed down the aisle.

“Wait a minute.”

Anne lowered her voice, expecting to be heard.

“There’s someone there.”

It was more of a hunch.

A few heads lifted and glanced over, but there was no sign of movement, so everyone assumed she was mistaken and let their guard down.

The black figure was close to her in an instant. Anne quickly drew a dagger from her waistband.

“Anne!”

Fuwuk.

With her eyes closed, Anne slowly opened them to find hot liquid running down her hand.

“Come here.”

Evan grabbed her wrist, pulling her close and removing the dagger from her hand.

As Anne stepped aside, the dark figure collapsed, lifeless.

“I… I killed… someone….”

“He’s the one who tried to attack you. Hey, show me his face.”

Someone brought a candle closer to the fallen figure. The man lay dead, his eyes wide open, his mouth agape with a blackened, shriveled tongue protruding.

‘This, this kind of thing….’

“Hmph….”

Anne stifled a sob, knowing that making noise could be dangerous. She clenched her teeth and closed her eyes.

“Get a grip. It’s not the first time you’ve seen a dead body. He tried to kill us. Besides, people don’t die so easily from a small dagger wound.”

Even if Evan was right, just because this world was the way it was didn’t mean she was allowed to kill people.

“…I didn’t mean to.”

Anne’s condition deteriorated rapidly. Her physical exhaustion from the grueling march combined with her mental trauma.

As he watched with concern as Anne’s breathing became labored and she slipped into unconsciousness, Evan muttered a low curse.

“Bring me the dead man.”

After removing Anne’s pack and handing it to a subordinate, Evan picked her up. Then he inspected the dead man by the light of a small candle held by another soldier.

It was odd that only one enemy had entered this secret passageway, despite knowing about it.

It’s a shame they couldn’t interrogate him.

“It’s strange that he was killed by someone so unskilled with a dagger.”

“Clearly, he was the first to strike.”

The others nodded in agreement. Evan glanced back at the dead man, then spoke.

“Take the body with us.”

* * *

When Anne opened her eyes, she saw a brown-haired woman and a luxuriously decorated bedroom.

The woman, startled by Anne’s stirring, jumped up from her chair.

“…Lieutenant?”

The woman had an endearing appearance, dressed in a sky-blue gown fit for a princess. She pulled Anne’s blanket up higher.

“Who are you?”

Anne pushed the covers off of her slightly and got to her feet.

“Lieutenant, you shouldn’t be getting up like this. Someone said you need to be in absolute bed rest.”

“Who?”

“The Duke of Davis, of course…”

Anne wiped her brow.

The careful way she spoke reminded Anne that Evan’s status was so high that even the nobility found it difficult to deal with him.

Anne sat up in bed, holding her head in her hands as if it would break, and surveyed her surroundings.

Grasping her pounding head, Anne sat up and looked around. The green carpet on the floor caught her eye, and she realized she was sitting on a canopy bed fit for a princess. The memory came rushing back.

Anne had stabbed a man in the stomach with a dagger who had tried to attack her unexpectedly.

Hoping the man hadn’t died by her hand, Anne asked the unfamiliar woman with a serious expression.

“What happened to the dead man?”

“…I don’t know about that. What do you mean, dead?”

The woman blinks her doe-like eyes, frightened at the mention of death.

“I’m sorry, I must have said something strange.”

Anne reminded herself that this woman was a member of a noble family, and her voice softened.

From the way she was dressed, she must be a member of House Dehart, the owners of the castle.

There was no need to sow unnecessary anxiety, given the castle’s use as a fortress.

“I don’t think this is the right place for me to be, so I’ll take my leave.”

With those words, Anne stood up and started to leave. The woman grabbed her.

“The Duke has asked me to let the lieutenant rest here, so please don’t feel obligated to stay.”

Anne shook her head. The comfortable bed was tempting, but….

People were still dying at the base of this castle.

Anne looked up into the woman’s face, which seemed genuinely concerned for her.

There was a loveliness in it that was unlike her own.

There was an innocence about her that seemed untouched by the harshness of the world. There was a refinement in her every move.

Unable to hold back, Anne blurted out an unnecessary comment.

“I’ve been tasked with saving lives.”

‘By Commander Evan Davis.’

She didn’t say anything more.

She didn’t elaborate further, feeling petty and embarrassed by her own words.

“I’d better get going!”

Anne glanced behind her.

The woman had been sitting there, lost in thought, listening to Anne’s words.

Anne gave her a quick glance and walked out of the room.

Anne left the room, feeling that heading to the medical corps would calm her.

At least there, she wouldn’t feel the inferiority that this noble lady inadvertently made her feel.

Anne leaned over the window, taking in the view outside.

The once robust castle walls were now crumbling. Faint cries, explosions, and gunfire echoed in the distance.

From the comfort of a luxurious room and in the presence of a poised lady, she had momentarily forgotten reality.

She was in the middle of hell.

* * *

The autopsy report from the castle’s long-serving physician contained puzzling details.

Evan stared at the results for a moment, then descended into the castle’s basement, where the prison and autopsy room were located.

After a long walk through the winding corridors, he reached the autopsy room and entered, seeing that they were still working on the enemy soldier from earlier.

“I’m here because I don’t understand the autopsy results.”

The physician, eyes fixed on the corpse, muttered.

“He appears to have been heavily drugged….”

The physician glanced nervously at Evan, fearing he might be wrong. Despite the cold underground, he was sweating.

“Let me ask you something. What was the cause of death? Poisoning? Or was it blood loss?”

“The exact sequence of events is unclear, but the curled tongue suggests there were already signs of poisoning. However, I can’t definitively say the stab wound wasn’t the cause of death.”

“You’re playing with words.”

Though the exact cause couldn’t be pinpointed, they could make educated guesses.

The presence of an enemy soldier in this secret passageway was significant. Evan turned grave and instructed.

“Don’t bury the body, but leave it alone for a while. Just three days.”

“Yes! Understood.”

Evan turned and opened the drawer where he had collected the body’s belongings.

The strange outfit, the empty bag—there were several oddities. Satisfied for the moment, he headed to Anne’s quarters.

* * *

Reaching the bedroom, Evan frowned at the empty bed.

“Carly, where did the woman who was here go?”

“She… well, she left, saying that the Duke had entrusted her with saving people. Is she a knight or something, even though she’s a woman?”

Evan smirked at that. To others, it was easy to see why.