Chapter 5 – Part 1 (I can’t wait to see you)

Time passed, and news arrived that the empire had recaptured the Zens region.

This was good news, as it would be more helpful in securing goods, as Zens was a granary, but there was one thing that bothered me.

The concern was the presence of Prince Ailon Terossa within the castle.

Anne had run into him before. Unlike Anne’s awkward attempts to say hello and move on, Ailon had asked her how she was doing.

And there were times when he made derogatory remarks.

“You’d better be careful,nobles lose interest easily.”

Thinking it was just because of his lofty status, Anne had brushed it off in the moment.

Then one day, the medics were uncharacteristically huddled together and fussing.

Anne was about to speak up when she heard unbelievable news.

“So, everyone who goes to Vorenia is going to be wiped out?”

The battle in Vorenia was a small-scale operation to retake the next region.

Evan had long since left the castle to lead it. It should be a battle to be won, since the enemy doesn’t have many troops there, but Anne grabbed him by the shoulders and asked.

“What do you mean?”

Martin sighed heavily, blocking Anne’s path.

“Lieutenant, please, go in first.”

Despite Martin’s words, Anne pushed him away with her arm.

“No, I need to hear what you were talking about first.”

“…It was about a wounded soldier who was brought in here an hour ago. You know, they’re all scared out of their minds.”

“Martin, tell me.”

“People who have experienced war firsthand believe the worst-case scenario they imagine is true!”

Martin was terrified that Anne would be destroyed by such rumors. From a distance, he could see that she was deeply in love with her commander.

It was obvious.

“That’s an order.”

“Really, Lieutenant!”

Martin stopped her one last time, but Anne’s eyes were serious. Unable to back down any longer, Martin finally spoke of the rumor that was now circulating.

“It seems like all the information has already been passed to the enemy. Someone secretly looked at the enemy’s battle plans.”

“Who is this person?”

“Come with me.”

Martin led Anne to a ward. It was a place separated to soothe the anxiety of many.

Anne walked up to the patient, looked him over, and held up two fingers.

“How many fingers do you see?”

“Two, but it’s okay to see this much.”

“Do you have any symptoms, like a headache or your heart beating really fast?”

“I have a mild headache, but it’s nothing to distinguish.”

With the clear answer, Anne couldn’t hide her anxiety and asked.

“Do you have a piece of the battle plans?”

“…I only saw the loose end of it on a bird’s leg, and it flew away quickly, so I really don’t know if what I saw was real.”

Anne’s eyes widened at that. The more she talked to him, the more she realized. This man’s mind was perfectly normal.

After hearing the man’s answer, Ann stood still for a while, lost in thought. While she believed that Evan Davis’s troops wouldn’t easily fall, she felt she needed to inform those going into battle immediately.

“Lieutenant, we’re planning to inform the higher-ups soon, so it’ll be taken care of.”

Martin looked at Anne and tried to offer her some comfort, but she was already losing it.

Anne turned to Martin.

“How many wounded do we have now?”

“…It’s beyond what we can handle here. Moreover, soldiers from the outskirts are also flooding in.”

With that answer, Anne walked straight into the warehouse. She grabbed a haphazardly discarded bag of medical supplies and stood up. Martin, who had followed her in, shouted in alarm.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Martin Hedges. You’re in charge of this place now. I need to get to the outskirts of Calohas.”

“Is it because of the Commander?”

Anne made no answer, but the thought that he might be in danger crept into her mind.

“Well, Lieutenant, if you are going, I have no choice but to report to Lady Carly Dehart at once.”

* * *

There were two men who had quietly summoned Martin, who had always been close to Anne.

Evan Davis and Carly Dehart.

Sitting up straight, Evan Davis looked at Martin and offered him a drink.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked.

“It’s an honor.”

Evan, who smiled slightly awkwardly, got up and whispered to Martin, putting his hand on Martin’s shoulder.

“I can’t tell you how much my stomach churns every time I see the one I like talking to a guy down there….”

Martin’s complexion flushed at the words. It was just that he and Lieutenant Anne Riley had a working relationship. He should have assured the commander that he hadn’t felt that way at all, but his embarrassment left him speechless.

“Th-that’s….”

Evan smirked at Martin’s nervous stuttering.

“Hey, if you act like this, shouldn’t I really start to doubt you?”

“You Grace, please stop joking.”

At Carly’s words, Evan waved his hand as if understanding and spoke firmly.

“I will give you one command.”

“Yes! Please tell me!”

“Soon, there will be a battle, and whatever the outcome of that battle, you must stop Anne Riley at all costs.”

“What?”

Martin didn’t understand the words and looked at Carly Dehart as if seeking an explanation, but she turned her head away.

Turning back to Evan, he spoke again, this time with an uncharacteristic seriousness.

“She’s willing to take responsibility for everything she can without hesitation. You need to stop her at that threshold.”

Martin looked up, puzzled.

But there was nothing dangerous about what Lieutenant Anne Rilley was doing right now, so he nodded, chalking it up to simple concern for a woman he liked.

* * *

Martin and Anne. There was an odd silence between them.

Martin cursed silently, feeling utterly helpless.

Now, he vaguely understood what Evan Davis had said before.

Anne had said that no one could stop her, and it was true.

Soon the raindrops grew thicker, soaking them all over.

Martin grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her under the awning to get out of the rain.

When Martin looked at her, she already had a determined look on her face. He shouted at her.

“D*mn it! If you keep going like this… We’ve just stabilized the infirmary, and now, are you going to throw away what you’ve achieved? Everyone is waiting for you to receive treatment!”

A shadow fell over Martin’s face as he realized he couldn’t hold the lieutenant back, not even with that excuse.

Anne’s gaze traveled beyond the walls.

The day Evan had set out, thinking he would return in one piece, she had simply kissed him on the cheek and sent him on his way. Like a lover. How dare….

But if she could save Evan, she would do whatever it took to help him-as long as he was alive and well.

Even if, as Ailon Terossa had said, she didn’t know her own limits…

“Martin. I don’t care if you take all the credit for what I’ve done.”

“Do you think that’s what I want?”

“You know. We have no choice but this. We have to take everything we can.”

“Then what are you going to do, Lieutenant, you’re going bareback into a place where you might die?”

Anne pulled out a small revolver from a drawer. An old, but well-maintained revolver, loaded with six bullets.

“Do me a favor. Let me go.”

* * *

As they walked for a day over rough mountain roads, Anne remembered the last time she saw Evan.

He’d been on a big horse, and he’d smiled at her and said.

“I’ll be back soon, so don’t run away and stay here.”

His words echoed in her ears.

She knew that young ladies of noble families often did the strange thing of presenting a handkerchief to the man of their dreams when he set out on a campaign.

But Anne hadn’t done that.

She had assumed he would return.

She hadn’t expected to regret returning to the infirmary after such a brief encounter.

Perhaps dying wasn’t as frightening to herself as she thought.

Even if she were to die soaked in this rain on the mountain path, it would just be her fate.

Perhaps a new life, the life of Anne Riley, has come into the life of the once-dead Paul.

One thing Anne overlooked was that she too easily identified herself with the character of Anne Riley.

Even if she were someone who didn’t know her own limits and fell in love with someone who was not suitable for her status, maybe the wealthy life she had dreamed of wasn’t what she truly desired.

That was the thought that lingered for a long time.

Suddenly, Anne hides in the trees and freezes at the sight of a familiar face.

It was Connor Johannes, the crown prince’s aide, who had often greeted her at the castle, and she wondered why he had come so close to the battlefield.

Anne pulled her raincoat over her head and held her breath as she studied Connor’s behavior.

His uneasy demeanor made her wonder what was going on. From across the street, a strange man approached Connor.

He spoke in a nervous voice that Anne could hardly recognize as the Connor Johannes she had known before.

“Why are you only here now? Do you think I’ve been doing nothing, just waiting for you?”

Connor’s angry shout echoed through the forest.

The Connor Johannes she had seen in Dehart Castle had always smiled brightly and was good at flattery, but he looked a little different.

“You can’t live without it.”