‘Lady Sinclair?’

It was a name Ryan knew well. And not just him.

How many Albion war veterans wouldn’t recognize her name? If someone claimed not to know her, one would have to question if they truly belonged to Albion.

As a nurse who joined the military, she had cared for soldiers on the frontlines without sparing herself. She had miraculously escaped from areas completely surrounded by enemy forces multiple times.

Because of this, she was even called the Goddess of Victory within the Albion military.

Under the belief that all lives are sacred, she treated even wounded enemy soldiers, which led to her being summoned by the Rewards and Punishments Committee after the war ended.

But unlike Ryan, she still maintained her high reputation, so people who insisted on her innocence gathered in front of Army Headquarters to protest daily.

Unable to ignore the increasingly intense public opinion, the Committee imposed only the lightest penalty—a 15-day pay cut—and pursued no further charges against her.

The only other thing he remembered was that she had asked Baron Stanford if she could arrange a meeting with Ryan Wilgrave.

“She seemed to have nothing but respect for you. She just asked casually if she could meet you, and when I said it would be difficult, she didn’t press further.”

How long had it been since someone accepted rejection so normally?

Indeed, there had been no further contact through the Baron after that, so it seemed she had only the curiosity one soldier might have for another.

Honestly, Ryan had somewhat favorable feelings toward her.

But why was her name suddenly coming up here and now?

However, the people conversing became aware of their surroundings, closed their mouths, and quickly walked away, so Ryan couldn’t hear any more information.

He considered following them, but approaching too closely would only arouse suspicion. With no choice, Ryan returned to his lodgings without gaining anything useful.

His lodging was a shabby inn on the outskirts of the city. Just one of many such inns where transients passing through the capital stayed.

Ryan climbed the stairs to the third floor and opened his room door. Despite it being daytime, the dim room had a musty smell of mild mildew and the stale odor characteristic of dark, damp places.

It was tolerable only because winter was beginning; in summer, simply staying here might have made him ill.

For a moment, Ryan thought of Blissbury.

That beautiful mansion where sunlight poured in everywhere. There, fresh breezes always blew, and the scent of well-dried herbs and wildflowers filled every corner.

And there was…

As he recalled Eloise’s voice mixed with laughter, Ryan ran his hand over his face once, then picked up the lamp on the table.

He approached the window and lit the lamp, placing it on the sill.

Only then did the room brighten slightly. But Ryan didn’t do anything else, just stared out the window.

Outside, a building as old as the one he was staying in stood close enough to touch if he stretched out his arm.

When he lit his lamp, someone in a dark room in the building across from him also lit a lamp. It was someone wearing a hat pulled low.

Because of this, he couldn’t see the other person’s face. Ryan was also wearing his hat pulled low, so the other person wouldn’t be able to see his face either.

Ryan repeatedly lifted and lowered the lamp cover. Tap. Tap-tap. Tap.

Short, long, short again.

When he finished what looked like idle play, the person across also lifted and lowered their lamp cover just as Ryan had done.

The distance was so close that no one in other rooms could see. Even if someone looked between the buildings from outside, they wouldn’t imagine that information was being exchanged without anything visibly passing between them.

After Ryan and the other person exchanged signals a few more times in this manner, they turned off their lamps.

Afterward, Ryan immediately went down to the first-floor dining room and ordered a glass of wine and lunch.

For a shabby inn, the meal served was reasonably edible. As Ryan ate, he saw the man with the hat pulled low coming out of the building across the street through the window.

There was nothing special in the code Ryan and the other person had exchanged.

Surveillance continued today without significant results. However, the name Lady Sinclair was mentioned in their conversation.

The information Ryan reported would be delivered to Army Headquarters across the sea today through another informant.

As he dipped pieces of cut meat into sauce and put them in his mouth, Ryan thought again about Lady Sinclair.

‘Why did her name come up?’

Since she hadn’t refused to treat Gilian soldiers, she was regarded by the Gilian people not so much as an enemy war hero but as a true doctor and nurse who placed no importance on nationality.

So it wasn’t particularly unusual for her name to be mentioned in conversation.

But even while thinking this, Ryan intuitively felt an inexplicable uneasiness.

‘I need to pay more attention to this.’

With that thought, Ryan finished his meal and got up.

His surveillance of the target for today was done. Based on their pattern of behavior so far, they wouldn’t come out again. That meant it was time for him to walk around the city center and gather information separately.

Outside, people with expressions as gloomy as the overcast sky walked the streets. Ryan moved among them, heading toward places where soldiers who had flocked to the capital might gather. On the way, a general store caught his eye.

Originally, before the war, Gilia had boasted a higher cultural standard than Albion. Although the war had ended and people’s prosperity had diminished due to reparations, preventing them from maintaining the lavish lifestyle of the past, their elevated aesthetic sense had not declined.

As if to prove this, even an ordinary street’s general store displayed items of high quality.

Among them, stationery with roses drawn on it caught his eye.

Ryan immediately entered the store.

As Ryan entered, looking like one of the defeated soldiers on the street to anyone who saw him, the store owner tensed and visibly reached under the drawer. He was undoubtedly searching for a hidden pistol. Ready to shoot if necessary.

Ryan took out a silver coin from his pocket, placed it on the counter, and said:

“I’d like all of those letter papers in every color from the display case.”

* * *

“It’s my first time going to Army Headquarters.”

Beatrice muttered in the swaying carriage, as if she wasn’t particularly keen on the idea.

“Why? Don’t young ladies in the capital hope to meet officers?”

When Eloise asked, Beatrice let out a short sigh as if finding the question pathetic, then said:

“What lady would go to Army Headquarters to meet officers? You can meet all the high-ranking ones at military-hosted balls anyway.”

That explained it. She seemed interested in stories about soldiers but reluctant to go to Army Headquarters.

Thinking about it, attending balls would indeed be the most comfortable way to meet them.

“Anyway, we need to finish your business quickly. We can’t be late on our first day attending Lady Sinclair’s gathering.”

“I understand.”

After the carriage traveled for quite some time, tall buildings appeared beyond a distant forest. Even from a distance, their imposing and rigid forms made it clear they were military buildings.

“I’ll wait in the carriage, so hurry back.”

Although the Baroness had told her to accompany Eloise, Beatrice clearly didn’t want to walk around the vast Army Headquarters.

“Of course. I’ll be quick.”

This actually worked out well for Eloise, who didn’t want either Beatrice or the Baroness to discover her real reason for coming here.

As she entered, soldiers guarding the entrance blocked her way and asked:

“Miss, what is your business here? If it’s a family visit…”

“Oh, it’s not a visit. Um, well… a letter was returned to me, and I didn’t receive any notification about the unit being relocated, so I came to inquire. Where should I ask about this?”

Hearing Eloise’s words, the guards looked at each other briefly. Then they looked at Eloise with expressions of pity.

Their expressions made their thoughts clear. Just as Eloise had once imagined, they clearly thought she was a poor country girl who had been toyed with and deceived by a discharged soldier, and had come here looking for him.

“Um, you can go inside and inquire there.”

They clicked their tongues sympathetically behind Eloise as she walked away.

Eloise bit her lip tightly.

‘Ryan Thornton! Just wait until I see you again!’

She would make him pay dearly for subjecting her to such looks.

And an hour later…

“There’s no one named Ryan Thornton…? You’re saying he doesn’t exist?”

Eloise repeated the clerk’s words like a parrot, with a dumbfounded expression.