Late at night.
‘Another fruitless day…’
Lucy sighed as she entered the park and deactivated her optical camouflage.
Currently, Lucy was wearing a wig and civilian clothes, which was a disguise to collect data related to the “Lucy Project” involving biological experiments.
However, the results had not been very good.
Over the past few weeks, she had infiltrated research laboratories she believed were connected to the biological experiments but hadn’t discovered anything.
‘If the biological experiments were actually conducted by the Allied Nations instead of the Empire…’
In that case, she would truly have no idea what choice to make.
While moving with complicated feelings, Lucy spotted a familiar figure across the street.
The man slowly moving under the streetlight was dressed in a military uniform.
At first, she thought she might have seen him incorrectly, but upon noticing the half-closed black eyes beneath his cap, Lucy froze in place.
‘…Daniel Steiner?’
The man’s identity was Daniel Steiner, her superior and a hero of the Empire.
One strange thing to note was that his steps were slow, and he seemed unfocused.
Moreover, his aimless wandering lacked the usual vigor.
‘Is he drunk?’
He must have attended the banquet after the coronation and definitely drank heavily there.
She felt a mix of irritation and concern.
After confirming that no one was around, Lucy decided to follow Daniel.
Daniel, completely unaware that Lucy was trailing him, shuffled toward a nearby bench and slumped down as if about to collapse.
“Ugh. I feel dizzy…”
Daniel muttered while holding his forehead and suddenly began to doze off.
Watching Daniel from behind a tree, Lucy broke out in a cold sweat.
‘Is he planning to sleep here?’
On a cold night like this, if he slept outside, he would catch a cold.
‘Even if he doesn’t…’
If the citizens of the Empire witnessed Daniel Steiner sleeping rough, the rumors would surely spread like wildfire.
In the worst-case scenario, there was even a possibility he might fall victim to a robber looking to snatch valuables.
Anxiously fidgeting, Lucy thought she had no choice and approached Daniel.
She felt that at the very least, she had to prevent him from sleeping outside.
“Hey…”
As Lucy got closer and spoke, Daniel’s shoulders trembled slightly as he looked up slowly.
Finding Lucy, his expression shifted from dazed to confused, and he opened his mouth.
“Why is a lady like you out at this hour…?”
Perhaps due to the alcohol, Daniel did not recognize the disguised Lucy.
Thinking it unnecessary to reveal her identity, Lucy offered no explanation.
“I got lost while stopping by the park for a class assignment. What about you?”
“You seem to be an undergraduate from a nearby university. I attended the banquet after Her Majesty the Emperor’s coronation and, unable to resist my superior’s invitation, I ended up drinking too much…”
Daniel shrugged his shoulders as if to say further explanation would be pointless and stood up.
Thanks to his tall stature, Lucy naturally had to look up at him.
“I’ll take you to the exit. It’s dangerous for a woman to be out alone.”
“Ah…”
Daniel’s kind words made Lucy feel oddly awkward.
He usually spoke in a formal manner with her, as his aide, so the lack of decorum in his tone felt strange.
‘I’m not sure if it’s because he’s drunk or if he considers me just an undergraduate…’
However, Lucy thought it wasn’t bad, and she nodded.
“I won’t refuse.”
Daniel chuckled and took the first step.
“Follow me. It’s not far to the exit. But…”
As Daniel glanced sideways at Lucy walking beside him, he casually remarked, “You resemble my aide. It’s in your atmosphere and your way of speaking.”
Thinking she had been caught, Lucy opened her eyes wide and stared at Daniel.
But he merely wore a languid smile, as if he might melt away at any moment.
‘He smells like alcohol…’
Lucy thought there was no way she had been discovered and let out a nervous laugh.
“It must be just your imagination.”
“Is that so? Well, my aide wouldn’t approach me as warmly as you do. She’s quite scary. She often gives me the death stare, and it makes me feel like my blood is draining away.”
Lucy looked at Daniel, annoyed that he was badmouthing his aide to someone he’d just met.
But the next moment, she couldn’t help but change her mind.
“However, these days she looks more pitiable than scary. It turns out she has quite a grim past. So what should I say…?”
A bittersweet smile appeared on Daniel’s lips.
“I guess I’m a bit concerned.”
Watching Daniel from the side, Lucy’s lips parted slightly.
She hadn’t thought Daniel had been concerned about her.
Feeling an inexplicable pang of guilt, Lucy placed her hand over her heart.
The rapid beating of her heart was palpable at her fingertips.
To dispel her embarrassment, Lucy took a deep breath and glanced sideways at Daniel.
“Um, by the way…”
Her voice unintentionally rose in pitch.
Clearing her throat, Lucy managed to compose herself and continued.
“…How has work been lately? Since you’re a war hero, I figured it must be quite tough.”
Work. Daniel shook his head as if it was unbearable.
“It’s the worst. I’m trying my best, but things are getting more complicated. Plus, there are so many people around me who dislike me, making it difficult. Sometimes I feel like I must have taken a potion to be hated.”
Although Daniel smiled as he spoke, his voice lacked strength.
Perhaps because of that tone, the dark circles under his eyes seemed particularly pronounced today.
As Lucy watched Daniel with sympathy, the sound of an explosion rang out from behind them.
“…!”
Instinctively turning her body, Lucy didn’t hesitate to reach into her coat.
She was about to pull out her pistol to retaliate when she hesitated.
The explosion sounded nothing like an enemy attack.
“Wow. Is that fireworks?”
Just as Daniel said, fireworks were bursting in the sky.
Fireworks exploded in multicolored hues over the grand banquet hall of the imperial palace, painting the night sky beautifully.
Lucy sighed as she watched Daniel, who gazed innocently at the fireworks.
‘I thought I had been caught…’
Relieved, Lucy put the half-drawn pistol back into her coat pocket.
‘Since Daniel probably already knows I’m a spy for the Allied Nations, it wouldn’t matter if I did get discovered, but…’
If he found out she had approached him in disguise, it could create a lot of trouble.
So it was best not to reveal her identity for now.
‘Act like a normal undergraduate.’
Glancing at Daniel, Lucy looked up at the sky filled with fireworks.
‘As a normal undergraduate, I should admire the fireworks…’
Lucy’s thoughts halted there.
She became mesmerized by the display of fireworks that flew high and then burst into the night sky.
For Lucy, who was more accustomed to the dimness of secret rooms than the outside, the fireworks were nothing short of beautiful, like art made of light.
Watching the fireworks like a child, Lucy stayed until the last firework burst.
“How pretty…”
Unintentionally mumbling, Lucy turned to look beside her and was startled.
Daniel was gazing down at her with a relaxed expression.
“It seems like you’re seeing them for the first time.”
“…Huh?”
“I mean the fireworks.”
It was indeed her first time seeing them, but responding that way made her feel somehow prideful.
Since Lucy was biting her lip without answering, Daniel chuckled softly and started walking.
“Let’s go. We’re almost at the exit.”
“…Understood.”
Feeling a bit sulky for no reason, Lucy silently followed Daniel’s lead.
After walking for about five minutes, the two finally reached the park’s exit.
Perhaps the alcohol was wearing off, as Daniel took a deep breath and turned to Lucy.
“Then I’ll be on my way. Make sure you get back to your accommodation quickly.”
Waving his hand as if to say goodbye, Daniel walked along the path.
Watching his retreating figure, Lucy felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety.
Perhaps due to the conversation she had just had with Daniel, his back looked particularly forlorn today.
She thought she couldn’t just let him go and hastily walked after him.
Catching up to Daniel, she reached out.
Her hand hesitated for a moment in the air before gathering the courage to grab his sleeve.
Feeling the touch, Daniel turned around, and Lucy, unknowingly blushing, spoke up.
“Not everyone hates you, Colonel Daniel. So…”
After a brief silence, Lucy looked down, biting her lips.
Her face turned red from embarrassment, spreading from her cheeks to her ears.
“At least one person doesn’t…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence.
Realizing this was not going to work, Lucy bowed her head and turned to walk away.
Daniel, who had been quietly observing Lucy’s retreating figure, wore an inscrutable smile.
‘Such a clumsy attempt. It was as if she was asking me to recognize him while pretending to be someone else…’
Whether that clumsiness was part of a meticulously planned strategy or not, Daniel felt it was a rather dangerous confession.
‘If I hadn’t realized that this was a beauty strategy…’
He might have foolishly taken the bait.
