Chapter 32

Lucy’s intuition rings the alarm bell. The woman standing before her reeks of danger. Her gaze, piercing as if reading one’s soul, carried a certain madness. Yet, Lucy remained calm. “What changes just because I’m under suspicion? Nothing at all.”

“Cadet Prien, clarify what you mean to say. Are you accusing me of wrongdoing? Or lying?” Lucy asked coolly. Prien’s pupils quivered slightly—she hadn’t expected such composed defiance.

With an awkward smile, Prien responded, “Lieutenant, I was merely sharing my experiences…”

“That’s right,” Lucy interjected politely but with a sharp edge, “experience is crucial in every matter since it provides benchmarks for judgment. But where did you learn the ‘experience’ of suspecting others without any basis or evidence?”

It was a veiled insult—if not outright mockery—of both Prien and her upbringing. Prien caught the jab and smirked faintly despite herself.

Tick-tock—the silence stretched on until familiar boots echoed nearby. As Prien turned instinctively, Daniel entered the office.

“Captain!” they greeted in unison, snapping to attention.

Daniel paused mid-sentence upon sensing the heavy atmosphere. He brushed it off though, deciding it wasn’t worth dwelling on. “Cadet Prien, after discussion with the deputy chief of staff, your deployment has been approved as part of your training.”

Prien nodded confidently; she’d already anticipated this outcome from higher-ups. Still, hearing it directly from Daniel felt validating. “I won’t let you down, Captain!”

Shifting his gaze to Lucy, Daniel continued, “Lieutenant Lucy, you’ve also been appointed as my aide-de-camp for the Northern Direction Army. Both of you, pack your gear and prepare for departure north. We’ll set out once everyone is ready.”

They acknowledged sharply with salutes. Afterward, Prien glanced smugly at Lucy who returned her stare with narrowed eyes. “Looks like we’ll be spending some time together, Lieutenant.”

“Indeed,” Lucy replied dryly. Daniel watched uneasily, beads of cold sweat forming unnoticed.

‘What is going on between these two?’ he wondered.

—

Once junior officers gathered at General Staff Headquarters, I delivered a brief speech before introducing myself formally. Thankfully, during our journey north, neither Lucy nor Prien clashed openly. Minor tensions arose occasionally, which I quickly mediated before things escalated further.

“Why don’t you rest, Lieutenant?” Prien suggested sweetly while seated in the military vehicle. “I can handle your duties perfectly fine.”

Lucy retorted archly, “A crow trying to impersonate a stork deserves praise, doesn’t it?”

From the front seat, I observed their exchange through the rearview mirror. Despite the barbs flying back and forth, their expressions remained eerily calm—almost serene. Even Prien wore an amicable smile. Yet, overhearing them made me feel suffocated. The driver beside me subtly glanced at the same mirror, clearly baffled by their hostility.

‘This is hopeless,’ I sighed inwardly.

As dusk settled, I ordered the convoy to halt. Surveying the area, I spotted a clearing large enough for 200 soldiers to camp comfortably near a water source—not bad for supplying drinking water. However, the biting wind cut through even my officer’s winter coat.

“Set up camp here,” I commanded. Two privates were dispatched with Lieutenant McCall to scout the vicinity. Meanwhile, Corporal Glendi approached me, questioning the early stop. Young and earnest, his face still bore traces of boyishness.

“Preserving soldier stamina is critical in battle,” I explained casually. Unsatisfied, he pressed harder, pointing out that we’d already exceeded the estimated arrival time by five days due to deliberate detours. His frustration grew when I chuckled knowingly.

“You’re focusing too much on individual trees instead of seeing the whole forest,” I dismissed him cryptically.

Just then, McCall returned breathlessly, reporting enemy supply units preparing camp nearby—an intelligence breakthrough no one had achieved yet. Excited murmurs rippled among the ranks, especially from Glendi whose suspicions transformed into admiration overnight.

“What should we do now?” Glendi asked eagerly. Reluctantly, I adjusted my cap and sighed deeply. “Inform all troops…prepare to exterminate those rats.”