Face of The Military

~•|•~

Anne watched Inez sip lavender tea while closing her eyes. The girl seemed to really enjoy the fragrance of the tea she ordered.

Inez smiled behind the cup. She put the cup back down silently, then looked at Anne, who had been watching her silently since before.

"Lady," Anne called out with a grin.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?" asked Anne, not removing her gaze from Inez.

Inez knew it was a gaze that implied great curiosity. So she nodded slowly.

"The crown prince and the captain are cousins, right?"

"Yes," Inez replied immediately. She picked up a small plate filled with chocolate pudding.

"So, their hair color is the same?" Anne asked again, which made Inez hesitate to cut the pudding. The girl turned to Anne with furrowed brows. However, Inez nodded anyway.

"Yes. Why is that?

Anne nodded in understanding. She chuckled and looked at the street in front of the cafe. "They said the royal family has identical blonde hair."

"That's true. But the captain's hair is much lighter than the crown prince's," Inez added. "Didn't you know that, Anne? Why do you ask again?"

"That..." Anne glanced at her with an awkward smile. "What I really want to ask is... which one is more handsome between His Highness and the captain?"

"Hush!" Inez glared at her maid. She knew that Anne dared to ask that question because they had been close for a long time. They regarded each other like sisters. She looked around to make sure that no one had heard Anne's question just now, then looked at the maid again. "You want me to compare the two, don't you?" she whispered.

Anne giggled a little. She leaned closer to Inez. "I was just curious, My Lady. They are the best husband candidates in Schubert. So, who is more handsome?"

"Hmm..." Inez placed a small spoon under her chin in thought. She glanced at Anne. "You seem to have an answer already?" she guessed, smirking slightly.

Anne smiled cheerfully and nodded excitedly. "It's the first time I've seen really light blonde hair," she said.

Inez nodded in understanding. She cut the pudding and devoured it. "So that's your answer? Captain?"

Anne nodded in agreement. "What about you? She smiled at Inez, who glanced at her.

"In my opinion... Inez leaned closer to the table and whispered, "Of course, my boyfriend is more handsome."

Anne giggled at Inez's answer. Her lady looked like a girl sipping honey right now.

~•|•~

Half an hour later, the carriage that had brought Dante from Ille Town arrived at the army barracks. The man paid the coachman the appropriate price and then stepped into the military barracks, which were always crowded because they had more soldiers than any other military unit.

On the way to the main building, Dante passed several members of the army who were standing guard around, and they were staring at him sincerely. Dante chose to ignore them. After all, they didn't prevent him from entering the main building either. That meant those on guard were already aware of Dante's scheduled arrival to meet with General Grummond.

From this side, Dante could see a man with a tall, well-built body and wearing an army uniform approaching him in a hurry.

"Captain Dante Arthur De Ignacio!" the man exclaimed in a baritone voice that made Dante stop his steps just before ascending the stairs leading to the main building.

Dante nodded briefly. The man who had just called him by his full name was General Grummond's adjutant, a second lieutenant. Seeing that the man's face was flushed and drenched in sweat, Dante concluded that the adjutant general was assigned to wait for his arrival in front of the main building.

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant," Dante said as he shook the hand of the man standing before him.

"Good afternoon, Captain. You're two hours behind schedule," the adjutant general said bluntly.

Dante smiled slightly. He let go of their handshake first and looked at the main building. "I know," he said. "And General Grummond is still waiting?"

"He's had three cups of coffee and worked on a stack of reports while awaiting your arrival, Captain," the adjutant general reported in a firm voice.

Dante gave a small snort. "That's bad," he said. He glanced at the adjutant general, who furrowed his brow at him. "But what else can I do?" he added as he immediately stepped past the adjutant general and into the main building, where General Grummond was.

~•|•~

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in!"

The man in the green military uniform immediately opened the door to General Grummond's room, leaving Dante, who remained waiting behind him,

Grummond shifted his gaze from the file to the door. He glanced at the pocket watch sitting on the desk, then grunted harshly.

"The captain is here, General," the Adjutant General said.

"Let him in!" said Grummond in a harsh tone. He no longer took his gaze from the open entrance.

The lieutenant looked back and gave Dante a small nod. The man wearing the blue uniform entered Grummond's office.

"Good afternoon, General Grummond. I'm just sorry I'm late," said Dante, standing in the center of the room. Afterward, there was the sound of footsteps moving away, and the door to the room closed.

The adjutant general left Dante alone with Grummond.

"Great," Grummond complimented with irony. He placed his pen next to the file and gave Dante a dismissive look. "This is the first time you've ever been late, Capt," he added.

"I just got to Beetheaven, General." Dante nodded briefly. He looked straight at Grummond, who seemed to be half-heartedly listening to his excuses. "And I was enjoying my vacation when you wrote me a letter this morning. So, don't be harsh on me," he added.

Grummond immediately laughed scornfully. "Vacation?" He shook his head in disbelief. "What do you know about vacation, Captain?" he snapped.

"Well," Dante stepped forward when attracted by the mountain deer head displayed on the center wall of the room, "I went to Ille." He watched the preserved deer head closely.

"Together with the Lady of Buford?" asked Grummond, which made the blonde man immediately turn his head and not hide his surprise. "Why?" Grummond gave a small snort. "Do you think I don't have eyes and ears outside?"

Dante looked down for a moment at the floor. He gave a faint smile and looked at Grummond again. "I just met her on my way to Ille."

"And you still had time to go to the theater together, even though you had an appointment with me!" Grummond looks suspiciously at Dante. "Is that right, Capt?"

Dante was at a loss for words. It seemed that either a member of the army military dating at Ille had recognized him and reported it to Grummond, or Grummond had indeed put other eyes and ears to watch his every move. Dante didn't remove his gaze from the man with the thick mustache. Instead, he let out a long sigh. "I was just curious about the lover who caught His Highness' attention."

Grummond shook his head, refusing to believe Dante's excuse. "You're not kind of that person," he said skeptically. "After all, this is not the first time His Highness has been interested in women," he added fearlessly.

Dante closed his mouth tightly. Grummond had known him for a long time, and the man also had strong intuition, almost on par with the Marquess. So there was no point in Dante being evasive about it.

Dante's silence made Grummond glare at him.

"Don't get too close to Lady of Buford! She's been involved in a scandal lately and also rumored to be sold in business marriage!" warned Grummond. Realizing Dante's response had turned passive, he resumed his speech. "And even though you're cousins with His Highness, you should remember how much ink the printing company spent on his romance story!"

"...yes, General. I will remember that," replied Dante, who turned to face the man with both hands clenched behind his body.

"Don't just answer, Capt! You should know what I mean!" added Grummond again in a serious and vicious tone.

Dante nodded slowly. "Yes. If I get too close to these two in public, I'll be dragged into a scandal. The face of the military and my name will be tarnished. I understand, General."

In short, Dante was a military icon in this era. Even without him wanting to be.

He looked straight at Grummond. "So, what is your reason for summoning me?" Dante immediately changed the subject.

Grummond did not answer immediately. He scanned Dante's expression first before finally clearing his throat briefly and breaking the gaze of the man standing under the mountain deer's head. "I want you to teach at the military academy during your stay at Beetheaven. Or at least give a seminar at the academy," he said.

It was a reasonable request for higher-ups in the military like him.

"If I teach, will it be practical or theoretical?" asked Dante, who had no objections.

"You can choose, Capt," Grummond replied.

"I prefer practice," said Dante.

"Very well." Grummond nodded in agreement. "Can you do the seminar too?" he asked as he opened a desk drawer to retrieve a new sheet of paper.

Dante furrowed his brow at the contradictory question. "Didn't you just say I was free to choose?"

"I did." Grummond was evasive, making Dante let out an exasperated sigh.

"So would you like me to teach or give a seminar?" Dante asked patiently.

Grummond paused his activity for a moment and glanced at his friend's son. He grins slightly. "Both," he replied immediately, which made Dante's face turn sour.

"Then what are you asking me for?" protested Dante, turning his back on the man.

Grummond chuckles lightly. "I was hoping you'd choose to give a seminar, but instead you want to teach practical. So, not bad. I got greedy and wanted both."

Dante cleared his throat briefly. His gaze settled on the deer's antlers, and he was silent for a moment. The man glanced at Grummond from the corner of his eye. "Actually, I have other business at Beetheaven."

"Huh?" Grummond flinched for a moment. "What business?"

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