Chapter 19: Behind the Farcade

Hazen came out of the room and went to meet her friends, who weren't far. As she got closer, she heard someone sneer.

"Hehe, someone is going to dress as a woman. A big shame to men," Nathan said.

The anger Hazen had been suppressing erupted.

"Nathan you're itching for a fight, right?" she said, walking up to Nathan angrily.

Seeing Hazen, Nathan's heart raced. "I don't want to fight!" he thought but didn't dare say it aloud, not wanting to lose face in front of everyone.

"Do you think I'm afraid of you? Just because you beat me once doesn't mean you can do it again. I was just testing you then if you dare touch me now!," Nathan said angrily, trying to hide his fear.

"Really? Is that how you see it? I beat you before, and I can beat you again," Hazen replied, mocking him as she eyed him.

"How dare you?! If we weren't at the entrance of the commander's office, I'd beat you mercilessly!" Nathan said, already feeling embarrassed by his own statement, but still unwilling to fight Hazen.

The onlookers saw through Nathan's attempt to save face without actually fighting. They already knew who was stronger just by listening to the exchange.

"Yes, the commander's office," Hazen said mockingly before turning to meet her friends, who stood a few meters away with smiles on their faces.

"You…!" Nathan muttered, glaring angrily at Hazen, who had already walked away, unbothered by him. Left with no choice, he hung his head in shame and walked away quickly.

---

"Hey, what's up? How did it go?" Ghain asked as Hazen approached.

"Well, nothing special. I'm just supposed to distract the Queen," Hazen replied, disgust evident on her face.

"I can't believe I have to seduce my fellow woman," she thought inwardly.

"It's okay, just think of it as entertaining yourself. You're a man, and she's a woman—nothing to be disgusted about," Fatty muttered, patting Hazen on the back.

"Oh heavens, I'm a woman, alright!" Hazen thought, not daring to say it out loud.

"Alright, let's go have lunch," Cain suggested.

They all turned toward the canteen to get lunch.

"Shit," Fatty said, causing the others to pause and look at him.

"Last night's incident," Fatty added.

"Ugh," Ghain muttered.

"Arghh," Hazen grunted.

Cain sighed.

They all turned to Hazen, who stood in the middle with her hand on her waist, clearly frustrated. Noticing their stares, she asked, "What?" tilting her head in confusion. But they just kept smiling at her.

Realizing what was going on, she chuckled. "You're joking, right?"

"We're not. It seems the commander is interested in you. What could possibly go wrong if you go?" Fatty said, smiling innocently.

Hazen frowned at his words. "Are you trying to say the commander is… gay? How could he possibly like a nobody like me? Oh, please, stop joking—"

Fatty's face turned pale as he tried to signal to Hazen to stop talking about the commander's sexual orientation.

"Commander Kyle," Fatty said, making Hazen freeze.

"Is he behind me?" she whispered to Fatty, who gave her a sympathetic look.

"Please, Fatty, tell me you're joking," she muttered, slowly turning around. When she turned fully, she met Commander Kyle's piercing gaze.

Not wanting to spend a second there,

"Commander, Hazen has something to report!" Ghain quickly said as he dragged Fatty and Cain out of the scene.

"No, no, you don't have to go!" Hazen called, trying to grab Fatty, who pulled his hand free and ran off. She turned back to Commander Kyle, a forced, awkward smile on her face.

"Commander Kyle," she greeted with a respectful bow.

"What do you want to say?" Commander Kyle asked, trying to resist the urge to laugh as he watched her attempt to keep her composure.

"Last night, when you left me in the training room, Fatty and the others brought me dinner. After I finished eating, Ghain and Cain helped me back to the dormitory. But halfway there, we noticed Fatty was missing. We went back and found him attacked. He told us it was the kitchen staff who attacked him, and the kitchen staff is a witch," Hazen reported, her tone laced with anger as she recalled Fatty's bloody condition.

After listening, all Commander Kyle could think was, "Are Hazen and Fatty in a relationship? Why is he reporting this instead of Fatty?" A furrow appeared on his forehead.

Seeing this, Hazen assumed he was angry on Fatty's behalf. "Fatty's safe; all we need to do is catch the kitchen staff," she said with a mischievous smile.

"So the person it happened to didn't report personally and had to send you? Are you two that close that he couldn't come himself?" Commander Kyle asked mockingly, his tone tinged with irritation.

The grin vanished from Hazen's face. "Yes, Fatty's my friend. He begged me to help him," she said innocently.

Commander Kyle's frown deepened as he stared coldly at Hazen. "We're embarking on a journey tomorrow. Why are you still here?" he barked at Hazen.

Hazen looked up at the bright sky, confused. "But it's still afternoon. I can't sleep now. I was just going to have lunch with Fatty and the others," she replied.

Commander Kyle felt his anger rising as she repeated "Fatty."

"Get out now! Go and sleep. As for your lunch, I'll have someone bring it to you. I don't want to hear that you're in the canteen," he ordered, instructing her to leave immediately.

Hazen was taken aback by this cold tone,

"Silly me. Here I was thinking he was a good person," Hazen muttered as she made her way to the dormitory, not daring to defy him.

After Hazen left, Commander Kyle stood rooted in place, staring after her. He recalled his reaction to her mentioning Fatty.

"I mean… this isn't me. Why do I flare up just because he decided to help his friend. Could I be… gay? No, I'm not—I had a girlfriend in my early years," he thought, standing there in utter confusion.