Three Days

The oppressive atmosphere of the military camp felt like a dream, and silence filled the space around Kang In-ho and Anna as they returned to the encampment.

The sound of the horses’ hooves, trampling the lush grass, felt more chilling than usual.

The captain was a man of few words. Anna knew that well.

She spent more time with the captain than any other member of the unit. It was a perk of being the vice-captain.

This silence was familiar. Not awkward, not uncomfortable.

A quiet trust where they could understand each other’s feelings without having to speak.

Anna enjoyed this silence.

The captain would silently do his job, and she could admire him as he did.

But today was different.

The image of the captain eating cookies with the Emperor lingered in her mind.

The Emperor’s loathsome face, recalling memories with the captain that she didn’t share, kept popping up.

“Captain,” Anna called out to the captain, who was slightly ahead.

“?”

As always, the captain simply turned his head and met her gaze.

“The cookies. Were they really good?”

“I don’t know about the taste, I just ate them because they were there.”

A very captain-like answer.

“I see. You’re right, I’ve never actually seen you enjoy eating anything.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. You don’t express yourself very well, do you?”

“I suppose not.”

“So, when I hear about a side of you that I don’t know, I get a little uneasy.”

She was saying things she wouldn’t normally say.

Was it because she had just met the Emperor? Or because they were in a battlefield where defeat seemed imminent?

“Hmm….”

“You don’t have to say anything. I know you won’t accept my feelings.”

Anna had confessed her feelings countless times. Each confession, made while calming her pounding heart, had ended in rejection.

In truth, the timing of her confessions had been terrible.

The first confession was when the cavalry unit was isolated. In a situation where they didn’t know when reinforcements would arrive, Anna confessed to the captain. And was rejected.

The second confession was when the cavalry unit was used as bait. Before setting out, Anna confessed to the captain. And was rejected.

The third confession was when the cavalry unit was ambushed, losing a third of its members. After the funeral, she confessed to the captain. And was rejected.

[Confession is all about timing, you idiot! You have to do it at the right time. When you’re feeling all fluttery inside.]

Her friend, Agnes, scolded her after hearing about her three confessions.

Anna took Agnes’s advice.

But a question arose.

‘Will the right time ever come?’

Anna recalled her first meeting with the captain.

That war she fought alongside the Emperor. It was definitely after that war that Anna met the captain.

Back then, the captain was alone.

Behind the glorious achievement of [The mercenary corps paved the way for the princess] was the sacrifice of the mercenary corps.

In that war, the captain lost his mercenary corps.

After reorganizing the mercenary corps, swearing allegiance to the Kingdom of Jernoa at the right time was probably because he didn’t want to repeat the tragedy.

Of course, the Kingdom of Jernoa ended up abandoning them, but that was a retrospective interpretation.

‘The right time….’

Anna recalled Agnes’s words again.

The Emperor of the Empire was constantly targeting the captain, and the cowardly Kingdom of Jernoa handed over the entire cavalry unit to the Empire.

Would the day ever come when the captain could truly be at ease? She arrived at that fundamental question.

“Anna.”

It was the captain’s voice that pulled Anna out of her deep thoughts.

“Yes?”

“What kind of person do you think I am?”

It was a strange question.

“You’re someone who always stands at the front.”

But it wasn’t difficult to answer.

“Is that so? Anything else?”

“You’re not very talkative, and you lack finesse, but… you’re a very warm person. And….”

“And?”

“You’re someone I always have in my heart.”

It felt like a pink mist had brushed past them.

“Ah— this is just me saying things. It’s definitely not a fourth confession. Don’t answer.”

Anna waved her hands, seeing the gaze fixed on her.

“…Heh, I understand.”

“Captain? Did you just smile?”

“I didn’t.”

“You did, didn’t you? What’s the meaning of that smile? Please answer.”

Ignoring Anna’s words, the captain spurred his horse forward, and Anna continued to call out to him as she followed behind.

They soon arrived at the encampment.

The atmosphere at the encampment was strange.

It was chaotic, but the murmuring stopped when the captain and Anna arrived.

“What happened?”

Anna said, looking around.

“The letter from over there arrived before the person who was supposed to meet the Emperor.”

Yohan shrugged and held up a letter.

“Who found this letter?”

“Judah found it stuck in a tree. We were worried that you two might have been captured.”

“What does the letter say?”

The captain asked, and Yohan handed him the letter.

“I was going to check, but Agnes insisted on waiting until you arrived.”

“I thought the Emperor wouldn’t capture you two since he made a promise.”

Agnes reaffirmed her logic.

“How can you trust the Emperor? She’s the kind of woman who’d cut off her own subordinates’ heads.”

The large man, Gilbert, said, and the other members nodded in agreement.

Leaving the gathered members in front, the captain handed the letter to Anna.

“Anna.”

“Yes.”

Anna began to read the letter carefully.

I almost forgot to tell you this.

Three days. I’ll give you three days from today.

If you don’t surrender after three days, I will have no choice but to move my troops.

I hope you won’t foolishly think of breaking through the encirclement like last time.

Ah, if you think of me, you can surrender before then.

Just as you long for my embrace, I long for you too…

-Your Emperor.

“That crazy, crazy bitch.”

Yohan was impressed by Anna’s novel curse.