Chapter 14

“No! No! Do I look like I have one?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve never even dated anyone, let alone had a lover.”

“You… really?”

Instead of questioning how someone like her could not have had a lover, Anasha responded with surprise. She slowly closed her half-open mouth and covered it with her hand.

“Commander, you really know how to make someone happy. You’re truly a good person!”

Rihirt couldn’t understand which part had impressed her. Though they had only known each other for a month, the Anasha he had seen was a better person than anyone he had ever met.

She knew how to make others comfortable and happy with her honest charm and unique behavior. He had assumed that someone who was practically a master at interpersonal relationships would naturally have abundant dating experience.

“Commander. I’ve brought documents that need to be processed by this morning.”

At that moment, upon hearing a knock from outside the door, Anasha quickly climbed up to the ceiling of the commander’s office. ‘I’ll come back down soon,’ she mouthed before covering the ceiling tile. The administrative officer entered right after.

“Is that all the documents?”

“Yes.”

“Come back around eleven.”

“Understood.”

After the administrative officer left, Rihirt put down the documents he had been holding. Though it would be tight to complete the work on time even if he started immediately, he now seemed unconcerned about anything.

She has no lover. He couldn’t understand why these words lingered so long in his mind.

⁕⁕⁕

Knights leaving the training ground after practice could see a man and woman by the water fountain. The knights, who once would have worried about seeing things or about Anasha making a mistake, now accepted the sight with familiarity.

“There, there. They’re stuck together again.”

Chris clicked his tongue at the sight of the two standing side by side again today. His attitude of absolutely refusing to accept the new commander just a month ago was nowhere to be seen.

The knights standing beside Chris also found this change fascinating. More specifically, the change in the commander rather than Anasha.

“Somehow the commander seems to soften in front of Asha.”

“I can’t tell. He’s a person whose expression is always the same.”

“Look carefully. The atmosphere has changed. Is that the same commander we see during training?”

The knights each muttered something. The topic of conversation had shifted from the commander to the change in Asha’s attitude.

All the knights had noticed that Asha was particularly affectionate toward the commander, despite her complete change in attitude. If she had a tail, it would have been constantly wagging in front of him.

“Seeing how she talked about being favored and such, does she want a promotion?”

“What promotion? She’s just weak for his handsome face.”

“Is she the type to be swayed by such things? I don’t remember raising Asha to be like that!”

“What did you raise! I raised at least fifty percent of her!”

“What are you guys talking about? Asha said I was her favorite uncle.”

While some were showing their uncle pride, only Chris felt an inexplicable uneasiness. Anasha had been following the commander like a duckling following its mother duck. When he felt a strange sense of déjà vu, Mavrik casually remarked:

“It’s like watching her when she was young. It seems like just yesterday she was following Leon around.”

“That’s it! Leon!!”

At Chris’s exclamation, Mavrik jumped in surprise, which didn’t match his large build.

“What’s wrong…? Suddenly.”

“She’s doing exactly what she used to do with Leon.”

“Huh? Leon? Well, it does look similar, but the commander and Leon have different personalities and appearances……”

“Wasn’t Leon also light blonde…?”

“Now that you mention it……”

Mavrik closed his mouth. While the two maintained a heavy silence, others were interpreting the scene somewhat differently.

“But… they won’t suddenly fall for each other, right?”

“They’re young men and women. Who knows? They might even get married within a year.”

Nicholas, a romantic love theorist, nodded leisurely as he spoke. However, he soon had to bow his head deeply due to a hand striking the back of his head.

“Hey, the commander is twenty-eight! That would make him a complete thief!”

“How old is Asha? Marriage is out of the question!”

“It’s too early. We should at least all get married first before sending her off.”

While the knights continued their adamant opposition, the protagonists of the conversation were leisurely discussing the weather.

“The weather is really nice today. We should go out and play at times like this.”

The sky was blue without a single cloud. Today, too, Anasha was spending most of her time with Rihirt. She followed him wherever he went, and recently she had been helping with training at the practice field.

Though these two shared more time than most couples, neither Anasha nor Rihirt had any awareness of that aspect. They were just a superior and subordinate who cared deeply for each other.

“Meow.”

The bushes near the water fountain rustled, and a white cat jumped out. Upon spotting Anasha, the cat immediately approached her and circled around her legs.

“This is your first time seeing it, right? It comes here often. Someone seems to be raising it, but I don’t know who the owner is.”

When she stroked its head, the cat started purring contentedly. Anasha carefully picked up the cat and held it in her arms. Then she made it face Rihirt.

“You should greet the new commander.”

The cat merely opened its mouth lazily, as if uninterested.

“Say meow. Meow.”

“Mya.”

“You should say meow, meow.”

“Me—ow.”

“Oh, good kitty.”

Anasha put the cat down on the ground and crouched beside it, gently stroking its soft fur. The cat completely lay down, enjoying her touch. Though one might suspect it was a dog, Anasha continued to stroke its back.

“It must receive a lot of love from its owner. It really follows people well.”

“Myaa.”

“Yes, yes. Does this feel good? Look. Isn’t it cute?”

“…Yes.”

Rihirt unconsciously answered her question as she looked up at him. Realizing that the words came from his heart, he quickly turned his head away, avoiding her gaze.

Anasha tilted her head at his appearance, which somehow seemed surprised and confused. Is it a big deal to call a cat cute? In any case, it was certainly incomprehensible.

But Anasha didn’t know. The fact that his gaze had been fixed on her, not the cat, from beginning to end.

4. The Moment of Realization (1)

“It’s really hot today! You’ll die swinging a sword in this weather. Should I go to the commander’s office first and prepare some cold water?”

“It’s fine.”

“But still. You’re thirsty, right? This is a golden opportunity to make use of me when I have no missions!”

“You also worked hard helping with training today. You can just stay still.”

Rihirt spoke in an indifferent tone, but Anasha could feel his consideration. Where else could you find such a good commander! To exaggerate a bit, she felt like crying.

“I was thinking today too, I want to work under you forever, Commander.”

“Is that so?”

Though his face appeared expressionless, she could now detect his faint smile. It was a shame that he would have looked much more handsome if he smiled by lifting the corners of his mouth. Anasha chatted as usual from the tree and saw him off as he went back in to work.

“The commander is going to work, the uncles are all training, now what should I do?”

She was dangling her legs while looking up at the blue sky when:

“You have nothing to do today either?”

She ignored the familiar presence, but sure enough, the person who came under the tree was Chris. Anasha raised her eyebrows once. In response to her haughty expression asking ‘why,’ Chris pretended to be solemn, folded his arms, and opened his mouth.

“Come with me.”

“Where to?”

“City patrol.”

“Yay!”

As if she had never looked bored, Anasha exclaimed brightly. Then she did a somersault in the air and landed lightly in front of him.

“But why are we doing city patrol? What’s the local security force doing?”

“How would I know? They say they’re short on manpower, so what can I do? I’m the only one off duty, so there’s no choice.”

“Hooo. Giving up your day off, how diligent of you.”

“Don’t you remember complaining about having nothing to do while staring at the sky just now?”

Bickering as usual, the two arrived at the stable.

Since Anasha was so light, one horse was enough. Sitting backward behind Chris on the horse, Anasha even folded her legs. Though her posture looked precariously acrobatic, she herself appeared as comfortable as if sitting on flat ground.

As Chris rode the horse beyond the city gates toward the capital streets, he voiced a thought that suddenly occurred to him.

“Come to think of it. I’ve been wondering, why does the commander speak formally to you?”

“That’s because I’m favored, what else? If you’re dissatisfied, uncle, become a favored subordinate too.”

“Getting a little favor has made you even more impudent than before? Life must be good, huh?”

“Yes! Sometimes the commander gives me delicious snacks, invites me to drink tea together, allows me to lie on the sofa, takes care of me in various ways. Jealous? I know you’re jealous.”

Anasha playfully stuck out her tongue like a monkey teasing a dog from a tree. However, Chris didn’t find it annoying at all.

“…The commander?”

He didn’t even have time to think it was annoying because he was busy trying to accept the unbelievable fact. Chris, who almost dropped the reins he was holding, moved his lips blankly.

“Not Commander Abert…?”

“Uncle, really! Is Grandfather the type of person who would give me snacks and pour tea? I’d be lucky if he didn’t steal my food and pretend he didn’t!”