Imperial General Staff Headquarters.
Daniel Steiner’s Private Office.

Rustle—

Lucy sat alone at Daniel’s desk, diligently working through paperwork in his absence.

As usual, she was sorting documents by priority when she suddenly paused and lifted her head.

Footsteps…

The sound echoed faintly through the hallway.

Could it be Daniel?

Today was the day Daniel was supposed to return, having cut his leave short.

The thought of him finally arriving and putting an end to her late-night shifts lifted her mood unexpectedly.

Perking up, Lucy strained her ears to confirm.

No…

Her expression cooled.

The sound didn’t match Daniel’s footsteps.

The rhythm, stride length, and weight distribution were all different.

Then who…

Just as Lucy considered whether it might be Ernst, the Operations Chief, the door swung open without a knock.

A man in a navy-blue police uniform stepped in slowly.

Lucy’s hand twitched.

She knew this man well.

Kartman Schultz.

He was a Senior Inspector from the Security Bureau.

They’d even shared a meal once at a restaurant while she was in disguise, so there was no mistaking him.

“Hmm?”

Noticing Daniel’s empty desk, Kartman looked around curiously before turning to face Lucy.

Their eyes met, and after a brief pause, Kartman gave her a strained smile.

“Ah. Are you Major Daniel’s adjutant?”

Lucy hesitated.

Kartman’s suspicion could mean trouble if he decided to dig deeper.

But back then…

She’d hidden her appearance with a wig and sunglasses. She hadn’t even spoken.

Deciding that a brief exchange wouldn’t expose her, Lucy rose from her seat and responded calmly.

“Yes. What brings the Security Bureau to the General Staff?”

“Hmm. Well, to put it simply…”

Kartman scratched his head, then fixed his sharp gaze on her.

“Spy investigation.”

A tense silence fell between them.

The faint suspicion in Kartman’s sleepy eyes was unsettling.

But suspicion was something Lucy was well-accustomed to.

Without betraying a hint of emotion, she responded evenly.

“You mean there’s a spy in the General Staff?”

Kartman let out a dry chuckle.

Most people would have blurted out, ‘Are you accusing me?’ and fallen into their own trap, but Lucy cleverly redirected the focus to the entire General Staff instead.

Realizing she wasn’t an easy target, Kartman shrugged.

“Well, I’d hate to doubt the hardworking people here. But my investigation led me to suspect Major Daniel.”

“Suspicion? Based on what evidence?”

“Ah, that.”

Kartman rubbed his chin, pretending to recall, then snapped his fingers.

“I once had the honor of sharing a meal with Major Daniel at a restaurant. He was accompanied by a woman that day.”

He paused dramatically, then continued.

“She was quite the peculiar figure. I heard she served as a field medic on the Eastern Front and suffered an eye injury from enemy fire. She wore sunglasses, so I couldn’t see her eyes, but her brown hair was quite striking.”

Kartman flashed a sly smile as he studied Lucy.

“She was nearly my type, you see. So, out of curiosity, I did a little digging. How many field medics on the Eastern Front survived with eye injuries?”

The humor vanished from Kartman’s face as he raised a hand and began counting on his fingers.

“Five. Among younger survivors with eye injuries, there were five medics. Then I asked myself—how many of them had brown hair?”

He folded down three fingers.

“Two. Only two had brown hair. And lastly, how many of them developed aphasia and couldn’t speak at all?”

Kartman clenched his fist.

“None. Not a single one.”

Kartman’s eyes locked onto Lucy as he lowered his hand.

“Strange, isn’t it? This medic Major Daniel described doesn’t exist. Which means he lied. The question is—why did he lie?”

Kartman tilted his head, then narrowed his eyes.

“Could it be that woman was a spy, and Major Daniel hid her from me?”

It was an unnervingly accurate guess, but Lucy didn’t so much as blink.

Instead, she frowned slightly, her expression turning cold with irritation.

“Are you accusing my commanding officer, Major Daniel, of colluding with spies?”

Lucy’s sharp tone silenced Kartman momentarily before he chuckled and shook his head.

“Of course not. For now, it’s nothing more than my foolish imagination. And I sincerely hope it stays that way. But it wouldn’t hurt to be sure, would it?”

With that, Kartman reached into his coat.

What he pulled out was a sunglasses case.

When Kartman opened the case, it revealed a pair of sunglasses identical to the ones Lucy had worn that day.

“Would you mind putting these on for a moment? It’s not that I suspect you, Lieutenant Lucy, but if the woman I saw back then really was a spy, she’s likely operating inside the General Staff.”

Kartman’s suggestion implied that he’d already had others try them on—and now it was Lucy’s turn.

Cold sweat ran down Lucy’s back.

The moment she put on those sunglasses, his suspicions would skyrocket.

She could claim it was just a coincidence, but once Kartman started digging, it wouldn’t take long for the truth to come out.

Refusing to put them on would be even more suspicious.

Cornered, Lucy took a deep breath and reached for the sunglasses.

For now, complying seemed like the safest option.

But just as her fingers touched the frame—

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Daniel’s voice froze Lucy in place.

She turned reflexively and saw Daniel standing at the entrance to the office, staring straight at her.

Surprised by his sudden appearance, Lucy blinked and forgot to salute.

Kartman also turned at the sound, only to see Daniel approaching with a predatory gaze.

“Ah, Major Daniel… This is just…”

Kartman’s voice trailed off as Daniel stepped closer.

The imposing height and sharp glare bore down on him, radiating an almost physical weight.

“Explain what this is.”

Daniel’s voice carried an edge sharp enough to make Kartman shrink back.

Still, Kartman wasn’t ready to retreat just yet.

“Explain? I’m simply doing my job. The higher-ups authorized my access to the General Staff…”

“Then did you secure an internal security warrant?”

Kartman fell silent.

Internal security warrants held higher authority than access permits.

Even the Security Bureau couldn’t obtain one without clear evidence.

When Kartman failed to answer, Daniel’s eyes narrowed.

“Don’t tell me you barged in here without a warrant—and harassed my adjutant?”

“Major Daniel, this is a misunderstanding. Everything I’m doing is for the Empire. I wasn’t harassing your adjutant. I merely—”

“Kartman Schultz.”

Daniel interrupted him, lowering his head slightly.

“Let me make this clear since you don’t seem to understand.”

Their eyes met.

And Kartman saw it—the glint of a predator’s snarl, like a wolf ready to pounce.

“Get out. Now.”

Cold sweat trickled down Kartman’s temple.

Overwhelmed by a sudden sense of dread, Kartman nodded hastily and fled the office.

Only after Kartman was gone did Daniel let out a quiet sigh of relief.

‘I knew Duke Belvar would make a move, but to send someone this quickly…’

Granting Kartman access to the General Staff could only have been orchestrated by Belvar.

‘With Security Bureau agents snooping around here…’

It meant they were desperate for evidence.

‘For now, it’s a relief. If Lucy had put on those sunglasses, things would have spiraled out of control.’

If Lucy was accused of being a spy, Daniel would be implicated as well.

In the worst-case scenario, both could be executed for treason.

That was why Daniel had driven Kartman out so forcefully.

But this was only a temporary fix.

‘Belvar won’t stop. He’ll keep coming at me.’

If Daniel wanted to end this, he had to crush Belvar’s will to fight entirely.

And Daniel had both the means and the power to do it.

“Lieutenant.”

Having made up his mind, Daniel turned to Lucy.

“I’m heading out to meet Her Highness the Princess. Stay here and watch over the General Staff. Also, don’t go anywhere near the Security Bureau today. Understood?”

Lucy, still staring at Daniel in disbelief, nodded slowly.

Without another word, Daniel left the office.

Lucy exhaled deeply, as if releasing all the tension that had built up inside her.

Why…

Why had Daniel taken such a dangerous risk to shield her?

From her perspective, Daniel had essentially staked his life to protect someone suspected of espionage.

Lost in thought, Lucy placed a hand over her chest.

“….”

The steady thumping of her heartbeat echoed faintly through her fingertips.