I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

The breath escaping her slightly parted lips dispersed as a chill.

Amidst her tumultuous thoughts, memories of Daniel’s kind treatment towards her surfaced unbidden.

They had spent two seasons together.

As Lucie recalled the accumulated memories, now akin to cherished recollections, she abruptly shook her head.

‘The essence remains unchanged.’

Lucie was a spy for the Allied Nations.

No matter how kindly Daniel treated her, the fact that he was the ‘enemy’ did not change.

Espionage activities during wartime were no joke.

She must not become entangled by emotions.

For there could be no such thing as a compassionate war where one refrained from killing good people.

‘However…’

At this juncture, with doubts lingering in her mind, she could not bring herself to harm Daniel.

‘What if the contents of that paper were true?’

If the Allied Nations, not the Empire, had conducted the inhumane experiments, then Count Calredra had essentially been lying to Lucie all along.

Though Lucie wished to believe Calredra, who was akin to a father, would never lie to her, the paper’s contents continued to sow seeds of doubt.

‘So until the falsity of this document’s contents is confirmed…’

It was appropriate to postpone killing Daniel.

Having reached her decision, Lucie put away her pistol.

After returning the pistol to the holster on her belt, Lucie replaced the document and photograph into the officer’s coat’s inner pocket.

Then, taking a step back, Lucie half-opened her eyes, bathed in the moonlight filtering through the window.

For a while, she gazed at Daniel, enveloped by inexplicable emotions, before turning to leave.

After erasing any traces of her intrusion, Lucie approached the front door and looked back at Daniel one final time.

Amid her myriad thoughts, Lucie watched Daniel’s back before activating her optical camouflage and opening the front door.

Stepping out into the hallway, she closed the door behind her.

As a result, the now solitary Daniel slowly opened his eyes, leaning against the sofa.

‘…She’s gone?’

Fully opening his eyes and scanning the surroundings, Lucie was nowhere to be seen.

Uncertain if she had truly departed, Daniel glanced towards the front door before finally letting out a relieved sigh.

With his survival confirmed, the tension dissipated, leaving him feeling drained.

‘Lucie’s behavior yesterday did seem rather strange…’

In the office, when Daniel had changed her rank insignia, he had briefly noticed Lucie exhibiting a sense of guilt.

Why guilt instead of suppressed anger? As he pondered this throughout the workday, Daniel had arrived at the conclusion that he might be assassinated.

Just as one would naturally develop affection for a pet after half a year, it was only natural for feelings to arise after spending over half a year with another person.

In that state, if ordered from above to eliminate the target, even the most callous spy could not help but feel guilty, being human.

Believing Lucie was in the same predicament, Daniel had refrained from sleeping upon returning to his residence and instead spent the night on the sofa.

He had draped his officer’s coat over the sofa’s backrest, ensuring the “Lucie Project” document protruded from the inner pocket.

That way, if Lucie came to assassinate him, she would inevitably examine the officer’s coat.

Subsequently, as he sat on the sofa killing time, he had heard the sound of someone using a lockpick to disengage the lock at the front door.

Assuming it was Lucie, Daniel had pretended to be asleep, leaning against the sofa’s backrest.

While he could have directly handed her the document, doing so would have greatly increased the likelihood of Lucie perceiving Daniel as ‘fabricating evidence to survive.’

‘Since she’s the Allied Nations’ experimental subject, yet remains loyal to them, she must have been brainwashed to some extent.’

Therefore, Daniel had feigned sleep, aiming to create a situation where Lucie would ‘accidentally’ discover the document.

That way, Lucie would be more inclined to trust the document’s authenticity.

If Lucie entertained the possibility that the document’s contents were true, her resulting emotional turmoil would exponentially increase Daniel’s chances of survival.

For Lucie’s fundamental reason for being loyal to the Allied Nations and obeying their orders likely stemmed from her belief that ‘the Allied Nations were uninvolved in biological experiments.’

Thus, if that unwavering belief was merely shaken, Lucie would inevitably begin questioning her own judgment.

Fortunately, the closely approaching Lucie had acted precisely as Daniel had anticipated.

From a broader perspective, Daniel had indeed shielded Lucie from the Security Bureau and turned a blind eye despite knowing she was a spy.

Additionally, Lucie was not an individual blindly and fanatically loyal to the Allied Nations, which had enabled this strategy to work.

‘However…’

Frankly, it remained uncertain whether Lucie would continue hesitating with the assassination.

In other words, such life-threatening situations could occur again at any moment.

‘Yet I cannot request a Security Bureau investigation…’

Currently, Daniel was at odds with the Security Bureau after pressuring their inspector at the General Staff Headquarters.

Moreover, a single unverifiable document lacked evidentiary value, and if an adjutant was discovered to be a spy, their superior officer would also face investigation – tantamount to self-destruction.

If evidence emerged that Daniel had concealed Lucie’s spy activities despite being aware of them, the situation would become exceedingly difficult during the investigation process.

‘Then…’

The only viable option for Daniel at present was to substantiate the Allied Nations’ involvement in biological experiments on Lucie.

‘If I can secure evidence proving the Lucie Project…’

Lucie would no longer follow the Allied Nations’ orders, freeing Daniel from the assassination threat.

Moreover, he might even gain a human weapon capable of single-handedly combating an entire division as an ally.

‘But how do I…’

As Daniel agonized over a way to sway Lucie, he shook his head.

Mere contemplation would not yield a solution.

Suddenly, an old spy movie he had watched resurfaced in his mind.

It was a story where a spy falls in love with their assassination target and ultimately abandons their homeland’s orders.

Recalling the movie’s premise, Daniel let out a wry chuckle, finding the notion preposterous even to himself.

‘As if that emotionless woman could ever fall for me.’

It would be far swifter to subdue Lucie through force.

Dismissing the absurd notion, Daniel dispelled his brooding and rose from his seat.

Having preserved his life, he figured he might as well pour himself a celebratory glass of whiskey.

At the same time, in the Imperial Eisenkrone Palace.
Princess Selvia’s bedchamber.

“Let’s see. The budget proposal for the National Propaganda Department next year…”

Clad in an elegant silk nightgown, Selvia perused various documents.

Recently, after assuming the role of regent, Selvia, as the future Empress, had been receiving the same reports as the current Emperor. Handling these had left her with scarcely any time for sleep.

As she was reading through the documents, a knock sounded at the door.

Turning her head toward the unexpected visitor, the door opened without her permission.

Standing in the doorway was a golden-haired, blue-eyed noblewoman with a smile on her face.

Mariante von Amberg.

She was Selvia’s mother and the Emperor’s wife, the Empress of this Empire.

“Still hard at work this late into the night. You could still rely on your father for the time being.”

As Mariante approached and spoke, Selvia shook her head.

“I cannot become complacent and merely rely on others if I wish to become Empress. If I do not accustom myself now, I may struggle to properly govern later, which is why I must strive diligently.”
“As expected of my daughter. You are indeed admirable.”

With a soft chuckle, Mariante took a seat beside Selvia.

Sensing her gaze, Selvia neatly organized the documents and set them aside before facing Mariante.

“…Mother. Is there something you wish to say?”
“Indeed. I actually came to offer some advice after overhearing your previous conversation with him.”
“Advice?”

In response to Selvia’s questioning tone, Mariante nodded.

“Yes. You mentioned Daniel Steiner, did you not? The young officer who successfully delivered that speech this time. From what little I have looked into, it seems his ambition and abilities will propel him to even greater heights.”

Mariante gently grasped Selvia’s hand.

“Daughter. While he advised you to remain vigilant and hostile towards this Daniel Steiner, my perspective differs slightly. If you truly wish to place a leash on Daniel Steiner, there is a more humane approach.”
“…A humane approach, you say?”
“The more a man has to lose and values honor, the less free he is from responsibility – this is something they understand well. So if Daniel becomes a prominent figure in the Empire yet remains defiant, you should employ a weapon only women possess.”

Unable to comprehend, Selvia furrowed her brow.

“A weapon only women possess? Such a thing cannot exist.”
“Oh, but it does. I used it to ensnare your father and conceive you.”
“What could that…”

Trailing off, Selvia’s eyes widened in shock.

Observing her daughter’s stunned silence, Mariante withdrew her hand.

“I may not know much about politics, but I do understand that vigilance and hostility are not the only options. Of course, you must never act rashly. I am merely suggesting one of many possible methods.”

Selvia remained petrified.

Gazing fondly at her daughter, still reeling from the shock, Mariante rose from her seat.

“Selvia. Remember this. No matter how outstanding a man may be, he becomes a fool before carnal desire.”

Having imparted her profound words, Mariante promptly exited the bedchamber.

Finally letting out an indescribable groan, Selvia’s face flushed crimson.

She could not comprehend her mother’s intentions.

‘Why did she suddenly visit only to utter such outrageous remarks…?’

Shaking her head vigorously, Selvia picked up the documents.

Yet despite her efforts to refocus on state affairs, her mother’s lingering words ran rampant in her mind, rendering concentration impossible.

Before she realized it, Selvia found herself entertaining lewd thoughts and covered her face with both hands in embarrassment.

Her hands trembled uncontrollably, independent of her will.

‘Regain your composure, Selvia. Please…’

Frankly, she felt mortified enough to die.