I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander-Chapter 118

Without fully understanding Lucy's reaction, Daniel headed towards the palace's indoor garden after work.

Following the guidance of the head of the inner division, Daniel entered the garden and saw Selvia sitting while gently stroking a Doberman.

The Doberman, who had been purring under Selvia's touch, soon sensed a presence and lifted its head.

The Doberman, with its ears perked, quickly bared its teeth and growled.

Seeing this, Selvia stood up and turned towards the direction the Doberman was guarding.

There stood Daniel, neatly dressed in military uniform.

As their eyes met, Daniel placed a hand on his chest and bowed politely.

"Your Highness, Princess. I have come as requested."

Selvia gave a faint smile in response to his greeting.

Perhaps because of the recent events that had exhausted her, her face seemed tired.

"I've been waiting for you. Please, have a seat, and let’s talk..."

Selvia stopped mid-sentence and tilted her head in confusion.

Daniel was staring intently at the Doberman, who was still growling at him.

"...Lieutenant Colonel Daniel? Do you like dogs?"

Only then did Daniel realize his gaze was fixed on the dog, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I don't dislike them. I used to have a retriever in the past."

"Is that so?"

After a brief moment of contemplation, Selvia spoke with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Then would you like to pet him?"

Daniel, who would never willingly approach a dog that was growling at him, hesitated for a moment. If he refused, Selvia would likely tease him about it.

But...

"I'll do so."

Without hesitation, Daniel accepted and walked towards the Doberman.

The Doberman, who had been growling, seemed flustered as Daniel drew closer, and it retracted its teeth.

Kneeling in front of the dog, Daniel gently petted its head.

The Doberman blinked its eyes blankly but did not reject Daniel's touch.

"Good dog. I can see you’re trying not to bite."

As Daniel continued to pet the dog, Selvia tilted her head in confusion.

‘I don’t remember him being this docile...’

The dog, which had been showing its teeth and barking at everyone except for its owner, was now behaving like a lamb, lowering its tail in front of Daniel. It was truly strange.

"It reminds me of the past. Our Kelly used to be this well-behaved."

"Kelly... is that the name of the retriever you mentioned?"

"Yes. He was a charming one with a smile."

After saying that, Daniel petted the Doberman one last time and stood up.

"Anyway..."

Daniel lightly dusted off his hands and turned to face Selvia.

"You must have something you’d like to discuss with me."

At the mention of the main topic, Selvia pointed to the table beside her.

On the table were elegant cups and plates filled with refreshments.

"Shall we sit and talk?"

Daniel nodded in agreement to Selvia’s suggestion.

The two of them naturally walked over to the table and took their seats.

Selvia, lightly holding a steaming cup of black tea, pursed her small lips and spoke.

"Lieutenant Colonel Daniel. What exactly are you up to?"

From the very first question, there was an edge to her tone.

Daniel hesitated for a moment before giving a faint smile.

"I’m having difficulty understanding what you mean."

"Don’t play coy. Right now, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel, you’re deliberately slowing down the investigation. Now that Campbell’s collaboration has been exposed, what exactly are you hesitating about?"

It was obvious, of course, but Selvia had already listened to the recording of Campbell's confession that Daniel had brought.

There was more than enough evidence, so the next step should have been to deal with Baron Hendliem.

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‘But...’

Daniel had called a press conference and was merely stalling, claiming that "nothing has been confirmed yet."

He even appealed to stop the malicious reporting about Baron Hendliem.

‘The coronation is just around the corner. That means Daniel’s inquisitorial authority is about to end.’

At the time when he should have been most active, Daniel was delaying things as if he had no intention of concluding the investigation.

This bizarre behavior made Selvia furrow her brows in displeasure.

"Could it be that you’re trying to make peace with the aristocrats? After everything that’s happened?"

She was asking if, after it was clear that they had been attacked, Daniel was now trying to lower his head like a coward.

Daniel hesitated in answering Selvia’s question.

He needed time to think about whether he could trust Selvia.

‘Is it possible that Selvia is involved in the aristocrats’ plan to hand me over to the enemy...?’

Probably not.

Selvia was not someone whose loyalty was deeply tied to the legitimacy of the imperial family.

When the issue of the imperial succession caused internal strife, most of the aristocrats supported the Crown Prince, not Selvia.

At that time, Selvia and the aristocrats developed a mutual resentment, and to this day, they had been unknowingly at odds, so they could not be considered allies.

‘I didn’t intend for it...’

In the matter of being disliked by the aristocrats, both Selvia and Daniel were in the same boat.

Thinking there was no need to hide it, Daniel spoke up.

"I’m not trying to make peace. If anything, it’s quite the opposite."

"...Opposite, you say?"

"Your Highness, Princess. As you said, we now have grounds to investigate Baron Hendliem based on Campbell’s testimony. But, would there be any evidence left in the Baron’s mansion?"

Selvia didn’t answer but instead bit her lower lip tightly.

If she had any thoughts on the matter, Campbell must have disposed of all the evidence the moment he was captured.

"If there’s no evidence, even if I lead a force to raid the Baron’s mansion as an inspector, it would only be a futile effort. I would just earn the ridicule of the aristocrats."

"Ridicule, you say? From what I see, I think we could put some pressure on them. At the very least, we could make them show some reverence towards the imperial family."

"That’s not incorrect. However, meaningless pressure would only make their unity stronger. Moreover, it would plant one certainty in their minds."

Daniel raised his hand and grasped the cup of tea.

"Seeing that both the Princess and I are rushing matters, they’ll believe there’s no traitor in our ranks. So, let’s proceed as we are..."

Taking a sip of tea, Daniel lightly placed the cup back down.

"In the end, we’ll only be satisfied with capturing a pawn like Campbell. On the other hand, they’ll have resolved the distrust among themselves and continue to target both the Princess and me."

Releasing the cup, Daniel continued.

"Who exactly is winning here?"

If they proceeded according to protocol, it would mean siding with the aristocrats.

Selvia’s expression grew serious as she understood the logic behind Daniel’s words.

"So, you mean your goal is to disrupt their organization?"

"Yes. They will surely be puzzled as to how Daniel Steiner could have predicted the Crown Prince’s ambush."

Who would think that such an incident was merely a stroke of luck?

Perhaps it seemed absurd to him as well, and Daniel chuckled quietly.

"How could Daniel Steiner have known about the Crown Prince’s attack in advance? As they continue to theorize, they will inevitably come to the delusion that 'there is a traitor within.'"

Having only fragmented information, they would conclude that a traitor inside was collaborating with Daniel Steiner.

If they rushed the investigation too hastily, they would realize their guess was wrong and unite. But Daniel, instead of pushing the investigation forward, deliberately delayed it to spread their delusions.

"They will end up suspecting each other, not knowing who collaborated with Daniel Steiner. Oh, how convenient. Just then, an article surfaces."

"Are you talking about the report suggesting that Baron Hendliem might be involved with Campbell?"

"Yes. The people might find it strange, but the aristocrats will already know that Baron Hendliem is the criminal. But I denied it. I said there wasn’t enough evidence."

Daniel Steiner, who had certainly heard the testimony from Campbell, now protected Baron Hendliem.

The aristocrats, seeing this, could not help but suspect Baron Hendliem.

Had he made some kind of deal with Daniel Steiner?

"Suspicion will gradually turn into certainty. Whether the truth or the lie, it won’t matter much to them. What matters is that they have a scapegoat to drown in all their suspicions."

To increase the unity of the organization, the fastest way would be to eliminate the traitor they suspect.

The leader of these aristocrats had yet to be identified, but judging from Campbell’s testimony, it was clear they wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate anyone for their own plans.

"So, Baron Hendliem will have to make a choice."

Leaning back in his chair, Daniel shrugged his shoulders, a gesture of feigned sympathy.

"He will either die isolated, or to survive, he’ll have to truly betray his organization."

What Baron Hendliem would choose wasn’t clear, but whatever the outcome, it wouldn’t be bad for either Daniel or Selvia.

Even if Baron Hendliem died, the seeds of discord sown within their ranks would not easily vanish.

After hearing Daniel’s explanation, Selvia swallowed dryly.

There was still one puzzle piece that hadn’t fallen into place.

"Could it be that the one who started the article suggesting that Baron Hendliem might be a collaborator...?"

The plan’s key element was the article about Baron Hendliem possibly being a collaborator. Only with that article could Daniel Steiner deny it, leading the aristocrats to begin suspecting Hendliem.

Hearing Selvia’s guess, Daniel nodded calmly.

"Yes."

Daniel, narrowing his eyes slightly, continued in a dry tone.

"I gave the order."