I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander-Chapter 135

After Daniel left his office to meet with the Security Bureau Director,

“......”

Lucy put down the documents and stared intently at the closed door through which Daniel had exited.

She fixed her gaze on it with an unstable expression before shaking her head.

It was best to put strange thoughts aside for now and focus on her original duties.

With that decision, Lucy picked up the documents again and resumed her review, but she soon had to stop.

She simply couldn't concentrate.

More than just a lack of focus—her mind was entirely consumed by thoughts of Daniel Steiner.

‘The Security Bureau Director must be suspicious of him...’

Lucy had a vague understanding of the situation.

It wasn’t the Security Bureau that had dismantled the Pallentia Branch—it was Daniel.

After all, he was the one who had uprooted the Imperial Prince’s private organization in the past.

It was only natural to assume that Daniel had used a similar method to crush the Pallentia Branch this time.

Then, what was his reason?

From Lucy’s perspective, Daniel attacking the Pallentia Branch was akin to wielding a double-edged sword.

If he succeeded, he would efficiently eliminate the Allied Nations’ spies embedded within the Imperial capital.

But if he failed, he wouldn’t just lose his own covert network—he would become the top-priority assassination target for enemy operatives.

Why would Daniel take such a risk?

Lucy pondered the question over and over until she arrived at one conclusion.

‘...Could it be because of me?’

It wasn’t mere speculation.

Daniel knew that she was a former test subject.

‘I don’t know if it’s sympathy or pity, but...’

From Lucy’s perspective, Daniel had always been strangely kind to her.

He frequently took her to dessert shops, buying her all sorts of treats.

And when the Security Bureau officers stormed in, he had stepped forward to defend her without hesitation.

‘Even though he knows I’m both a test subject and an Allied Nations spy, Daniel has always stood by me.’

There was nothing to gain from treating her well.

In fact, it only made things more dangerous for him—yet Daniel never stopped.

‘If he moved to protect me this time as well...’

Then everything suddenly made sense.

From Daniel’s standpoint, eliminating the Pallentia Branch would make it easier to keep Lucy safe.

In reality, Daniel had done nothing but have a meal at a pub called Beer Heaven, utterly unaware of the situation—

—but Lucy had no way of knowing that.

After all, Daniel was someone capable of running a covert organization while also being proficient enough in intelligence gathering to know that his aide was a former test subject.

More than that, he had recently turned a newspaper company into his propaganda outlet and established peculiar ties with the church.

A man like that wouldn’t possibly be unaware of the Pallentia Branch’s activities.

If he had investigated them, he would have certainly discovered that Lucy had turned her back on the organization after fighting against them.

‘...So he acted.’

To protect his aide.

The moment she reached that realization, guilt seeped into Lucy’s heart.

The thought that Daniel had once again helped her made her uneasy.

‘I couldn’t do anything for him in return...’

And yet, Daniel carried on with his work as if it was only natural.

Even though he should know that aiding an Allied Nations spy, even one who was his aide, was not the right thing to do.

Faced with Daniel’s unwavering support—so devoted it could even be called self-sacrificial—Lucy felt a sharp pang in her heart.

‘I want to repay him. Somehow...’

She wanted to give Daniel Steiner more than what she had received from him.

Not just desserts or borscht—she wanted to be of real help to him.

But in the current situation, she had no idea how to do that.

For a moment, she even considered running away before she could burden him any further—but quickly shook her head.

Leaving without repaying his kindness would be no different from betraying Daniel’s efforts.

Then what could she do to help him?

Neglecting her work entirely, Lucy racked her brain, only to exhale softly in frustration.

‘I don’t know.’

She truly had no idea.

The only things she knew about Daniel beyond work were that he liked desserts and that he was more playful than he seemed.

‘I don’t even know what he really wants...’

Her thoughts trailed off as something suddenly clicked.

There was one more thing she knew about Daniel.

‘Kelly.’

The woman Daniel had lost.

If she could find out what she looked like, maybe she could at least try to resemble her.

Just as Lucy entertained such a somewhat ridiculous idea, she immediately shook her head.

‘No. He might hate that instead...’

Perhaps he was the kind of person who preferred to leave the past in the past.

Ugh—

A headache suddenly crept in, making her frown.

Tapping her fingers lightly against the desk, Lucy’s gaze drifted toward Daniel’s seat.

"...The coat."

Daniel’s officer coat, which he always wore, was draped over the chair.

The thought that Kelly’s photograph might be inside its inner pocket unsettled Lucy.

"I want to see it."

She wanted to know what kind of woman had stolen Daniel’s heart.

"But..."

The idea that Daniel might hate it held her back.

"I shouldn’t. I mustn’t."

Lucy clenched her fist, repeating the mantra in her mind before gripping the documents again, determined to return to her work.

Yet, no matter how much she tried to focus, her attention kept drifting toward Daniel’s coat.

Like a magnet, her gaze was irresistibly drawn back to it.

Even when she squeezed her eyes shut, the image of the photograph inside tormented her thoughts.

She couldn’t hold back anymore. Slowly, Lucy rose from her seat.

"Just a quick look. Just for a moment, and it’ll be fine..."

Muttering an absurd justification to herself, she approached the coat Daniel had left behind.

She hesitated in front of it for a moment but eventually slipped her hand into the inner pocket and pulled out a photograph.

However, there was no woman who appeared to be Kelly in the picture.

What Lucy retrieved was a photograph of Daniel, surrounded by orphaned children, smiling warmly.

She had seen this picture before.

As she stared at it, her eyes narrowed slightly.

A strange emotion surfaced—

Her rationality, once tightly wound, unraveled, giving way to impulsive thoughts.

A mixture of sorrow and vague longing washed over her in disarray.

The cause was the kindness in Daniel’s expression captured in the photo.

As ridiculous as it was, Lucy realized she was jealous of that kindness.

"Daniel is a good person. That’s why..."

Even if it weren’t Lucy Emilia standing in her place, Daniel would have helped his aide all the same.

He wasn’t risking his life for Lucy Emilia, but for a poor woman who was once a test subject.

If someone else had been in her position, he would have done the same.

"Even when we met in disguise at the park..."

From Daniel’s perspective, she had been a complete stranger at the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} time.

And yet, he had stepped forward to escort her without hesitation.

Not only had he spoken to her with uncharacteristic warmth, but he had also shared thoughts he never revealed to his actual aide.

Ironically, Daniel had confided more easily in a woman he met for the first time in the park than in Lucy, who had been by his side for nearly a year.

That realization didn’t sit well with her.

She hated the fact that Daniel was kind to everyone.

She didn’t want to accept the possibility that, to Daniel, she was just one among many.

With a quiet sigh, Lucy slipped the photograph back into the coat’s inner pocket.

But then, she suddenly paused.

A faint scent wafted from the coat—

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A subtle blend of soap and a lingering trace of sweat.

Clean, yet soft.

A scent that strangely lifted her spirits.

Almost unconsciously, Lucy leaned in, inhaling deeply.

"It smells... nice."

It was the same scent she had noticed when she had embraced Daniel in her quarters before.

Eyes closed, she savored the familiar scent—

Then, with a startled jolt, her eyes flew open, round with shock.

The realization that she had acted purely on instinct made her feel an unexpected wave of embarrassment.

Her face flushed, and she let out a small cough before straightening herself.

Even so, her gaze remained locked onto Daniel’s coat.

Not because of some primal desire to smell it again—

But because she was thinking about the photograph inside.

She wanted her image to be among the photos Daniel always carried.

"I don’t want to be remembered as just another ordinary person..."

With a delicate touch, Lucy smoothed her hand over the shoulder of the coat, her eyes softening.

"But how...?"

How could she make Daniel see her as someone special?

More than that—she wanted to become someone precious to him.

Lost in those thoughts for a long moment, Lucy eventually let out an awkward smile.

"Loving someone alone..."

She was starting to realize—

It wasn’t as pleasant as she had imagined.