I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander-Chapter 164
Under Daniel’s command, the officers silently grasped the handles of the door and pulled.
As the doors opened outward, they revealed Selvia standing with her back to them, dressed in a one-piece gown.
The brilliant moonlight pouring down from the full moon above bathed her in a sorrowful glow.
It was the kind of atmosphere that warned against approaching—but Daniel did not hesitate.
He stepped into the room and spoke quietly.
“Your Majesty.”
His voice, soft as a breeze, caused Selvia’s shoulders to tremble faintly.
But she did not turn around.
As if she had known he would come, Selvia parted her lips in a whisper.
“...Come in, Daniel.”
Nodding, Daniel slowly walked toward her.
Once at her side, he naturally let his gaze fall upon the scenery unfolding beneath the terrace.
The capital stretched endlessly before them, filled with countless tanks and soldiers now stationed in place.
The tanks looked like toys, and the busily moving soldiers appeared as small as ants.
Selvia had been watching the 7th Armored Division enter the capital from this very spot. That was how she knew Daniel would come to find her.
“Your Majesty, as you can see, everything has now been brought under control...”
Turning to face her, Daniel trailed off mid-sentence.
Because there wasn’t a trace of life in Selvia’s half-lidded eyes.
And faint tear tracks could still be seen on her cheeks.
“Tell me something.”
Her voice was dry, fractured, wandering aimlessly.
“Why do you think I chose to become Emperor?”
Daniel couldn’t answer easily.
A mere soldier had no right to presume the will of the sovereign.
As Daniel remained silent, Selvia continued after a brief pause.
“The truth is, I never wanted to be Emperor.”
What followed was, in some ways, a revelation.
“I had no interest at all, really. When I was young, all I ever dreamed of was meeting a man I loved and starting a family with him.”
At the time, matters like politics and power were nothing more than illusions to her.
She neither needed to reach for them, nor desired to.
“But thoughts change, don’t they?”
Selvia exhaled quietly, as if recalling a past she would rather not.
“When I was ten, my brother killed a maid who had been serving me. Just because she refused to obey his command.”
The maid had refused an unjust order to undress—and for that, she was killed.
Selvia, devastated, reported it to her father and appealed to the many nobles of the imperial court. But all she heard in return was: “Stay silent.”
They feared that the truth—that a royal prince had committed murder—would undermine the authority of the imperial family.
“That’s when I knew. That the imperial household was rotten at its core. And I sensed that if my brother, who could kill without the slightest guilt, became Emperor, this Empire would drown in grief.”
Selvia’s breath scattered into the night wind.
“That’s why I resolved to become Emperor. Because no one else could stop him.”
So that the death of the maid who had followed her wouldn’t be in vain, Selvia gave everything she had.
With no foundation to speak of, she built her own faction, waged political campaigns, and personally visited the frontlines to rally soldiers and earn their respect.
And then, Daniel Steiner appeared.
Excelling in all things, Daniel Steiner supported Selvia on every front, enabling her rise to the throne.
Once crowned, Selvia dared to hope.
If not a greater empire, then at least a livable one.
...But in the end, it was all in vain.
“I believed politics should serve the greater good. That if I, as Emperor, worked for the happiness of the many, even those who opposed me would eventually set aside their differences and cooperate.”
But reality proved otherwise.
“I was wrong. Politics is always driven by self-interest.”
The Noble Coalition instigated a civil war fully aware of the chaos it would bring.
They imprisoned their own Emperor, seized the Empire’s institutions, and spread lies across the land.
Even knowing their actions would instill terror in the people, collapse the market, and break the army’s discipline—they carried on.
All for their own privileges and profit.
“I realized it too late. You could say this chaos we’re in now is the result of my own incompetence.”
Selvia’s dead eyes and self-blaming words made her seem pitiable.
Daniel took a moment, then spoke.
“It is not Your Majesty’s fault. No one could have imagined the Noble Coalition would use the funeral of the late Emperor to seize the capital.”
They had acted rashly, driven by fear of the unknown variable—Daniel Steiner.
That rashness led them to commit unspeakable crimes, betraying human decency itself—something no one could have predicted, even with a wiser ruler in Selvia’s place.
But the wounds etched deep into Selvia’s heart would not be soothed so easily.
“If it weren’t you saying this, Colonel Daniel... who would believe me? I’ve already—”
“Your Majesty!”
Daniel cut her off, raising his voice.
“Compose yourself! You ruled with justice! How can the outbreak of civil war be Your Majesty’s fault? I swear to you, the people will not blame the Empress—they will blame the true traitor, Duke Belvar.”
He spoke with fiery conviction, locking eyes with Selvia, who looked back at him, startled.
“Now is not the time to drown in regret, Your Majesty. You must think about how to stabilize the Empire. And so, I intend to offer the fastest way to do exactly that.”
Though his expression was deadly serious, Daniel’s inner thoughts were far less noble.
This is my last chance to take off this damn uniform...!
With resolve firm in his heart, Daniel dropped to one knee before Selvia.
“Your Majesty. I humbly request that you dismiss me.”
At the word dismiss, Selvia’s eyes wavered.
She opened her mouth with visible difficulty, still flustered.
“...Dismiss you? Why would you say such a thing?”
“Your Majesty. With all due respect, the one who now controls the capital and has reclaimed all central institutions—is me, Daniel Steiner. The people, the military, even the politicians... they likely believe that the true power in the Empire is no longer the Empress, but Daniel Steiner.”
Daniel bowed his head deeply.
“Therefore, please dismiss me and reclaim that power. I marched on the capital without orders—there’s ample justification for dismissal. If you do this, I will step down without resistance.”
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Daniel’s unwavering voice carried nothing but sincerity.
And yet, from Selvia’s perspective... she could not understand him at all.
“Are you saying... you’re willing to give up everything and leave—for my sake?”
“Yes.”
“Why... Why make such a painful decision...?”
Color returned to Selvia’s eyes.
Where once there had only been remorse and self-blame, now there was compassion—and pity.
She couldn’t understand it. She couldn’t accept that Daniel would abandon everything he had achieved... for her.
“Do you even understand what it means to be dismissed by me? It’s not just being barred from the military—you’ll never be allowed to hold any public office again. When the word ‘dismissal’ comes from my mouth, it’s not a procedural formality.”
If the Emperor personally orders a dismissal, that person’s life is essentially over.
At least in the Empire, they’ll never have a respectable job again.
But Daniel replied without the slightest hesitation.
“That’s exactly what I wish.”
As if he had already made peace with it.
“If my misfortune can bring Your Majesty happiness, then I’ll gladly accept it.”
“Are you insane? Why would you go that far—?”
“I told you once, didn’t I?”
Daniel raised his head and looked up at her.
“Selvia von Amberg.”
Calling her name, Daniel gave her a faint smile.
“You are the only sovereign I have ever acknowledged.”
Only with you do I have reason to exist.
Selvia understood his words for what they were—and tears welled in her eyes.
A man willing to abandon everything he had, for the sake of one woman, stood before her.
And in front of that man, the woman wept softly.
“I... I have nothing...”
She had nothing to offer Daniel.
And yet, again and again, he had saved her—never asking for anything in return.
And now... even this time, it’s for me...
He was offering to destroy his own life.
Unable to hold °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° back the wave of emotion swelling inside her, Selvia fell to her knees and embraced Daniel tightly.
Their bodies pressed together, sharing warmth.
“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry...”
The unfathomable emotions she held for Daniel bloomed like a flower in full bloom.
She had hidden them for so long, denied them whenever they tried to surface—but now, she could no longer deny it.
She had been born with no choice but to love this man.
“...Your Majesty.”
Daniel held her in return, gently stroking her back.
A gesture of understanding—for the pain and guilt she had endured.
Beneath a sky crowded with stars, Selvia—no longer an Empress, but simply a woman—rested in Daniel’s arms, and came to a quiet realization.
Daniel is...
The unwavering loyalist who must remain by her side forever—and the only man who had ever taken her heart.
And so...
Dismissal was out of the question.
