Chapter 38
“Even if she has an interest in her studies, many women give up due to family opposition. I wonder if Miss Vansen is one of those cases…”
Nora paused and cleared her throat.
All the exam questions were multiple choice. Walter, after observing the marks on the last page like shooting stars, neatly stacked the papers on his desk.
“She has a talent for math.”
His voice was dry as he muttered while organizing the exam paper and placing it in an envelope.
“She’s a smart woman.”
“Yes, indeed.”
As she saw Walter locking the drawer where the exam papers were kept, Nora quickly responded. She pretended not to hear Walter’s quiet comment of “cute” as he closed the drawer and straightened her back.
Walter casually asked,
“What about the security personnel?”
“The ‘Chameleon Unit’ has been deployed around the mansion since 7 PM today. They are disguised in civilian clothes and will wait nearby, ready to act in case of an emergency before reporting back.”
“Will she dislike it?”
“Excuse me?”
After a brief pause, Walter turned his head. A hint of concern flickered in his deep green eyes.
“Will she be uncomfortable thinking I’m watching her?”
“It’s only natural to provide security for your fiancé. I find it hard to understand why we wouldn’t make it public.”
He spoke with irritation towards his subordinate who answered clearly.
“Doing so would only draw more attention. It would make her a target—as someone confirmed to be marrying me and therefore someone I need to protect.”
Ah, Nora realized this internally.
The moment they switched to public security, the importance of the target would rise, potentially making them a target instead. It would be like openly advertising that there was a weakness in Walter Rockford.
Moreover, Hermia’s parents were not people who would hold back for their daughter; once security was in place, they would likely get excited and start flaunting around.
Trying not to imagine such an undesirable scene, Nora quickly corrected herself.
“I was short-sighted.”
“There will be eyes watching her after bringing her to the tea party. If there are any suspicious movements around, apprehend them immediately.”
“Yes!”
Walter gestured towards Henry, who was still standing quietly at the doorway.
Henry nodded and turned to leave, but he suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Nora’s shoulder, spinning her around.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ve selected the personnel for the operation to capture the doctor, but we have someone refusing orders, so I brought her here”
As Henry reported while keeping his gaze fixed on Walter, Nora immediately glared at him.
“I thought we already finished discussing this earlier. I clearly told you, Lieutenant, that I see no reason for my participation in this operation.”
“Do you want me to go undercover with a bunch of big guys? The target will surely be fooled well.”
“Why do you keep forcing this?”
Walter watched his two subordinates bicker with disdain before taking a sip of tea.
“Go.”
“Colonel!”
Setting down his teacup revealed Nora’s face filled with dissatisfaction. Unlike Henry, who always grumbled, this was an unusual side of a subordinate who typically followed orders immediately.
Seeing her face questioning why she was disobeying orders, Nora tightly shut her eyes before opening them again with a fierce expression as if she had heard something terrible.
“Disguising as newlyweds? How does that even make sense? With Lieutenant Schumacher?”
What is this?
“Newlyweds?”
“This is clearly an abuse of power! It’s an overreach! This operation is not some child’s play…”
Her words trailed off as her face turned bright red.
She hated it enough to get that worked up. Walter thought as he turned his head away.
“What about another operations”
“Well… If that doesn’t work out, we could put a wig on Sergeant Hamilton or something.”
“Then rumors will spread about two perverts moving in together.”
“That suits you better, Lieutenant!”
As Nora yelled in anger, both Walter and Henry flinched at her loud voice. Her back was quickly disappearing as she stormed out with clenched fists.
“Henry.”
“Yes?”
“Why is the lieutenant so angry?”
Seeing Walter genuinely confused made Henry let out a short sigh.
Though everything was in place, he swallowed his thoughts about how Hermia would struggle because of this man who had no clue about romance.
—
It was a calm night after several days of weakened rain.
Since Duke Leonhard passed away, Walter had been having the same dream repeatedly. Unfortunately, these dreams were mostly unpleasant memories he wished to avoid revisiting, causing him to wear a troubled expression even in his sleep.
‘I will never witness our family’s status plummet because of one foolish son. The title will be passed down to my grandchild.’
‘But my lord, young Master Walter is still just a child. He should finish school first…’
The hand that was about to knock on the bedroom door paused in mid-air.
Walter froze at the shocking announcement made by his grandfather, just a day before returning to the dormitory for the new school year.
“Neither Vivian nor I raised him that way, so how did such a foolish boy end up being born into our family?”
“Sir, I apologize, but could you lower your voice a bit…”
“If Harry becomes the head of the family, it will be like a charity house. Just look at how he keeps inviting lowly people like Jack or whoever.”
“Vansen is an aristocratic family, after all…”
“I know that! Is it two generations? Or three? And they have illegitimate siblings? What a great family.”
Duke Leonhard crushed his cigar in a glass ashtray and gulped down a glass of rich golden whiskey.
“Listen, Aiden.Don’t you think my grandson would be a hundred times better as the heir than that scatterbrained son of mine?”
“Of course, young Master Walter is excellent. His grades are outstanding, and his reputation is very good… but…”
The butler’s voice trailed off due to the knocking sound.
Walter felt his blood run cold as he turned to see who was knocking behind him. His father, Harry Rockford, stood there with a calm smile on his face.
“For the time being, let’s avoid having any… guests over. Shall we go in, son?”
Harry patted Walter’s stiff shoulder reassuringly as he stepped inside first. Walter was even more shocked because he thought his father’s condition had completely healed.
Walter took hesitant steps into the oppressively heavy air of the bedroom.
The musty smell of the burnt cigar lingered. The ice in the glass slipped around in the remaining whiskey.
The cold face of his grandfather looking at his father was etched in his memory so vividly that it felt alive even in dreams.
The scene changed quickly, and once again it was a familiar place.
“You’re staying at the dormitory again this vacation? Should I stay too?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He’s laying the groundwork so he can be stationed somewhere cushy after graduation. That’s why he trains nonstop, even during breaks.”
“Man, we should suck up to him. He might become our superior one day. I even heard a rumor that Duke Leonard already pulled some strings for him.”
“Is it true they already call him ‘Little Duke’ back at the estate? Oh, and wasn’t Major Harry Rockford a bad stutterer when he was a kid?”
As Walter entered, students gathered in the lounge playing cards panicked and overturned their game.
“L-Little Duke…! I mean, Cadet Walter, we didn’t mean to…”
“Gambling is not just against the rules; it’s grounds for expulsion.”
Cold voices made beads of sweat form on their foreheads.
“…Just this once.”
Normally, Walter would never let such behavior slide, but recalling their conversation made him clench his fists.
“…I’ll let this one slide, so just go back to your rooms.”
His classmates immediately brightened and stuffed scattered cards and chocolate wrapped in gold foil into their pockets. They bowed repeatedly towards him before hurriedly leaving.
Left alone in the lounge, Walter exhaled the rough breath he had been holding back. He felt disgusted with himself for not arguing back at that moment.
His misplaced anger headed towards an innocent door, and he wondered if it was himself that was cracking rather than the door making noise.
Once again, the background changed. As time passed, his grandfather’s face grew darker with intense anger.
“You’re volunteering for the Western Front? The most dangerous front lines? Are you out of your mind?”
“I heard they are always short on troops there. That’s why I volunteered.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Walter felt dizzy. For the first time in his life, he was slapped across the face and instinctively straightened up and stood tall.
“Did you think I would allow such idiocy? Listen closely, Walter. I’m someone who can have you discharged at any moment if I want.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll re-enlist and start from scratch again. Even if it means dying as cannon fodder, I will accept it proudly.”
Duke Leonhard’s brow deepened further.
“…You think I drove Harry to his death, is that it? Is this your revenge?”
“……”
“Is this some pathetic sympathy for your father? Or guilt? Do you feel like you’ve taken your father’s place?”
With a chillingly low voice, he suddenly grabbed Walter by the collar. The immense grip made it hard for him to breathe.
“You weak fool! You still don’t understand the weight of carrying the name Rockford! Our family is not over yet. Rockford is a pride and honor of this kingdom!”
“I don’t care!”
Walter shouted back as he inherited his grandfather’s innate strength while shaking off his hand.
“The name of our family isn’t important to me. Like my late father, I am just a soldier. There’s nothing more important than protecting my country.”
The buttons on his coat were torn and crumpled messily, but he didn’t have time to care about that. Walter suppressed his boiling defiance with all his might as he spoke each word firmly.
“I don’t care about the title, either. I’m sorry, but this is the kind of grandson you have.”
“……”
As Walter turned away, he didn’t see his grandfather’s expression at that moment. He couldn’t tell what kind of face his once towering grandfather had or what emotions were there—and he didn’t want to know either.
