Chapter 41
Hermia asked Gerald, who was clearly visible to her but unnoticed by anyone else, in a similarly quiet voice,
“So, can only I see you, Your Highness?”
– Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I can only be seen by those I touch. However, it seems everyone can hear my voice.
There are certain rules to this. Remembering the strange sensation that first touched her shoulder, Hermia nodded.
Gerald chuckled as if he found it amusing.
– I discovered Liz’s hidden love letters with this ability. You should have seen her faint twice in a row when she saw me like this.
He continued rambling about whether he should visit the Queen next and whether that would lead to another national mourning, filling the air with nonsensical chatter.
Hermia bit her lip and watched a burly mailman with a nail in his mouth and a hammer in hand walk by (what mailman would be suspiciously wandering around at night?). After he moved away, she spoke up.
“What about the Duke? How did he react?”
Gerald turned back with a curious “huh?” and blinked his glassy, transparent eyes.
“Didn’t he say he doesn’t believe in curses? What did he say after seeing you?”
At that, Gerald looked surprised as if he hadn’t thought of it at all. He seemed to brush off what he considered an unimportant matter.
– Ah, right. I was supposed to show it to him.
“Have you not shown him yet?”
When she frowned and asked, he rubbed his upper lip awkwardly as if embarrassed.
– Well… I’ve been restless for days and kept failing. Even when I succeeded, I couldn’t go far before waking up again.
Her hopes deflated at his answer. She had been curious about the Duke’s reaction.
From the fact that he couldn’t teleport, it seemed clear that the Prince wasn’t truly dead. Just a floating blue and transparent naked man… Speaking of which, what do you call someone floating? There was a word for it starting with “sp”… something…
While she drifted into these odd thoughts, Gerald rubbed his lower lip and pondered something else.
– Strange. Why did I come straight here?
“We’re done with the inspection.”
Meanwhile, those who had been busy gathered in one place, and the earlier beggar stepped forward. He seemed to be the leader of the group.
“We found no signs of anyone having broken in from outside, so you can rest easy and sleep now.”
The intruder who had barged in and broken everything was reporting confidently.
Hermia looked at the makeshift door made of patchwork wood and hastily nailed together and barely managed to lift her lips into a smile.
“Wow. You really fixed it half-heartedly.”
“For now, this is just a temporary fix. When daylight comes…”
“Ah, I understand. Okay, everyone go back now.”
“Yes. We will keep watch outside 24/7, so don’t worry and rest comfortably.”
With a proud chest and confident words from the leader, his subordinates turned toward the back door of the kitchen in unison.
Outside, thick rain continued to pour down while thunder rumbled intermittently. Spending the night outside in this weather…
“Excuse me. Wait a moment.”
Hermia had to call back some soaked soldiers and those who looked pitiful just by looking at them.
A deep sigh escaped her as if the ground were sinking beneath her.
“Work inside today. Since you’ve already been discovered, there’s no need to guard outside.”
“We’re fine.”
“I’m uncomfortable with that. Just wait until daylight before going out.”
“No. Our mission is…”
“Just do as you’re told!”
“Understood!”
Only after receiving their disciplined reply did she stagger back upstairs.
—
Having changed from her nightgown into indoor wear, Hermia observed the battlefield that was now her dining table. It was enough to make her feel complicated just by looking.
The daily rations she had planned to save while living alone were quickly disappearing as one meal for the leader’s unit.
It seemed they hadn’t been able to eat properly during their operation. They ate like people who hadn’t had a meal in three days.
“Um…”
Hermia spoke to the painter sitting on her left.
“Oh, it’s Ross. Bob Ross.”
“Mr. Ross, I have a question. Doesn’t the Duke give you money for food and living expenses while you work?”
“Are you asking about activity expenses? Of course they are provided.”
The painter cheerfully replied while stuffing leftover toast into his mouth.
“Far from being insufficient; we actually receive more than enough.”
“But why do you all look like this…?”
Just as she was about to ask why they looked so shabby, the leader sitting across from her suddenly interjected.
“You don’t need to use honorifics with us. Our Chameleon Unit consists entirely of commoners including myself.”
“You’re not nobles? So…”
Surprised that someone who had sat at the same table during gatherings with other noble officers was a commoner, she asked again as he smiled and shook his head.
“My name is Tom Canty. You can just call me Tom.”
“Oh. So Mr. Canty is particularly high-ranking?”
“Not at all. While our starting points differ, promotions are strictly merit-based, regardless of social status. That’s how rare cases like me, a commoner outranking nobles, happen.”
The leader proudly puffed out his chest as he continued speaking.
“Colonel Rockford always emphasizes that the military is a class-based society rather than one based on status. It’s something admirable.”
A high-ranking commoner. It felt like he was talking about her specifically. She felt uncomfortable but had no choice but to nod along.
“…Do other nobles follow Mr. Canty’s orders willingly?”
“If someone doesn’t want to follow orders from superiors in the military, there are only two choices: confinement or discharge.”
Still, there must be some fools who cling to their noble bloodline without exception. As if reading Hermia’s thoughts, the leader added,
“Our unit was personally established by Colonel Rockford, so other noble officers don’t dare treat us lightly either. Attacking us would be equivalent to attacking Colonel Rockford himself.”
“To answer your earlier question in that context: we tend to save on activity expenses a bit more,”
the painter smoothly took over the conversation.
“We’re trying to avoid people saying things like, ‘Those lowly commoners are flaunting themselves under the colonel’s wing,’ if we spend recklessly. We can’t tarnish the Colonel’s reputation, can we?”
The members who had been eagerly filling their stomachs nodded vigorously at his words.
Hermia rested her chin on her hand, silently observing them. In her mind, she began to unconsciously associate herself with the Chameleon Squad.
If she had rejected the Princess’s proposal and simply married Walter, every little thing she did would surely have been constantly discussed by gossipers.
Moreover, she was a villainess from the slums. If she bought clothes, rumors would spread that she bought out the whole store, and if she wandered the streets, rumors would spread about her being greedy for real estate.
The Count and Countess would undoubtedly be causing a scene without even needing to see them.
Feeling dizzy for no reason, Hermia shook her head to clear her thoughts.
‘Deciding to run away was a good choice. Let’s not think about it anymore.’
As she pushed the finished soldiers into the guest room and handed over the insufficient bedding, she kept moving to avoid thinking about Walter.
Just as she thought Gerald had disappeared, he poked his head out from the wall when she returned to change back into her pajamas.
“Ah! You scared me! I almost screamed again!”
Hermia scolded him in a hushed voice while hastily buttoning up the two buttons she had undone.
– Ah. Sorry. I came quietly so the soldiers wouldn’t hear.
Gerald covered his important parts with his hands and looked around the room before grabbing a blanket from the foot of the bed and wrapping it around his waist.
He had been confidently naked earlier, so why was he suddenly like this? She felt the same way when she first saw him at the bookstore; he was an unpredictable man.
“If that door broke this time, I would have charged you for it.”
He looked at her with a quiet gaze as she complained, then smiled.
– Oh? And would you charge the front door and windows to Walter?
“That… let’s just leave that to Mr. Canty.”
As she checked to see if the door was properly closed and turned back, Gerald’s head moved along with hers. Hermia gave him a disapproving look as she headed for the bed instead of changing clothes.
“Are you going to stay here? Aren’t you going to see the Duke?”
– It’s dawn, so Walter will probably be asleep. I’ll go later.
Then he shamelessly plopped down on the sofa. Hermia asked in disbelief,
“How am I supposed to sleep if you stay there?”
– So what? There’s no one watching. My body isn’t here either, so it’s not dangerous for you.
“That’s not the issue.”
– Why? Are you embarrassed?
“Have you lost your mind?”
Seeing Hermia disgusted and cursing at him, Gerald chuckled with his head down.
– You know, Miss Hermia, I thought about it and I don’t think it would be bad if something happened between us.
“What do you mean something happening?”
– …Like you and I having a night of fun?
He really was crazy. Yes. While others might be oblivious, Gerald definitely fit the character of a lecherous nobleman in a scandalous novel.
No matter how free-spirited he was in his lower half, how could he say such things to his childhood friend’s fiancée?
Hermia crawled into bed without responding to his absurd comments.
– If one night is too little, how about two nights? Three nights? I’m fine with any of them.
“If you keep talking nonsense, go to the guest room. There’s a lovely lady there too. She might have some hair on her legs though.”
– Think about it. It wouldn’t be bad. What if Walter suddenly changes his mind and chooses Melissa instead of you?
Gerald flew straight toward the bed.
– If we cause some trouble beforehand, you’ll have insurance. If they hold me responsible for one night, who knows? You might become not just a Countess but a Princess of this country!
“Please leave before you attract people shouting about chameleons or caramels.”
Hermia said irritably and pulled the blanket over her head completely. However, Gerald continued to linger with a lingering voice.
– Even if you marry Walter, I’ll keep it a secret for life. Okay?
“Snore… Snore… Zzz…”
– …….
Only after her blatant dismissal did Gerald finally back off.
Banished into the hallway without any gain, he looked back at Hermia’s room in disbelief before bursting into laughter.
How cute.
As his laughter gradually subsided, he awkwardly touched his mouth.
– …This is bad. Really bad.
