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Blanshe politely greeted Bella as she returned to her barracks.

“Miss? Have you already finished the meeting and come back?”

“Blanshe. I’m sorry, but please cancel my schedule for the rest of the day.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not feeling well, so I need to be alone for a while today.”

“…Ah, yes. Understood.”

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Blanshe didn’t pry further and stepped back. If it were anyone else, they might have made a fuss, calling for a healer or insisting on going to the hospital, but this was just Bella’s way of saying she was uncomfortable.

In moments like these, Blanshe’s personality, which avoided unnecessary meddling, was something to be grateful for.

Bella threw herself onto the makeshift bed.

Compared to the bed at the Izakhel Mansion, it was uncomfortable, but she was glad to have even this.

“I’m exhausted…”

She needed to change her clothes, but she had no energy.

Her body felt heavy, like a soaked cotton ball.

The reason she was so worn out was entirely because of Tristan. After a minor accident at the Castle of the Duke, he had fallen into a deep sleep for several days.

According to Ariel, who had examined Tristan’s condition, there was no threat to his life—it was just that his accumulated fatigue had all come crashing down at once.

With Tristan, the commander of the expedition army, suddenly incapacitated, Bella, as his immediate subordinate, had to take over his duties.

As a result, during the days Tristan was asleep, Bella had to run around handling various tasks. She monitored the movements in the Demon Forest and discussed future plans with the military leadership and nobles.

The plan in question was none other than the withdrawal of the Imperial Army.

Now that Roelgreen Castle had been reclaimed, the question was how much of the expedition army should remain here and how much should return to the capital.

Leaving a large number of troops here would leave the capital vulnerable, while stationing too few would raise concerns about the Forest Demons.

Because of this, opinions were still divided even today. Despite day and night discussions, the commanders’ views were far from converging. In this situation, Bella, acting as the temporary commander, found herself in an awkward position, unable to move forward or backward.

In truth, Bella knew the best solution.

In short, the uncertainty surrounding the Demon Forest needed to be resolved before deciding how many troops to station. If they could form an alliance with the demons, the uncertainty would disappear.

Moreover, if they were to form an alliance, now was the most opportune time, given that they had encountered a demon who was friendly to humans.

The enigmatic demon, Trinity.

As she had hinted, the demons led by Aaron had attacked Roelgreen Castle. Without her advice, the expedition army would have suffered unimaginable losses from the sudden ambush.

Even though the opponent was a demon, Bella felt a sense of gratitude toward her.

However, that didn’t mean she could casually bring up the word “alliance.” The demons had historically been established as enemies of this country and humanity. If she proposed an alliance with them, Bella could easily imagine the backlash it would provoke from the command.

‘But continuing these meaningless meetings is just a waste of time…’

Bella sighed.

After acting as the temporary commander for the past few days, she had to admit it. The position of commander was more suited to him than to her.

If it were Tristan, he would have pushed his agenda through, no matter what the commanders said.

He probably would have walked out, saying he couldn’t waste his time on such pointless meetings.

He was arrogant and self-centered, but in certain situations, those traits shone.

This expedition was one such case. Even the commanders, who had initially been skeptical, were beginning to acknowledge his abilities.

Tristan’s judgment was always accurate.

Especially in this expedition, his abilities had been proven.

Despite the large-scale battles with monsters and demons, the expedition army’s casualties were miraculously low.

War is something where both sides must be prepared for great sacrifices. Tristan, who minimized those sacrifices and achieved the objective, was the epitome of a capable commander.

But if Bella had been in charge…

If the expedition army under her command had suffered heavy losses…

Could she have endured it?

Bella curled up on the bed, hugging her shoulders.

She was weak.

She had tried to live without shame as a member of the Izakhel family… but it was too difficult.

Come to think of it, Tristan had tried to exclude her from the expedition entirely.

Perhaps… he knew that she didn’t belong in such a place.

Maybe he had foreseen that she would suffer.

“Haah…”

Bella shook her head as if to shake off the worries in her mind.

In any case, such worries were meaningless. They were all just her assumptions and conjectures.

Yes. In the end… only Tristan would know.

Bella thought of his face.

Then she remembered him flirting with his bodyguard knight in the carriage earlier, and her anger flared.

“Seriously… I’m suffering because of him, and there he is, all cozy with her…”

Bella actually knew. That situation had probably been orchestrated by Helga.

It would be a lie to say she hadn’t been bothered. Helga Wolfbert, Tristan’s bodyguard knight, confidante, and the woman closest to him.

Unlike the proud and prickly Bella, Helga didn’t hide her feelings for Tristan. Instead, she actively expressed her affection, trying to close the distance between them.

Thus, Helga was the person Bella needed to be most wary of.

“To do something so shameless in broad daylight…”

In truth, Bella wasn’t in a position to criticize Helga, given that she had once worn an embarrassing rabbit costume in front of Tristan.

But the current Bella wasn’t in a rational enough state to recall her own actions.

“Clueless jerk… I really hate him…”

She had handled his work for him, and while she didn’t expect gratitude, he could at least acknowledge that she had been helpful.

Feeling frustrated, Bella reached out to the head of the bed, wanting to hug her precious treasure.

“…Huh?”

But no matter how much she groped, it wasn’t there.

As Bella lifted her head to check, Blanshe’s voice came from outside.

“Sorry, please go back.”

“I’ll wait.”

The voice that responded to Blanshe was calm but low.

Bella immediately recognized who it belonged to.

“Miss might not come out for a while.”

“Then I’ll wait here.”

“You’ll catch a cold, Count. I’ll let you know when Miss feels better. Please go back for today—”

“Enough. I’ll wait here for her.”

The voice was firm and confident.

As if he had been prepared to wait from the beginning.

Perhaps what had happened earlier had bothered him. It was the first time he had come to her barracks like this, so Bella was a bit flustered. But only for a moment—she quickly made a decision.

“Blanshe. Let him in.”

“Ah, Miss!? …Understood.”

The hesitant Blanshe made way outside, and soon, the figure that entered Bella’s barracks was the black-haired nobleman, Tristan.

“Excuse me.”

“Let me say this first.”

“…?”

“I didn’t misunderstand anything, so you don’t need to bother explaining anything to me.”

Bella spoke coldly.

Tristan had probably come to explain what had happened earlier. In this situation, she had the upper hand, so he would inevitably have to rely on her.

Thus, Bella looked at Tristan with all the pride she could muster.

But then…

“This is…”

“?!”

Tristan paused, looking at something on the floor.

There, torn and in a pitiful state, was Dmitri—Bella’s beloved bear doll.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t been able to find it on the bed earlier. It must have fallen when she threw herself onto it.

“Ah, no. Wait, Count, that’s…”

She was embarrassed.

It was already awkward enough that a grown woman had a doll, but to have brought it all the way to the battlefield and have it discovered was even more humiliating.

Especially since the person who had given her the bear doll was the one who had discovered it.

‘No. That’s not it…’

Suddenly, Bella remembered.

Tristan had forgotten.

The bear doll he had given her so casually on her birthday.

The fact that he had completely forgotten about Dmitri, the doll he had personally named and given to her.

‘Right. Back then…’

He had told her when she asked about Dmitri.

That he didn’t know. That he didn’t remember.

She didn’t remember when, but she had felt betrayed by him once before. Like déjà vu, this situation felt like something she had experienced before.

Tristan picked up Dmitri from the floor.

“I can see you’re really angry, but…”

He dusted off the doll, seeming indifferent. He showed no joy or emotion at seeing the nostalgic item—just his usual self.

Of course.

You probably forgot.

All the memories, all the moments we shared…

But the next moment, Bella couldn’t believe her ears at what he said.

“Don’t be too hard on Dmitri.”

 

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