Chapter 07
Chloe was diligently doing menial chores again today. Alvin, meanwhile, was leaning against the window with his chin propped on his hand, quietly admiring the scenery. Their gazes met several times, and after letting out a deep sigh, he climbed over the window once more.
Chloe spoke as Alvin began taking the laundry from her.
“I didn’t ask for your help.”
“You said if our eyes meet, it means I should help.”
That had just been a joke. At the very least, it wasn’t part of Edelrin’s customs or etiquette. Still, she let the foreigner keep misunderstanding. They were short on hands, after all.
And Alvin turned out to be more capable than she’d expected. Chloe twisted the damp clothes hard and handed them over, watching his hands closely as he quickly and precisely straightened and hung them. Maybe it was because he was a soldier—his movements were swift and exact.
No matter how she looked at him, he didn’t seem like someone who had ever done this kind of work in his life.
A refined jawline, neat brows, long, narrow eyes, and blue irises. His features practically proclaimed that he had been raised in privilege. If he hadn’t been wearing a regular soldier’s uniform when they first met, Chloe would have assumed without a doubt that he was a noble.
Even so, she felt a subtle sense of doubt. While facial features were something one was born with, there was also an aura and demeanor that people couldn’t easily hide. He generally spoke casually, but every now and then, something akin to archaic phrasing slipped into his speech. If that was something he was deliberately putting on, then he would have to be an actor far surpassing Andrea.
Perhaps because she was staring too openly, Alvin let out a low chuckle.
“Why do you keep staring at me? If you look at someone like that, people usually get the wrong idea.”
“What wrong idea?”
“That you’re interested in me.”
“…You sure say some dangerous things.”
She wasn’t sure about interest, but it was true that she was curious about him. Still, it was nothing more than curiosity. There was no need to be on bad terms, but Chloe had no intention of forming camaraderie with a soldier from an enemy nation. War was no child’s game.
She pretended not to hear and changed the subject.
“But your clothes… they seem to change every time.”
Now that she said it out loud, it really did seem that way. Part of the reason he looked unusually neat in this base was probably his personality, but his clothing also played a role. Supplies weren’t abundant, and priority went to Edelrin soldiers. Yet Alvin always looked well put together.
“They give them to me, so I just wear them. Is something wrong?”
He glanced down at his clothes as if nothing were amiss, and Chloe frowned slightly.
“Is that so? I wonder which philanthropist is being so kind.”
“……”
Chloe thought it was truly a rotten world. Even on the battlefield, people obsessed with appearances were running rampant. If what Alvin said was true, then at least one of the volunteers at the base had clearly lost their mind.
The country and its people were in this state, and they were busy flirting.
Perhaps he sensed something off in her tone, because Alvin muttered awkwardly,
“Feels like I shouldn’t answer that.”
“So who is it?”
“I can’t betray my ally.”
Chloe shook her head, dumbfounded.
“There’s a spy in this base. I’ll make sure to find them.”
“Isn’t it fine to receive this level of favor? I think I’ve been a pretty model prisoner.”
They continued chatting about trivial things while hanging the rest of the laundry. When Alvin finally finished the last piece, Chloe gave him a small nod. It was their way of saying thanks.
She picked up two baskets, each nearly as big as herself. Watching her, Alvin let out another deep sigh for some reason. He walked up beside her and took both baskets from her.
“It’s not that heavy.”
Ignoring her, he set the baskets down and stacked them together.
“You’ve got no sense for this kind of work.”
“…I was doing that to keep my balance.”
“Seems like your sense of balance isn’t great either.”
Chloe closed her mouth and stared at him.
Was that just now… a declaration of war? It felt like she’d met a formidable opponent.
She followed behind Alvin, who had already started striding ahead.
“You can go back now. I’m really fine.”
“I know, but I haven’t quite washed off my worldly habits yet.”
Overly generous kindness could put both sides in an awkward position. Still, Chloe ended up laughing out loud at his remark. It was a bright, cheerful sound. Alvin looked down at her with a curious gaze.
“…Why are you laughing like that?”
“Just thinking you must’ve been quite the playboy out in society.”
Chloe couldn’t stop laughing, while Alvin was already frowning.
“I didn’t even do anything. Why does that make me sound like some scoundrel? My relationships with women have never been complicated.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it was your fault.”
If anyone was to blame, it was his face. Even ordinary kindness, delivered with a face like that, would make someone attach meaning to it.
Chloe was someone who brought her own world to life on stage, and because of that, she knew just how susceptible people were to visual stimuli. To be honest, she had seen so many beautiful men and women that most appearances no longer impressed her. People who stood on stage usually shone outwardly.
Even to her, though, his face was one that invited misunderstanding. The fact that someone had gone out of their way to provide him with better clothing, even on a dusty battlefield where most wore rag-like supplies, said enough.
Before long, they arrived at the rear of the base. Chloe unlocked the storage door, and the two stepped inside.
Alvin set the empty baskets down. Chloe looked at him expectantly, signaling that he should leave now, but he spoke again.
“I helped you all the way here—don’t I get something in return?”
Chloe immediately frowned.
“Where did your conscience run off to? I never asked for your help.”
She knew it. Chloe was aware that people in the base sometimes made these kinds of discreet deals with soldiers. She could turn a blind eye to a certain extent, but it still bothered her. Even so, she couldn’t deny that he had helped, so she reluctantly asked,
“Do you need anything? I can get you ointment or food. No alcohol or rockweed, though.”
Rockweed was highly popular on the battlefield, along with alcohol. It had a numbing effect that dulled pain and fear, but its addictiveness made it no different from a drug. In a base where surgeries of all sizes took place, rockweed was treated as extremely valuable and strictly controlled.
But Alvin didn’t seem interested in that sort of thing. He shrugged and casually looked himself over.
“I don’t need that.”
“Then what?”
“When you’re washing the others’ clothes, wash mine too.”
Chloe doubted her ears for a moment.
“When you do what… you want me to do what?”
The children’s book author accidentally revealed her hidden, less-than-innocent imagination and vocabulary. It wasn’t entirely her fault. Alvin hadn’t exactly been clear with his phrasing either. And the adult man who understood everything let out a snicker.
Alvin covered his mouth with his hand, chuckling, then suddenly pulled off his short-sleeved shirt.
His body was marked with scars here and there. Yet those scars didn’t detract from its sculpted perfection in the slightest—they only added a wild edge. Chloe, who had been staring blankly, instinctively took a step back as he approached. In the confined space with just the two of them, his broad, angular physique felt far more imposing than when she had seen him in the sick ward.
And the moment she recoiled with guarded eyes, Alvin stopped immediately. He studied her tense expression, looking somewhat troubled.
Instead of making excuses, he stepped back several paces—far more than he had come forward. Then he tossed his shirt. The crumpled garment landed perfectly in the laundry basket. A clean shot.
“Sorry if I startled you.”
“……”
“I just felt uncomfortable being sweaty.”
Alvin raised his hands halfway, like someone surrendering, and shrugged. He meant no harm. Silence fell between them.
Chloe’s expression gradually turned dry. As if nothing had happened, she spoke in a businesslike tone.
“Not the pants. Don’t take those off here. I’ll bring you a clean set later.”
Seriously, why was he stripping in a place where they were alone?
If someone walked in, it would look incredibly suspicious. But Alvin just let out an incredulous laugh, touching his lips again.
“Your way of thinking isn’t exactly… innocent either.”
“What about it?”
“Why do you keep trying to strip a perfectly still man’s pants? It’s embarrassing.”
Bringing up the past made Chloe’s expression grow even colder. She corrected him flatly.
“It’s the opposite. I’m telling you not to take them off in front of me.”
Yet Alvin still seemed amused. She couldn’t hear what he muttered under his breath, but she clearly saw the faint smile on his face as he turned away.
Chloe stood there, watching his retreating figure. Her gaze lingered on his broad, inverted-triangle back and the flexing muscles beneath his skin before she rubbed her cheek.
“…That body is seriously something else.”
It was a bit embarrassing, but also troubling. Only now did she realize that she had carelessly entered an enclosed space alone with an enemy soldier. Letting her guard drop like this was not a good sign at all.
