Chapter 10
It was time to announce the end of the war.
Standing in for the absent king and the still-recovering queen, Princess Esmerelda took her place on the central square’s podium.
The citizens waited, their faces filled with eager anticipation, for the princess’s words.
Soon, they heard the announcement they had longed for.
It was the official declaration of the war’s end. The crowd in the square erupted in cheers.
Colorful confetti and flowers were thrown into the air, painting the sky.
Even those who weren’t in the square heard the cheers, and people on the streets, upon hearing the sounds, cheered as well.
The roar of the crowd spread like a wave, filling every street.
Daniela, leaning against her bed, watched the scene through the window. The chair next to her bed, pulled over for her, held Jed, who spoke up.
“They’ll be holding a fireworks festival tonight. They’ll distribute the reserved food so everyone can eat and drink as much as they want.”
The food had been stored in preparation for an endless war, so now that it was over, distributing it to the hungry citizens sounded reasonable.
But not every country does reasonable things.
Daniela doubted her own homeland would do anything like that—sharing food, setting off fireworks…
“Oh, come to think of it, I’ve never seen fireworks before.”
Realizing this, Daniela spoke, and Jed immediately responded.
“How deprived a life have you lived?”
“I’ve seen gunpowder explode before.”
“Really? That actually sounds a little less deprived.”
It was a good day, so Daniela decided to endure her cheeky subordinate’s teasing and changed the subject.
“So, it’s out of the question for you to become a commander, huh?”
“I didn’t want to anyway. Who’d want a high-risk, low-pay job like commander of the Frost Kingdom army? Only someone unlucky like you, Daniela.”
How long was she supposed to put up with this guy? Daniela wondered, when there was a knock at the door.
She told whoever it was to come in, and the door opened to reveal a familiar knight.
Although the face seemed familiar, it took Daniela a few seconds to remember who she was.
‘Ah, a member of the knights guarding Benjamin. She’s quite skilled, and she always stared at me with that terrifying look… Was her name Jane?’
Daniela remembered her clearly because of her candid hostility. Even though the knight disliked her, Daniela had a certain fondness for that honesty. At least it was better than being around shady people, she thought.
Yet she didn’t recognize her immediately because the knight’s appearance had changed slightly.
Her previously light hair was now dark, and she wore practical clothing.
Daniela found the new look somewhat familiar and soon realized why.
‘Looking at her now… she kind of looks like… me?’
Daniela tilted her head as she looked at Jane’s black hair, the same color as her own, when Jane spoke bluntly.
“Hello, Lady Daniela. I’ve brought the item His Majesty asked me to deliver to you.”
Daniela’s heart raced at the news that there was something from Benjamin.
Caught up in excitement at receiving news from her husband, she didn’t even notice that the knight had addressed her as “Lady Daniela.”
Jed frowned at the knight.
Because he had spent so much time with her and wasn’t from Crovich, it was tacitly acceptable for him to call her “Lady Daniela,” but Crovich citizens did not have that privilege.
Unless one were royal, like Princess Esmerelda, they were supposed to address her using the queenly title.
Her behavior seemed strangely deliberate. And…
‘Why is she copying how Daniela is addressed?’
It wasn’t a matter of fashion—her attire wasn’t trendy—and, above all, the hair color.
The dark, shimmering blue-black hair favored by Frost Kingdom nobles was generally disliked by Crovichians, who disliked Frost Kingdom people.
So a Crovich knight dying her hair in a color popular in the Frost Kingdom was unusual unless there was a reason.
Clearly, there was some purpose behind it. Probably a deliberate attempt to imitate someone.
Jed gave Jane a wary look, and ignoring his gaze, she handed over the item.
“I’ll be leaving now.”
Even though Daniela hadn’t said it was okay to leave yet, Jane bowed, handed over the item, and turned sharply to leave the room.
Jed, bewildered, started to say something but glanced at Daniela and decided to let it go.
All of Daniela’s attention seemed to be focused on the box containing the item.
Seeing Daniela itching to open it immediately, Jed prepared to leave.
Since she clearly didn’t want to deal with the rude knight, it would be better to leave the matter to Princess Esmerelda.
‘Well, she is part of that army anyway.’
And Daniela was terrible at scolding subordinates…
Deciding to report the matter to the princess, Jed informed Daniela he was about to leave the room.
“Lady Daniela, I’ll go write the report on the post-war situation now.”
“Huh? You’re still here? Go on, quickly.”
Daniela waved him away impatiently. Jed left the room, pouting, while she waved her hand as if telling him to hurry out. Once the door closed, she opened the box.
Inside was something Daniela had never expected.
‘A book…? Or is it a diary?’
It was covered in luxurious leather. Opening it revealed familiar text—it was a war log.
A commander’s log, to be precise.
Benjamin’s battle diary.
Realizing what it was, Daniela hesitated, feeling as though she shouldn’t be looking at it.
But since it was from Benjamin, she felt she had to read it.
Making up her mind, Daniela turned the pages and began reading.
The first few pages were dry and typical of a battle log—accounts of battles, soldiers’ training, and supply conditions.
But as she read on, the content gradually changed.
Everything began to focus on a single person.
Even when recounting battles, the entries turned into stories about Daniela. Even descriptions of soldiers’ training shifted to accounts of Daniela simply passing nearby.
Even discussions of supplies became notes like, “This item—or food—might please Daniela, so bring it to her.”
In other words, what Daniela was reading had transformed from a commander’s war journal into the diary of a young man in love.
And the person he seemed utterly enchanted with was none other than Daniela herself, reading these words.
Her face flushed bright red, like a perfectly ripe apple.
And somehow, her face grew even redder, impossible as it seemed.
She recalled her own battle journal, which had followed a similar pattern.
Benjamin’s detailed notes about what he did, how he acted… The sheer embarrassment and tingling joy made Daniela bury her face in the pages, unsure what to do.
She was happy and overjoyed, yet unable to lift her face.
‘Why would he make me read this…? Wait a second!’
As she mentally cried out, Daniela felt something tucked under the page where her face rested. She quickly lifted her head and looked inside.
There was a note, written in Benjamin’s handwriting:
To the one I love, even if all memories fade, I hope you believe the truth lies here.
Daniela slowly read the words aloud, trying to understand them.
But even spoken slowly, their meaning remained unclear.
It seemed more significant than a simple love note to a partner.
She tried applying various cipher formulas, just in case, but none worked.
“Jed is good at decoding ciphers, but…”
Yet showing it to Jed felt unnecessary… It might truly just be a love note for his beloved.
In that case, the embarrassment was all hers.
“Hmm…”
After pondering and wrapping her head around it, Daniela decided not to show Jed.
‘It doesn’t seem urgent, so I can ask Benjamin what it means once he returns.’
Just being able to look forward to his return brought a smile to Daniela’s face.
