I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander-Chapter 183

“Red-eyed killer? Don’t tell me... Selvia’s figured out Lucy’s identity.”

If that were true, Daniel would be placed in a dangerously precarious position.

Selvia was the Empress of the Empire. Lucy was a living weapon of the Allied Nations.

Taking either side meant a disastrous future was all but guaranteed.

Just as Daniel, now aware that his survival might be at risk, began to sweat coldly, Lucy opened her mouth calmly.

“Your Majesty. You’re not wrong, but in wartime, killing is inevitable. A soldier’s duty is, after all, to kill the enemy.”

It was a valid point.

But to Selvia, Lucy’s words sounded like nothing more than a feeble excuse.

“So you wish to argue that you're no different from any other ordinary soldier?”

“I’m sorry, but yes.”

“Absurd. From what I know, you—”

Selvia cut herself off mid-sentence.

She had glanced at Daniel standing beside her.

“Daniel probably doesn’t know this woman is a spy from the Allied Nations.”

If he had known, there was no way he would have kept her at his side as an adjutant.

There was no way someone like Daniel Steiner—who had shown such utter devotion to the Empire—would knowingly harbor a spy.

“I don’t want to make things difficult for him.”

Selvia had no desire to start a fight with Lucy while Daniel Steiner was present. She steadied her voice.

“Colonel Steiner?”

Only then did Daniel snap back to his senses and lower his head deeply.

“Your Majesty. I sincerely apologize. My adjutant’s behavior was disrespectful. I will speak to her firmly so that nothing like this happens again. Please, I beg you, do not be angry.”

Selvia felt a pang of guilt at Daniel’s flustered demeanor—but she wasn’t about to let it go.

“I’m not angry. I’d just like to ask Colonel Steiner to give me a moment alone to speak with your adjutant.”

“With my adjutant?”

A vague sense of unease swept over him, but he couldn’t possibly refuse a request from the Empress.

“...Understood. Just in case, I’ll wait outside.”

Daniel lifted his head, cast Lucy a worried glance, then walked away.

He made it to the entrance of the Grand Assembly Hall and quietly closed the door behind him.

With only the two women remaining, a light silence settled over the room.

Their gazes met, and sparks flew in the air between them before Selvia quietly spoke.

“It must have been difficult... hiding your identity in front of Colonel Steiner all this time.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Hiding my identity—”

“Codename Crimson Death.”

Lucy’s eyes trembled faintly.

Selvia, confident she had struck a nerve, gave a faint smile.

“Or, perhaps, the alias ‘Red-Eyed Reaper’? I’ve heard you specialize in high-profile assassinations—and that your main assignment is executing those who’ve betrayed the Allied Nations. My, what a taxing job that must be.”

“Your Majesty. I have no idea what you’re referring to.”

“Of course. I imagine you’d want to keep pretending not to know. But this isn’t something we can just gloss over with denial. Unlike before, I’ve gathered evidence proving you’re a spy for the Allied Nations.”

The composure in Lucy’s face began to waver.

Selvia slowly approached her.

“Since I have the evidence, there’s no longer any problem with punishing you. But given how faithfully you’ve performed your duties as Colonel Steiner’s adjutant, I’ll give you one chance.”

Clack—

Her heels echoed hollowly through the vast chamber.

Selvia stopped just a few steps away from Lucy and spoke.

“Leave the Empire quietly. And never return.”

It was a merciful expulsion—the Empress’s gentle sentence for a spy of the enemy.

But Lucy wasn’t a fool.

She knew Selvia wouldn’t show kindness without a reason.

“I understand. Which means there’s no need for me to leave the Empire.”

“...Are you deaf? I said I have proof that you’re a spy for the Allied Nations. If you don’t believe me, I can show it to you.”

“I believe Your Majesty has gathered that evidence. So why give me a chance? There’s no reason to.”

The tide shifted.

Selvia swallowed dryly as Lucy continued in a calm tone.

“Your Majesty knows. The moment you label me a spy, Colonel Steiner’s position will be irreparably shaken.”

If the world learned that Daniel Steiner’s adjutant was, in fact, a spy from the Allied Nations, the fallout would be tremendous.

Even if the Imperial Daily tried to cover for him, the independent newspapers, desperate for headlines, would print article after article—and the people would eat them up.

Rumors would spread instantly. And when they did, neither the imperial court nor the military could avoid holding Daniel Steiner accountable.

In the process, all manner of gossip would emerge, and Daniel Steiner would find himself completely isolated.

Even if things somehow went well, the label of “a soldier who didn’t even realize his own adjutant was a spy” would follow him until death.

“When everything is over, Colonel Steiner will resent Your Majesty. After giving you everything he had to save you... in the end, it will have been Your Majesty who put him in jeopardy.”

Selvia’s ocean-colored eyes, clear and blue like the sea, trembled faintly.

It was only natural for Selvia to be shaken—her intentions had been read like an open book.

She wanted desperately to counter, to push back somehow, but her lips refused to part.

Because not a single word Lucy had spoken was wrong.

The worst-case scenario...

Daniel Steiner might be forced to shed his uniform and return to the life of an ordinary civilian.

For Daniel, who regarded devotion to the Empire as the highest honor, such an outcome would be unthinkable—devastating.

To Selvia, who couldn’t bear the thought of watching the man she loved suffer, it was a choice she simply couldn’t allow.

With her fists clenched for no reason, wavering between hesitation and fury, Selvia finally ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) steeled herself and shot a cold glare at Lucy.

“If you refuse to step down, I may have no choice but to eliminate you myself.”

“...Eliminate me personally, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. You may be fulfilling your duties as an adjutant for now—but who’s to say what harm you might bring to Daniel in the future?”

It was an open warning—an assassination in plain terms. But Lucy showed no reaction.

She hadn’t chosen this path, but after killing well over a few hundred people, Selvia’s threat came across as little more than a childish tantrum.

Still, tantrums from children could be lethal—if that child sat on the imperial throne.

Not sure how else to proceed, Lucy fell into a brief silence, then decided to speak from the heart.

“I have no intention of ever harming Colonel Daniel Steiner. Not now, not in the future.”

“And you expect me to believe that?”

“I won’t ask for Your Majesty’s trust. But to be completely honest... my current relationship with the Allied Nations is far from friendly. I began to question them.”

Selvia narrowed one eyebrow.

This was the first she’d heard of it.

“After I raised my concerns, the Allied Nations severed all contact. For all I know, they may already consider me a traitor.”

“Then, what you’re saying is...”

“Even if the Allied Nations ordered me to kill Colonel Steiner, I wouldn’t obey. That is what I mean. So please—set aside your fears.”

Hearing it all only made her thoughts more tangled.

Uncertain, Selvia slowly opened her mouth.

“You’re speaking as if... you care about Colonel Steiner.”

“I do. Perhaps... even more than Your Majesty.”

“...What did you just say?”

Thanks to Lucy’s bold claim about the depth of her feelings, a web of veins surfaced on Selvia’s forehead.

“And what exactly do you think you know about Colonel Steiner that allows you to say that with such pride?”

“Colonel Steiner and I have spent more than a year together—closely. Do you really believe no secrets were exchanged in all that time?”

“Hah? If it’s secrets you’re talking about, I have them too. For example... about Kelly.”

At the name Kelly, Lucy’s expression—unusually—grew quiet and solemn.

“If you mean Kelly, I know of her.”

She was the woman Daniel Steiner still hadn’t been able to forget.

Recalling the sight of Daniel pulling out her photo and falling into silent reflection, Lucy placed a hand over her chest and spoke softly.

“I am prepared to take Kelly’s place—for Colonel Steiner’s sake. Is Your Majesty prepared to go that far?”

At Lucy’s words, Selvia felt the confusion within her surge to a boiling point. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Did I just hear that right? She’s saying she’s ready to become his dog—for Daniel?

The shock, born from the sheer gulf in information, made Selvia freeze in place.

After blinking blankly for a few moments, she barely managed to part her lips.

“...Wait. Are you saying Colonel Steiner wants that?”

Lucy recalled the moment Daniel had told her, “You’re more precious to me than Kelly,” and gave a small nod.

“He probably does.”

At Lucy’s calm affirmation, Selvia broke into a cold sweat without even realizing it.

Her face flushed hot, and the fine hairs on her arms stood on end.

Completely at a loss, Selvia gave a small shudder.

I didn’t know...

Crossing her arms as if to compose herself, her eyes dropped to the floor. Her shoulders curled in slightly.

I didn’t think Daniel had... those kinds of tastes...

And yet, the burning heat in her cheeks refused to fade.