CH-02

Knowing that the Grand Duke occasionally played such pointless jokes,Lilian shook her head as if annoyed.

"Because he ran away to avoid serving in the army."

Every word that came out of Lilian’s mouth was thoroughly calculated. To prevent her true identity from being exposed, she carefully mixed half truths with half lies.

According to rumors, Ceaser von Reinhardt was not only proficient in psychological warfare but also in torture. It was said that during the reign of the previous king, he served as the head of the national intelligence agency, where he received such training.

In any case, rather than spinning a clumsy lie that wouldn’t hold up, she had resolved from the very beginning to blend in a half-truth.

"So, I came in place of my older brother. A military doctor would be much more useful."

"I see."

Grand Duke Ceaser did not comment further or ask probing questions about her family situation.

Thinking that keeping his mouth shut was one of this man's merits, Lilian looked up at the night sky.

Even if it was spring, temperatures varied significantly by region.

This desolate wasteland grew chilly once the sun went down. It was cold enough that even her heavy jacket, tightly adorned with medals, felt precious.

"Which family did you say you were from?"

"I am a commoner."

Lilian answered bluntly, cutting him off. Since being a doctor was typically a profession held by the gentry class or lower-ranking nobles, it was customary to have a family name.

However, she stubbornly concealed it. After all, it was better off not existing from a damn family like that.

Of course, if the Grand Duke wished, he would easily find out that her surname, 'De Angelo', belonged to a ruined noble family.

He would also discover that the family had one son and one daughter, and that a second son didn't even exist.

However, she didn't think he would have that much interest in her.

Besides... shouldn't she worry about making it back alive first before worrying about whether he’d find out or not?

"Do you plan on getting married when you return?"

At the unexpected question,Lilian’s face contorted strangely. Yet, the expression of the Grand Duke facing her was quite subtle.

He was as indifferent and calm as ever, but his jawline was slightly tense.

Startled, Lilian snapped back somewhat defensively and sharply.

“What do you mean marriage? In a world where it’s hard enough just to take care of myself."

"I see."

"Unless... will you give me a hefty wedding gift if I do get married, Your Grace?"

"I'll consider it."

At her remark, which was half-serious and half-jesting, Ceaser elegantly curled the corner of his lips upward.

It was a smile that could make anyone mistake this place for a ballroom.

"So survive, Lian."

“I hope you also return safely, Your Grace."

From the very beginning, Lilian had used the name 'Lian’.It was the name of her twin older brother.

'Lian' and 'Lilian'.

They really named us without putting any thought into it at all.Whenever she repeated her own name, she was reminded of just how indifferent her parents were to her.

'Right, that's why they didn't even realize I ran away from home for a whole week.'

As soon as Lilian saved up enough money to leave the house, she cut her hair short and headed straight for the Royal Tree College of Medicine.

Had she failed the exam, her life would have ended up in the gutter, but surprisingly, she passed and even managed to graduate. On top of that, as the valedictorian.

Only after Lilian moved into the dormitory did her family finally realize she had run away. They sent people after her, but they couldn't drag her out.

The Royal Tree College of Medicine, which already had plenty of competitive applicants, had no intention of letting go of Lilian—the one and only person to get a perfect score on the entrance exam. Thus, they decided to dismiss her family's protests about her "stealing her older brother's identity" as utter nonsense.

'I was truly grateful to that greedy dean. Though that choice is what ultimately dragged me out to this battlefield’

'Will I be able to survive and get out of here?'

Lost in these futile thoughts, Lilian let out a faint chuckle.

It was because she realized that even though she knew she might die, facing actual death was still terrifying.

"Your Grace, if by some miracle you return safely, what do you plan to do?"

"Well. I'm thinking of learning woodworking. Back when I didn't know any better, I once asked my mother. Why couldn't I become a carpenter?"

Grand Duke Reinhardt carrying logs around and working as a carpenter. The image was so utterly mismatched that she burst into a sudden laugh.

"Getting married and becoming a good husband wouldn't be so bad either. Taking care of a family... and living like everyone else."

"And then?"

"I think of my nieces and nephews back at the mansion. I left them entirely in the care of my aunt, and I haven't been able to do anything nice for those kids."

His bitter smile vanished, and his expression changed fiercely the very next moment he spotted a flashing light in the sky above.

"Get down!"

Kreeee-boom!

An ear-splitting roar struck from all sides.

And then along with blinding flashes, artillery shells began to rain down.

"Are you alive?"

The man who had shielded her with his massive frame asked quietly.Instead of answering, Lilian coughed up a sudden gush of blood.

That was her response.

Bzzzzzz—

An ear-splitting sound rang through her ears, shaking her brain. Even breathing was agonizing, and blood poured continuously from her mouth.

"Shh, it's alright."

It was a situation where absolutely nothing was alright.

Yet, listening to his low, calm voice—the same as always she strangely wanted to believe him. As if things really were alright.

"Grand Duke, Your Grace...!"

"You still have the energy to shout. That's a relief."

Barely regaining consciousness,Lilian clutched her burning throat and lifted her gaze.She remembered that the moment the bombardment poured down, the man had embraced and protected her without a single second of hesitation. But if she herself was already in this terrible state then just what kind of condition must he be in right now?

As she panted and breathed heavily, what entered her field of vision was a broad, blood-drenched back.

His always immaculate clothes were torn to shreds, and chunks of his flesh had been gouged out.

Furthermore, a thick shard of shrapnel had pierced completely through his chest, skewering her along with him.

"If you were alone... if you were alone, you could have dodged it."

"Didn't I tell you? It would be troublesome if our only doctor died."

His dark eyes looked down at her calmly, concealing the agony he was in.

"Hemostasis... I need to stop the bleeding..."

Gush.

Ultimately, a burst of blood erupted from his mouth as well.

Taking the spray of blood head on,

Lilian forced her arm up with everything she had.

"Save your strength. It's already too late."

That wretched king. A godforsaken battle of pride.

This entire war broke out over a single incident where the King of Germany mocked the King of Valencia.

Pouring out curses so profane that she could have been beheaded for treason, Lilian firmly pressed down on the man's chest.As if doing so would make the God of Death arrive even a little bit later.

In truth, she had also been relying on him.

In this place where everyone was losing themselves and going mad, Ceaser Reinhardt alone felt like a person from another world.

His sharp jawline, his resilient eyes, and a quiet voice that commanded a solemn reverence from others by its sheer presence.

Yet, it wasn't his appearance that truly made him seem different.

He never faltered.

His character was thorough and disciplined.A man who never spoke carelessly in any situation and did not easily reveal his emotions. Even when countless others were stained with blood and hatred, Ceaser Reinhardt never lost his dignity.

Watching him memorize the name of every single low-ranking soldier and never complain even inside a leaking tent, Lilian had always thought of him as someone who felt surreal.

Which meant, she had never imagined he would die like this, of all ways. She fully believed that someone like him would make it back alive.

"You must... live. Survive... so that something like this never happens again..."

Another ear-numbing roar echoed out.

And then, it felt as though everything had come to an end.

When he opened his eyes, it was a familiar ceiling.

It wasn't a dark, musty military barrack where the smells of mold and blood mingled, but the mansion of the Reinhardt estate where he had grown up as a child.

The painting of the Great Saint and angels on the office ceiling caught the man's eyes.

'That makes no sense,' Ceaser murmured softly.

Given the number of people he had killed in the war enough to build a mountain out of corpses the place he was meant to go upon death was certainly not heaven.

Yet, the bickering between an old gardener and a servant heard from outside the window, and the scent of peaches drifting through the air, felt remarkably plausible. So much so that he instinctively wanted to believe it was reality.

'What happened to Lian? And the other officers?'

He felt confused.

Raising his thick forearm to place it against his forehead, he subsequently realized that what he was wearing was not a military uniform. The thin, sheer muslin shirt was indeed one he had enjoyed wearing during the summer season.

'To be an illusion or a flash of memories before death, this is far too vivid and lasting.'

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