I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander

Daniel couldn’t refuse—after all, it was an order—so he sat down at the table.

Lucy was deliberately avoiding eye contact, but it didn’t matter.

Daniel sliced the Stollen into small pieces and placed them on Lucy’s plate. Each time, Lucy accepted the piece without a word, like a hatchling being fed.

After a few repetitions, tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes.

“Young Lady?”

Worried she might have choked from eating too fast, Daniel poured her a glass of water and held it out—but Lucy didn’t take it.

Left holding the cup in silence, Daniel remained still. Only after Lucy swallowed did she speak.

“...Why are you being kind to me? What do you want?”

The question caught him off guard. It was blunt enough to stop him from answering.

“I heard. You volunteered to be my attendant. Are you stupid?”

Daniel set the glass down. Lucy went on.

“Do you even know who I am? Why the Count took me in as his adopted daughter? You don’t know anything, do you? That’s how it looks—so let me make it clear. Even if you get close to me—”

“What does that have to do with anything.”

Lucy flinched. Her shoulders trembled, as if she might cry.

When she slowly lifted her head, Daniel let out a quiet breath.

“It seems you want me to ask, so I will. Was what happened in the past your fault? And ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ if I find out, do you want me to hate you for it?”

After a short silence, Lucy shook her head.

“Then that’s enough. No matter what kind of past you carry, I’ll treat you the same. And to be frank, you’re overestimating yourself. This isn’t kindness...”

Daniel leaned in slightly, a faint smile on his face.

“...This is just how I treat people normally. If I ever truly tried to be kind to you, Young Lady, you wouldn’t be able to handle it. You’d fall for me completely. So I suggest you stay cautious.”

Lucy’s eyes widened at the absurdity of it.

“...What the hell.”

The words slipped out with a short, startled laugh.

“So you really are an idiot.”

She raised a hand and wiped the corners of her eyes.

Thanks to Daniel, Lucy was able to release at least part of what had been weighing down her chest. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth again.

“Hey... I don’t usually ask this kind of thing, but...”

She hesitated, visibly nervous. Then, gathering herself, she looked at him.

“What’s your name?”

That was quick.

Daniel considered giving her a false name—he couldn’t reveal the real one—but paused.

Even if this was only a world inside her memories, he didn’t want to lie to her.

After a brief moment of thought, he recalled something that fit.

“Seo Doyoon.”

A name from his past life. One no one here would know.

“That’s my name.”

It was the only name he could give her truthfully, without disrupting the world she was in.

****

After exchanging names, Lucy and Daniel grew close rather quickly.

Considering Lucy had been shunned even by the mansion's servants, it was only natural that she would feel drawn to someone who took her side.

And so came summer.

Even in a season where vivid flowers flaunted their full bloom, the two spent their time happily indoors.

“Hey. Once I leave this mansion, there’s a lot I want to do.”

Lucy suddenly spoke up while working on a crossword puzzle from a newspaper Daniel had brought.

Curious about what she might want to do, Daniel looked up from the puzzle and leaned back in his chair.

“Things you want to do, ma’am? Can you be more specific?”

“First, I want to see the sea. Melly told me there’s a salt lake that stretches out endlessly. And after that... yeah. I want to raise a dog.”

“A dog. That sounds nice. I used to have one, myself.”

“Really? What was it like?”

Seeing Lucy’s eyes light up felt strange, but also reassuring.

To think she used to express her emotions so freely...

It made him feel all the more regretful that, by the time she had grown up, she wore such a blank expression—likely the result of being isolated in this mansion.

Even if this world was nothing more than a memory, seeing Lucy with life in her eyes was enough to put him at ease.

Daniel smiled faintly as he answered.

“She was a very sweet creature. Just watching her gave me strength. Holding her felt like I had the whole world in my arms. When I called her name—Kelly!—she’d perk up her ears and come running. I can still see it clearly.”

Lucy’s face went a little blank as she listened.

“Kelly? That name sounds familiar somehow...”

Daniel grew serious as well.

If this led Lucy to regaining her memory, then she might be able to return to the real world.

“Hmm...”

You can do it, Daniel thought, silently cheering her on—but Lucy only shrugged.

“Not sure. Maybe there was a servant with a similar name.”

“...I see.”

It seemed the name “Kelly” wasn’t enough to trigger her memory.

Unfortunate, but there was nothing he could do.

Still, unwilling to give up, Daniel offered a story in passing.

“Actually, that name reminds me of something. There was a woman I used to know—she heard me mention Kelly once and thought she was my lover. I remember being completely flustered.”

“Huh? She mistook Kelly for your lover?”

Lucy blinked, clearly confused, and then stifled a quiet giggle behind her hand.

“Whoever that was, she was an idiot. How do you mix up a dog and a person? That’s just common sense. I’d never make that mistake.”

Daniel bit his tongue. He’d nearly said, that was you in the future.

“Yes, of course. Our Young Lady would never mistake a dog for a human. But still...”

Daniel glanced over at her.

She had a ribbon tied in her hair, and was dressed in a long-sleeved blouse that covered her arms and a skirt that fell to her ankles.

The fabric was of fine quality, but the way she insisted on wearing the same type of outfit every day had made Daniel wonder.

“Summer’s coming. Wouldn’t something lighter be more comfortable? You’ll overheat if you keep wearing that.”

“...I’m fine.”

“Even so, I’m sure there are plenty of outfits that would suit you better.”

“I said I’m fine.”

The firmness in her tone left no room for further comment.

Figuring she had her reasons, Daniel nodded silently. That was when someone knocked at the door.

“Young Lady. It’s time for your private swordsmanship lesson. The Count asked that you not be late.”

Lucy took a deep breath before replying.

“All right. I’ll be there shortly.”

She stood up.

“You should go back now.”

The tone was unexpectedly cold. Daniel stood as well and offered a polite nod.

“I’ll see you at dinner, then.”

With that, he opened the door and stepped outside.

And yet, a strange unease lingered.

I’m sure I saw it...

Just for a moment, Lucy’s expression had clouded.

****

Evening came. Daniel brought her dinner, but it was a wasted trip.

“Young Lady?”

Lucy, who should have been in her room, was nowhere to be seen.

Normally, he would have left the tray on the table and walked away—but something felt off.

There was no hesitation. He acted quickly.

Worried about Lucy, Daniel ran straight to the basement of the mansion, where her swordsmanship lessons took place.

He descended the stairs and passed through the dim corridor. At the end of it, a brightly lit open area came into view.

Servants were gathered around, watching. On the raised platform stood two figures holding wooden swords.

Daniel recognized them both immediately.

The one panting heavily, clutching her sword with all her strength, was Lucy. The man facing her calmly was Lieutenant Hamilten.

...Lieutenant Hamilten?

There was no mistaking him. They had crossed blades at the research lab. A face impossible to forget.

So he’s Lucy’s instructor...

Now it made sense why Hamilten had acted like he knew her back then.

Still...

Whether “instructor” was the right word for him was questionable.

Even though Lucy could barely stay on her feet, Hamilten hadn’t called off the lesson.

“What are you doing, just standing there? Don’t tell me you’re already tired.”

Hamilten scratched his neck as if annoyed.

“They told me this one had potential. Guess not.”

He muttered it under his breath, but Daniel heard him clearly.

And if he heard it, Lucy surely did too.

Hamilten was pushing her on purpose.

“Come on now. If you keep this up, it’s going to be hard for me to report anything positive to the Count.”

Lucy’s hands trembled as she gripped her sword.

She had clearly taken a beating—her clothes were covered in dust and dirt.

“I... I’m trying...”

She barely managed to force the words out, but Hamilten just clicked his tongue.

“Trying isn’t enough. Results matter. At this point, it’d be better if you just took your beatings and built up your endurance.”

He rolled his shoulders and stepped toward her.

Lucy backed away with each step—but Hamilten moved faster.

Without even thinking, Daniel launched forward.

Hamilten, not expecting interference, raised his wooden sword.

“Come on, Young Lady. This time I’ll go with a rapid series—you’d better block them properly.”

He lifted his sword high and brought it down—

Crack!

—but it never reached Lucy.

Daniel stepped between them, stopping the blade with his forearm.

“What the hell are you—”

Hamilten stopped mid-sentence.

Daniel was staring at him like he intended to kill.

The pressure in his gaze made Hamilten freeze. Daniel growled low.

“You’d better watch yourself.”

His eyes narrowed, sharp and furious.

“Unless you’re eager to die again.”