CH 11

“I…”

After a long pause, Leto finally opened his mouth.

“No, that’s it.”

After that, Leto, unable to speak, finally let out a heavy sigh and collapsed onto the steering wheel.

The horn was honked briefly.

“…”

Noah had no choice but to watch Leto silently.

Fortunately, Leto got back up quickly and drove the car.

The first and the most famous among horse-powered car companies, the limited edition Chetty started running with the sea in the background.

It was like a pictorial scene.

“…What kind of person is your brother?”

Leto asked.

“…The lieutenant general is not usually crazy, but that bastard is also crazy. Now, he had an accident at home and ran away after being hit hard.”

Noah answered meekly.

“Are you close with your brother?”

“If the explanation a while ago sounded like that, I recommend that you see a doctor as soon as possible.”

“How old is my sister-in-law?”

“She will turn seven next summer.”

The barrage of questions that started out of nowhere continued until they reached the naval headquarters.

Even when the security guards at the entrance checked their identity, it was still in progress.

After the red car was parked, the question-and-answer session narrowly ended.

‘What the hell was that…’

Noah was embarrassed again.

“It’s a nice day.”

On the other hand, Leto was humming.

“…”

Noah got out of the car with a dissatisfied expression and deliberately walked one step behind Leto. Read only at pm tl.

But her eyes were on his back, regardless of her will.

‘It’s messy.’

His silver hair that he always flips over when he was on duty was a bit messy now.

As he lowered his gaze, his straight nape and broad shoulders swayed slightly as he walked.

A firm back that can be clearly seen, and a relatively thin waist because of that.

‘I’m not a pervert…’

She saw him a lot, but he was unusually unfamiliar today.

“Noah.”

As she barely raised her gaze from below his waist, Leto looked back.

“You should have asked.”

Noah’s blue eyes moved slowly.

“…What do you mean?”

“Just, anything.”

Leto, who had even a natural smile, looked as if he had realized something.

“Why didn’t you ask?”

“…”

“You still give me such sincere answers…”

A handful of regret remained in Leto’s red eyes as he approached with a slow pace.

“That meant you would’ve given me answers back then.”

“If you would’ve asked me, yes.”

“You are always honest, upright and beautiful.”

It was a sweet compliment. Noah laughed involuntarily. It was too late to be happy.

“Actually, I knew back then.”

Leto shrugged his shoulders lightly.

“That you were acting.”

“Ah.”

“So they don’t know?”

“That’s right.”

Noah pretended to not see Leto reach out his hand to touch her hair, but before reaching her, his hand dropped.

‘…The habit is still there.’

Just as Leto knew her habits, Noah knew his habits.

‘Like a child.’

Whenever he looked at her closely, he tried to touch Noah’s hair.

In the past, he had touched it as much as he could, and now he seemed so sorry that he couldn’t even do that.

“But I ended up not acting.”

That child’s confession continued.

“The only excuses I can hold onto and flirt with you are winning the bet and the sword you want.”

“…”

“So…”

“Lieutenant-General.”

Leto’s eyes rounded like a rabbit, and he hurriedly bent his knees and lowered his stature.

Noah groaned and continued.

“Why are you like this all of a sudden…”

An indescribable voice came out.

Either way, Noah kept touching his hair.

The fingers that neatly brushed the messy hair naturally went down.

His exposed ears were needlessly red and cute. She also liked the red color.

‘Red is disgusting…’

But oddly enough, she really liked the color red from this person.

“Leto.”

Noah called quietly.

“You and I still have feelings for each other.”

And he graciously admitted it.

“Look at us now.”

How can you be this stupid?

Their gazes toward each other were desperate, not hot, but they just looked at each other while maintaining a distance that they couldn’t get closer to.

Noah hated being miserable and awkward.

“If you really want to marry me.”

She said clearly.

“Tell me you love me.”

Now Noah’s hand rested on Leto’s cheek. His thick jawline was softer than she thought. It was a little annoying to see the fine skin clinging to her palms.

“Of course, you should be honest about the reason that interfered with my promotion.”

“Is that all you need?”

Really? Leto asked several times. He was bewildered by the sudden opportunity given to him so easily and suddenly.

Noah was very much like that.

“You were dumped by me because you couldn’t do that.”

And he was strangely cute.

‘…I’m crazy too.’

It was Leto who showed regrets to her, but she was convinced that the loser would be herself in this relationship.

Even after going through such a thing, her willingness to give this madman a chance made her feel more like a pushover.

‘Still, I feel regretful…’

It felt good to meekly admit the heart that had been in denial.

“Um, but.”

Leto smiled slightly.

“We weren’t dating, so I wasn’t dumped.”

“Then there was nothing between us. Even now.”

“It was hotter and more intense than that. Of course, even now.”

“It’s the same now that you’re being sly.”

Noah pushed Leto who was sneakily approaching her. Leto, who was gently pushed aside, still had a smile on his face.

Unlike before, the lighter expression was very annoying.

‘You can’t let go of your heart yet.’

Noah raised the corner of her lips and took a step back.

“Then tell me.”

To live with this annoying fellow for the rest of her life, he needed to be perfectly chuffed and scolded at least once.

“You love me, and be honest about the reason for hindering my promotion. Oh, of course, you must also give me the sword.”

“…”

“Isn’t it an easy opportunity?”

After being so confident a moment ago, Leto said nothing, as if he had sewn his lips together.

“…But I won the bet.”

Leto pleaded with the most pitiful expression on his face.

“We should get married, shouldn’t we?”

Then he gathered his palms and placed them together under his chin, blinking his eyelids quickly.

“…Ugh, no!”

Terrified, Noah stepped back.

“Where did you learn that?!”

“Hm, that’s strange.”

Leto tilted his head.

“Don’t all the trendy celebrities take pictures like this?”

“Where did you see anything like that?”

“Go to the unit. There are celebrity pictorials.”

“…”

“I thought it would work, did it?”

“Are you seriously crazy?”

“I’ve always been crazy about you.”

Noah shut her eyes tightly.

But the craziness that she had already seen was perfectly imprinted in her head.

She didn’t want to admit that it was because of her self-esteem that he looked unnecessarily cute.

“Then, especially when you’re…”

Leto chuckled.

“Slightly underdressed, with the sound of rough breathing in my ear…”

“Lieutenant General!”

It wasn’t until after she had kicked him in the butt with her foot, Leto smiled and stopped joking around.

“I get so excited when you hit me…!”

Leto blushed and confessed.

“It’s my fate…”

Noah’s future was bleak.

‘Is it really okay to marry this guy?’

Regret was about to come back in the heart that had been refreshed at most. But this time there was no hesitation.

Sadly, she didn’t have the confidence to love someone who wasn’t Leto yet.

“How can a man’s fortune be like this…”

“Uh-huh, Captain. She’s as good-looking as me, has a good body, and does a good job at night…”

“You want to be sued for sexual harassment?”

The two returned to headquarters like that.

However, Sir Delat never returned to headquarters.

~*~

It was only the next day that Sir Delat showed up.

Lieutenant Fist, Leto’s direct aide, delivered this.

“Sir Delat has asked to see Lieutenant General.”

“When?”

“Two hours ago.”

Lieutenant Feast replied in a loud voice.

“Oh my.”

Leto, who was examining the documents with his legs on the desk, scolded him without emotion. The pen in his left hand moved quickly.

“You should have reported that earlier.”

But Leto’s legs were still on the desk.

“These are precious guests from the capital. Of course, they waited all day yesterday.”

In other words, it meant to make them wait longer.

“Sorry.”

Lieutenant Fist politely apologized.

“Every time I came to report, strangely, the lieutenant general was absent.”

“That’s a misunderstanding. People would think I’m playing hooky.”

“However…”

During the two hours that they made Sir Delat wait, Lieutenant Fist witnessed a lot.

“Going to the bathroom with a novel, and being scolded by Captain Bello while walking around claiming to be supervising the crew…”

“Did you see that?”

Leto was embarrassed.

“…Then you went into the smoking lounge and even watched the smoking training for the smokers there.”

“You didn’t talk much in front of me. Did you curse at me inwardly?”

“No.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll be busy again anyway.”

In the midst of the chatter, Leto, who had finished the last paperwork, hummed.

Lieutenant Fist, who was watching the scene, pulled out his secret weapon.

“Captain Bello asked me to tell you.”

And as expected.

“…Captain?”

Leto, who was trying to fold the paper crane by tearing up the pictorial he had taken from the crew, paused.

“What did she say?”

The boss, who had been acting selfishly, became quiet.

His poor posture was somehow corrected by sitting upright in his chair.

“To give this to the lieutenant general.”

Lieutenant Fist pulled something out of his pocket.

It was a colorful paper card.

Leto, who received the card, wondered what it was, but soon opened his eyes wide when he saw the writing on the card.

[To the hands of my brother-in-law, lieutenant-general!]

It was a letter from Clare.