Instead of answering her question, Axion merely moved his lips.
'Why is he acting like this?'
Elia looked at him urging him.
“Speak quickly.
I have to go prepare for morning training.”
One of her duties as unit commander was to prepare training equipment and tools in advance.
But Axion remained silent and could not speak.
She couldn't take it anymore, so she quickly turned around and started to leave.
“What are you doing after you summoned me?
If you have nothing to say, I will go.”
Then Axion grabbed her arm and hurriedly said:
“Wait a minute!”
“What's wrong?”
Axion's face was slightly red.
In the end, he finally opened his mouth and spoke to her.
“Did your sister not say anything special?”
"What?"
'Is that all you wanted to say?'
Elia answered in an indifferent voice:
“Oh, about your visit to our house?
She said you came while I was out.”
“Is that so?”
His voice had a strangely urgent tone.
Just then, Ilya remembered in her mind how Axion had praised her.
But at the same time, she remembered his strong insistence that the matter remain a secret.
'That was the reason then.'
She almost laughed, but she had difficulty controlling herself and replied:
“……There was nothing.”
A feeling of relief quickly passed over Axion's face and then disappeared.
Seeing this, I felt a kind of strange humor.
Ilya looked at Axion and asked:
“Why are you so upset?
Is it possible that you were talking about me behind my back with my sister?”
tingle.
He didn't say anything.
“So, have you finished talking?
I’ll go back to training.”
“There's no need for that.”
Axion said to Elijah, who was about to leave, but she tilted her head in surprise.
“What nonsense?
You know very well that everyone will be punished if they don’t come together...”
“I did everything.
I just gathered all the unit members.”
After he finished speaking, he pointed with his eyes towards the training field.
Elijah's eyes widened as she looked over there.
The members of the unit, who she thought had fled because of the stench, were standing neatly and perfectly in lines.
The weapons and equipment needed for training were fully arranged.
“Why are you doing my job?”
“So you can take a shower in the meantime.”
Axion answered her question in a deadpan voice.
“I heard what you said to Claude a moment ago.
You said you were so busy that you didn't have time to shower.”
'Does he care about me now?'
'Maybe not, but because he can't stand the stench emanating from my body.'
When she thought this explanation made more sense, Axion called out to her softly:
“Bet.”
When his handsome blue eyes looked at her intently, her heart began to beat unconsciously.
“Don't stupidly try to bear everything alone.
If you're tired, talk.”
Elijah's eyes shook from this unexpected statement.
I looked at Axion.
His blue eyes met hers.
Unlike usual, his eyes looked kind.
Suddenly, what Accion said in the drawing room rang in her mind:
'Actually, I like him too.
I mean, I love Erhan.'
Her heart began to beat unconsciously.
In order not to reveal what was inside her, she quickly turned her face to avoid looking at him.
“Thank you for your concern.
Then I will go.”
She was about to leave in a hurry.
“Before that, your sister.
Elijah, right?”
Her body trembled unconsciously and she turned around.
“What’s wrong with her?”
Her voice unintentionally came out sharp with tension.
“She really looked like you.”
“Of course, she's my twin.”
When she answered quickly, Axion continued:
“However, she was completely identical to you.
Not only in appearance, but even in personality and manner of speech.”
'Is it possible that he felt something strange?'
Illya, contrary to her inner tension, deliberately faked a cheerful sound in her answer.
"She's copying me.
She's been doing it since we were little.
So, I'm really going now."
As soon as she finished speaking, Elia hurriedly left the place.
•
“Why did Axion make training preparations and gather personnel today?
I thought he was teasing us by making it difficult.
He is truly the son of a military family.”
Yusar asked as he grumbled to Ilya after the training was over.
From what he said, it seemed like the preparations were completely complete.
Keisha was even so satisfied today that he praised her.
Of course, Axion did not interfere, but merely observed the scene silently.
Elia answered:
“He said I looked tired.”
Upon hearing that, Yousar's eyes widened.
“How long has he cared about you like this?”
She shook her head and said:
“Yusar, it seems we should adjust this plan.”
“I agree with you.
The problem is that the most important thing, Lavinia, never shows up.”
Yusar sighed.
She deliberately put on an unclean and unkempt appearance to create a bad impression on Lavinia, but Lavinia, who was supposed to see this appearance, has not shown a trace of her since that day.
It was surprising, from her actions, it seemed as if she would come to Elijah every day to seduce her.
Therefore, it was not possible to continue spreading the stench forever until Lavinia showed up.
Even Lennox, who had been by her side with the force of friendship, began to move away from her secretly, though not clearly.
Moreover, the image of Axion who had summoned her this morning came to her mind.
'If you're tired, talk.'
Her heart began to beat unconsciously.
Illya took out the magic soap and rubbed her hair vigorously.
Not only did she want to get rid of her dirty hair, she also wanted to completely remove this mysterious feeling.
“Elijah, you will have no hair left.”
Yousar said in a worried voice, but she didn't pay attention.
After she vigorously washed her hair, she felt that her body and soul were refreshed.
She shook her hair with a towel and shouted to Yussar:
“Let’s go, let’s quickly come up with a new plan to get rid of Lavinia’s attention!”
Yusar opened his mouth after deep thought:
"The important thing is that Illya seems less attractive to her.
Isn't it?"
"correct."
“So, we have to show it in a way other than outward appearance.”
Elia nodded, and they bowed their heads together, brainstorming ideas and making the plan for a while.
“……Good.
This way, it will have a definite effect.”
But Yusar sighed lightly.
“The problem is that Lavinia never shows up these days.”
As ordinary soldiers under Keisha's command, they could not dare to call upon Miss Lavinia, the daughter of the Grand Duke.
“I wish there was a reason to go to the main building of the palace.”
Lavinia's residence was in the main building of the palace, so the chance of encountering her there was high.
But as soldiers they cannot leave the barracks in the annex building.
Keisha strictly forbade them from leaving the annex building.
Then, Elijah had an idea.
“Just a minute, there's a way to go.”
•
"Elle!
You're finally back to normal!"
Lennox smiled brightly and hugged her.
It seemed as if the strange distance he had maintained only a few hours ago was a lie.
“More importantly, what brings you here at this time?”
Elia was in the administrative office where Lennox worked.
Lennox, as quartermaster, would perform administrative and catering duties here after training.
Elijah looked at him and said:
"Lennox, are you okay?
Isn't this your peak work time?"
When Elijah gestured gently, Lennox nodded.
“Yes.
I have to prepare this month’s accounting books and hand them over to the palace butler.
But I have a lot of other work backlogged, so I can’t move.”
After the budget management employee's embezzlement incident, Theo and Lennox became directly responsible for the unit's budget and supplies, but the budget itself came from the palace's operating expenses.
Therefore, Lennox prepared the books every month and handed them over to the general manager of the palace's operation, i.e. the butler.
'It's a kind of accounting audit.'
But due to the recent field training and vacation, other work had piled up on him, and he had not yet been able to hand over the books to the butler, and had not even finished preparing them completely.
Elijah's eyes sparkled as she asked him:
“Can I help you with that?
I will prepare it and deliver it to the butler.”