Chapter 87

"This one is particularly fierce, and I like it."

At the word "fierce," the inspector's face hardened.

"Bit, scratched, and kicked... Moreover, it's a vicious one that only goes for the vital spots."

With his lower lip, as if he were about to tear it off.

"I saw a lot of blood before I could tame it."

"Captain, are you threatening me now?"

"Threatening? I doubt a mere captain can threaten a colonel."

Of course, the inspector was proving with his whole body that it was possible.

"Captain Winston, the military is not a club that a bored rich brat attends for fun. Your superiors have been turning a blind eye to your irresponsible behavior because of your family's name and your father's influence. But such tricks won't work on me."

"Colonel."

Leon's voice, which had been light all along, now sank heavily.

"I hope you realize that those words are not only an insult to me but also to my family and my late father."

He was genuinely enraged by the slander that he was an incompetent officer who had entered the military relying on his father's influence and his noble status. Graduating top of his class from the military academy, earning his captain's rank at a young age, and receiving numerous medals were all due to his own abilities.

The suggestion that he attended the military for fun was an unbearable insult.

Leon had never taken his duty as a soldier, which was to suppress the rebels, lightly. He enjoyed interrogations, which intersected with his personal desires and public goals, but so what? Isn't enjoying your work a good thing?

The military's leniency toward him was not just because of his wealth and power. They didn't interfere because he consistently exceeded expectations.

Leon glared at the insolent intruder.

"I'll give you a chance to retract your statement and apologize."

The middle-aged man instinctively realized he had made a grave mistake, slandering a noble and insulting a dead hero. If the captain spread the word in the military and the noble social circles, things would get out of hand.

However, as a colonel and an inspector appointed by the king, he couldn't back down to a mere captain.

"The one who needs to apologize is the captain. I will report your uncooperative and insubordinate attitude to General Davenport as soon as I return to headquarters."

But the captain only looked contemptuous, even when the general was mentioned.

"Let's go together. I have something to share as well."

I'll make you look like this soon.

Leon smiled, stroking the trembling daughter of the general.

* * *

In the general's secretary's office, the sound of the typewriter occasionally continued. Leon, standing by the window and looking outside, pulled up his shirt sleeve to check his wristwatch.

It had been over 30 minutes since the inspector entered the general's office. Leon suddenly chuckled, turning his gaze to the ornate door of the general's office.

How childish.

He felt like a child waiting to be called into the principal's office after a fight in class. The inspector would undoubtedly exaggerate his inappropriate behavior, just like any tattletale.

So what? Even if he had killed the inspector, Leon had cards in his hand to secure immunity. He found the whole situation amusing.

Suddenly, the typewriter fell silent.

"It seems to be taking a while…"

The young female secretary, who had been glancing at him for 30 minutes, spoke up.

"Would you like some tea, Captain?"

Leon stared intently at the secretary. Her cheeks below her eyes were turning red, but he didn't notice.

The woman he was looking at wasn't the secretary.

The moment he saw her sparkling eyes, Leon recalled the teal eyes that had been brimming with tears.

Before coming to headquarters, he had put her back in the interrogation room. She looked at him as if she had been betrayed by a trusted lover.

Why are you looking at me like that?

Why are you looking at me like that?

What betrayal could there be between us? There was no trust.

It was absurd. Yet, that absurd look kept haunting him.

"Captain, if you need anything else…"

Leon's reverie was broken when the secretary licked her lower lip provocatively. He frowned and turned his gaze back to the window.

The door to the office suddenly opened, and the two men walked out, looking quite familiar. The inspector glared at him as he passed by.

His triumphant gaze seemed to say, "You're a dead man now." Leon suppressed a laugh.

The general escorted the inspector out of the secretary's office. It seemed he had spent quite some time trying to placate him. Words of severe punishment occasionally drifted over.

"Then I will trust only the general."

After the persistent inspector left, the general entered the secretary's office. When Leon saluted, the elderly man narrowed his eyes and glared at him before entering his office and ordering,

"Come in."

Leon picked up the file from the coffee table and entered.

"Captain Winston, the world must look like a joke to you. I don't know if the previous general gave in to you, but I won't."

Unlike the excessive hospitality at the inauguration party, the general seemed determined to treat him coldly, standing him in front of his desk and starting his reprimand.

"I instructed you to cooperate fully in my letter, yet you treated the inspector poorly. You dared to treat me poorly."

"..."

"If you're going to ignore rank and regulations, the military isn't suitable for you! If you don't want to be dishonorably discharged, you should…."

The general clenched his teeth, watching the captain's attitude.

"What exactly are you here for?"

The captain listened to his reprimand without offering any excuses or explanations. He didn't show any signs of accepting the criticism and repenting.

"If you came to ask for a favor regarding a thank-you case, you're wasting both our time. There are lines you shouldn't cross, even if you offend someone!"

Bang. The fist hit the desk, causing a frame to fall and make a deafening noise. But the young man standing in front of the desk didn't flinch.

"To keep a rebel in private custody without reporting to the military!"

"You have the eyes of a rebel."

The first words the captain spoke after entering the room shocked the general.

"Are you insulting me now?"

"I'm just stating the facts."

For a mere captain to be so insolent and insulting in front of a high-ranking general, despite his noble status and wealth, made the general's anger boil even more.

He picked up an ashtray and threw it at the captain.

Bang. The marble ashtray shattered against the wall. Leon straightened his tilted head and smiled.

That woman, her bold temperament must be inherited.

Leon walked over leisurely and placed the file on the desk. The general looked up when he saw his name on the cover. His eyes, filled with confusion and displeasure, met Leon's.

"Those teal eyes. They are a unique feature of the general, not the Davenport family."

By suddenly bringing up his private life, the general's displeasure intensified.

"But one of your sons also inherited the same eye color, proving it's a hereditary trait."

"What are you trying to say?"

"There's another person I know with those eyes."

The general's eyes changed, immediately understanding the implication of an illegitimate child. Leon opened the file and pointed to a black-and-white montage.

"Nora Watson."

It was actually Angela Ridley's young appearance, but the general's eyes began to waver, recognizing the face.

"About 28 years ago, a blonde woman with hazel eyes named Nora Watson was hired as the general's personal secretary in the Royal Guard."

Leon began to subtly tighten the noose around the general.

"The scope of the personal secretary's duties was quite broad. This was confirmed by the driver at the time, so denying it would be a waste of both our time."

He mocked the general using his own words. Flipping through a few pages, he opened an interview record, and the general snorted.

"Do you think you can blackmail me with this?"

"Yes, I do."

The elderly man narrowed his eyes fiercely and glared at him.

"I thought you were smart, but you're not. How pitiful. What man doesn't have a mistress? It's so common, it's not even a flaw. You should know your own father was the same."

Leon's upturned lips twitched slightly. The general pointed out that his father, who was known to have a mistress, had been killed by the rebels. He had no idea that the general's mistress and his own past mistress were the same woman.

What would his face look like if he knew?

A pleasant thrill coursed through his veins.

"Let's finish the story."