Chapter 36
Delta Maxim persistently followed Ender with his gaze. Ender had his back turned and appeared to be receiving a phone call. Delta Maxim licked his lips as he stared at Ender’s well-defined back.
“Uncle would covet him. He’s a truly splendid and handsome man.”
His whispered voice contained no honorifics. Harriet slightly furrowed his brow, then relaxed it. Wondering why his face was moving on its own, he touched his cheeks.
While Harriet was flustered by this strange stirring he was experiencing for the first time, Delta turned to look at him. Delta Maxim’s expression was filled with contempt.
“So you’re the defective one Uncle mentioned.”
He seemed to know very well what kind of experiments Harriet had undergone and what his current situation was.
‘Even Ender probably doesn’t know that…’
Harriet smiled awkwardly again.
“Can you persuade him?”
At Dante Maxim’s worried words, Delta raised his head confidently. Delta’s confidence, raised on compliments like “angel” and “cute” from a young age, was sky-high.
President Dante Maxim was quite fond of his nephew, Delta Maxim. It was Dante who had given the name Delta to the child born to his much younger brother.
Around that time, Dante had lost his grandson and was in despair. His father had mentioned in passing that Dante had quarreled daily with his son, Alcita.
Delta’s father, Dante’s youngest brother, was a frail person both physically and mentally. He was an artist with absolutely no interest in politics or war. Delta found his father’s life boring.
In some ways, he was both similar to and completely different from Dante’s son, Alcita. His father had hoped that Delta, too, would live quietly and peacefully.
But not long after Delta was born, Dante Maxim was elected president. And he lost his son after his grandson. It was only natural that Dante poured his love onto Delta, who showed promise from a young age.
Surprisingly, Delta grew to resemble his uncle Dante more than his father. He enjoyed power and loved using his uncle’s authority.
Because of this, men of higher rank than Delta found it difficult to face him. Regardless of age difference or rank, they all tolerated and endured Delta’s mischief.
It was a very enjoyable and pleasant experience. With his uncle’s power behind him, Delta had everything he wanted.
But there was just one thing he couldn’t have.
‘Ender McGuire…’
Delta gritted his teeth as he recalled the name of the man he coveted unbearably.
At first, Delta had snorted at Ender’s appearance on TV and in magazines. At that time, Ender’s rank was Major, but he was already a world-famous star. There was hardly a citizen who didn’t know him.
People were crazy about the hero who might end the war that had lasted 20 years. Delta believed he was just one of many humans who would have to bow and greet him.
On his uncle’s orders, he had reluctantly seen Ender McGuire in person. Delta fell for Ender’s appearance, making his previous sneers at the “great hero” seem foolish.
Those damn journalists were idiots who couldn’t properly capture such a beautiful creature. Black hair and jewel-like red eyes that glanced at Delta with a chilling light. There was no interest or passion in them.
Despite being a soldier, Ender’s skin was quite fair, and his lips were so red they seemed wicked. This made the ordinary-looking aide next to him look like a squid in comparison.
Every movement, like removing his officer’s cap and brushing up his hair, was artful. Delta kept swallowing dry saliva as he watched Ender approach with his slender, long legs.
However, Ender merely glanced at Delta as he passed by. He was much taller than Delta, and everything about him was perfect.
In that brief moment when their red and blue eyes met, Delta greedily coveted Ender.
His abilities were the McGuire family’s finest masterpiece. He was strong beyond compare in the world. Delta coveted him. He couldn’t bear how much he wanted Ender McGuire.
Yes, he wasn’t someone who should be rotting away in this rural village because of that defective product. He should be conquering the world with someone brighter and more beautiful. People would soon cheer for Ender and Delta. Just thinking about it was thrilling.
Staring at the rainy sky, Delta turned around. His eyes naturally narrowed at the sight of the pale man who was even more unsightly than he’d thought. The man, whitish from head to toe, walked well despite limping. And he had the audacity to make Ender McGuire hold an umbrella for him.
“…Ugh.”
Delta had once retched at the experimental photos and videos of Harriet Alster that Dante had shown him. There was no way such a monster could match with Ender. Ender was merely deceived by appearances.
His uncle also coveted that man. Indeed, he and his uncle had many similarities. Even more than his father who had strongly inherited the bloodline, and his father’s son.
It was unbelievable that Ender loved such a monster. Delta pitied Ender for being deceived by such a thing. Delta believed he was the last lifeline to save Ender.
“How long will that person be here?”
“…At most, a week.”
“…Damn, I’ll take a week’s vacation then.”
A curse sprang from Angela’s cute and beautiful lips. Anschel was momentarily startled but cleared his throat, “Ahem, ahem,” to calm himself.
He seriously considered whether to lecture Angela about her language or just let it pass. He didn’t like crude language from anyone, regardless of age or gender. But there wasn’t much to lecture about, and he was reluctant to use his authority to suppress her. In the end, Anschel sighed and agreed with Angela’s words.
“You know you can’t do that.”
“Why does he keep giving our captain such nasty looks?”
Angela grumbled, crossing her arms. She was a good subordinate who cared for her captain in various ways.
Anschel stroked Angela’s brown hair. Her already disheveled hair from the rain now had a lot of static electricity. Angela pushed away Anschel’s hand and made a mischievous face again.
She also seemed displeased that Harriet, with his bad leg, was out in this rainy weather. Anyone watching might think Harriet was an elderly person who couldn’t walk. But Harriet was a soldier in his own right and had better physical strength than an average person despite appearances.
Come to think of it, Anschel remembered that Delta Maxim had once pestered Ender and was completely ignored to the point where bystanders felt embarrassed. Anschel had even advised Ender to at least speak a little to Delta, the president’s nephew.
But Ender ignored Delta Maxim’s existence until the end. Because of this, Delta, who seemed to have high self-esteem, glared at Ender with a reddened face.
Everyone thought there were no parachute appointments in the military, but in reality, there were. Delta Maxim was a prime example. The president had lost his son and was quite fond of his nephew, Delta.
“He said it was the president’s order, but the target is probably Colonel Ender.”
Anschel muttered as if he had a headache. He began to worry if something might happen because Delta Maxim’s pride pierced the sky. He hoped this period would pass quietly.
“We can’t touch the Maxim family yet.”
Hatred momentarily filled Anschel’s eyes. Angela said quietly, her brown eyes flashing.
“‘Yet’?”
“…Yes.”
Shoooooosh-.
Their voices were drowned out by the increasingly heavy rain. Soon, the rumbling of thunder echoed widely across the sky.
“…Did you really stay in a place like this?”
Delta Maxim wiped off the moisture with a towel received from Anschel, seemingly shocked. It was an office that the soldiers here were using quite well. Though it was a abandoned building that the village head and residents had repaired.
Drip, drip-.
Rainwater dripped from the ceiling. Delta was making quite a sight of a face. Anschel quickly wiped the moisture off the sofa and thought of Ann at the lakeside.
With rain pouring like a waterfall, would he be okay? But then again, he was a merman, so there was probably no need to worry.
Anschel shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was better to think about what needed to be done now than to recall that pervert merman.
“I’ve booked a hotel. Shall we go there first?”
“No, I have something to discuss, so let’s do that first.”
So that was his business after all.
Like a skilled aide, Anschel quickly prepared warm water and tea. Angela helped from the side, but she wasn’t much help. She was good at tasks requiring strength but terrible at delicate work like this.
While Anschel made five cups of warm tea, Angela created something terrible. Blushing, Angela cleared her throat and attempted to destroy the evidence by throwing her creation into the sink.
Delta Maxim naturally accepted the warm tea from Anschel and took a sip. Ender and Harriet were sitting on the sofa opposite, which Delta seemed quite displeased with, judging by his frown.
Harriet also received warm cocoa from Anschel. With seven years as an aide, Anschel had exceptionally sharp instincts.
Harriet naturally stirred his cocoa once with a teaspoon, then put it in his mouth and sucked it. Despite having a teaspoon in front of him, Ender very naturally took the teaspoon from Harriet, put it in his own cup, and stirred it carefully.
His face showed he had done the most difficult and satisfying thing in the world. Anschel recalled that Ender hadn’t made such an expression even when he had received the surrender from the Southern merpeople.
Delta looked like he didn’t understand what he had just witnessed. Angela and Anschel, now too accustomed to this, pretended not to see and picked up their teacups.
Anschel had once asked Harriet why they shared a teaspoon. It was because he genuinely found it disgusting. But Harriet had smiled contentedly and said:
“Anschel would find it hard to do the dishes, so we decided to share the teaspoon.”
It was clearly a lie that Anschel would bet all his fingers on, but Harriet, for whom the formula “Ender is a cute and reliable junior” was established, seemed unaware. Those present chose silence, fearing what Ender might do if they told the truth.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
