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Chapter 1
“Ah, damn it!”
The sharp outburst echoed across the training ground, pulling everyone’s attention in one direction.
“This is filthy—I can’t stand this anymore!”
A wooden practice sword clattered violently against the floor.
The training hall, which had never been truly quiet but not exactly noisy either, sank into a dreadful silence.
“You crazy bastard!”
The source of the outburst shoved his frozen comrades aside as he stormed forward. His tied-up blonde hair swayed with each furious step.
And at the end of that stormy path—
“Noah.”
A tall, strikingly handsome man looked delighted as he watched her approach.
“Captain Noah Velo.”
He spoke her name like it was a sweet serenade of love.
The aide standing at his side couldn’t hide a flash of disgust.
Then, with a trace of pity, he glanced at Noah.
Of all people, it had to be this mad dog who took a liking to her…
If Noah had any fault in this situation—though she really didn’t—it was only this:
But then again… it’s not like Captain Velo is an ordinary person either.
While the aide entertained that fleeting pity, Noah had already leapt onto the platform and grabbed the mad dog by the collar.
The aide’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
“I’ve been trying hard to hold back, but you really must think I’m a joke, don’t you?”
Noah was smiling, but there was no kindness, no affection in that expression—only something sharp, the overlap of fury and a killing urge.
“Reto Oceanus.”
Noah spat out her superior’s name.
Someone shrieked, “Eek!” before collapsing into unconsciousness.
The others quickly dragged their fainted comrade into a shaded corner without a word.
“My, Captain,” the so-called mad dog, Reto, chuckled lightly.
“I didn’t know you had a taste for insubordination.”
“…”
“And quite a strong one at that.”
Reto brushed Noah’s hand off his collar with ease. Or perhaps, more accurately, Noah shoved him away first, letting go of the collar herself.
“If you’re asking for punishment, I’ll gladly—”
“Save your punishment crap.”
Noah cut him off, ripping the insignia from her chest in plain sight.
The rough movement left neat little holes in her uniform where the badge had been pinned.
“As of today, I quit.”
For the first time, the easygoing expression on Reto’s face twisted.
Noah, however, didn’t give him the time of day. It was the people around them who grew pale, inching nervously away from Reto instead.
“But.”
Noah’s voice rang out.
“I’m not leaving like this.”
If she was going to quit this cursed job, fine. But she couldn’t walk away without settling the grudges she’d piled up thanks to him.
She glared at Reto, recalling every humiliation.
“Let’s fight—without the badges.”
The Southern Sharpe Territory was the most dazzling and prosperous region on the continent.
Thanks to its enormous trading port, it always led the trend. The countless foreigners who visited each year gave it a distinctly exotic atmosphere.
It was a land of the sea, always bustling with people.
A little way past the harbor and town, there stood the territory’s rarest feature: a lone hill.
Its gentle slope was perfect for elderly folk out on a stroll. From its top, you could see the endless horizon clearly, far enough from the noise of the city to make it an ideal spot.
Upon that hill stood a two-story mansion.
“Ash!”
A child wriggled out of her chair on the terrace where she’d been eating snacks and leapt down.
“Ash! Ash, look at this!”
“Young Lady Clare.”
The maid, Ash, who had been carrying a drink, gently scolded the girl clinging to her legs.
“You mustn’t rush at me when I’m holding something.”
“But Ash, you never drop things!”
True enough, Ash’s glass didn’t spill a single drop of water.
“Just a moment.”
She set the lemon drink with three ice cubes onto the table, then asked:
“What is it, my lady?”
“Look!”
Clare held up a newspaper, crumbs scattered across it from her snacking.
“This man—he’s the one my sister mentioned, right?”
“That would be Vice Admiral Oceanus.”
The young man in the photograph was widely known.
“The Mad Dog,” Clare said brightly, reciting his infamous nickname.
“Young lady, mind your language.”
“But Sister said when God made him, He spent too much time on the face and body and forgot to add character or morals.”
So his personality turned out rotten.
“Our lady is clever as always,” Ash chuckled, patting Clare’s head.
But in truth, Ash couldn’t be too pleased—after all, that “mad dog” was part of their family.
Clare grinned and went on, summarizing the article beneath the photo.
“It says Vice Admiral Oceanus and his subordinates wiped out a pirate crew that had been running rampant lately.”
She proudly slipped in a difficult word she’d memorized just yesterday.
“Oh, my lady!” Ash clapped in delight.
“When did you learn words like that?”
“At school yesterday. I even got a perfect score on the test today!”
“As expected! You’re the smartest one in this house.”
“Obviously!”
“You say ‘obviously,’ I say ‘without a doubt.’”
“Without a doubt!” Clare mimicked.
Their cheerful chatter was cut short.
“I can’t wait for Grandma to come back!”
“You’ve been saving all your test papers to show her, haven’t you?”
“Mm-hm! She promised she’d bring me amazing gifts when she returns—”
Clare suddenly fell silent.
Rustling came from the garden entrance.
Sensing it early, Ash instinctively stepped in front of Clare. Clare peeked out nervously from behind her.
Crossing the garden came a figure—Noah.
“Sister?”
“Oh my goodness, young mistress!” Ash hurried to her side. Clare followed quickly behind.
“What brings you here at this hour? And your condition…”
Why do you look like a corpse?
Noah was gasping as if she might collapse any moment. By the time Clare and Ash reached her, she was already on one knee.
“Huff, hahh…!”
Unable to form words, she could only gasp. Ash quickly handed her the iced drink from the table.
Noah drained it in one go, finally catching her breath.
“Sister… your work?” Clare asked cautiously.
“Did you desert?”
“I quit.”
“What?!”
Ash’s startled cry was loud enough to startle herself. A few strands of her neatly tied black hair stood on end like static.
But that wasn’t the end of the shock.
“We have to run…!”
Noah’s eyes darted behind her like something was chasing her.
“Quit? When a promotion was just around the corner?! Good heavens! If Madam finds out when she returns, what will she do!”
“Sister, what’s going on? Huh?”
Clare’s voice trembled, tears threatening.
“No time to explain.”
Noah grabbed them both by the hands and pulled them toward the mansion. Clare was on the verge of crying.
“Sister, Sister!”
“Ash, pack money and clothes! And Clare… I’m really sorry but…”
Noah crouched down to meet Clare’s eyes.
“…if we don’t, we’ll all die.”
Clare’s tears stopped short, her mouth falling open.
“Wh-why? Why would you die?”
“I got caught by the mad dog…”
“The Mad Dog…?”
“You don’t mean Vice Admiral Oceanus?”
Ash emerged from the room, already holding a packed bag.
“But why would he—”
Her words faltered as she noticed the torn holes on Noah’s uniform where the badge had been ripped away.
No way…!
Her mind spun with dreadful possibilities.
“Explanations later!”
Noah scooped Clare into her arms, grabbing her own bag with the other hand.
“That bastard’s out of his mind…!”
Near the front wall, Noah pried loose a brick.
Inside was a pistol and spare magazine, hidden for emergencies.
She shoved them into her pocket, shuddering.
That man—blessed by God with a face, cursed by the devil with everything else.
“Which of Grandma’s villas is farthest? No—maybe we should just get on a ship straight to her—”
“Sister!”
Clare pointed outside.
The three fugitives froze in place.
Noah’s face drained of color.
“You—you…!”
A car stood at the front entrance: sleek, long, and deep red like fine wine.
The latest model, of which there was only one in all the South.
Nicknamed the Mad Dog’s Crimson Steed.
“W-why are you here?!”
“Well,” Reto said, stepping forward with a massive bouquet he had hidden behind him.
Clare let out a shy gasp. “Oh my gosh…”
“I came to fetch my bride.”
“Hiiiik!”
Noah recoiled in horror.
“You told me, ‘Let’s fight without the badges.’ We fought, and I won.”
Reto closed the distance by a step.
“So…”
He shoved the roses into Noah’s arms.
The intoxicating scent stole her breath for a moment—and in that opening, he leaned close and whispered into her ear:
“As promised, we’re getting married.”
Isn’t that right?
leto looked at her with the most beautiful smile she had ever seen.
