Chapter 16

As the sun climbed higher into the sky, the intense rays began to scorch the earth. Thankfully, the brisk, refreshing breeze kept the weather perfectly pleasant for an outing.

“If the lilies were in full bloom, it truly would be a spectacular sight.”

Aiden leisurely read the letter that had been delivered to him first thing in the morning. For a man who claimed to have nothing to say, the letter was an oppressive four pages long.

“Near the conference hall, he says? I suppose I’ll have to go take a look.”

Muttering casually to himself, Aiden finally reached the bottom of the lengthy parchment. He shoved the letter into his desk drawer and pulled out a pristine, blank sheet of paper. This chore was entirely the fault of the bizarre request Clyde had made the day he visited the estate.

I wish to exchange letters with you every single day, Admiral Rosley.

Even in hindsight, it was an utterly baffling, completely unhinged demand. If he had requested, ‘Please go subjugate some pirates,’ or ‘Please escort this merchant fleet,’ Aiden would have perfectly understood. But daily letters?

And he specifically demanded they be ‘overflowing with love.’

He truly is an absolute lunatic. A completely crazy bastard. The mere thought of that absurd condition caused the pen in Aiden’s hand to tremble violently with suppressed rage. Taking a slow, deep breath, Aiden forcefully shoved his anger down.

Despite his irritation, the specific threat Clyde had embedded in the letter continuously echoed in his mind.

You are free to refuse, of course. However, if I am rejected, I fear the profound shock might trigger a terrible migraine. And if I am unwell, I simply won’t have the energy to fight the Ministers… which means I likely won’t be able to buy you that warship.

Ultimately, Aiden had surrendered, forcing himself to painstakingly write a letter every single day. Yet, no matter what he wrote, Clyde relentlessly nagged him, complaining that the letters weren’t saturated with enough ‘love and affection.’ Just reading the critiques was enough to make Aiden’s ears bleed.

Even the final page of the letter delivered today read: Admiral Rosley. Just because you tack on the phrase ‘I love you’ next to my name doesn’t mean I can magically feel the affection.

“Does he have any idea how overwhelmingly full of love and affection I actually am?!”

Grumbling furiously, Aiden aggressively dragged his pen across the paper to draft his reply. This is all for the sake of the warship. I must exploit Clyde’s selective amnesia regarding my drunken behavior. Steeling his resolve, Aiden crafted a letter so sickeningly, overwhelmingly sweet that if his older brothers ever read it, they would undoubtedly burst into horrified tears.

Reviewing the final product, he confirmed it was a masterpiece absolutely dripping with manufactured affection. Signing his name at the bottom with a heavy, dramatic sigh, a low knock suddenly echoed through the study.

“Come in—Wait, no.”

Desperately wanting an excuse to move his body, Aiden stood up and pulled the door open himself. Butler Thomas was standing in the hallway.

“Young Master. Captain Sophia Cox has arrived.”

“Excellent. Ah, and please have this dispatched to the Imperial Palace immediately.”

As Aiden handed over the sealed envelope, Thomas asked with a subtle, cautious tilt of his head.

“Since you are heading to the Imperial Palace yourself today, sir, wouldn’t it be far better to deliver it personally?”

Writing a letter dripping with fake love was agonizing enough, and now you want me to hand-deliver it?! Aiden frantically waved his hand in denial.

“Absolutely not. I am far too busy. You know perfectly well my schedule is packed to the brim today.”

Blatantly ignoring the deeply skeptical look Thomas shot him, Aiden marched back into his study. The moment he stepped inside, Captain Sophia, who had been waiting patiently, snapped a crisp salute.

“Good morning, Admiral.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you, Captain. Our schedule is quite tight, so let us begin immediately.”

Accepting her salute, Aiden strode over to the massive map dominating one wall of his study. It was covered in countless tactical markings and handwritten notes. Tapping a specific region labeled The Repeto Kingdom, he began the briefing.

“As you are well aware, because the Repeto Kingdom shares direct land borders with two neighboring nations, their military infrastructure has historically prioritized their Army far over their Navy.”

Pausing briefly to catch his breath, he used his pen to draw a stark star next to a specific geographical bottleneck labeled The Linka Strait.

“The Linka Strait is exceptionally narrow and boasts violently fast currents. It has traditionally served as a natural defensive barrier, compensating for the Repeto Kingdom’s relatively weak naval power. However, recent intelligence indicates that pirate factions are actively exploiting this treacherous terrain to ambush and pillage vital merchant supply lines.”

Aiden delivered a relentless, highly detailed tactical breakdown of the operational zone, with Sophia occasionally interjecting with sharp, insightful questions. After a lengthy, intense strategic session, they successfully finalized a comprehensive operational plan guaranteed to minimize allied casualties.

Looking profoundly satisfied, Aiden set his pen down.

“Captain Cox. Go out there and show those pirate bastards exactly how terrifying the Celton Empire’s Navy truly is.”

At Aiden’s commanding words, Sophia—who had maintained a stoic, fiercely professional expression throughout the entire meeting—finally broke into a radiant smile.

“I will etch your orders into my heart, Admiral. By the way, sir… once this operation concludes, will you be stationed in the North?”

“I might be. Or I might not be.”

“Excuse me?”

Sophia blinked, utterly bewildered by the highly ambiguous answer. However, rather than clarifying, Aiden simply flashed a wicked, enigmatic smirk.

“Regardless, I wish you a safe and victorious deployment.”

“Ah, yes! Thank you, Admiral. I shall take my leave now.”

The absolute second Sophia bowed and exited the study, Logan smoothly stepped inside, acting as if he had been waiting for that exact cue. Snapping a salute, he immediately delivered his report.

“Admiral. If you change into your formal attire now and depart for the Imperial Palace immediately, we should arrive exactly on time for the meeting.”

“Right, understood.”

Aiden marched out of the study and headed straight for his dressing room, with Logan trailing closely behind to provide additional details.

“I have also been informed that the Master of the Della Merchant Guild will be attending today’s meeting, sir.”

“The Master of the Della Guild…? Wait, you mean Lieutenant Lamour? I mean, Julian? Wasn’t he deployed overseas?”

Aiden’s mind instantly flashed to his former Academy classmate, a man who had rapidly requested an early discharge from the military solely to inherit his family’s massive merchant conglomerate. It would be their first time seeing each other in months, yet Aiden felt absolutely zero joy or excitement at the prospect.

The absolute second that bastard sees me, he’s going to start incessantly whining about why I never replied to his letters.

Just imagining the impending headache made his temples throb. Furthermore, Julian had a spectacular, almost magical talent for doing the absolute most annoying things imaginable.

“I am not entirely privy to his schedule, sir, but given the critical nature of the agenda, it makes sense that the Guild Master would attend personally.”

“He’s the kind of lazy bastard who usually sends proxies even to the most crucial meetings. He must be genuinely salivating over securing the exclusive trade rights this time.”

Chatting casually with Logan, they arrived in front of the dressing room. Logan smoothly pulled the door open and stepped back.

“I shall wait for you out here, Admiral.”

Promising to change as quickly as possible, Aiden stepped inside.

***