UCT Ch 22

Suddenly, Parnass’ eyes narrowed as he stared at the photograph and asked,

“By the way, is this the man? The one who painted his aircraft completely white?”

“So they say. A white paint job on an Exton model….”

“A follower of the White Falcon? A Bringerton without mind-melding abilities—what could they possibly know? Ridiculous.”

A feeling of indescribable anxiety twisted in the man’s gut.

He had killed Fernand Lowell with his own hands. He had taken everything from him without leaving a single thing behind and had come this far.

This forest, the mansion, the wealth of his family, and even the ‘White Falcon Order’—all were rightful spoils of war.

There was no reason for concern. Fernand was dead, and his family was annihilated.

And yet, every time Fernand’s name resurfaced, Parnass shuddered with an inexplicable unease, as if a ghost from his past had returned to strangle him without warning.

“I’ll have to crush him completely. He’s just a pilot, but he’s dangerous.”

Parnass sneered as he crumpled the newspaper.

And at that moment, a quiet woman’s voice called from behind him.

“Lael.”

It was the Countess of Athenai, the most precious spoil taken from Fernand—his wife.

🌷🌷🌷

At the sudden appearance of Countess Elizabeth Athenai, Major Avris instinctively took a step back.

Parnass, too, froze in place, staring blankly as Elizabeth approached him.

The girl once known as the Rose of Arke now exuded an air of nobility. Her golden hair, elegantly twisted into a swirling updo, her deep purple dress revealing just a glimpse of her ankles, and the silk shawl draped over her shoulders—all marked her as a true Arke noblewoman.

Her dreamy, drowsy gray eyes fixed on her husband, Lael Parnass. With a soft, amused voice, Elizabeth spoke.

“The children came all this way, yet all you do is hunt. That’s a little disappointing. Why don’t we all have some tea in the greenhouse? We won’t have many opportunities to gather like this in the future.”

“Ah, yes. That’s… true.”

Elizabeth’s gaze shifted from Parnass to the crumpled newspaper in his hands. She commented casually.

“So that man is the most famous fighter pilot in Bringerton?”

“Yes.”

“Christian and Elena are eager to take him down. They’re burning with determination.”

The woman smiled—a smile so precise and flawless that it resembled a sculpture or a painting.

Christian and Elena were the couple’s twin children.

Both had taken after their mother, growing into beautiful young adults with golden hair. They had followed in their father’s footsteps and pursued the path of fighter pilots. Upon reaching adulthood, they had immediately joined the [Golden Eagle Order], ensuring them a path of inevitable success.

At Elizabeth’s words, Count Parnass snorted and scoffed.

“A mere Bringerton brat like that is far too easy a target for our children. No matter how skilled a pilot he may be, without mind-melding abilities—”

“That’s true. But weren’t the pilots who fell to that Bringerton also mind-melders?”

“……”

Parnass shot a glare at Elizabeth, as if searching her face for any trace of doubt or betrayal.

But the moment did not last long.

“Father.”

“Hey, show some respect and salute!”

The twins approached from behind the Countess.

Elena Parnass-Athenai and Christian Parnass-Athenai—both were strikingly beautiful young men, resembling their mother.

As the two bickered while drawing near, Count Parnass gestured for his aide to step back.

Forcing a genial expression, he spoke.

“Since we’re all together for once, let’s go to the greenhouse for tea.”

🌷🌷🌷

Thick raindrops pounded against the roof of the barracks. An untimely autumn monsoon.

Diana sat slanted on her barracks bed, reading a novel. The sound of the rain created a rather atmospheric backdrop for her reading.

Of course, it wasn’t exactly a sophisticated book.

What Diana held in her hands was a cliché detective novel featuring a busty singer and a taciturn middle-aged detective. She was reading it only because Owen had recommended it.

Knock, knock.

At the sound of a knock on the barracks door, Diana folded the page corner and looked up.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Owen.”

“Come in.”

The unlocked door creaked open, and Owen stepped inside, wearing a raincoat.

He had seemed deeply shaken after the last battle, but now he looked better.

With a grin, Owen asked Diana,

“The hero of the mission is just cooped up here instead of going out?”

“A hero? I didn’t do anything.”

“Lieutenant, humility is fine, but too much of it is annoying. The success of the last operation was thanks to you and the captain.

By the way, now that we’re the same rank, you don’t have to be so formal. Just talk casually.”

“…Alright.”

Diana nodded awkwardly, making Owen chuckle louder.

Then he got to the point.

“Let’s go into town together. We got two days of leave—no point in wasting it sulking around here.”

“…Is Lieutenant Bryce coming too?”

“Yeah. Not like we have anyone else to go with. Do you think those high-ranking nobles would hang out with us?”

At Owen’s self-deprecating joke, Diana nodded.

She had been growing bored with her book anyway.

Just as she was about to get up and prepare to leave, a thought crossed her mind, making her pause.

“What about the squadron leader?”

“…We should at least ask out of courtesy. Though he’ll probably refuse.”

🌷🌷🌷

Owen and Diana entered the office.

The man was sitting on his bed, jotting something down in a notebook.

Even after the two of them stepped inside, his eyes remained fixed on his writing.

‘Is he writing a diary?’

It was unexpected.

Richard Ashwood didn’t seem like the type to leave behind things like letters or journal entries.

Perhaps it was just her assumption.

Without looking up, the man grumbled in a sharp tone.

“If you have something to say, say it quickly. Don’t just stand there gawking.”

Owen scratched the back of his head and spoke.

“Ah, well, Captain. We got two days of leave, so we were thinking of heading into town for a drink… If you’d like to join us—”

“Alright, sounds good.”

“…What?”

At the completely unexpected response, both of their eyes widened. Owen stared blankly as Richard closed his notebook and placed it inside his locker, then raised an eyebrow at Diana.

He mouthed the words:

‘Why is he acting like this? What’s gotten into him?’

‘I have no idea.’

Diana shrugged. She hadn’t expected the man to join them either. But deep down, she thought—perhaps this was an opportunity.

No matter how difficult and unpredictable he was, he was still their squadron leader. She needed to figure out what kind of person he truly was. Was he really as ruthless as Bryce had said?

She also wanted to know if the compliments he had given her in front of the reporters were genuine. Had it just been lip service, or—

Suddenly, her heartbeat quickened. Diana stopped thinking.

‘If I get him to drink, maybe I can get a glimpse into what’s really inside him.’

She had no way of knowing.

🌷🌷🌷

The village of Horshill, near the base, was a quaint little place made of brown brick. The streets were livelier than before the war, now teeming with soldiers.

“There are navy men here too.”

Owen whistled as he looked around. Bryce was admiring the shop windows, but Diana had no such leisure. She kept her gaze fixed on her feet as she walked.

No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the stares from the people around her were too blatant. That damn newspaper had completely exposed her face.

Richard, of course, remained utterly indifferent to the attention. But Diana was human—she had emotions. It was impossible not to care. In short, it was really getting on her nerves.

“Um….”

Just then, someone suddenly blocked her path. Richard instinctively pulled Diana behind him.

“Captain?”

Looking up, she saw a boy—probably around twelve years old.

The boy, who had boldly stepped in front of them, immediately shrank under Richard’s piercing gaze. His hat fell off and rolled onto the ground.

Diana quickly picked it up, dusted it off a few times, and placed it back on his head.

“Oh dear, it almost got dirty. Right?”

Seeing Diana’s face up close, the boy’s eyes widened like saucers.

“…Saintess?”

“…Huh? What?”

“Wow! You’re really the Saintess! They say you had never even flown a plane before the war, yet you took down Arke’s Mindmelders in an instant!”

His eyes shimmered with excitement, and before she knew it, he had grabbed her hands. His reaction, as if he were meeting a real saint, made her let out a small, incredulous laugh.

“Uh… yeah. I just got lucky.”

“Please give me your autograph!”

The boy pulled out a pen and a small notebook from his crossbody bag.

An autograph? All of a sudden?

What should she do? Diana hesitated and glanced at Richard for guidance. As expected, his expression was sour beyond words. The dark shadow beneath his eyes seemed even darker than before.

‘He’s not upset because the boy ignored him and asked me for an autograph instead… right?’

No, that didn’t seem to be the reason. It was more likely that he just found the whole thing a waste of time.

She should finish this quickly.

Ignoring the man’s sharp glare, Diana swiftly scribbled her autograph in the boy’s notebook. Below it, she wrote: “Wishing you good luck!”

“Here. Your autograph. Happy now?”

“I’ll treasure it as a family heirloom forever!”

“…I’m really not that great. Keeping it as an heirloom is a bit much. It’s embarrassing.”

Diana tried to be modest, but it was useless. The boy carefully placed the notebook back into his bag as if it were the most precious thing in the world. Then, he gave her a crisp salute.

“Thank you, Saintess!”

His enthusiasm was so endearing that Diana couldn’t help but smile. She waved cheerfully at his retreating figure.

And from behind her, Richard watched her with a quiet, unreadable gaze.