A Second Day with Olivia and Paul
The command room at Windsome Castle
Paul was wrestling with a stack of paperwork when there was an unexpected knock on the door. He looked at the clock and saw that the hour hand pointed at two o’clock.
How odd. I could’ve sworn I didn’t have any appointments now... he thought, but called out to give the knocker permission to enter. The next moment, the door flew open to reveal a young girl with silver hair, grinning to reveal pearly white teeth. Paul broke into a warm smile.
“Major Olivia! What brings you here out of the blue?” He offered her a seat on the sofa, which she accepted without so much as a salute, then produced a torn-out sheet of paper and placed it on the table. Paul looked at it and saw written there in a hand far more elegant than he’d have expected of a young girl, the words Application for Leave.
“You want some time off, Major?” he asked.
“Yes, ser,” she replied. “I really, really want it.” Paul, who had expected demands for cake, felt a little put out. He did, of course, allow for holidays, if irregularly. That she’d come here specially to ask for it, however, suggested to him that she wanted to ask for a longer period of leave.
“The northern lands have settled down now, so I can spare a week for you...”
“A whole week? Seriously?” Olivia gasped, jumping forwards and pushing her face towards him. He patted her gently on the shoulder, then gestured for her to sit down again.
“Well, you went so far as to fill out a leave application, so I’m sure there must be a reason?”
The Crimson Knights had withdrawn, and the Seventh Legion now controlled all the northern lands. While they couldn’t relax yet, Paul didn’t expect another attack for a while at least. Under the current circumstances, a week-long holiday was nothing. More than anything else, he didn’t want to have to turn down the request of this innocent young girl.
“Thanks!” Olivia said, then quickly added, “I mean, thanks, General Paul.” She saluted, beaming at him, then promptly turned to leave.
“Major,” Paul asked, “may I ask where you plan to go on your holiday?”
“The Royal Library!” she replied, turning back to give him a thumbs-up.
“The Royal Library?” Paul exclaimed. “Have you found someone to be your reference? If not, I—”
“I asked Mr. Fish Face—um, I mean, Brigadier General Neinhardt to be my reference!” Olivia said, then left the command room with a spring in her step.
She asked Brigadier General Neinhardt? I bet Lieutenant Claudia has something to do with that... Paul mused. But why did she call him Mr. Fish Face? He doesn’t look particularly fishy...
He sat for a while, his paperwork forgotten, occupied by the image of Neinhardt’s face.
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