I Was Mistaken as a Great War Commander-Chapter 138

The voice, thick with emotion, lacked strength.

It wasn’t sincere enough to be called the truth, yet it carried too much weight to be dismissed as a lie.

Because of that, Daniel understood.

Selvia was using alcohol as a crutch to express the turmoil she had been suppressing.

She wasn’t looking for answers—just for someone to acknowledge how exhausted she was. A fleeting indulgence, seeking comfort in the presence of another.

If she weren’t drunk, I’d never see her like this.

After all, Selvia was the Emperor of the Empire.

As the one who ruled over millions, she couldn’t afford to show weakness to anyone.

To be weak meant losing control.

So she had never allowed herself to falter.

Even when her own brother tried to kill her for the throne, even when the nobles turned their backs on her, she had convinced herself it was fine.

Because she had believed that once she became Emperor, all these problems would resolve themselves.

At the very least, she had assumed the opposition from the parliament and aristocracy would subside.

But the reality that awaited her as Emperor was far worse.

Rather than merely withdrawing their support, the nobles had become her enemies.

The parliament, supposedly representing the people, shot down every policy she tried to enact.

And as if that weren’t enough, her physician had told her that her father, Bertheim, wouldn’t last the month.

With all that weighing on her, breaking down wasn’t a failure—it was inevitable.

She had reached the pinnacle of power in the Empire, yet nothing was within her control.

Crushing responsibility bore down on her, and relentless criticism shackled her—who could stay sane under such circumstances?

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And yet, she refused to surrender.

She cut down her sleep and poured everything into governing the Empire.

To appease the hostile nobles, she bent over backward to accommodate their interests, forced smiles on her face, and listened to their endless grievances.

She personally visited parliament, trying to understand exactly what objections the representatives had.

She toured the major cities, delivering speeches to reassure citizens who doubted a female Emperor.

She worked tirelessly, juggling countless duties, all in the desperate pursuit of legitimacy.

And yet, upon returning to the capital, she wasn’t met with praise.

Instead, she was greeted by a fresh wave of slander and baseless rumors, dragging her name through the mud.

Considering all that, the fact that she hadn’t snapped and screamed, "These treasonous bastards! I’ve been too lenient, and now they’ve lost their minds! Every last one of them should be purged!" was, frankly, proof of her restraint.

Daniel understood her frustration all too well. He was about to offer her words of comfort—

“...Of course, I’m only joking.”

Selvia beat him to it, stepping back and releasing the embrace.

He couldn’t tell if she had sobered up slightly or if she was just startled by her own words, but there was a faint trace of embarrassment in her expression.

“I feel kind of bad. This wasn’t why I asked you here...”

A quiet sigh escaped her lips.

“I just... I hope you don’t get the wrong idea. I only arranged this meeting to encourage the war hero heading to the Eastern Front. That’s all.”

Selvia had always been terrible at lying to herself.

Daniel suddenly dropped to one knee, looking up at her.

Something about the way she was drowning in self-reproach struck a familiar chord in him.

After a moment of hesitation, he spoke.

“Your Majesty, I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but in my previous life, I was quite famous. I had a job that kept me in the public eye. Naturally, many people followed me.”

It was a sudden confession, but Selvia didn’t seem to mind.

She understood that he was saying this for her sake.

“I was absurdly popular. Maybe not on Your Majesty’s level, but still, I had to wear disguises just to walk the streets without being recognized. But fame isn’t forever.”

A bitter smile tugged at Daniel’s lips.

“A single false rumor was all it took to unravel everything. Instead of verifying the truth, people found it easier to condemn me. In the end, I had no choice but to disappear from the public eye.”

That was the first time Daniel had truly feared the world.

“My so-called friends stopped calling. I was left completely alone. Why won’t people see the truth? Why are journalists so eager to destroy me? For the first week, I was so consumed by rage that I started breaking things.”

The internet, which had once been filled with praise for him, became nothing but a cesspool of insults and accusations.

Disgusted, Daniel had ended up smashing his phone in frustration.

Only after a long time had passed was it revealed that the rumors had been false, and his name was cleared.

But by then, it was far too late.

He had been dropped from every project, every program. His career was over.

“And once the anger faded, all that was left was sorrow. Was it because my life had been ruined? That was part of it, but not the real reason.

The worst part was that when the world turned against me, not a single person stood up and said, I know you’re not at fault.”

If only there had been even one person by his side who had said, I believe you.

Maybe he would’ve had something to hold on to.

Maybe he could’ve found the strength to keep going.

“That’s why...”

Even an Emperor, who ruled over millions, wasn’t immune to this kind of loneliness.

Instinctively understanding that, Daniel chose to say the words she needed to hear.

“Selvia. This isn’t your fault.”

Her eyes widened.

Then, in her ocean-blue irises, tears began to gather.

“What nonsense are you talking about...”

She tried to sound indifferent, but her voice was trembling.

“You really expect me to believe in past lives? If you’re trying to comfort me with something that ridiculous...”

Her expression crumpled.

She bit her lip as if trying to hold back tears, but it was futile.

A choked sound escaped her throat, and the next moment, she threw herself at Daniel.

Their bodies collided in an instant.

Selvia clung to him, finally letting go of everything she had been holding back.

As a princess, and now as an emperor, she had shouldered more than anyone could bear.

And now, for the first time, she was allowing herself to break.

Daniel held her firmly in return, his voice quiet but steady.

“Even if the whole world condemns you, I will believe in you until the very end.”

Selvia didn’t answer with words.

She responded with tears, with quiet sobs, and with a small, shaky nod.

And in the silence between them, Daniel gently stroked her back.

Just for now, he did not see her as the Emperor of the Empire.

But as a younger sister who had been crushed by the weight of the world.

****

“No matter what, past lives? Surely, you could have come up with a more believable way to comfort me.”

Selvia, having finally stopped crying, leaned against the wall and spoke in a quiet voice.

Sitting beside her as if nothing had happened, Daniel chuckled and replied.

“That was the first thing that came to mind. My apologies if it wasn’t to your liking.”

“It’s not that I didn’t like it. I just found it... lacking in realism.”

“I see. Well, I’m relieved to hear I barely passed.”

At Daniel’s playful remark, Selvia let out a soft chuckle.

She tilted her head slightly, gazing at him.

As she moved, strands of her platinum hair cascaded over her shoulder, catching the faint glow of the room.

Feeling the weight of her gaze, Daniel instinctively turned his head away, but in doing so, their eyes met.

Her tear-streaked eyes were still tinged with red.

A brief silence settled between them before Selvia finally spoke.

“How long do you think it will take... for you to return from the front?”

“I can’t ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) say for certain. I don’t have a full grasp of the battlefield’s situation yet.”

“I see...”

Selvia murmured, seemingly displeased by the uncertainty, and turned her gaze forward.

“...Tell me something.”

“What would you like to know?”

“What did it feel like?”

“Could you be more specific, Your Majesty?”

“When you called me ‘Selvia’... so casually, so insolently.”

Daniel coughed, as if choking on his own breath.

He had been swept up in the moment and called her by name without thinking.

If she wanted to punish him for lèse-majesté, he wouldn’t even be able to argue against it.

As tension crept into his posture, Selvia let out a quiet laugh.

“I’m only joking. Actually... I was happy.”

She paused, a rare softness in her voice.

“No one calls me by my name anymore. Not since my parents. Before, it was always ‘Your Highness, the Imperial Princess.’ And now, it’s ‘Your Majesty, the Emperor.’ Honestly, sometimes I wonder if my retainers are serving me... or just the title I bear.”

But Daniel was different.

He saw past the crown, past the throne—he saw her.

“In that case, will you promise me something?”

Selvia extended her pinky toward him.

“Come back soon. And when you do... call me by my name again.”

Her request was so simple, so earnest, that Daniel let out a small, breathless laugh.

He lifted his hand and hooked his pinky around hers.

“I promise.”

Under the starlit window, Selvia smiled—genuine, unguarded, and filled with warmth.

“Thank you.”

For some reason, the night wind didn’t feel cold tonight.

And so, on the final cusp of winter and the first whisper of spring, the night quietly deepened.