For the past week, Josie has not missed a single day of coming here. In fact, she now feels like part of the Reventon Hall household. She arrives every morning and leaves in the late afternoon, as if she has her own room in the luxurious mansion. Every time she arrives, the servants greet her warmly. Smiles, polite nods, and even occasional small talk as they open the door or pass her in the corridor. It is as if her presence there is eagerly awaited by everyone.
None of them looked at her with contempt—unlike the stories in romance novels that often portray mansion servants as minor antagonists, silent detractors, or loyal guardians of their master's reputation who like to torment the female protagonist with malicious whispers in dark corridors.
Or mischievous servants who replaced the bath soap with blue ink just to embarrass uninvited guests? No, Reventon Hall was not that kind of place. Everyone here, at least everyone Josie had met, was kind to her. There was no discrimination and no condescension. Josie had even started to befriend some of the servants who worked there. They often shared stories, sometimes laughed in the corridors, or simply complained about how noisy the Major Generals were when they gathered together.
And as usual, upon arriving at Raventon Hall, Josie immediately walked quickly down the long corridor to the second floor. Specifically, to Atlas Raymond's private room in the west wing. For some reason, this room was always the location for these "entertainment sessions" that were never really entertaining. She didn't know if the Major General was too busy to consider another place or if he deliberately chose this place to make Josie feel even more intimidated.
After passing through the long corridor, Josie now stood in front of a tall, large door that was familiar to her. Behind that door, she could clearly imagine Atlas Raymond sitting calmly in his favourite chair—a high-backed chair upholstered in dark leather, behind a large desk that was always covered with documents. Even though it was still early in the morning, Josie knew that the man must already be immersed in his seemingly endless work routine.
A small smile appeared on the corner of her lips. She chuckled, imagining the flat, puzzled expression on the major general's face every time she entered the room unannounced, then announced her arrival in an exaggeratedly loud voice, like a queen who had just arrived from a foreign land.
And today, Josie intended to do the same. She was ready to push the door open—as usual—without knocking first. She didn't know when this inconsiderate habit had formed. Perhaps it was since the first day Elias dragged her into this room without permission.
Yes, it must be Elias's fault! So, if anyone was to blame, it was definitely not her. Besides, Atlas never commented on knocking on the door, so that was a kind of blessing, wasn't it?
Ah, by the way, Josie hadn't seen Elias again since their last meeting.
"Good morning, Sir Raymond. How is your day—"
Josie's words were swallowed whole when the door swung open completely and the sight inside the room made her eyes widen. For a moment, her body froze and her feet were glued to the spot before she quickly came to her senses and turned her back on them.
"I'm sorry. I should have knocked," she muttered, full of regret, her voice barely audible.
Then, with a nearly panicked movement, she hurriedly closed the door again, leaving only a small gap. Her back pressed against the wooden surface, while her face began to burn intensely.
Goodness ... what had she just seen?!
Her face grew redder. Not the usual pink associated with embarrassment, but a fiery red as if she were boiling from within. She didn't even dare breathe heavily now! Just now—just a moment ago!—she had seen Atlas Raymond half-naked, sitting on the long sofa that was usually Josie's favourite spot for contemplation in that room, alongside a woman so incredibly beautiful that Josie thought she must be a celebrity from the capital. They seemed far too close and far too intimate.
Oh my God!
Josie immediately covered her face with both hands, as if that could erase the visual memory that was now permanently etched in her brain.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
Why didn't I knock earlier?! Josie thought, panicking. Her heart was pounding erratically, while her brain began to imagine the worst possible scenario. Would her punishment now be increased because she had disturbed the Major General's "private moment"? Then, like a nightmare that had just crept in, a terrifying possibility crossed her mind.
Oh, no. Don't tell me ... my notebook will never be returned?!
Her blue eyes widened. Panic continued to attack her, making her even more afraid to stay in this place, especially after the incident earlier. Josie was completely embarrassed and scared. She now felt like a prisoner awaiting the judge's decision on her future.
Should she just run away?
Just as she was still trying to recover from the deadly wave of embarrassment and thoughts of escape, a voice suddenly appeared from behind her.
"Why are you just standing here?"
Josie gasped and almost jumped in surprise at the greeting. She turned quickly, only to find Lieutenant Madeline Vayne—commonly called Maddie—standing behind her with one eyebrow raised high and an expression full of curiosity.
"Oh?" Maddie suddenly approached quickly. "Look at that ... your ears, your cheeks. You're as red as a boiled prawn. Did you just see something you shouldn't have seen, Josie?"
"Shhh! Maddie, don't be so loud!" whispered Josie panickedly, hurriedly pulling Maddie away from the door, while continuing to fan her own face, which was still red.
Maddie then chuckled softly, seeing Josie's face turning even redder. "Don't tell me you finally saw the Major without his shirt on? The timing was perfect, you know. Today was the inspection day."
Josie glared angrily, even though she knew Maddie's guess wasn't entirely wrong. It was true, she had just seen Atlas Raymond without his shirt on. "That's not something you should say so casually, Lieutenant!"
The white man laughed heartily at her response, seemingly unconcerned with how desperately Josie wanted to swallow herself whole. Especially when his eyes clearly saw Josie's face and ears, which were as red as rose petals. Shaking, awkward, and funny. In his mind, Josie looked exactly like her nephew's soft white teddy bear—adorable and easy to hug.
Maddie almost pinched her cheek out of temptation, if only the deep voice from inside the room hadn't interrupted the fun first.
"Lieutenant Vayne." The firm call came from behind the large door, which was still slightly ajar. So whatever Josie and Maddie had been talking about outside, the people inside the room could still hear it.
Hearing Atlas's voice echoing from inside the room, Josie's entire body froze in place. Her heartbeat went wild, racing erratically like a wild horse galloping out of control. Her already flushed face grew even redder, and she was almost certain her cheeks could be used to warm the room.
Damn it!
Josie's reflex was to turn around, to run away as far as possible, to her house, under her blanket, into the ground if necessary. But before she could take a step back, Maddie's hand quickly grabbed her wrist.
"Hey! Maddie, don't—"
Too late.
Maddie had already dragged her into the room without asking for her consent.
"Hey, General," Maddie called out casually once he had pulled Josie inside. "What have you been up to to make our little girl blush like that?"
Josie struggled to be released. Her hands grabbed the side of the door, trying to hold on, but her strength was no match for Maddie's—and yes, of course, she lost badly.
Atlas, now standing in the middle of the room, wearing only a half-buttoned black shirt, turned to look at the two of them. Behind him stood a dark-haired woman who was adjusting her glasses, which were about to slip down her nose.
"Oh—" Maddie's voice trailed off when his eyes caught sight of someone else in the room besides the three of them. His eyes moved from the woman to Josie, then to Atlas, and back to Josie. "So ..." he muttered finally, now fully understanding why Josie had been standing awkwardly behind the door like a mouse caught stealing cheese.
Josie bowed her head deeply. If she could, she would gladly turn into a speck of dust and disappear between the tiles of Raventon Hall. Or become a plant pot. Yes, a lifeless plant pot, which had no eyes and had never seen anything.
But unfortunately, she was still Josie Everhart—a poor human being with an overactive imagination and a face that blushed as easily as an apple exposed to the sun.
"I'm sorry ... really, I didn't see anything," she said hurriedly, her hands waving as if to brush away the images that were still dancing in her mind.
Atlas, who had buttoned up his shirt, now looked at Josie with an expression that was difficult to read.
"Unfortunately, Miss Everhart," he said in his usual low, deep voice, "your face says otherwise."
Crazy. His voice was still too calm after someone had caught him doing whatever it was inside earlier. It even sounded too sexy for a situation like this!
Argh ... I hate what's going on in my head!
Josie looked up, after roughly pushing away the cries of lamentation in her head. "It's not my fault, you know?! Who knew Sir Raymond would ... would ...."
"What was he going to do, Josie?" Maddie asked from behind Josie's back with a deliberately mischievous grin to tease her. "You have to explain in detail if you want others to know what's on your mind."
"I can't!" she protested, pushing Maddie away and telling her to stop teasing her. For God's sake, she was really embarrassed now!
Atlas raised an eyebrow, still standing in the middle of the room, staring at Josie as if enjoying her nervousness like watching a circus show he hadn't paid for.
"I thought," he said slowly, "you came to cheer me up. Not to find an excuse to run away."
That. That was it! The deadly sentence that casually accused her of looking for an excuse to run away. Even if she could run away now, she would rather throw herself out the window.
"I-I ... I did come for that," Josie replied nervously, her voice rising an octave without her realising it. "But I don't think the time is right."
She swallowed, almost choking on her own nervousness. Oh, great, Josie. Really convincing—you sound like a thief who's been caught red-handed and is still insisting on borrowing the front door.
"Right or not, I've already taken the time, haven't I?" said Atlas as he walked slowly, approaching Josie with his eyes fixed on her.
Realising that the man was now only a few steps away from her, Josie immediately looked down, not daring to look at him for more than three seconds, as if the floor was more worthy of her gaze than his face. She even quietly took a step back—a small attempt to keep her distance from Atlas.
Unfortunately, her attempt failed completely.
Without warning, Maddie, who was still standing behind her, pushed Josie forward—with enough force that the girl almost crashed into the Major General. Her body swayed and if Atlas hadn't quickly grabbed her arm, she might have landed on the man's chest.
Atlas held her body with a strong grip, before turning sharply towards Maddie, who now looked very guilty, or at least should have looked that way. But all Maddie did was whistle softly, turning her face away as if nothing had happened.
"Oops," he said lightly, without looking at anyone.
On the other hand, the woman who had been sitting with Atlas on the long sofa just smiled politely as she watched the series of events in the room, before standing up gracefully.
"I'll take my leave now, General," she said softly, then placed a piece of paper on the table before walking towards the door. "See you at next week's meeting."
Watching her walk past them, Josie unconsciously stared at the woman leaving with curiosity and a hint of discomfort that she didn't fully understand. Meanwhile, Maddie, as usual, commented casually while waving familiarly at the woman who had now disappeared behind the door.
"Haha. Don't be so tense, Josie. What you just saw was nothing. No general likes to be touched by women, except Ellie," he said, glancing at Josie, who was still standing stiffly in front of Atlas, who was still holding her arm.
Josie quickly turned to Maddie. This time her face was full of confusion. "Ellie?"
"Yup," Maddie nodded casually. "Ellie is our doctor. The woman you saw with the general earlier. Today is a routine health check, especially for Sir Raymond. He needs it too, you know? Sometimes he gets so busy he forgets he's still human."
Josie still couldn't speak. Her brain was trying to process the information she had just received, which technically explained why Atlas had been sitting half-naked with a woman earlier.
So, it wasn't a romantic scene? It was a health check? With his shirt off? On the sofa?
"Is that really the standard procedure for a military health check?" she asked hesitantly, her eyes narrowing, and she tried to pluck up the courage to look at the man in front of her. However, just a second after their eyes met, Josie immediately lowered her gaze again.
Maddie laughed loudly at Josie's reaction, which he found adorable. Normally, people would run away in fear when faced directly with Major General Raymond, but Josie, although scared, did not try to escape. In fact, the girl looked like someone who would chase after Atlas if he tried to run away.
"Oh, Josie ... God must have sent you here to entertain all of us, not just the Major."
Atlas stared intently at Maddie, who unfortunately ignored him, before turning back to Josie, who was still looking away from him.
"If you're curious about our military medical procedures," he said softly, gently squeezing Josie's small wrist in his hand, "you can come to the next check-up. I'll make sure your name is on Ellie's patient list."
"Eh?" Josie almost choked and reflexively looked at Atlas. "No, thank you!"
Maddie just held back his laughter and cleared his throat, then slowly backed away. "All right. I'll leave before the atmosphere gets even more awkward. Have fun entertaining the General, Jo!"
And just like that, Lieutenant Vayne—the troublemaker—rushed out of the room, leaving Josie standing stiff and confused in front of the man she had once described as: "Captain Valrick never realised his own charm, just like the Major!"