chapter 18

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I nervously fold the list in my hand and just look down at the floor. After a seemingly almost infinitely long and quiet drive with Ben at my side, I'm happy to finally have solid ground under my feet again, even if the sight of the old house made me want to drive back home. I didn't know it like that, all windows and doors were wide open and an incredible number of soldiers seemed to be up to mischief here.

I went quietly next to Ben into the full house and looked around in silence. All the other men just stared at me disapprovingly as I ran alongside their lieutenant.

"Stand still!" He shouted loudly and sternly, and instantly everyone stood up from their seats. "What's the mess here?" He asked aloud, but, as expected, got no answer. "Clean up!" He shouted at the end before everyone suddenly jerked back from their places and he turned around to me. I didn't look at him and just walked around the room. They were everywhere, these scum. No room or vase had been spared.

"Madam." But I was spoken to from behind and I turned to him. "The list?" The soldier held out his hand hesitantly in front of me. "Yes of course." I hand it to him and he nods in thanks before he lets me stand here again. Shocked by this horrible sight, I want to storm out again, but someone is stopping me on my shoulder again.

"Rey", Ben says and I turn around to face him. "Reyanna." I improve again. "Don't say anything, Ben, now I know what it means to be protected by the Germans." I give him a dark look but he keeps following me. "It's not like that at all." He calls after me, but leaves out the questioning looks of his soldiers.

"I don't care how it is, I also have more important things to do, so hurry up." I go further out of the house when a third voice joins it. "Lieutenant, some of the things are damaged. What should we do with them?" The soldier asks politely. "Pack up carefully, I'll get to it in a moment." He gets rid of the man and runs faster to me.

"Now wait a minute, you can't just run away." He stands in front of me and I strictly cross his arms. "You see how I can." I walk past him again. "Then who will check the things?" He exclaims and I give a sarcastic smile. "Isn't that your job, Oberleutnant?" I turn around to him, where he looks at me questioningly. "But I actually have other things to do than collect your aunt's things." His eyes darken again. "Yes, me too, maybe you would like to go to my friends?" I suggest. "Well, then you'll justify yourself to my captain." He makes a counter offer. "What do you have to justify yourself for?" I tilt my head "A lieutenant was found dead. In a carriage." He adds quickly. "I'm really not in the mood for your bad jokes." I sigh and am about to turn again.

"Then when you go home you could at least get my backpack ready for me." He demands sternly. "Am i your housewife or what? Besides, if then, it's not your home-" I hit him, but he can only interrupt me with a smile. "It's not yours either, is it?" He picks up, but instead of answering, I just breath an angry breath because we both knew the answer.

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Florille, Elodie and I sat quietly on the couch and emptied all our cups of tea.

"How are you doing? Have you heard anything from Claude?" Throws Elodie around tense and clears her throat. "No, tell Reyanna, where is your beloved Ben Solo?" Florille brings the subject back to me and I just roll my eyes with another sip from my cup.

"I heard you guys." She says quietly and I almost spit the tea back into the cup, but I swallow it hard and wait for her to continue her sentence. "Just before I entered your room today, you had an argument. You stole his clothes." She gets a little louder and I hardly breathe audibly. "Oh yes, that was just a little prank by me and Rose, nothing bad. He forgave me." I calm her down and disapprove of me again.

"Miss Bernard." Ben enters the house almost silently and we all get up. "Your things are at the door." He points out and we all three go out. All things were there, in fact.

"Rey?" He whispers in my ear and leaned down to me. "Reyanna." I whispered back. "Where's my backpack?" He asks with a grin and my eyes turn to him again. "Get it yourself." I let go of him sullenly.

"From now on you have exactly three options, you get my backpack or you shoot me in the leg." Confused, I look up at him. "That was two." I remind him, but he just nods. "Yeah, I know the third one is more of a punishment if you refuse." He clears me up and I take a deep breath. At that moment, anything could really go through his head, and that scared me because I thought he could do it too.

"Why do you always want me to shoot you in the leg?" I ask instead and he smiles again. "You wanted to prove to me how much you hate me, do you remember?" He asks and I nod. "But if I shoot you here, Florille and Elodie could prove it. They would testify against me." I argue. "Oh come on, I'm a German first lieutenant in the war. I'm always right, no matter what they say." He laughs, but I sigh out loud and go back annoyed to get his backpack.

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