Chapter 10
The dinner proceeded in this manner. I unexpectedly encountered a difficulty and found myself breathless. After exchanging greetings and brief conversations with the duke, the only sound filling the quiet restaurant was the clattering of dishes.
‘I noticed earlier, Rachel seems quite distant with her grandfather.’
It seems I would be closer to the gatekeeper than to her…
Sweating profusely between the chilly breeze, I felt a heavy sense of responsibility and broke the silence.
“Um… thanks to the duke’s permission today, I was able to take a stroll around the village. It seems the princess also enjoyed it.”
Although Rachel didn’t even bother to say she enjoyed it, I roughly twisted her words as I pleased.
Fortunately, Rachel didn’t make an effort to correct me, and the duke showed interest in my words.
“Is that so? Where did you go?”
“Since it was your first time in the village and time was tight for a full tour, I took you to the back hill.”
“The back hill? Why there?”
“From up high, you can see the whole village at a glance!”
The duke seemed somewhat surprised by my answer, staring at me intently before nodding.
“To come up with the most efficient way to tour the village in a short time, quite impressive.”
“Well, it’s not polite to keep the duke waiting at the dining table.”
I mumbled, stealing a glance at the duke.
While the duke seemed interested in hearing about what Rachel and I did today, he didn’t spare a glance towards Rachel.
‘Wait, his granddaughter went out for the first time in a while! Shouldn’t he ask if she had a good time?’
Caught between the awkward silence of the granddaughter and grandfather, I added one more comment.
“Next time, why don’t you, the duke, Rachel, and I all go to the village together!”
Hoping to bring the two closer and the duke to show interest in Rachel.
However…
“If time allows.”
The duke only gave Rachel, who was eating quietly, a casual glance, indifferent to courtesy.
The conversation ended there, and once again, a suffocating silence descended. This time, I discreetly observed Rachel’s reaction.
I carefully observed Rachel this time.
Rachel seemed accustomed to the silence, focusing solely on her meal.
“Rachel doesn’t seem to follow the nanny that much.”
Could it be because she is estranged from her only family, her grandfather, and therefore relies on the nanny?
“But the nanny doesn’t seem like a particularly good person.”
Of course, not good to me either.
And above all… even if there is a nanny, it would be more beneficial for Rachel’s emotional well-being to be closer to her family.
Perhaps it could even prevent a dark future.
“If I can find out why Rachel and the Marquis are distant, I might be able to help bring them closer.”
To figure that out, I need to have more conversations with both of them.
Just as I was trying hard to find ways to continue conversations with both of them, the steward quietly entered the dining room.
“Your Highness.”
“What’s the matter?”
The steward hesitated for a moment before answering in a perplexed tone, “An inspector has arrived from the palace.”
Dias neatly placed the last loaf of bread into a bag.
The woman who had been admiring his face smiled as she accepted the bag he handed to her.
“See you again tomorrow, Dias.”
“Thank you every time, Madam Enri.”
As Dias left the shop, he smiled back at the woman customer who was looking at him.
With the last customer buying all the remaining bread, today’s business ended earlier than usual.
“Vivian said she had dinner, so maybe I’ll have a simple dinner.”
With that thought in mind while preparing to close the shop, the bell rang—
“Sorry, but we’re closing for the day—”
Dias, about to speak to the incoming customer, realized before turning around that the visitor was not a customer.
The visitor behind him was not a customer.
After years of training, he had an intuition that he could recognize without looking.
“Are you Dias Hessen, the father of Vivian Hessen?”
What clung to the arms of the visitors was a sentence he was familiar with.
The Royal Knights.
Dias’ eyes, recognizing them at a glance, flickered.
“Could it be that they know about Vivian’s identity and have come looking for her?”
He discreetly hid a bread knife nearby. His movement was incredibly skilled.
“What brings you here?”
As he said that, a man who seemed to be the leader approached the counter where Dias was standing.
“I am Curtis Rohan, a knight of the Royal Knights. I would like to briefly meet my daughter, is she home?”
When Vivian’s name was mentioned by the knights, Dias’ gaze beyond the glasses turned cold. At the same time, his grip tightened on the knife, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.
“Why are you looking for my daughter in the palace?”
“I heard your daughter is a playmate of Lady Edelvine, and I have a few questions to ask.”
Fortunately, it seemed their intention was directed towards Lady Edelvine rather than Vivian. However, even if it was unrelated to Vivian, Dias didn’t want to show her to the palace knights. He didn’t want to risk them discovering Vivian’s true identity.
“It’s fortunate Vivian isn’t here right now.”
He needed to quickly send them away before Vivian returned.
“Sorry, but Vivian is not at home—”
But before he could finish, the doorbell rang, and Vivian burst in.
“I’m back!”
I entered energetically but paused.
“What’s going on here?”
Several scruffy men were surrounding Dad!
I wasn’t sure of the details, but I could instinctively sense that it was a serious situation.
As I was still trying to grasp the situation, a man who seemed to be in charge approached me.
“Are you Vivian?”
Though the man was smiling, I knew better.
Beware of those who smile with their mouths only!
I cautiously faced him, ready to run for help if needed.
“Yes, that’s me?”
“We are the imperial knights sent by Her Majesty.”
Only then did I notice the emblem embroidered on the man’s left sleeve.
‘That…’
It was the same emblem that Dad had shown me from the palace.
[If you see someone wearing clothes with this emblem, stay as far away as possible, Vivian.]
Dad had always advised me to avoid encounters with the imperial knights or nobles whenever possible. Good nobles existed, but the bad ones might punish me even if I did nothing wrong. The closer to Her Majesty, the greater the risk of severe consequences.
With those words in mind, the recent situation at the villa flashed through my mind. The stiff expressions of the Duke and Rachel upon hearing that the palace inspector had arrived.
Those people have come to spy on Rachel.
I heard about Rachel’s playmate and they seem to be trying to dig into Rachel through me.
“I have a few questions I’d like to ask, would it be okay to step out and talk for a moment?”
At that moment, my father, who strode through the men, embraced me.
“Let’s talk here.”
The commander’s forehead furrowed.
“Ha. Surely, would I, a knight of the royal court, kidnap a child?”
“It seems like as a knight, you are still unmarried, so it’s natural for parents with daughters to be cautious. Please understand.”
“Listen. Words from my mouth as a knight serving His Majesty are as good as royal orders. Defying me is akin to treason.”
Despite the commander’s menacing threat, it seemed my father had no intention of letting me go.
Watching the tense atmosphere between them, I nervously swallowed.
“If they fight, Dad will surely lose…”
Our father, though strong, was a fool when it came to fighting!
“Indeed, I must protect him.”
Before the situation could escalate further, I quickly intervened.
“W-what are you talking about?”
“I heard you are the playmate of the princess. I thought of asking you a few questions about her.”
As expected, the men approached me with an interrogative air.
“But as Rachel’s friend, I can’t pass information to the Emperor’s side.”
I smirked inwardly while looking at them.
“It seems like these men haven’t even gotten married yet.”
Talking to a nine-year-old, how ridiculous can it get!
