Chapter 18

“Eek!”

The female knight who had been with me flinched in surprise.

X and I were worried she might bounce away like a ball, but thankfully, she didn’t.

‘…Is she really a skilled knight?’

Doyounottrustme?Do you not trust me?Doyounottrustme?

‘Yeah, just a little…’

I looked at the trembling knight with a slightly pitiful gaze, then quickly walked over and opened the door.

“Who is it?”

“Hello, Lady Eve. I’m Charlotte, the head maid of the Ferdinand ducal household. Please feel free to call me Charlotte.”

The rather large woman standing at the door smiled brightly as she introduced herself.

Unlike the other maids, she wore clothing with a crest on her wrist representing House Ferdinand.

I didn’t exactly know what a “head maid” did, but—

‘Still, she doesn’t look like she’s just someone off the street!’

Her different uniform made it clear she held a pretty high position in the household.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Charlotte. I’m Eve, and I’m eight years old this year.”

I greeted her politely and hugged the sword I held tightly in my arms.

“This sword is Excalibur, and behind me is a knight of House Ferdinand…”

She’sgone.She’s gone.She’sgone.

Huh?

I turned to look at the female knight who had just been sitting with me.

But she was completely gone!

What? Is that even possible?

As I scanned the parlor with wide eyes, I noticed a slightly open window in the corner.

Did she slip out through that?

How did she disappear so fast?

Itoldyou—she’stherealdeal.I told you—she’s the real deal.Itoldyou—she’stherealdeal.

I looked around the parlor in disbelief, mouth hanging open.

Charlotte, thinking I was uncomfortable about something, knelt down to meet me at eye level.

“Lady Eve, is something bothering you? Or did the dessert not suit your taste?”

Looks like she hadn’t heard me mention the ‘knight from House Ferdinand.’

“Oh, no! It was really delicious. Actually, it was my first time eating anything like that…”

I thought for a second about telling her about the female knight who was with me earlier, but—

‘Better not say anything!’

She must have had her reasons for sneaking away before getting caught.

And besides, she didn’t do anything to hurt me. No reason to report her.

I’ll just ask her myself if I meet her again later.

I quickly waved my hands with a bashful grin, and Charlotte smiled back with relief.

“That’s good to hear. But… you said it was your first time? So you’ve never had anything like this before…?”

Wait, is that bad?

I looked around nervously, eyes darting.

“Uh, yeah. Where I lived before, they didn’t sell fancy desserts like this. And even if they did, I probably couldn’t afford them…”

“H-How could that be!”

Charlotte gasped with a shocked expression.

Was it really that shocking?

‘Did I say something wrong?’

Sheprobablythinksyourfather’stheoneatfault.She probably thinks your father’s the one at fault.Sheprobablythinksyourfather’stheoneatfault.

‘Dad? Why him?’

Before X could answer, Charlotte spoke again.

“That’s unbelievable… Should I bring out more desserts? Which one did you like best? I’ll bring out more of your favorite—”

I blinked, still not understanding why she looked so sorry for me.

And I asked hesitantly:

“It’s okay! I already had a lot. But, um, if it’s alright with you…”

I fidgeted a bit before continuing.

“Could I maybe… take a few of the leftover cookies with me? I want to eat them with my dad when I get back…”

“…Get back?”

“Huh? Well, I’ll be going home in a bit, so… is that not allowed?”

Charlotte still looked confused.

I worried for a moment that I might have said something wrong.

But—

“No, of course! I’ll make sure they’re beautifully wrapped!”

Charlotte smiled brightly again, so I guess I didn’t mess up.

“I’ll have them nicely packaged for you. And by the way, you don’t have to open the door yourself when someone knocks.”

“Hmm? Then what do I do?”

But if I don’t open the door from the inside, how will anyone come in?

“All you have to do is say, ‘Come in,’ and that’s enough.”

Hearing her words, I suddenly remembered something the village chief once said:

“Nobles are used to living without lifting a finger!”

Ah, that’s what he meant.

Mister, now I get it.

I nodded awkwardly. Charlotte stood up looking satisfied.

“I’ll pack the desserts later. For now, we need to go meet the Duke, Lady Eve.”

“The Duke?”

“Yes, he’s your grandfather. When you meet him, try calling him ‘Grandpa!’ He’ll love it, I’m sure. Hehe.”

Charlotte laughed and held out her hand to me. I hesitated, then took it.

“Um, can I bring Ex with me? I wasn’t allowed to when meeting His Highness the Prince, so I left him behind. But the Duke is just as high-ranking, right?”

“Of course! But it’s okay to bring Ex along. This is House Ferdinand, and all the staff here carry swords.”

She showed me a short sword strapped to her waist as she said this.

Everyone in the family carries a sword?

That’sjusthowtheFerdinandsare.That’s just how the Ferdinands are.That’sjusthowtheFerdinandsare.

X muttered.

‘Huh… I didn’t know that.’

I answered him in my head.

Better not mess around here!

I glanced sideways at the sword on Charlotte’s waist and walked along, holding her hand.

The place we arrived at was full of clothes.

Clothes everywhere you looked.

‘Why did Miss Charlotte bring me here?’

I looked up nervously at the young-looking head maid.

“Um, didn’t you say we were going to meet the Duke?”

“Yes, that’s right~.”

“Then why are we here…? Is the Duke in this room?”

Hidden among all these dresses? That can’t be it, right?

Still, I imagined the Duke of Ferdinand crouched somewhere behind the dresses.

‘Ugh…’

Ugh…whywouldyouimaginesuchathing?Ugh… why would you imagine such a thing?Ugh…whywouldyouimaginesuchathing?

‘Stop reading my mind!’

You’retheonethinkingweirdthings.Don’ttakeitoutonme!You’re the one thinking weird things. Don’t take it out on me!You’retheonethinkingweirdthings.Don’ttakeitoutonme!

I ignored X’s grumbling and looked seriously at the countless dresses and the maids standing in the room.

Then Charlotte led me confidently to the center of the room and explained.

“Before you meet the Duke, we need to dress you in something pretty. Luckily, the Duke’s mansion has a lot of… um, girls’ clothes.”

“Hmm? What did you just say?”

“Oh, nothing at all, miss! Now, let’s pick a dress together. Do you have a favorite color?”

Charlotte gestured at the endless array of dresses.

I stared at them with a dazed expression.

‘Seriously? I can wear one of these?’

Didn’tyousayyou’retheDuke’sgranddaughter?Thatmeansallofthesedressesareyours!Didn’t you say you’re the Duke’s granddaughter? That means all of these dresses are yours!Didn’tyousayyou’retheDuke’sgranddaughter?Thatmeansallofthesedressesareyours!

‘But the Duke didn’t even know I existed… how can these be mine?’

That’snotwhatImeant…ugh,nevermind!Foolishgirl!That’s not what I meant… ugh, never mind! Foolish girl!That’snotwhatImeant…ugh,nevermind!Foolishgirl!

In front of the incredibly luxurious and expensive-looking dresses, I held the hem of my own slightly worn dress.