Chapter~36
Pierre had been feeling frustrated lately.
“Sister!”
“Mabel!”
It was because his younger sister, as if sensing it, would swoop in and whisk his sister away the moment the main hall’s guard duty ended.
So whenever he tried to start a proper conversation after work, it was immediately cut short.
For an entire week!
This made it no different from only seeing her once a week!
“We agreed not to go on dates during guard duty, right?”
“…That’s right.”
“What a shame. But I suppose it can’t be helped. We have to focus on security, after all, right?”
He hadn’t even been able to keep their usual once-a-week meeting!
The ban on their dates had been Pierre’s idea, meant as a way to “give the flesh but keep the bones”—sacrificing a little freedom for greater control. But this situation seemed to give up both flesh and bones.
Of course, it would be petty to complain about family time, since he had done the same with me. If it interfered with guard duty, that would be one thing, but aside from the first day, their time together at home had only ever been casual lounging, leaving no reason to strike up a conversation.
Yet clinging on while he was on duty was something he disliked, and it wasn’t a method he preferred either.
“Shift change! Thank you for your hard work!”
“Yes! Please take care of things today as well!”
As expected, the moment they stepped outside, Mabel would probably rush to latch onto Sonnet.
“Sonnet.”
“Yes?”
But today was different. Today was before the Relic Appraisal Ceremony.
There was a solid excuse to prevent that meeting.
He had been sharpening his plan for this very day.
“You know that tomorrow the vault will open, and the appraisal ceremony for the two relics will be conducted, right?”
“Yes, I know!”
“Since security will be even more crucial, it might be wise to draft a strategy today in case anything unusual occurs.”
“Indeed… we can’t let anything major happen.”
This might be considered an abuse of authority, but he thought it was acceptable since there was a legitimate reason.
“I should tell Mabel to go back home first today.”
“Sorry for cutting into your family time.”
Despite his words, his hands were clenched behind his back, tightly gripping his emotions.
“No, duty comes first.”
“Ahem. Let’s head to the duke’s residence. I’ve made preparations.”
“Sister!”
After that, Mabel still tried to cling to Sonnet, but today’s victory was his.
“Don’t go…”
“Sorry, duty calls.”
“Miss Mabel, Sonnet has plans with me today.”
Mabel glared at his slightly smug smile with mild irritation.
“Be back before dinner! I’ll be waiting!”
“Don’t worry.”
“Before dinner… time is tight. Let’s go.”
Their shift today was from morning until noon. Only a few hours remained until evening, which hurried their pace.
In the swaying carriage, he briefed her on the events of tomorrow.
“At tomorrow’s relic appraisal, all personnel except a small reserve team will be mobilized.”
“I heard additional personnel will be brought in besides those on regular guard duty.”
Sonnet smiled, amused at hearing how Sir Pagan grumbled.
“Exactly. Considering the princess’s abilities, we need people who won’t be swayed by her. It leaves our staffing a bit tight.”
“But if so many personnel are reassigned, is the duke’s residence going to be alright?”
“Currently, no one dares oppose me. Small-time thieves can be handled by reserve forces alone.”
Sonnet nodded at that.
“Since the duke’s house is neutral, the temple knights will be stationed nearby.”
“There’s no force more reliable than internal personnel.”
“Yes. But during the appraisal, they requested that you and I also remain nearby. I suppose they want to strengthen the verification in front of the princess and high nobles.”
She looked worried, frowning.
“I… have a question. If the items taken from the vault turn out to be fake, would the duke’s house be held responsible? I mean… if a fake is revealed during the appraisal.”
“They’re not fake. But I’ll answer hypothetically. There won’t be major damage. From the vault to the appraisal site, only temple personnel are involved.”
“Of course. Since the temple controls both the vault and the keys, suspicion would naturally fall on internal betrayal.”
“Exactly. Our job is to protect the verified relics from the vault until the appraisal. There’s no issue during the appraisal itself; they’re worried about potential problems afterward. It’s the worst time for a swap.”
“And the possibility that a fake would be blamed entirely on the young duke?”
“Don’t worry, Sonnet. If they were fakes, they would’ve involved us during the relic removal to distribute responsibility. Their help request is only after the appraisal. Right now, it’s more like training for that time. We haven’t actually accessed the vault ourselves, have we?”
“Right.”
Sonnet finally relaxed. She was worried because it was important, but the real action would begin after the appraisal.
“Let’s consider separately the cases of something happening between the appraisal and verification, and during the verification itself.”
“Yes!”
Even though he had personal feelings, duty came first.
They continued discussing related matters until they arrived at the duke’s residence, and only by late afternoon did they have some free time.
“All roughly organized.”
“So… today’s work is done…?”
“Still, since we’re lovers, we can spare a little time, right? Let’s have a cup of tea or something.”
This time, Sonnet agreed.
The reward after the hardships was sweet.
“This time I prepared coffee. Lately, mixing milk into pure coffee seems fashionable. It’s called a latte. Do you like it?”
“Yes! Thank you!”
Sonnet smiled at the prepared drink, and he smiled gently in return. Since he liked coffee, he thought to prepare it next time as well, breaking the ice for conversation.
“Mabel seems to be volunteering at the temple with her friends recently.”
“That’s commendable behavior. You have a good little sister.”
They exchanged small, trivial talk. If it had been with anyone else, it would’ve felt like a waste of time, but with her, it felt worthwhile.
He listened with amusement to her stories, which were mostly about her sister.
Sometimes, when she smiled thinking of her sibling, he felt a pang of jealousy, but he was merely her superior and friend, so he had no right to such feelings.
He focused instead on the happiness he felt seeing her smile, suppressing his ugly thoughts.
“Shall we bring some dinner too?”
“As I said, Mabel will be waiting.”
“What a shame. Once this is over, you must give me a full day. I’ll treat you properly.”
“Haha, yes. I will.”
Whether she took it lightly or not, he had made his intention clear. He would spend time with her somehow.
He saw her off, thinking of the place they would go as soon as the verification ended.
The next day, the verification ceremony.
Before it began, the princess and the young lady of the Cartier marquisate arrived at the temple.
Whether by mutual observation or some unspoken agreement, they arrived almost simultaneously and entered side by side.
“Long time no see, Sir Sonnet, young duke. How have you been?”
“Pleasure to see you, Miss Sonnet. I’ve heard a lot about you from Mabel. It’s been a while meeting face-to-face. Young Duke, nice to see you too.”
“Happy to see you both.”
The problem was that their tension erupted with me caught in the middle.
Especially, focused more on me.
“Oh, now I remember—Miss Damia was closer to your younger sister, not you, Sonnet? I’ve maintained friendship with her for a long time. My current lover was introduced by her, too.”
“Well… friendship with the woman who was once a love rival? Hard to believe. She cheered for you as soon as you became Sonnet’s lover.”
“Hmm… I heard rumors that Miss Damia also had eyes for the young duke? She backed down because of me before. Now she pretends she didn’t, how disappointing.”
“It’s unbecoming for a royal to cling to rumors. Maintain your dignity.”
Don’t fight over me.
He felt sweat trickle down his back.
