Chapter 9
The dinner I attended that evening…
…I found myself facing an unexpected challenge.
“……”
“……”
“……”
After greeting the duke and exchanging a few brief words, only the faint clinking of cutlery broke the silence in the dining hall.
I noticed earlier, but… wow, Rahel is really awkward around her grandfather.
Honestly, I might be closer to the gatekeeper at the villa than these two are.
Feeling the pressure in the icy air between them, I decided I couldn’t let the silence drag on.
“Well… thanks to the duke’s permission today, we went on a little trip to the village. I think the young lady enjoyed it.”
Of course, Rahel hadn’t said anything close to “I enjoyed it,” but I smoothed things over however I wanted.
Luckily, Rahel didn’t bother to correct me.
The duke seemed interested.
“Is that so? Where did you go?”
“Well, since it’s her first time in the village and there wasn’t enough time to see everything, I took her to the back hill.”
“The back hill? Why there?”
“From up high, you can see the whole village at a glance!”
The duke looked slightly surprised at my answer, then nodded.
“You came up with the best way to see the village in a short time. Not bad.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be polite to keep the duke waiting for dinner, after all.”
I chattered on lightly, sneaking glances at the duke.
Even while listening to what we’d done today, he didn’t once look at Rahel.
Seriously? Your granddaughter just went out for the first time in ages, and you’re not even asking if she had fun?
Feeling frustrated by the coldness between them, I decided to push a little more.
“Next time, you should come with us, Duke! The young lady and I could show you the village.”
I thought maybe if I tied the two of them together in the invitation, he might pay more attention to her.
But…
“If I have the time.”
All he did was glance sideways at Rahel with the same indifferent look before returning to his meal.
And just like that, the conversation died, and the suffocating silence returned.
This time, I looked at Rahel.
She seemed perfectly used to the quiet, calmly focusing on her food.
Rahel doesn’t seem especially close to her nanny either…
Could it be that she leans on her nanny simply because she’s distant from her only family, her grandfather?
Still, the nanny doesn’t seem like a good person.
Not toward me, anyway.
And more importantly… even with a nanny, it would probably be better for Rahel’s heart if she grew closer to her family.
Maybe it could even stop her from turning dark in the future.
If I knew why they were so distant, I could help bring them closer.
But to find that out, I’d need more conversations with them both.
I was thinking hard about how to keep the conversation going when—
The butler quietly entered the dining hall and approached.
“Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
The butler hesitated before speaking in a troubled tone.
“An inspector from the imperial palace has arrived.”
Dias neatly packed the last loaf of bread of the day into a bag and handed it over.
The woman smiled as she accepted it.
“See you tomorrow, Mr. Dias.”
“Thank you as always, Madam Enri.”
Even as he stepped out of the shop, Dias gave the customer a warm smile in return.
Since the last customer had bought all the remaining bread, the shop closed earlier than usual.
Vivian said she’d have dinner elsewhere tonight, so I guess I’ll just eat something simple.
He was just about to start closing up when—
Ding!
The bell above the door rang.
“Sorry, but we’re closed for—”
Before he even turned to look, Dias could tell the newcomer wasn’t a normal customer.
His instincts, honed over many years, told him without needing to see.
“You’re Dias Hessen, father of Vivian Hessen?”
On the newcomers’ arms was a crest he knew well—
The Imperial Knights.
Dias’s gaze wavered for a moment as recognition hit him.
Don’t tell me… they’ve come because they know Vivian’s true identity.
His hand slid toward the bread knife behind him, hiding it from sight in a motion that was far too practiced.
“What brings you here?”
The man who seemed to be their leader stepped up to the counter.
“I am Curtis Rohan, a knight of the Imperial Order. I’d like to see your daughter for a moment—is she home?”
The moment Vivian’s name came out of the knight’s mouth, Dias’s eyes turned cold behind his glasses.
The hand gripping the knife tightened, veins standing out.
“What does the imperial court want with my daughter?”
“I heard she’s friends with the young lady of House Edelbein. I just have a few questions for her.”
So, they weren’t here for Vivian herself, but rather because of the duke’s granddaughter.
Even so, Dias didn’t want the knights to see Vivian.
If there was even the slightest chance they could discover who she really was…
Good thing she’s not here right now.
He had to get rid of them before she came home.
“Sorry, but she’s not—”
But before he could finish, the doorbell jingled and Vivian walked in.
“I’m home!”
I stopped in my tracks.
W–what is this?
A bunch of big, rough-looking men were surrounding my dad!
I didn’t know the details, but my instincts told me this was serious.
The man who seemed to be in charge stepped toward me.
“So, you’re Vivian?”
He was smiling with his mouth, but I knew better—
People who only smiled with their mouths were the dangerous kind.
I stared back, ready to bolt if I needed to run for help.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“We are the Imperial Knights, sent here by order of His Majesty the Emperor.”
That’s when I noticed the embroidery on his left sleeve.
That’s…
I remembered seeing that crest before—Dad had shown it to me.
If you ever see someone wearing this crest, stay as far away as possible, Vivi.
Dad had told me to avoid the Imperial Knights and nobles whenever I could.
Yes, there were good nobles, but the bad ones might punish me even if I did nothing wrong.
And the closer someone was to the emperor, the harsher the punishment could be.
That thought instantly brought back the scene at the villa earlier—
The way both the duke and Rahel had tensed up when they heard an imperial inspector had arrived.
These guys must be here to keep an eye on Rahel.
If they knew I was her playmate, they’d try to get information about her through me.
“We just want to ask you a few things. Would you mind stepping outside to talk?”
Before I could answer, Dad stepped in front of me and pulled me into his arms.
“You can ask her here.”
The knight leader frowned.
“What, do you think I’m going to kidnap her?”
“You don’t have children yet, sir, but this is how a father feels. I hope you understand.”
“Listen here. As a knight serving His Majesty, my words carry the weight of imperial command. Defying me is close to treason.”
Even under the knight’s heavy threat, Dad showed no sign of letting go of me.
Watching the tense standoff between them, I swallowed hard.
If it comes to a fight, Dad will lose for sure…
Sure, my dad’s in good shape, but when it comes to fighting, he’s hopeless!
Looks like I’m the one who has to protect him.
Before things got any worse, I quickly jumped in.
“W–what is it you want to talk about?”
“I heard you’re the young lady’s playmate. I just want to ask you about her.”
Just as I thought—they were ready to interrogate me.
But there’s no way I’m giving the emperor’s people any information about Rahel.
I looked at them with a sly grin in my heart.
Judging by their faces, none of these guys are married.
Time to show them just how exhausting it is to talk to a nine-year-old!
