A Brief Peace
An hour or so later…
“Rudell!”
It was none other than Leje who greeted Rudell as he returned to the banquet hall.
“Where were you?! I’ve been looking all over for you!”
“I just went to the restroom. Did you wait long?”
“No. It just ended.”
As Rudell followed Leje’s gaze towards the platform, the long line had disappeared as if by magic.
I thought it would take at least a few hours…
Rudell breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, thinking that things could have gotten awkward if he had been even a little later.
“By the way, where’s Cayley?”
“Princess Karens said she was tired and went in first.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
“…?”
Leje spoke in a meaningful voice at Rudell’s reply, and Rudell tilted his head as he looked at her.
For some reason, Leje looked strangely excited in Rudell’s eyes.
“It’s nothing. Shall we go somewhere quiet?”
“Sure. Do you have a place in mind?”
“Um… Of course I do! This way!”
At his question, Leje smiled for a moment, then she started to walk.
And so, the two of them left the banquet hall and walked along a familiar path for a while.
“Do you remember this place?”
A small building located a short distance from the Dukedom’s annex.
Leje stopped behind the shady building and looked at Rudell as she spoke.
“Of course. How could I forget this place?”
It was none other than the place where Rudell first met Leje.
“It reminds me of the old days. I was terrified when I saw you trying to give jerky to a cat here.”
“I was wondering who the heck you were when you suddenly screamed.”
As they chuckled and reminisced about old memories, they heard a rustling sound from the bushes, and a familiar cat popped out and meowed as if to welcome them.
[Meow~!!]
“Cheese! I’m back!”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this guy too.”
A cat with yellow cheese tabby markings.
It was a cat with the simple name of Cheese.
“Here, Cheese~ Here’s the jerky you like.”
[Meow!!]
Looking at Cheese, Leje smiled and took out a small bag from her pocket.
What came out of the bag was none other than well-rolled dark red jerky.
[Meooow-!!]
“Yes, yes~ Wait a minute. I’ll give it to you soon.”
Smiling at Cheese, who was meowing excitedly, Leje handed him the jerky.
Cheese sniffed it and snatched the jerky, then took it in his mouth and walked towards the bushes where he had come out.
“Isn’t he going to eat it right away?”
“Hehe… There’s a good reason for that, Rudell.”
“What’s with that tone?”
When Rudell spoke in a bewildered voice, looking at Leje who was speaking in a tone that would only be used in a play, Leje put her index finger to her lips as if to tell him to be quiet and walked towards the bushes where Cheese had entered.
Rudell followed her silently, and when they reached the bushes, Leje carefully parted them.
And what Rudell saw were a small box with a blanket spread out and kittens wriggling inside.
“Whoa…”
“They’re about 3 weeks old. Aren’t they cute?”
“I have no regrets even if I die… Well, not that much, but anyway, they’re the best!”
The sight of Cheese settling down and eating the jerky, and the kittens gathering around him, was a sight that was almost ecstatic for Rudell, a cat lover.
“Want to touch them?”
“Is it okay? They’ll get my scent on them.”
It’s common knowledge that cats generally distinguish their kittens by smell.
If they get an unfamiliar scent on them, they might be abandoned by their mother.
“Yeah. I’ve touched them a few times, and nothing happened.”
“I think that’s because you’re the one feeding them…”
“Come on~ Don’t worry about that and touch them. They’re super soft.”
Leje, who had already taken out a kitten, held it out to Rudell.
As if unaware of the situation, the kitten looked at Rudell with wide eyes and then started to meow and struggle.
“Ugh…!!”
A low groan escaped Rudell’s lips as he watched.
A true cat lover should always put the cat first.
But…
“J-Just for a moment, will it be okay?”
In the end, Rudell, unable to overcome his desire with reason, reached out and took the kitten from Leje, carefully stroking its back.
The kitten, which had been meowing loudly, stopped crying as if nothing had happened at his touch, yawned widely, closed its eyes, and started to purr.
“Sigh…”
The soft sensation from his fingertips.
Rudell smiled brightly and stroked the kitten, enjoying a sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time.
But that was only for a moment…
“C-Cough…!! It’s not good to sit for too long.”
Rudell, who came to his senses with a gasp, cleared his throat and put the kitten back in Cheese’s arms.
Cheese, seeing the kitten burrow into her arms, started sniffing it and, after a while, began to groom it.
Both Rudell and Leje watched the scene with satisfaction, and as they were enjoying a moment of peace, it happened.
“My lady!”
“Huh?”
A hurried voice came from behind them, and Leje turned her head with a puzzled voice.
And what she saw was none other than a Dukedom guard armed with armor and a halberd.
“You had a guest. My apologies.”
“What’s going on?”
Leje put on a cold expression as she looked at the guard, who was panting as if he was in a hurry.
It was because their precious time alone had been interrupted.
“Traces of an intruder have been found.”
“An intruder?”
“Yes. The guards on duty in the west wing were found attacked… Fortunately, their lives are not in danger, but perhaps due to the shock, they don’t remember what happened…”
“Hmm…”
Leje let out a low groan towards the guard, who trailed off.
It was a story she couldn’t easily believe.
After all, what kind of family was the Lagrind Dukedom?
Wasn’t it one of the most prestigious families in the Kingdom, known to everyone?
How could she, the person involved, easily accept the fact that the Dukedom, with its numerous talents and resources, couldn’t even stop a single intruder?
“Sigh… Seriously, why? Why did something like this have to happen on my birthday?”
“I apologize.”
The guard bowed his head apologetically towards Leje, who spoke with an annoyed face.
‘I feel a little sorry about this…’
With that thought, Rudell looked at the guard.
After all, the cause of the commotion was none other than Rudell himself.
He felt a pang of conscience, but it couldn’t be helped.
The hardest time to disturb a beehive is right after you’ve disturbed it.
If he attacked the guards before the assassins attacked and made them aware of the intruder, the security would be tightened.
That would reduce the chances of the assassins getting through.
He felt sorry for the guards who got caught up in the crossfire, but from Rudell’s point of view, it couldn’t be helped.
“So? Does my father know?”
“Yes. The Duke has ordered the number of guards to be doubled.”
“Hmm… That’s quite drastic. That should be enough.”
“…”
Leje seemed convinced by those words, but Rudell wasn’t.
The Death Eater Cult was a group that would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
If increasing the number of guards was enough to stop them, the atmosphere of the novel wouldn’t have become so bleak in the first place.
Thinking that it wouldn’t be enough, Rudell started to think of his next move.
“Sigh… It can’t be helped. We have no choice but to go back.”
“That’s probably for the best. It might be dangerous.”
When he said that to Leje, who sighed briefly as if she was disappointed, she made a bitter face and gently stroked the head of Cheese, who was suckling.
“Cheese. I’ll come back later.”
[Meow~]
Leje said goodbye to Cheese, and Cheese meowed softly in response.
Seeing that, Leje’s lips curved into a smile as if her mood had improved a little, and she got up from her seat.
“Are you angry?”
“I’m not angry. I’m not a child, why would I be angry about something like that?”
She said that, but Leje’s face was clearly displeased.
It was only natural, from her point of view, her once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age ceremony had been interrupted.
His conscience pricked at him like a small needle, but there was nothing he could do.
Whatever it was, it was better than Leje or the Duke getting hurt.
“Whoever it is, if I catch them, I won’t let them go. I’ll make them pay for daring to intrude into the Dukedom.”
“Ahahaha…”
Rudell let out an awkward laugh as he watched Leje grit her teeth.
I must never get caught.
With that thought, Rudell followed behind Leje, sweating coldly.
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