Chapter 31.1

“I said I’ll wait and apologize if the person who’s going to apologize feels like it.”

“Since that day…”

In my words, Cecilia nodded only.

“As expected, I have a good eye.”

The maid Anas was one of the three maids who cursed me in the hallway that day, but she was completely different from the other two.

I thought she was just that, but I kept waiting for myself.

“So tell me when you feel better later.”

“Oh, yeah. Never mind! Tell Anas I’ll accept her apology if she makes a huge chocolate cake.”

“Okay, I’ll tell her that.”

Cecilia smiled softly and made eye contact with me.

Meanwhile, the cake in front of me disappeared out of nowhere.

“Oh!”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“There’s no cake!”

“…You ate it all.”

“That fast?”

“Yes.”

She smirked and wiped my mouth with a soft napkin.

“Strange. I ate it that fast?”

“Yes.”

“…That’s too bad.”

“I’ll ask them to do it again next time.”

Delicious food always leaves only regrets. I just smacked my lips and jumped up from my seat.

“The flowers are withering now.”

“Shall we go pick flowers?”

“No. I think Harris will be there.”

“Hmm.”

As expected, she had no answer, as if my prediction was right.

“That’s right.”

“Lady Harris was banned from entering this room because of the last time.”

“Ah, so we’ll just wait here then?”

“Yes.”

When I saw myself, I couldn’t imagine how crazy it would be again. Like a person who was just born to bully me, Harris would bully and torment me.

“But don’t worry. His Grace says he will assign a knight to the Lady and your mother. If that happens, it won’t happen like the last time.”

“Knight? Not the one that is outside?”

“Yes. Because we need someone to protect you two. I guess he’s looking for them so hard right now.”

“…I don’t want that.”

That was my breaking point. Even the knights outside that door… I didn’t want knights that went past that much.

“Do you hate them a lot…”

Rather, Cecilia seemed to be shocked by what I said. I chafed my lips.

What I didn’t like was my decision.

“But knights are good to protect you. The same thing happened last time…”

“It’s enough for me to be alone.”

I didn’t have a single good memory from knights. They were the people who looked down on me with their silver armor. Everyone was the same.

Too many people passed by and I couldn’t even remember their faces, but they were all the same.

I didn’t like people in armor and the way they looked down at me.

Cecilia, who was looking at me, nodded after a long time.

“If you don’t like it, I’ll tell him.”

“Yes.”

“By the way, when will we see the Grand Duke?”

“He must have a lot of work these days. Oh! But His Grace wrote a letter to the Lady.”

“Letter?”

As if she remembered something, Cecilia took a small envelope out of the side table next to the bed and stuck it out to me.

“Here you go. This letter just arrived this morning.”

“Uh, okay!”

He could have just come in person. What’s with him and writing stuff?

‘I guess he really is busy.’

Since that day, the Grand Duke has not been looking for me at all. That wasn’t disappointing, but it’s true that it’s a little embarrassing when one had to make a wish for him to come as soon as possible. Maybe I should start with my first plan.

First, after reading the letter, we should go to the kitchen right away.

I slowly opened the letter. For a moment, I had no choice and let my expression stiffen.

[Don’t feed the dog]

“Dog?”

Cecilia, who had been close to me, tilted her head with me, wondering.

“Don’t feed the dog.”

“Oh, my. You must be good at reading letters.”

“Uh… That’s right.”

“That’s amazing. I was wondering if I should read you the letter from the beginning.”

I smiled awkwardly at Cecilia, surprised by the other part.

“Uh… Oh, my mom taught me.”

I couldn’t say that I had acquired it because I lived multiple lives in the past.

That way, memories continued, and thanks to that, I was able to read books. Books had been my source of knowledge of it.

“Is that so?”

“Does the Grand Duke have a dog here, Cecilia?”

“You mean here? No. We don’t keep dogs in the Grand Duchy.”

“But ‘don’t feed the dog’… What does it mean?”

“I don’t know. Does it have a deeper meaning?”

At the same time, Cecilia and I raised our heads from side to side.

“Is it like a quiz?”

“Dogs… Feed… Oh! Does it mean that?”

“Which one?”

“Allen is like a dog. That’s why it’s telling me not to feed him!”

“I don’t know if it’s that.”

Cecilia, who clapped her hands sheepishly, nodded incessantly. Other than that, I couldn’t think of anything.