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Chapter 32
Sweet Cookies
I munched happily on a sweet cookie, then took a sip of fragrant tea to clear my mouth before bringing up the next topic.
Ahem! I look rather grown-up, don’t I?
The cookie crumbs scattered across the table seemed to be giving me a dirty look, but Liz, quick to notice, promptly cleaned them up.
“And another thing.”
Count Tolkie swallowed the tea that was still in his mouth with a gulp before hurriedly answering.
“Yes, Your Highness. Please, go ahead.”
“Oh! Sorry. I should have spoken more slowly. Is your throat okay?”
“I’m perfectly fine. Hahaha.”
“Your face is red, though…”
The count shook his head, insisting that he was fine.
“I truly am fine. I’m merely overwhelmed that Your Highness is concerned about me. Hahaha.”
“That’s good, then…”
“Now, please tell me what you wanted to say.”
Count Tolkie straightened his back once more. I instinctively corrected my posture as well and continued what I had been about to say.
“You remember how we decided that it would be difficult for me to keep personally handling things like this all the time, so I was going to create an alias?”
“Yes. Of course, Your Highness. I also said I would help you with it. Have you given it any thought?”
“Mhm. I thought about it really hard, and then I suddenly had a wonderful idea.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. I was thinking of creating a guild. And I want to buy a hideout to use as the guild’s headquarters.”
“Whaaaat?”
“Whaaaat?”
Count Tolkie wasn’t the only one surprised by my words. Liz, who had been standing quietly behind me, looked startled as well.
“Your Highness, how on earth do you know about such dark things as guilds?!”
Guilds are essential in romance-fantasy novels. What’s with you? You amateur.
Of course, I couldn’t actually say that, so all I could do was giggle awkwardly.
“Hehehe.”
“No, but when I really thought about it, I figured having a guild would be convenient for exchanging messages and growing my money. Don’t you think?”
“I wouldn’t say you’re completely wrong, but…”
Count Tolkie was certainly rational. That meant he had correctly figured out the intentions hidden behind my words.
“So I’d like to ask you for a favor, Count. Could you narrow down a list of buildings that I might be able to buy?”
“Hahaha. Goodness…”
The count muttered to himself.
Just how many steps ahead is this seven-year-old girl thinking?
“It shouldn’t be too difficult, so you can do it for me, right? Please, Count?”
“Yes. Understood, Your Highness.”
“Okay. Thank you. I’ll be waiting, so please do it as quickly as possible.”
Phew. Thank goodness.
Only then did I relax and enjoy my chocolate-covered éclair.
It wasn’t long before I received a letter from Count Tolkie.
“Hmm…”
“What is it, Your Highness?”
“There’s only one option.”
There was only one address written in the letter the count had sent me.
He must have chosen the best one himself.
I picked up a pen.
To Count Tolkie.
Hi, Count. It’s Celestia.
I received the letter you sent me. I haven’t seen the building myself, but I trust your judgment, so I’ll purchase it.
However…
I’ve been going out quite often lately, so my father has been keeping an eye on me. If I’m not careful, there’s a chance our secret could be discovered. I think I’ll have to refrain from going out for a while.
So I’d like you to handle the purchase of the building on my behalf. I’ll also leave the renovations to you so that it can be made suitable for use. Is that all right?
Ah! The name of the guild is Achilles. Please keep that in mind when signing the building contract.
Thank you, Count.
Goodbye for now.
Celestia
I carefully folded the letter, placed it inside an envelope, and wrote Count Tolkie’s name on the front.
“Liz, this. Give it to Count Tolkie.”
“Oh, Your Highness! You look quite impressive!”
“Really? Did I look cool? Hehe.”
Liz nodded and took the letter from me.
“But…”
“Hmm?”
“Shouldn’t you tell His Majesty?”
“Tell him what?”
“The guild, for one…”
“No! Absolutely not!”
When I shouted, “No way!” Liz swallowed nervously before asking,
“What? Why not?”
Because obviously… that would defeat the entire purpose.
In the not-so-distant future, after I left the imperial palace, I wouldn’t tell anyone where I was or what I was doing. I would disappear completely, as if I had never existed in the first place.
That’s my plan.
I wanted to vanish so thoroughly that no one could ever find me.
The De’Ark rock salt and the Achilles Guild were both preparations for that day…
If I told Father, there would be a greater chance of Killian finding out, so I couldn’t do it.
Of course, it would also be better if Father didn’t know.
After the truth about Father and me was revealed, I didn’t want our relationship to become awkward or complicated.
“Anyway, no. It’s better for Father’s sake, too, if this remains a secret, Liz. You absolutely must not tell anyone! Not even Sir Briven! Understand?”
I spoke with a serious expression, and Liz answered with a resigned,
“Yes…”
A boy with hair that was neither black nor silver secretly watched the knights training in the practice yard through a small window.
The only thing he possessed was a broken, limp branch, but he never let go of it, treating it as though it were a real sword.
Finally, today, the owner of the estate had left for his territory.
Only the minimum number of people needed to guard the mansion had been left behind.
The boy instinctively knew that today was the first and last opportunity he would ever be given.
He muttered in his clumsy speech.
“I gotta escape today.”
His dwelling was neither the main house nor the annex.
It was a tiny hut shoved away into a corner of the estate.
“Jeron is hewe. Fow you.”
An uncertain future, where neither his safety nor even his basic necessities were guaranteed, was the only hope he had.
The lonely boy, Jerron, repeated to himself with shining black eyes.
I have to escape.
It was nighttime, and a blue moon hung in the dark sky.
The door of the tiny hut opened.
Clouds cast shadows over the entire estate.
By now, the knights guarding the mansion would probably have relaxed their vigilance for a brief moment.
Holding his breath and walking on tiptoe, Jerron crossed the estate.
Just as he had imagined hundreds of times.
Without hesitation.
Eventually, after safely escaping the estate and even taking the hair-dyeing agent he had secretly stolen at the risk of his life, Jerron finally relaxed.
“I’ll sweep for a bit, then go again…”
A relieved murmur slipped from his clumsy tongue.
Inside a dark alley.
There was no roof and no walls, but the air of freedom felt warm all the same.
For the first time since he had become capable of thinking for himself, Jerron’s eyelids grew heavy.
“Wow! Fantastic!”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, it’s excellent.”
It’s absolutely perfect. Just perfect.
The guild hideout, with a crooked sign bearing the name “Achilles,” was a small building consisting of only two floors: one aboveground and one underground.
Its location was suitable, too.
It wasn’t too deep in a back alley, but it wasn’t right on the main street either.
“Count Tolkie.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“How is there anything you can’t do?”
“Hahaha. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should, of course.”
I stared intently at the sign hanging just beyond my reach.
“Isn’t it rather old-fashioned, Your Highness?”
“No. It’s completely fine. I absolutely love it!”
I took Count Tolkie’s outstretched hand and entered the hideout.
I didn’t know what the building had originally looked like, but Count Tolkie hadn’t ignored my instructions that it would be used as the guild headquarters.
He had added all sorts of secret mechanisms and transformed the place into something both mysterious and imposing.
This is seriously the best.
I looked around eagerly.
The count carefully asked,
“By the way, what does the name ‘Achilles’ mean?”
“Ahhh? That? Hahaha. I just thought it sounded a little strong, so I came up with it.”
There was absolutely no way I could tell him what it really meant.
It was formed from Adel’s “A,” Killian’s “Kil,” and Lestia’s “Le,” with an apostrophe-s added at the end.
But telling him that?
Ugh. That’s way too embarrassing.
“I see. If that is the meaning behind it, I think you chose a very good name.”
“Yeah. Thanks. And there’s something else. I’m the master of this guild now, right?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“I’ve decided that my name as the master will be ‘Gun.’”
“Gun…?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t it sound really mature and really masculine when you hear just the name?”
“Hahaha. Well…! Hahaha. Then Your Highness’s alias would be Achilles Gun! Hahaha.”
“Count! What are you doing, saying my alias so loudly?!”
“Ah! My apologies.”
“Hahaha.”
This old man… Now that I think about it, he has a tendency to laugh his way out of everything.
“Anyway, from now on, send anything related to De’Ark rock salt to Achilles Gun.”
“Yes. I shall do so, Your Highness. But… will you really be able to come here personally? It must be difficult for you to come all the way here every time.”
“That’s true. I’ve actually been worrying about that. Father is making such a fuss. I need someone I can trust to run errands for me…”
There wasn’t anyone suitable in the original strategy guide, either.
This is a problem.
I had to exclude anyone who was destined to become one of Killian’s people.
And naturally, I also had to exclude Father’s people.
Ugh.
As I grumbled, Count Tolkie gently, softly, and carefully stroked the hand I was holding.
“Please don’t worry too much, Your Highness. I’m certain you’ll meet someone who is a good match for you.”
“Really? You think so, Count?”
“Yes. Of course. Absolutely.”
“I’m grateful that you say that, but…”
Still, worrying wouldn’t accomplish anything.
“For the time being, I’ll continue sending letters to the Imperial Princess’s Palace as I have before. We still have plenty of time. There’s no need to be so impatient. I’ve lived a long life, and that is what this old man has learned.”
“Okay. I understand. I’ll do that. I suppose there’s truth to the saying, ‘The more urgent it is, the more calmly you should proceed.’”
“Hahaha. Is there such a saying?”
“There isn’t?”
Hehe.
Fine.
I’d laugh my way out of things too.
