IRMP 25

Chapter 25

“I’m truly grateful for your concern, but no ventilation shaft for now. There are a lot of servants walking around the estate in the morning when everyone is busy.”

Rishid looked sulky, but he didn’t argue.

“So let’s just have something simple for breakfast today. Tea and cookies, how about it?”

I clasped my hands together and asked like a cheerful attendant.

“Not bad.”

“Great. Then I’ll prepare it right away.”

I boiled some hot water in the teapot on the tea table and brewed the tea.

Then, so that Rishid could eat the cookies in one bite, I cut the cookies in the box into small pieces…… No, I crushed them.

‘It almost feels like we’re having a tea party.’

I chuckled as I poured tea into my cup.

Now it was time to take out Rishid’s tableware, which I had hidden beneath the floor.

“Wait a moment, Grand Duke. I’ll bring your teacup.”

“No need. It’s troublesome, so I’ll just eat like this.”

Rishid, who had somehow already climbed onto the table and was waiting for me, shook his head.

“We don’t need tableware today, either.”

“Are you sure you’ll be all right?”

Rishid nodded toward the large teacup I had poured for myself and picked it up.

The teacup was so large that it completely hid Rishid’s face. His soft cheek, barely sticking out from beside the cup, moved as he drank.

“What are you doing? Sit down.”

“Ahem, yes.”

I almost burst out laughing, but hurriedly composed my expression.

“Judging by what’s going on in the estate, it seems Mother is very angry. At this rate, I might not be able to send the letter today.”

“Then what do you plan to do?”

Rishid asked after taking a sip of the warm tea.

“Hmm, I’ll ask Jenis when she arrives.”

Jenis would be coming to the ducal residence around lunchtime. She would probably ask what on earth had happened the moment she saw me.

‘I’ll just make up some excuse.’

I was holding my teacup and thinking of an excuse when a tiny crunch interrupted me.

I discreetly shifted my gaze and saw Rishid biting into a cookie, calmly chewing with an expressionless face.

Thanks to that, I had to suppress another laugh.

“Ahem. I noticed you brought chocolate cookies. Are they to your liking, Grand Duke?”

I gestured toward the cookies on the table.

“…….”

Rishid glanced at me, then his red eyes rolled toward the window.

So he wasn’t denying it.

“You must like sweet things?”

It suddenly occurred to me that all the bread Rishid had brought yesterday had also been sweet.

“……I suppose.”

Come on. He obviously liked them a lot.

But I was afraid Rishid might sulk if I teased him again, so I simply nodded and smiled.

“I like them too, Grand Duke.”

“…….”

However, Rishid gave me no response.

Thinking it was strange, I glanced at him and saw that his ears were burning bright red.

‘Hmm, is he embarrassed about liking sweets?’

If that was the case, I suppose I should pretend not to notice.

I lifted my teacup and secretly smiled.

“Young Lady!”

Jenis came to see me the moment the repairman finished fixing my door.

Fortunately, the maids didn’t stop Jenis from entering. Apparently, I was only forbidden from going outside; visitors were still allowed.

“What on earth happened at the banquet yesterday? Do you know how shocked I was? When you left with Sir Elbiens, I was sweating bullets! Why did you do that?”

Jenis bombarded me with questions the moment I put down my teacup.

I hesitated for a moment.

‘Well, because later the Grand Duke will hold a grudge against me, chase me to the ends of the world, and kill me, so I wanted to lessen that grudge even a little…….’

I couldn’t exactly say that.

So I pulled out the excuse I had prepared and smiled shamelessly.

“The reason is, Jenis.”

“Yes.”

“Because I’m destined to become the Eppenterion Grand Duchess?”

“Pfft!”

Jenis, who had been thirsty after rushing over and had just taken a sip of black tea, choked and burst into a coughing fit.

“Cough, cough! W-Wait, really? That’s the reason?”

“Of course. Maybe the Grand Duke was watching me from afar, and he might be so moved that he’ll look at me differently.”

Of course, he was watching me from over there even now.

“B-But, Young Lady, you gave flowers to the High Priest, didn’t you?”

You too?

‘Those damn flowers. Seriously. From now on, I’m not even going near a flower shop…….’

I sighed inwardly but raised the corners of my mouth as high as I could.

“That’s right. Which reminds me, Jenis.”

“Yes?”

“Could you deliver this letter to the Holy See?”

I got straight to the point and held out the letter I had written yesterday to Jenis.

“I’m not allowed to leave the estate, and things here are a little unstable, so I don’t feel comfortable entrusting it to a maid.”

“A letter?”

“Yes. I’d like it to arrive as quickly as possible. I’ll definitely compensate you for the trouble. It’s a letter for the High Priest.”

“What?! Y-Young Lady, you’re entrusting such a secret letter to me…….”

Jenis’s eyes widened in surprise. She seemed to think this was some kind of love letter.

I hurriedly reassured her.

“You don’t need to be so nervous. It’s just a letter explaining what happened yesterday.”

“E-Explaining what happened?”

I put on a shy smile.

“Well…… I thought the flowers I gave the High Priest were artificial flowers, so I didn’t think they would have any particular meaning. There’s only one person in my heart, after all—the Grand Duke of Eppenterion.”

Yes, I knew it too. It was an utterly ridiculous excuse.

But my concept for today was to be someone whose brain was completely innocent.

“You know I have a tendency to act without thinking about the consequences, right?”

“That is definitely true.”

Jenis automatically agreed, then immediately shut her mouth with a gasp.

I tactfully pretended not to notice.

Jenis rolled her eyes around before standing up with a determined expression.

“All right, Young Lady. I’ll take responsibility for this and go directly to the Holy See to deliver it myself! You can trust me!”

“No, you really don’t have to go that far…….”

“With something like this, the sincerity only comes across if you deliver it personally! Haha, then I’ll be going now!”

Sincerity, my foot. She looked exactly like someone trying to run away.

Either way, this wasn’t a bad result.

I hurriedly reached under the table.

“Then I have one more favor to ask. This one, on your way there, could you stop by the post office and…….”

Huh?

But where did it go?

I was startled and lowered my head beneath the table.

I had definitely left Rishid’s letter here before Jenis arrived, but it was nowhere to be seen.

“Young Lady? What’s wrong?”

“…….”

I was confused for a moment, but raised my head and pretended nothing was wrong.

“No, it’s nothing. I must have been mistaken. Just deliver that one for me, all right?”

“Of course! I’ll deliver it and contact you afterward.”

“Wait.”

Just in case, I gave Jenis a few more instructions. It wasn’t until she had heard everything that she finally left with the letter.

The moment Jenis left the room, I immediately went looking for Rishid.

“Grand Duke……!”

I called out toward the dark space beneath the bed.

As expected, Rishid was underneath it.

“This is bad. Your letter is gone!”

“I have it.”

However, Rishid answered cheerfully.

“Really? No, why…….”

I asked in confusion as I reached toward Rishid.

Rishid placed a hand on mine and emerged from beneath the bed. Sure enough, the letter was tucked under his arm.

“Did you change your mind in the meantime? Are you not going to send the letter to Sir Elbiens?”

“I’m going to send it.”

“Huh? But there won’t be another opportunity today. Jenis won’t be coming until tomorrow…….”

“I intend to go to the post office myself.”

Rishid shook his head and leaped straight up to the window.

I was startled and quickly stood up after him.

The post office? Carrying a letter that was practically as big as he was?

“W-Wait a moment, Grand Duke! Even if you really go, how are you going to mail it? And what if someone notices you…….”

Before I could finish speaking, Rishid beat me to it.

“When I saw that maid getting out of the carriage, she was carrying a newspaper. By now, the newspapers will probably be filled with all kinds of articles speculating about why I didn’t attend the welcoming ceremony.”

“…….”

“If, by any chance, that maid were to lose my letter, it would cause trouble. The only person I trust in this estate is you, Young Lady. Therefore, I cannot entrust such an important letter to someone else.”

“Grand Duke, even so…….”

I hurriedly opened my mouth, but then closed it again. He said he couldn’t trust Jenis, and after putting it that way, I had nothing to argue against.

Rishid opened the window and looked back at me.

“I’ll definitely return before sunset, so trust me and wait for me, Young Lady.”

With the bright sunlight behind him, Rishid looked down at me with an enigmatic smile spreading across his face.