An hour passed…
“Rudell!”
Returning to the banquet hall, Rudell was greeted by none other than Leje.
“Where have you been! I looked for you everywhere!”
“I just went to the restroom. Did you wait long?”
“No, I just finished.”
At Leje’s words, Rudell shifted his gaze to the podium, and like a lie, the long line had vanished.
He thought it would take at least a few more hours…
If he had been just a bit later, it might have turned into a troublesome situation, and deep inside, Rudell sighed in relief.
“By the way, where’s Kaylee?”
“If it’s Princess Karens, she said she was tired and went in first.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
“…?”
At Rudell’s answer, Leje spoke in a meaningful tone, watching him cock his head in confusion.
For reasons unknown, Leje appeared strangely excited in Rudell’s sight.
“It’s nothing. Shall we go somewhere quiet?”
“Sounds good. Do you have a place in mind?”
“Hmm… Of course! This way!”
After pondering for a moment, Leje smiled at his question and began to walk.
And so, they walked down a familiar path away from the banquet hall for a while.
“Do you remember this place?”
A small building located a little away from the Duke’s House annex.
Stopping in the shade behind the building, Leje said this while looking at Rudell.
“Of course. How could I forget this place?”
This was indeed where Rudell first met Leje.
“I remember it well. I was shocked when I saw you trying to give jerky to a cat.”
“I thought you were some weird guy screaming out of the blue.”
As they giggled together reminiscing about old memories, a rustling sound came from the bushes, and a familiar cat jumped out as if to greet them.
[Meow~!!]
“Cheese! I’m back!”
“I haven’t seen this guy in a while.”
A cat with a yellow tabby pattern.
It was a cat simply named Cheese.
“Here, Cheese~ your favorite jerky.”
[Meow!!]
Looking at Cheese, Leje smiled and pulled out a small bag from her pouch.
What came out of the bag was none other than well-dried, reddish jerky.
[Meow-!!]
“Alright, wait a moment. I’ll give it to you right away.”
With a smile directed at the excited Cheese, Leje handed the jerky to him.
Sniffing the smell, Cheese snatched the jerky and began walking towards the bushes from which he had come.
“Isn’t he going to eat it right away?”
“Heh heh… There’s a reason for that, Rudell.”
“What’s with that tone?”
As Rudell stared in disbelief at Leje, who spoke with a theatrical tone, she put her finger to her lips, as if to tell him to be quiet, and walked towards the bushes.
Rudell silently followed behind, and as Leje carefully pushed aside the bushes, what came into Rudell’s view were small kittens wriggling on a blanket-covered box.
“Wow…”
“They’re about three weeks old. Aren’t they cute?”
“I’d die happy… No, not that much, but still, they’re the best!”
Cheese was busy munching on jerky, and the sight of the kittens gathering around him was almost heavenly for the cat lover, Rudell.
“Want to touch one?”
“Can I? It might smell like me.”
Generally, it’s common knowledge that cats recognize their young by smell.
If an unfamiliar scent gets mixed in, the mother might abandon them.
“Yeah. I’ve touched them a few times, and nothing happened.”
“That’s probably because you feed them…”
“Come on~ don’t worry about that and touch one. They’re super soft!”
Leje had already taken out one of the kittens and held it out to Rudell.
The kitten, seemingly unsure of the situation, looked at Rudell with wide eyes and squirmed while mewing.
“Ugh…!!”
A low groan escaped Rudell’s lips as he watched.
A true cat lover should always prioritize the cat, but…
“Okay, just for a moment!”
In the end, unable to resist his desire, Rudell reached for the kitten Leje offered, and gently stroked its back.
The noisy kitten stopped meowing as if it had forgotten everything, yawned widely, and began to purr contentedly.
“Ah…”
A soft sensation lingered at Rudell’s fingertips.
Feeling a sensation he hadn’t experienced in a long time, he smiled brightly and continued to pet the kitten.
But that was only for a moment…
“Ahem…!! It’s not good to sit too long either.”
With a huff and a startle, Rudell cleared his throat and carefully placed the kitten back into Cheese’s embrace.
Cheese, upon feeling the kitten nestling into him, began sniffing and soon started grooming it.
Both Rudell and Leje watched that scene with warm hearts, enjoying a moment of peaceful time when suddenly…
“Lady!”
“Huh?”
A frantic voice called from behind the two, causing Leje to turn her head with a puzzled look.
And there, what caught her eye was none other than the guard of the Duke’s House, armed with armor and a halberd.
“Guests are present. I apologize for the intrusion.”
“What’s wrong?”
It seemed like a rather urgent matter, as the guard was speaking while catching his breath. Leje made a cold expression as she looked at him.
Having their rare alone time disrupted wasn’t fun at all.
“Signs of an intruder have been discovered.”
“An intruder?”
“Yes. The guards stationed at the west wing were found attacked… Fortunately, they aren’t seriously hurt, but they can’t recall what happened due to shock…”
“Hmm…”
Leje let out a low groan directed at the guard, who trailed off.
For her, it was certainly hard to believe.
After all, what kind of family was the Lagrind Duke House?
One of the most distinguished and well-known families in the kingdom, after all.
How could she simply accept that a family with so many talented individuals and resources couldn’t fend off a single intruder?
“Hah… Why on my birthday of all times?”
“I apologize.”
As Leje spoke with an irritated expression, the guard bowed his head, flustered.
‘This is a bit unfortunate…’
With that thought, Rudell glanced at the guard.
Truth be told, the cause of the commotion was none other than Rudell himself.
He felt a pang of guilt, but there was nothing he could do.
The hardest time to poke a hornet’s nest is immediately after having poked it.
If the assassins would find out there was an intruder because the guards were attacked first, the guards would strengthen their defenses.
That would reduce the chances of the assassins getting in.
Though he felt sorry for the guards who got dragged into it, Rudell had no choice in the matter.
“So? Does your father know?”
“Yes. The Duke has ordered to double the number of guards.”
“Hmm… Quite a drastic measure. That should be sufficient.”
“…”
Leje seemed to accept that, but Rudell did not.
The Church of the Eaters of Death used any means necessary to achieve their goals.
If simply increasing the guard count could stop them, then the atmosphere of the novel would never have become so bleak.
He thought that wouldn’t be enough and began to consider his next steps.
“Phew… Well, it can’t be helped. We have no choice but to head back now.”
“Seems like that’s for the best. It might be dangerous.”
As he said that to Leje, who let out a short sigh of disappointment, she made a sour face and lightly petted Cheese, who was nursing.
“Cheese. I’ll come back later.”
[Meow~]
Leje bid farewell to Cheese, and in response, Cheese let out a low meow.
Seeing that, Leje’s lips curled into a faint smile, and she stood up.
“Are you angry?”
“I’m not angry. I’m not a child to get mad over that.”
Though she said that, Leje clearly looked displeased.
It was only natural that from her perspective, she was interrupted during a once-in-a-lifetime coming of age ceremony.
Rudell felt a small prick of guilt, as if his conscience was poking him with a tiny needle, but there was nothing he could do.
Isn’t it better than something happening to Leje or the Duke?
“Whoever it is, if they get caught, I won’t let them off. They’ll pay dearly for intruding into the Duke’s House.”
“Hahaha…”
Watching Leje’s teeth clenching with a plunk, Rudell chuckled awkwardly.
I must not get caught.
With that thought, Rudell followed behind with a cold sweat.
