Chapter 32 (1/2)

Chapter 32

I kept glancing at the driver all the way back.

At first, I was too shy to really look at him, but the more that I did, the more I realized he was a great person. I clearly remembered the emperor saying that he could definitely use a sword imbued with magic. From what I learned in class, that wouldn’t have been easy. It goes beyond just using a magic sword, it means understanding the magic in it.

How did such an impressive person end up escorting someone like me? It felt excessive.

“Um… Sir…”

“What is it?” he responded in his usual reserved, professional tone.

“Thank you for your service. I think you would be better off escorting people more important than me.”

The knight looked at me, surprised. Then he seemed to think for a moment. “If you become a secretary, you’ll hold one of the most important positions in the imperial court.”

“That’s it, though. I really don’t know if I can graduate…”

“You’ll do well.”

“Haha…”

“You didn’t think I was the type to flatter other people insincerely, did you?” he continued calmly when he saw my half-hearted smile. “I’ve never seen anyone respond so cleverly to an attack as powerful as the one you suffered the other day.”

“But… I take magic classes.”

“It’s not just that. I think you have quick judgment and courage, regardless of your magical knowledge. You’re not a swordsman, nor a person who has fought on the battlefield, but you handled it impressively. Besides, it all happened so fast. Had I arrived a little later, I wouldn’t even have seen the attack. That means it only took you a minute or so to break the spell.”

I turned red and stared at my hands. Why was he complimenting me with such a calm face? I grew up in the back alley and wasn’t used to this.

He paused for a moment, then spoke again. “I learned through Celestia that the academy was not just useless. I am honored to serve such a talented person.”

Now I felt like my face was about to explode.

“Thank you for looking after me.”

He nodded. “I am not from the Empire.”

“Ah… Yes.”

It was obvious he was a foreigner from his pale complexion and yellow eyes.

“That’s why many people are reluctant to stand up for me, but you don’t seem to care about that.”

“Yeah… ”

Of course, I didn’t. I’m from another country too. I never even thought of mentioning it.

“From now on, please call me Vinius.”

“Okay, Vinius.”

Somehow, the unexpected conversation made me feel a little closer to him, who had always felt distant.

As soon as I got back to the palace, I put aside my schoolwork and started working on baking cookies. I had been so embarrassed yesterday that I couldn’t be productive. However, after talking to the emperor, we had been able to plan.

Anyway, I don’t know who picked up the cookies, but I had to assume the worst. Let’s say the empress somehow did it and found out they were mine. I would need an excuse to cover my tracks.

With no power and no influence, all I had were my wits. What I had come up with after a lot of thinking was another one of the pickpocket guild maxims.

‘The best place to hide stolen gold is to put it in a pile of gold.’

I quickly divided the cookies. My plan was to give them to everyone in the same packaging as the ones I had misplaced. I put them in small paper bags tied with ribbons.

Thanks to my quick hands, the work was finished quickly. However, the smell of fragrant vanilla kept enticing me, and I kept eating, and my stomach was full by the time I was done.

As I looked at the pile of bags, I was reminded of a folktale called Alibaba and the Forty Thieves.

I put the packages in the laundry bag and threw laundry over the top as a disguise. Then, carrying it on my back, I went to the kitchen and dropped them off in a pile. I spread a bunch of them along with a note saying, ‘This is a gift from His Majesty the Emperor to cheer up ♡’, and then I brought the leftover packages to the lounge used by the maids and the attendants. I also put the same note there.

This way, even if the maids testified, ‘Celestia brought us these cookies,’ they wouldn’t be able to say all of it was from me because everyone was eating it.

I was about to go back to my room after doing the job perfectly when I met Luana near the overpass.

“Oh, Celestia! What have you been up to here?”

“I just took a walk.”

Luana’s eyes twinkled and she handed me an unmistakable bag of cookies. “Look at this! Can you see this?”

“Uh.”

“It’s from His Majesty the Emperor! It must be true after all that good-looking people are also good-natured.”

“What are you talking about, Luana?”

“I recognized you from afar because your hair was shining so brightly. They gave cookies to the people we do chores with. I wasn’t planning to get any, but they just smelled so good…

Her eyes shining with excitement were just too cute that I couldn’t stop laughing. Luana glanced at me and took three cookies from her package and put them into my hand.

Knowing that there were only six cookies in each package, it seemed too much to take half. Besides… my stomach was already full of those cookies…