Chapter 29 (1/2)

TAP TAP TAP!

As she dashed past, her nanny, who was happening to walk down the corridor with the newly arrived maid, rebuked her sternly.

“Don’t run, Young Lady!”

“I get it!”

“You’ll trip!”

“Uh-huh!”

Turning a deaf ear to Vanessa’s yell, she rushed into the parlour where the sight of a box resting on the table put a twinkle in her eyes.

‘Mithril!’

She cracked open the lid of the box delivered by the messenger to reveal the bluish corners of mithril.

‘Hooo!’

When the mithril’s form came into full view, Kynemeia’s eyes creased into a squint.

‘Ahh, too…!’

She shielded her eyes with the back of her hand.

‘—not bright.’

Lowering her hand, she blinked.

‘…What is this?’

‘Other than the fact that it’s bluish, it looks just like any other ore.’

‘Did I get scammed?’

That was unthinkable. The dungeon was void of monsters, which was why she could dispatch some servants to retrieve the mithril in the first place. There was no way she could’ve been hoodwinked…

She glared daggers through bleary eyes at the mithril.

‘Yeah, if I study it carefully like this, a rather extraordinary force will…!’

Propping the bottom of the mithril with her hand, she thrust it towards the ceiling.

‘—not come out.’

She returned the mithril to the box. ‘What would a neophyte like me know even if I inspect it anyway.’

This should be left to a professional… What was there to worry about when Behemoth, the blacksmiths commonly acknowledged as the best, were around?

As soon as she put everything back in order and closed the box…

CLACK—

Vanessa opened the door wide and entered the room.

“Young Lady, how many times have I told you to not run in the hallways?”

Eek!

“What will you do if you hurt yourself?”

“Uhmm… I’m sorry.”

Adopting a humble attitude is the solution whenever one finds oneself in such a situation. She gazed up at Vanessa misty-eyed.

“It’s no good even if you look at me like that. What did I warn will happen if you do anything naughty?”

Kynemeia pulled a face.

“Eeehh, again? Nanny, I won’t run again. I was only in a hurry earlier.”

“What was my warning?”

Even then, Vanessa planted her hands on her waist as she repeated the question pointedly. Kynemeia then muttered in an ant-like voice.

“Snacks will be banned…”

“There will be no snack today.”

DONG! Kynemeia grabbed onto the trails of Vanessa’s skirt with a grievously stricken expression, only to be coldly admonished by the latter to reflect on her actions before she swept out of the parlour.

‘…Even though you’ve allowed me to eat snacks only once a day!’ She wailed inwardly in desperation, her eyes fixed on Vanessa’s retreating back.

‘Nanny doesn’t even know what third time’s the charm means!’

While Kynemeia was drowning in despair, the maid that had entered the room with Vanessa went over to the dejected girl and consoled her, coaxing her to not feel too disheartened, before passing something to her.

“Young Lady, please accept this.”

“Huh?”

It was a bracelet with a small pumpkin charm dangling off it.

“So pretty—”

“Today is ‘Relationship Day’ after all. Please feel free to give it to your friend.”

“Relationship day?”

“Do you not know of it? It’s a day where you gift your friend a relationship bracelet. Are nobles unaware of this…”

The maid smiled awkwardly.

‘Hooo! So there’s also a celebration day for that, huh?’

“Didn’t you make this for your friend?”

“I’ve already made a lot of them. Please give this bracelet to your friend, and enjoy yourselves.”

“Mhm, thank you.”

Kynemeia waved to the maid as she bid goodbye and departed, then put the bracelet into the pocket of her dress. royals: le gasp, the moppet’s got pockets in her dress ≧∇≦

Just then, she detected in her periphery someone with black hair moving furtively outside the window as they made their way towards someplace. Kynemeia’s head bobbed up like a meerkat. Only one person possessed such black hair in the entire castle.

‘Eian?’

She silently approached the window. Wherever Eian was heading now, he’d brought a basket along with him.

‘Now that I think about it, he seems to be moving sluggishly recently for some reason.’

To begin with, he was already a lad who concealed countless things behind that brilliant smile of his. But now, his behaviour piqued her curiosity.

‘Hmm—’ After a moment’s brown study, she discreetly followed Eian’s trail.