CH 21

「……well then, Carol-sama. I will lead you」

「If it is the Captain’s Room, I remember it」

「No……Captain, right now, he is in the palace right now to attend a duty. You are going to have to wait for him. That is why, I will lead you to the drawing room」

Oh, he had gone to the palace huh.

Maybe, he would be there for a very long time. I was not told of it yesterday, but, it might be suddenly decided.

I had also heard the position of the drawing room when I was lead yesterday. That is why, I would feel terrible, letting Gyle-sama who is currently in charge of the receptionist to leave his seat.

「It is alright. After all, there is rarely any visitors, so being in charge as a receptionist is just like leaving an ornament」

「With that kind of job, would that not make your body dull?」

「Well……when the regulated time comes, I also train, so. Please, it is right here」

Gyle-sama stood up, and went towards inside the garrison.

Unlike yesterday, we are passing through a path where there are not a lot of people. If I am correct, the drawing room should be farther than that direction.

While thinking of it oddly, I followed Gyle-sama.

「Is the drawing room not at that direction?」

「……that is true, but, there’s a little bit of circumstance. Please do not mind it」

「……ha〜」

I took a glance at Natalia, she seems like she’s somewhat being cautious.

I do not think that Gyle-sama would do a strange thing, but it is weird. I wonder if it would be better for me to be on guard too, to be sure.

Although, as long as Natalia is paying attention, I am very relieved.

In the end, following Gyle-sama, we were lead to the drawing room after being lead around the garrison.

「Please, take a seat」

「Thank you very much」

Most probably, there might have been things placed in the hallways, that I should not see.

That is why, I think, I was lead around through a very long way. It is true that yesterday, I was guided around the order of knights. However, although that is true, that does not mean that I should walk around by myself.

To Gyle-sama, I cannot express how much I am grateful to him.

「……uhmm, when Captain returns, I will tell him that Carol-sama is in the drawing room so. I am very sorry for taking so much time leading you」

「No, not at all. I am also sorry, letting you spend so much time just for us」

「No, no! Please do not bow your head, a daughter of the House of a Duke shouldn’t mind someone like me!」

I was also told something like that yesterday, but, is it really that strange.

In the first place, the Ambrose House of the Duke, is not very concerned with a person’s status. The servants that we hire, all of them are commoners too. Before, it is said that there are ones who have come from lower nobles, but ever since grandfather’s generation, it was all changed.

It seems like there were a lot of nobles who were eager to send their daughters as a maid to have a connection with the House of the Duke. Grandfather, he probably disliked that.

I was taught by Grandfather to not discriminate against commoners since I was young. In truth, Natalia also comes from a commoner family, but I do not have anything against it.

Although, because of that, I believed too much of commoners, that I was almost deceived. Come to think of it, I wonder what the boy at that time doing right now.

It is like he had lost his younger sister because of me, but however, all of it was not my fault, it was, well, that complicated. I am sure, that he does not have any good feelings about me.

「Well then, please excuse me」

「Yes. Thank you very much, Gyle-sama」

「That’s why I’m saying……ah〜, enough if that. Please listen to this, until Captain returns, please do not leave this room. Please」

「I understood」

That is true, if someone like me would selfishly walk around, it would be really bad for everyone of the order of knights.

I should obediently wait in this place.

Gyle-sama let out a sigh of relief, and left the drawing room.

Wilhelm-sama has yet to return so, it feels very boring.

「……come to think of it, I wonder why Wilhelm-sama have come to the palace」

「He did not say anything yesterday after all」

「That is right. I wonder if he was called for an emergency」

It does not seem as if a war had started against another country. If that was so, the air around the order of knights should be more serious and stiff.

If so, it would not seem as if there was a war, but there was some kind of request for Wilhelm-sama. The work of the captain of the knights is very diverse after all.

「I think that, you should not mind it so much」

「I think so too」

「Especially right now……Ojou-sama’s situation, it is very complicated」

「……」

It is exactly as Natalia say.

I also, know that. I feel like sighing to my own very complicated situation.

I am a daughter of a nobility called the Duke, having the highest authority next to the King.

On top of that, it is the Ambrose House of the Duke that has a vast territory in the east of Flarekista Kingdom, and it is said that the strength it possesses reaches to the royal family.

That is why, His Majesty the King wanted to make the country more stabilized with my engagement with Rayford His Highness.

However, that engagement was discarded one-sidedly by His Highness.

Even though it was an engagement to make the relationship of the nobles and the royal family firm, he discarded it with his childish selfishness, creating a definite ditch between the Flarekista Royal Family and the Ambrose House of the Duke.

On top of that, because it was the royal family’s fault for breaking the engagement, so they cannot do anything about the House of Ambrose that could be the source of internal trouble, that is the current situation.

「……I hate, wars」

「……yes?」

「No, it is nothing」

“Ha〜”, I let out a deep sigh.

Just as Father have said, being married to Wilhelm-sama, would bring good results to the House of Ambrose. However, that is only, in the case when the House of Ambrose rebelled against the Kingdom.

In the case when, the House of Ambrose rebelled against the Kingdom, and declares its independence as a Duchy.

Wilhelm-sama.

I wonder which one would your sword points to.

「……nothing would happen, even if I think of it, huh」

Father have said, that in the case when a war happens, it would be in the next generation when Rayford His Highness heirs the throne.

Right now, Galius His Majesty’s age, has only exceeded 40.

There is still a long time from his demise, so it is not something that needs to be worried about right now.

I do not want to think of politics. It is very difficult.

And there, *Gara!*, the door of the drawing room opened.

「Ah〜! So hot〜!」

「Let’s have a whiff!」

The one who appeared was.

Not Wilhelm-sama, but two knights.

I could not help but feel disappointed.

I even thought that Wilhelm-sama has returned.

「……ah?」

I met my eyes with the knight to the right.

A red haired man, his age should be around mine or a little older.

His appearance, I feel like I have seen it before in the past.

「O-Oi, y-you, why are you here?!」

「Please excuse me, I am called Carol Ambrose. I have come with errands to visit Captain Wilhelm-sama, but I was told to wait here in the drawing room because of his absence」

「A-Are you serious?!」

One of the knights, seem to be panicking.

It looks like, they were planning to take a break here. I feel very bad, because I was here first.

However, this place is the drawing room, not a resting place, so it should be proper for me to assert my rights for being first.

The knight who have heard my name, deeply bowed his head.

「P-Please excuse us! We did not think that there would be someone in here! W-We’ll leave right away!」

「Do you usually, use this drawing room as a place to rest?」

If so, that is a problem. I should tell a few words to Wilhelm-sama.

However, the knight panicked, shaking his head.

「T-That is not true at all! T-Today was just a coincidence……o-oi! Zack! You should say something too!」

Zack.

That name, if I am correct, I have heard that before.

What a nostalgic chance meeting.

「……long time no see,『Noble girl』」

「It has been a long time. 『Boss』」

He isーーZack.

The one who brought me to the villains.

That boy leader, whose little sister, was sold away by the villains.