Just as Keira was finished replying, Arthur arrived, carrying a large glass bottle.
Arthur: âGood morning, my lady.â
Keira: âGood morning.â
Sitting by the desk, Keira greeted him back.
Keira: âWhatâs that?â
Arthur: âVice Captain sent this. He heard that you took a break and was worried you were feeling unwell. They said itâs good for rejuvenation.â
Keira: âPlease thank Sir Joseph for me.â
Arthur: âI will.â
Keira: âOh, and thereâs something I want to say to youâŠâ
Keira glanced at Rose. Rose, a quick-witted woman, bowed and left the room.
When the two were left alone, Arthurâs expression became serious. If milady wanted to keep this a secretâŠ
Arthur: âIs this important enough to send your maid out?â
Keira: âNo, itâs a little embarrassing to talk about it in front of others.â
She cleared her throat in embarrassment. It was then that Arthur remembered their earlier conversation.
âActually, I want to interact with people outside the family, but I donât know where to start.â
The lady sometimes started very embarrassing conversations.
Keira: âThe hobby thing you mentioned before, I think I found one.â
Arthur: âOh, is that so? That was fast. Congratulations! May I know what it is?â
Keira: âUm, thatâs⊠Iâd like to keep it a secret for now.â
She was shy to tell Arthur, a man.
Arthurâs eyes gleamed at the mysterious answer.
âWhat kind of hobby is it?!â
Keira: âI didnât want to admit that it was fun at first. It was something that I thought was below me.â
Arthur: âI see.â
Keira: âI didnât think I could enjoy this kind of thing.â
Arthur: âOh! I think I know what that is. I have that kind of hobby, too.â
Keira: âMay I ask what it is?â
Arthur: âTo hang out at a casino.â
Keira was so surprised that she dropped the pen she was holding.
Casino, gambling house, spending money.
In her eyes as a person with a conservative upbringing, gambling was akin to falling into the devilâs temptation.
Arthur: âYou must be surprised⊠Itâs not like itâs a crime, right?â
Arthur scratched his cheek embarrassingly.
Keira: âThatâs true, butâŠâ
Arthur: âAt first, I wondered if should even go to a place like that because I was a knight. But it was fun. Itâs fun to talk to friends over drinks and play games.â
Keira nodded at the part when he said âwith friends.â It was a pleasure to share hobbies with others.
However, gambling was a littleâŠ
No, it wasnât even illegal, was it?
He wasnât wasting his fortune; heâs just enjoying it leisurely, wasnât he?
But wouldnât it be weird for a knight to frequent a gambling den?
Keira has never had a positive image of gambling, but there was nothing she could do if others liked it.
Come to think of it, she didnât think she was in a position to say anything about other peopleâs hobbies⊠She was confused.
Arthur: âAt first, I went without telling my colleagues. I was worried that if milady caught me, Iâd be chased out.â
Keira: âSo, what happened?â
Arthur: âOh, well. It turns out everyone knew I was going to the casino.â
Keira: âHow did you get caught so easily?â
Arthur: âHmm⊠Itâs because I didnât intend to really hide it. I feel like Iâve become a criminal for no reason if I used a disguise or pseudonym. So, I got caught. Nothing happened though.â
Keira: âHuh?â
Arthur: âA lot of people are doing it? Well, some conservative seniors told me not to go too much, but recently, they havenât bothered me about it. These days, I go with the other knights.â
Keira: âThen, are you drinking cocktails together?â
Arthur: âYes, with the other knights.â
She asked because she was a little embarrassed.
Keira: ââŠDoes His Grace know?â
Arthur: âHmm, Iâm not sure, but I donât think His Grace would care about what the knights are doing over the weekend.â
Keira: âWell, thatâs true.â
Keira nodded her head. He was usually indifferent about other people.
Arthur: âAnyway, I was really just panicking on my own that others might see.â
Didnât you think of keeping it a secret?
Keira instead swallowed what she wanted to ask. She sympathized with his words to a certain extent.
You donât have to deny yourself something you because of what other people might think.
Unless itâs a crime like murder, of course.
Arthur: âAh, speaking of which, would you like to go with me this weekend? The casino, I mean. Iâm supposed to go with the other knights, but Iâm sure itâll be fun.â
She was even more surprised than the first time he said âcasino.â However, there wasnât a pen left to drop.
Keira: âI-IâŠâ
The Parvis family was often referred to as the Goddessâ chosen family bestowed with a sacred duty. Therefore, it was only natural for the Parvis family to have close ties with the Temple and have similar beliefs as them.
Being conservative meant that the feeling of going to a casino was comparable to walking into a depraved territory.
She could immediately refuse if she wasnât comfortable to do itâŠ
âBut Sir Arthur might feel hurt.â
She put herself in his shoes, imagining she recommended her hobby to him. But he hated it.
âDid you really enjoy reading this?â
-and what if she said yes? Surely, sheâd be hurt! Extremely hurt!
When she thought about it, she couldnât say no.
âYou said it because you wanted to recommended something you liked to meâŠâ
She could see Arthurâs smiling face. If she refused, would his face fall and become sad?
She couldnât refuse.
Keira: âA-alright. Iâll go.â
Arthur: âOh, really, milady?â
Keira: âYes, letâs do it.â
Arthur thought, âI didnât think milady would agree to go⊠I didnât know youâd accept it willingly.â
She might have been waiting to be invited. She did say she wanted to get along with the knights.
He felt even more obligated to build a bridge between milady and the knights.
Arthurâs face brightened.
Arthur: âThen, letâs go this Friday evening. Iâm sure youâll have fun.â
Arthur then left the room with a bounce in his step.
Keira grabbed her head in exasperation.
âI told him I would go!â
Casino! A gambling den!
Just a few days ago, she got drunk and she started reading novels with immoral content.
Now thereâs gambling.
One strong word came into her head.
Corruption.
She felt like a delinquent who was influenced by bad friends to learn how to drink and smoke; like she went on the wrong track where she wasnât supposed to go.
Keira: âNo.â
Keira shook it off. She wasnât on the path to corruption, but on a way to a new world sheâs never experienced before.
She didnât have to live like the sheltered daughter she was, right?
Keira sighed. Thinking too much about it would only make her anxiety fester.
âYeah, go to the casino but donât gamble.â
Sheâd drink cocktails and watch the others play. That was an acceptable compromise.
She heard a knock on the door.
Keira: âCome in.â
Rose: âMilady, itâs me.â
Rose peeked in.
Rose: âDidnât you say you had to go to His Graceâs office this morning?â
Keira: âOh, right.â
Sheâd almost forgotten again. Keira got up from her seat after sealing her reply to Marquess Francais.
It was impossible to ignore His Graceâs summons, especially since they had to talk about Zekeâs coming-of-age banquet.