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Rose was busy reading newspaper articles when Catherine came out to feed her cat.
She was worried that she wouldn’t be able to prepare food due to the two days of heavy rain and wind. Perhaps the cat was hungry, so it was calling Catherine from among the weeds, which had always been the location where the cat was waiting.
Meow, meow.
“How do you— do you think you grow ten or eleven times over time?”
She opened the lid of the can and saw what the size of a cat could be.
When she first came here, it was a baby cat that was only about 4 months old. However, less than a month later, the cat had an unbeatable size compared to Catherine.
From a kitten to a human in a month. Isn’t that a speed that can only be admired?
Did cats grow up like this?
Hmm. She doesn’t think it was.
Meow.
“Excuse me.”
But if the cat is healthy, that’s all it matters. She felt proud as a person who gave the cat a full meal even though it was nothing.
“Lady?”
Was it when she was 10 years old? Her mother once told her a similar story. A small kid has already grown up like this.
“Hello, Lady?”
‘I miss my mother. When I finish eating, I go upstairs and draw a picture of my mother—’
Wait, a picture of her mother?
“Ah.”
It was then that she remembered why the book Cesare borrowed was familiar to her. It was none other than the book that contained her mother’s drawings! Unbelievable. Even though there are only a few books to read in this mansion, he still takes that book out of ten or so!
“It can’t be—My book!”
“Look, Lady! Please answer me!”
Catherine, who hurriedly raised her body, wrapped her head in the pain of hitting the top of her head.
“Ack.”
“Ugh.”
She heard someone groan. When she checked while wiping away the tears flowing down, the man who bumped into it was an imperial knight who broke into the mansion in the middle of the morning.
“Why are you here—”
Was it Damian? A knight who was punched by Cesare. Damian, who was touching his chin with a wrinkled face, replied.
“Your Highness— No, Sir Cesare sent me here.”
“You didn’t ring the bell again this time.”
Did he already forget that he was beaten by an unauthorized intrusion? Damian pointed to the door with a grim face.
“It’s because the bell in the mansion is broken! I waited in front of the door for two hours today!”
There was no time to listen to his excuses in a situation where she had to get the book as soon as possible. Could it be that Cesare loses a picture of her mother while carrying it loosely?
“Okay, so hurry up and say what you have to say and go back. I’m very busy right now.”
But, how does she call Cesare?
The relationship between the two was not made up of promises or accidental meetings. It was close to whether or not Cesare would visit the mansion. She didn’t know she needed to find him first here.
Catherine had a temper at Damian’s hesitation.
“I told you to say it quickly!”
“—I’m going to be punished here for 10 days.”
“What punishment? Punishment for breaking into my house?”
“Yes.”
She took it roughly, but she didn’t expect it to be true. Damian continued with a voice that half gave up with his hair tangled.
“So— Damn it, I’m out of shape. You can make me work for ten days, Lady, that’s it.”
“Good, then let’s tidy up our garden.”
Is the original position of the Grand Duke a position where they can do whatever they want to do even the Imperial Knights? She doesn’t know what authority Cesare had to punish him. Catherine had more urgent business than to ask about the matter.
“Pardon?”
Damian blinked blankly and looked around where he stood. A field of weeds that rose unstoppably to his knees.
“You mean this mess? Me? All by myself?”
Catherine nodded and headed for the mansion. The only way she could think of calling Cesare right now was the underground magic circle. Even on the day she first met, it was clear that he had come down to the basement because of the mysterious magic circle.
“You’re going to ruin the talent of the royal family like this? Are you out of your mind?”
She went up to the bedroom and came down with the key to the basement. Damian ran after Catherine like that without a break.
“Okay, I’ll give it a try. I’m sure there’s a garden manager in this big mansion. Do I have to help him?”
She was in a hurry, but her head was about to explode because the babbling didn’t end.
“What? That’s how you do it, right?” By the way, where’s the manager?”
“Haa. We don’t have that in our house.”
“What? There’s no gardener in this big mansion? You’re kidding, right?
Is this how all imperial knights are? It was given roughness, harshness, and seriousness. Catherine hurriedly stopped Damian from entering till she got to the basement.
“Don’t come in!”
“Why?”
“Didn’t you hear me tell you to go and trim the garden?”
“I’m not sure I can pluck weeds with my bare hands.”
Oh, the back of her head. It was certain. Cesare sent this man to watch her die of despair.
“Then wait here for a second.”
“Why? Can’t I go down?”
What’s wrong with him!
—But there was no reason not to take him if she thought carefully. There is no guarantee that goat heads will appear and destroy the mansion, and the magic circle won’t be a threat. Rather, the two could have been better than alone.
“Then take the lead.”
Catherine pushed Damian’s back down to the ground. She was a little relieved that the imperial knight was with her.
Stopping at the end of the long-running staircase, he spoke in a small voice.
“I’m feeling a little ominous.”
“That’s correct.”
He has a good feeling. Still, she guessed he didn’t want to go up to the ground and pull weeds with his bare hands. Damian carefully pushed the wooden door, and at the same time, a huge magic circle shining red appeared in front of him.
「The one who has me, rule the world.」
It looked as if a beautiful flame would burst out of the floor at any moment. There is no room to explore the true nature of the magic circle. Catherine picked up an old mop stuck in the corner of the basement.
“—Huh. This is what that person said.”
A long exclamation rang out from behind her as Catherine dipped the mop with rotten water from the barrel.
“I didn’t know such a huge magic circle would be hiding in the basement. Is only an old wooden door preventing energy from spreading? How?”
She understands the curiosity about the identity of this strange magic circle, but she didn’t bring him here to show it.
“Come here, Sir Damian. Hurry up and erase the magic circle with me.”
Fortunately, there were a couple more dry mops inside the half-destroyed furniture. After immersing it in rotten water and pushing it in, Damian’s expression was relieved helplessly.
“Now— Are you talking about erasing this magic circle? Isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
Ha. He burst into laughter once again. ‘What nonsense is this ignorant fool talking about?’ With a face where she can see the meaning clearly.
Damian, who was only bothering rather than helping, began to get annoyed, but Catherine put up with it once.
“If you don’t want to help, should you go up and rip the weeds?”
She threw the mop she was about to hand to him and started erasing the magic circle. If she rubs it hard, it will come off. It was not long before Damian, who had been standing absent-minded for a while, ran to her side in a fuss.
“Lady, are you crazy? Do you know what a dangerous and great magic circle this is? Why did that person send us here—!”
Kiik.
“Send it?”
It was then. The tightly closed wooden door in the basement opened slowly with loud noise. Damian, who turned around, covered Catherine’s front and put his hand on the sword.
Tension began to flow along with the unique chill of the basement. The existence that appeared beyond the red magic circle—.
“What’s next?”
The one who appeared was Cesare, dressed comfortably in a shirt and vest, as usual. She didn’t expect he would really show up. His hair, standing in the red light, looked like red hair, not silver hair.
Even for a moment, the tense shoulders were relaxed. But Damian, perhaps not, stood still like a mannequin until Cesare approached in front of him.
Facing Damian’s face like that, Cesare smiled a supremely gentle smile.
“Why aren’t you talking, Sir Damien? Keep talking as you used to. Or are you going to run to the polite “him” and tell him what’s in this mansion?”
“—haha! No! I haven’t seen anything here.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. It’s not like you’re treating me like a phantom in the distance. Oh, you mean you can’t see me at all?”
“No! How dare I say that to Sir Cesare? I didn’t mean it in an impure way. I just meant that I would shut up quietly—”
When he stood with that temper and frustration, it must be healed with magic in front of Cesare.
Cesare, who made eye contact with Catherine, raised his hand and tapped Damian’s shoulder. Damian shrugged his neck at that insignificant act.
“Why don’t you go up and pull out weeds with your bare hands, Sir Damian?”
“Y-yes! Thank you!”
He treated it like he would never do it before.
Damian bowed deeply and left the basement at the speed of light. Catherine stared at the entrance, where Damian’s back had disappeared, not hiding the trembling feelings.
For some reason, that man literally seemed to pluck all the grass and turn the garden into a field of dirt.
Cesare stared at her like that and shrugged his shoulders.
“I thought it was you. Miss Phanya is the only person  who would do such an absurd thing to the magic circle.”
What an absurd thing!
However, it was surprising that he appeared just by trying to erase the magic camp rather than the words of Cesare. He’s not monitoring this mansion, is he?  Come to think of it, didn’t she spit out the word “pull out weeds” first?
“What’s wrong with your expression?”
This seems to be a reasonable doubt. Catherine narrowed her eyes and slowly shook her head.
“No, I didn’t know you would really come out.”‘
“—It can’t be. Did you do that to call me?””
Cesare’s face darkened. No, to be precise, it would be more accurate to say that it was a mixture of a little embarrassment, a little funny, and a little absurdity. Cesare leaned his back against the wall of her basement and scratched the back of his neck.
“You really surprise me every day. Good. Is there a reason why you called me?”
Yes, she has been waiting for that question! Catherine said with her hands together, with the most desperate face she had ever seen to him.
“I mean the book you borrowed from me. If you don’t mind, can you give it back to me right now? It’s a book with precious pictures stuck in it—”