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“Zenda.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“What is a gathering like?”
Zenda, who was brushing my hair for bed, stopped touching it.
I decided to tell Zenda a little bit first.
“A gathering?”
“Yeah! I heard it today after talking with Teacher Logis. Friends like me have poetry recital and singing gatherings.”
Zenda continued brushing.
My eyes closed involuntarily at the softness that ran through my hair.
It was one of the best times for me.
I love the feeling of Zenda brushing and I know my cozy bed is waiting!
“That’s right, but… The gathering of ladies who are a little older than your peers is more active. It’s also not fixed.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I know that gatherings are usually actively held at the age of 10. Because there are far more cases where you have to have a guardian before that.”
“Ah…”
Teacher Logis apparently spoke as if it were too late that her own niece started at the age of 10.
“There are many cases in which girls your age invite their close friends to their homes and play. Like the Miss and Ruspe-sama.”
“Will Russphe have a gathering?”
“Sir Russphe is much more…”
“Much more?”
“I understand that he doesn’t have gatherings at all because it’s filled up with his classes. By any chance, Miss, would you like to attend the meeting?”
I shook my head.
“Hmm, I hadn’t thought about that, but Teacher Logis told me she’ll help me adjust to the gathering later. She said that if I make a mistake, they will find fault.”
Zenda set the comb down and gently tucked the neatly combed hair behind my ears.
I squinted one eye because it tickled me.
“I see. Miss, let me look into that part.”
“Hmm?”
“I understand that the Master hired them each for only one subject in the first place, but as the educator changed, it seems that the explanation wasn’t properly explained.”
“Then?”
“Teacher Logis is an Imperial language teacher. She just needs to take responsibility for teaching you the Imperial language.”
“…”
“You’re confused, aren’t you? It’s my fault for not checking in advance.”
“No! I guess Teacher doesn’t even know that well.”
“If you don’t mind, should I be an observer from now on? I didn’t tell you because I thought it would be a nuisance to your studying, but I will if you need it.”
“Mmhm. Then I’ll tell Zenda!”
“Are there any other inconveniences? Please tell me if you have any.”
“Not now! I studied a lot, you know.”
I deliberately didn’t say that Teacher Logis had asked about Mom and His Imperial Majesty the Emperor.
Because if she was a bad person, she would keep asking, and if not, she wouldn’t ask anymore because Zenda cautioned her.
I simply asked Zenda for help because I wasn’t confident enough to judge a person by myself.
Zenda kissed my forehead lightly.
“It’s done, lady. Come on, lie down in bed. I’ll take care of the blanket.”
I jumped right into bed and lay down.
“Laid down! Will Uncle come home late again today?”
“Yes, maybe…I think he will be late, but when he comes, I will tell him that the Miss has been waiting for a long time. Don’t worry and go to sleep.”
“Mmm, good night Zenda!”
“Yes, Miss. Have a nice dream.”
***
“The teacher was put in.”
Ragia bit the pipe and laughed, as if it was funny.
The smoke dissipated as soon as laughter erupted.
“I was very sweaty because I heard they were so picky about recruiting.”
“You managed to do it,though.”
“Boville or Burville, they didn’t listen to me even if I gave them money. In the end, I even paid for a carriage accident to change that person, but how much money did I give to the guy who changed.”
Jamiel shuddered disgustingly.
Jamiel De Rondo.
From before, he put all his efforts into constantly planting spies in the houses of the Duke of Valliot, the Marquis of Leguier, and the Prime Minister, though she was gone now.
However, he only tasted failure every time.
The longest he endured was a month.
That’s why Kassel de Leguier was a gross and terrible guy.
The reason Jamiel didn’t give up was simple.
He wants to bring down the snobbery of the Valliot and Leguier, and to disintegrate the power of the Imperial faction.
This was the wish of not only Jamiel but also the nobles.
“Your Lordship the Marquis. Then she should’ve gone to the classes by now?”
Margie asked impatiently.
“Yes, they went in both places.”
The small weakness that they had endured like an iron fortress eventually became a hole through which they could penetrate.
“Now that we’re in, dig out as much as we can.”
Jamiel chuckled.
He was about to do that.
Taking out the girl, the Prime Minister’s hidden daughter, is the surest way to bring them down.
Since the risk was so high, he was only watching for a while.
“Well, even if it doesn’t work, let’s see. Are they going to hide her for the rest of their lives? Seeing how busy they are these days, it looks like they’re about to leave soon.”
Jamiel was also on the side of agreeing with Ragia’s words.
They just want to push for that date.
“It seems so. Even if he’s Leguier, he’s not going to follow his niece while escorting her for the rest of his life like now. Wouldn’t it be better if we cut down the time though?”
Ragia slammed the pipe into the ashtray.
“You can do it yourself.”
“Ah, goodness.”
Margie made an interesting face as if he had suddenly remembered something.
“What are you thinking about with such a smile?”
“No, it’s nothing else, I heard there’s another famous person these days.”
“Anything other than the Mad Dog? I haven’t even heard of it, but it’s already a headache.”
Jamiel frowned and groaned.
“One of the new nobles, he’s a billionaire. He’s a pretty young guy.”
“A billionaire? Was he struck by mine lightning bolt?”
Fiante Menibera, who had been smoking the pipe ever since, showed curiosity and asked.
“Not a mine. He seems to have quite a lot of skills, but I was wondering what it would be like to recruit him this time.”
“No matter how delicious it looks, you have to know what it is. What if after eating it, it’s another mad dog?”
Everyone burst into laughter at Margie’s words.
“Ouch, just thinking about it is awful.”
Jamiel groaned again.
Even so, he was interested in a man called the rising noble who became a hot topic.
“Let’s make a seat for him for once.”
The same was true of Jamiel.
***
Purrㅡ
It was late at night.
I ended up falling asleep while waiting for Uncle, but the sound in my ears woke me up again.
I had the illusion that I could hear the clatter of hooves along with the sound of galloping horses somewhere else.
“Um… Another horse sound?”
Isn’t it an illusion?
Is Uncle here now?
I stood up with half-open eyes as if possessed.
Ah, what is that?
“Light…?”
The moment I saw it, the remaining sleepiness flew away.
I got out of bed and dug through the mountain of dolls.
“Huh?”
What was shining was the decoration I received from the museum.
An old hoof half the size of my palm.
As soon as I held it in my hand, the purr-like sound I had heard so far came to my ears clearly.
“This is it.”
The cause of the suspicious sound!
“Ser.”
“…”
“Ser!”
Ser didn’t respond at once, so when I shouted a little louder, Ser responded belatedly.
“Uh, why?
”
“Look at this. There was a noise here. Light also comes out from this.”
The head of a black snake appeared from the side.
“Oh…”
“This, this, this!”
I was so excited that I couldn’t speak.
“It must have reacted to your energy. The light gets brighter as you hold it in your hand.”
“I thought it was just a souvenir.”
Unlike me who was excited and surprised, Ser was calm.
Although Serpens is an ancient relic, it didn’t have the ability to judge and search for other relics.
It’s only up to the seeker.