“His Majesty the King of Fabrania’s reputation should be determined by his own actions. Therefore, no matter how Harriet-sama behaves, our impression of His Majesty will never change.”
Her beautifully wrinkled eyes blinked repeatedly in confusion.
“Besides ―― I can feel the kindness in Harriet-sama’s heart that she doesn’t want to bother me.”
“Huh …!?”
Harriet’s shoulders jumped, probably because Rishe turned around without warning.
“But seriously, please don’t hesitate. I would be very happy to have you laughing with me as your guard.”
“Gasp…”
“As for the shopping, please look forward to it tomorrow, as my favorite company, Aria Trading Company, will be bringing you some of their best items.”
She gazed into Harriet’s eyes, hidden behind her bangs.
Then she asked.
“And Harriet-sama, why do your maids do the talking instead of yourself?”
“Eh…?”
Harriet’s tone shook with confusion.
“If you feel uncomfortable about stating your own wishes, is there anything you would like to do for your maids instead?”
“…!”
“What are you talking about, Rishe-sama?”
The head maid raised her voice in panic and shook her head.
“You don’t need to worry about us. And you, Lady Harriet…”
“U-Umm…!!”
Harriet opened her mouth, as if gathering up her fragile courage.
“W-Well then…”
“Huh, My Lady?”
“Well…somewhere cooler! A place where the maids can sit and rest. Um, I’m sure the head maid is more tired from the boat trip than I was in the first class cabin. Er…”
Harriet buried head deeply and continued, though in gradually fading snatches.“I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry if I said something out of line…”
Rishe smiled at the blank stare of the head maid.
Harriet had been peeking at her maids several times early on. It looked like she was worried about their eyes, but maybe she was worried about them. It seemed that Rishe was right in her thinking.
“All right. Let me take you to a restaurant with terrace seats.”
Rishe was new to the city, but she remembered the map Arnold had shown her.
With the position of the sun at this hour, some of the stores overlooking the beach would be in the cool shade.
“Oh, I’m sorry for bothering you…”
“It’s no big deal. Harriet-sama, you are a person who can be brave for others.”
“!!”
Harriet’s small shoulders shook when she put the offer forward for her maids.
Expressing her wishes was something she collected herself to do. Nevertheless, she was willing to say something she found hard to say for the sake of her tired maids.
“I have the utmost respect for your kindness.”
“Uh, er…!!”
And then.
“―― ……”
Rishe stopped and extended her hand to Harriet.
Then she looked back diagonally behind her and silently looked up at the whitewashed building.
Seabirds were flying around the rooftop, chirping and twittering to each other.
The cumulonimbus clouds floating in the blue sky shone brightly in the sun.
“…”
“What is it, Rishe-sama?”
When one of the knight guards approached, Rishe told him.
“I hear cries that sound like a lost child. I thought I’d go check on it for a while.”
“A child’s voice? Then we’ll do it ourselves.”“The knights are to guard Harriet for a spell. With the maids around…it should not be a problem for some men to protect her for a short while.”
“Ah, Rishe-sama!”
Before the knights could stop her, Rishe slipped easily into the back alley.
“…”
She muffled her footsteps and cut off any sign of her presence to the limit. She turned a couple of corners and went deeper and deeper into the alley.
There was not a single person visible in the white stone alleyway.
That’s impossible.
Rishe briefly exhaled.
The next moment, she gripped Arnold’s sword.
“――!!”
Someone suddenly descended directly from above.
She drew her sword, held it above her head, and received a weapon head-on. It was more of a reflex action as a swordsman than a calculated move.
The sound of steel clashing with steel echoed through the area.
The figure immediately stepped back and smiled good-humoredly.
“Huh, haha!”
It was a tall man wearing a gray robe.
The top half of his face was obscured by his hood. But his mouth was distorted in amusement.
“Hello pretty lady, nice to meet you. When someone stares at you like that, it’s hard not to come out.”
“…”
Rishe silently held her sword and looked straight at the man.
A face I’ve never seen before and a voice I’ve never heard before. But this trick…
“Hey. ―― How did you find out?”
The hooded figure made a gesture as if peeking at me.
“That I’ve been staring at you from the rooftop all this time.”
He asked playfully, and Rishe narrowed her eyes.