AIWTRO Side Story 2
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Keira: “…He saw it?”
That kind of thing?
Keira hadn’t seen it in person, but she could only imagine how devastating it must have been.
If Keira were him and she saw what he did, she wouldn’t have let it go…
She gulped.
Rose: “But it’ll be fine since he didn’t say anything.”
Keira: “Really? There’s no way that would happen.”
Rose: “Yes, would grown adults scold you for having a dinner party? It was also a party to celebrate milady’s return.”
She was a bit puzzled, but she tried hard not to think too deeply.
Didn’t she come back after drinking quietly without bothering anyone?
Ludwig, too, would not impose sanctions on a simple dinner party. Not if there had been a big accident since she blacked out.
Right, unless an accident happened.
‘What… Sir Arthur must have done a good job cleaning up the mess.’
He was always in charge of cleaning up because he had the strongest drinking capacity. He would have taken responsibility and dealt with the drunkards well.
‘Rather than that, I’m more curious about whether Zeke got drunk or endured in the end.’
Keira would have to go back and ask later. Everyone should be awake by the afternoon.
Rose: “Then, what would you like to eat?”
Keira: “Just something simple like fruit and porridge. I’ll eat here.”
Rose: “Okay, shall I open the window for you? Fresh air might be good for you.”
Keira: “That would be great.”
Rose opened the window slightly, dragged the tray, and left the bedroom again.
She returned with breakfast and lunch as Keira was getting some much-needed fresh air. This time, she came with Emily.
Emily: “Still, you came to your senses quickly, my lady. You all looked like corpses yesterday. What’s with that? Are trained people quick to recover from a hangover? Even the knights are already walking around.”
As soon as Emily entered the room, she rambled on excitedly. It seemed that her talkative personality had not changed.
Keira listened halfway through the chatter and chimed in at the right time.
Then, as she set her cutlery down on the table, she told a rather interesting story.
Emily: “Oh, I guess you didn’t hear the news because you just woke up.”
Keira: “What news?”
Emily: “There’s a statue of the Goddess in the central square, right?”
Keira: “Ah, that.”
The goddess statue in the central square was a specialty of the capital that had existed since its founding.
Plated with orichalcum, it was famous for being strong even after hundreds of years. It was also something Keira had seen several times.
Keira: “What about it?”
Emily: “The third eye on the forehead is the blue eye that is said to see the future. The statue had a jewel for it, you know? Someone stole it!”
Keira: “Oh, my.”
That’s probably a topaz the size of an adult fist… No, was it a sapphire? Anyway, the important thing was that it was a national treasure.
And what’s more important than the jewel’s value was that the thief stole the national treasure in a place where guards roamed around even in the middle of the night.
‘In other words, it’s a matter of the country’s honor.’
So, the Imperial family would try to find the culprit no matter what.
If it’s the central square, someone would have been watching no matter how late it was, so the perpetrator was quite fearless.
Keira: “Only the innocent guards will be beaten by the superiors.”
Emily: “Who in the world stole it? It would be difficult to sell on the black market…”
Keira: “Perhaps the culprit is a collector who would stop at nothing to get every pretty piece of jewelry they see.”
It was a little interesting, but that’s all.
Keira, who quickly lost interest in the topic, began eating brunch while expressing sympathy to the low-level guards who would be reprimanded unjustly.
As the sun set toward the west, Keira finally left her bedroom.
By now, most of them should have come to their senses. With that thought in mind, Keira headed towards the knights’ building…
‘Where did everyone go?’
For some reason, she didn’t run into any of them. The same thing happened when she walked around and called for them.
She would occasionally pass by servants doing chores, and when she asked them about the knights’ whereabouts, they would say they had no idea.
‘There’s no way they’re still asleep…’
Above all, didn’t Emily mention that the knights were already walking around?
Plus, it was training time. So even if everyone else were feeling lazy, Joseph wouldn’t have tolerated it.
It’s definitely strange that even Joseph was nowhere in sight.
Keira wandered around the training grounds for a while before finally making her way to their lodgings.
It was the only place she had yet to look around.
‘Bingo.’
Unlike usual, the lounge window was meticulously covered with curtains. The curtains were normally drawn since the knights thought the light would be good in the lounge.
In addition, she could see shadows moving behind the thin curtains.
‘What are all of you doing together?’
She kept her steps light as she cautiously entered the building.
Seeing as they had gathered quietly and didn’t include her, Keira thought they might be planning to prank her.
As she rested her ear on the lounge door, she heard someone talking. She couldn’t hear the details, but it was clear several people were talking at the same time.
Keira cautiously placed her hand on the doorknob and swung the door open in a surprise attack.
Thud!
Keira: “What are you all doing?”
“Aaaaah!”
Thud! Crash! Crack!
As soon as Keira opened the door, she heard screams and furniture collapsing.
The knights gathered in one place were scattered all over the room.
It was a swift action, but unfortunately, the afterimage of the movement was all visible to her eyes.
“N-noonim? You should have told me you were coming… Hahaha.”
“Did you sleep well last night? Haha… Hahaha.”
“…”
The ornaments were broken and chairs were on the floor, yet the knights feigned nonchalance.
Keira slowly looked around the room without a word.
Rather than the broken ornaments and chairs, Keira was more saddened to see Joseph and her brother Zeke among the group.
Zeke was wiping off the dust from the drawers–something he’d never done before– and Joseph was sitting on a table, reading a book.
No, it was more accurate to say he was pretending to read. His efforts to avoid eye contact made her feel the distance even more.
What caught her attention more than anything else was the book he was reading. It looked bulkier as if there’s something under it.
Keira: “…Sir Joseph, what’s under that book?”
Joseph: “Y-yes? Oh, when did you come? I didn’t know you arrived because I was so focused on reading…”
Keira: “Don’t change the subject.”
Joseph: “W-what are you talking about…”
She strode across the room and approached him.
Joseph audibly gulped, and the tension was palpable.
Keira: “You’re hiding something down there.”
Joseph: “That’s… It’s just…”
Keira: “Give it to me.”
She pulled the book as hard as she could.
Joseph resisted a little but eventually let go when he realized it was futile.
When the book disappeared, Keira finally saw what was underneath. As she did, she heard someone start to hiccup.
The hidden object was a blue gem the size of an adult’s fist.
It shone so brightly that it almost blinded her. Anyone could tell it wasn’t an ordinary object.
No way, this was…
“…”
“Y-Your Ladyship. I will explain everything.”
“…”
An unusual jewel and the knights desperately trying to hide it…
At that moment, Keira remembered the conversation she had had a while ago.
[“Oh, I guess you didn’t hear the news because you just woke up.”]
[“The third eye on the forehead is the blue eye that is said to see the future. The statue had a jewel for it, you know? Someone stole it!”]
Keira, who instantly grasped the situation, shouted at the most likely culprit.
Keira: “Sir Arthuuuur!”
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