“Don’t do something reckless.”
Just as Cecilia was about to leave to investigate the matter, Bianca grabbed the hem of Cecilia’s cloak.
“Are you planning to tarnish your good reputation? If you meddle unnecessarily trying to help me, you’ll only end up hurting yourself.”
Cecilia was curious.
“Then, are you, Lady, alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it an unjust accusation?”
“Tch. Do I, Bianca Eisenberg, look so weak that I’d cower just because a few more people speak ill of me?”
‘Wow, tsundere.’
Who would have thought I’d witness this.
Cecilia felt a quiet sense of amazement.
“Anyway, there’s no way they’re going to imprison me. It’ll just be a commotion that’ll d*e down after a few days, so don’t put yourself out there and end up disgraced.”
‘Her tone is interesting.’
The more she saw, the more interesting this attached lady became.
In situations like these, it was necessary to show the chivalrous side of a knight.
“Lady, I am a knight. If I were to overlook someone trapped in injustice, I’d surely feel ashamed, and my sword meant to slay demons would grow dull. So, this is for my sake too.”
“Y-you.”
Bianca was surprised by the rather knightly Cecilia.
“You can give quite the convincing speeches, I see.”
“…”
Though it was slightly sassy, Cecilia decided to help resolve Bianca’s injustice.
After all, Bianca was the attached lady.
She hoped Bianca would be happy.
“The smell of the Demon Race.”
Seeing the rather frail Charlotte, Cecilia instantly knew.
Though faint, it was still detectable. Charlotte herself wasn’t likely a demon, but she probably had some connection to them.
What could a renowned baron’s daughter possibly have to do with demons…?
Regardless, it wasn’t something important to Cecilia.
“If I take care of everything, how are the rookies supposed to level up? That wouldn’t do, no no.”
“Charlotte lady, you seem unharmed, even having had chocolate chips, which is a relief.”
Charlotte twitched her shoulders.
“T, that…how did you…?”
“Well, I saw the tiny chocolate powder on your ladyship’s lips.”
Cecilia pointed to her own eyes with a gentle smile.
“I have rather good eyesight.”
‘Just how good is it!’
Charlotte knew many knights. However, none of them could tell what someone ate by just a glance at the corner of their lips.
“…I did eat dessert because I was feeling down. Is there a problem with that?”
“You don’t need to worry, Lady Charlotte. I’m here merely out of curiosity.”
“Curiosity…”
Charlotte swallowed hard.
She tried her best to force an amiable smile, but in Cecilia’s eyes, it looked like a mouse trying desperately to escape a cat, an instinct for survival.
“The famous Sword Heroine’s curiosity has intrigued me as well.”
“Then I shall ask you.”
Cecilia took just one step forward, already beside Charlotte.
Charlotte couldn’t move a finger, her dress’s back soaked with sweat due to the tension.
“If there was such a grand scheme of a fabrication, what was your intention behind degrading Lady Bianca?”
“…”
Charlotte stiffened at Cecilia’s pointed question.
“Grand scheme? That’s absurd. Why would Lady Cecilia think such dreadful things?”
“Because it’s too sloppy.”
Cecilia had seen through the trick from the start.
‘There’s no way the baron’s daughter’s kidnapper is that sloppy.’
Charlotte was abducted yesterday and rescued today. Kidnapping is difficult, but keeping someone after the abduction is relatively easier. Without CCTV in the medieval times, finding a missing lady wouldn’t be simple.
“I thought it was one of two things: either the kidnapper was an utterly incompetent brute, or the lady’s fabrication.”
The former creates a contradiction. A powerful enough individual to kidnap a baron’s daughter right in the middle of the kingdom wouldn’t be incompetent. Cecilia wasn’t one to believe in miracles.
“…Proof.”
“Hmm.”
“Without any evidence, it’s a little uncomfortable to accuse me of such indecency.”
“We have proof.”
Cecilia was a famed detective. One can’t act recklessly without evidence if one is a famed detective.
“Would you show it to me then?”
‘There’s no way there’s any proof since I wasn’t abducted in the first place.’
Charlotte steadied herself. After all, there was no substance to this case. On a suspicion alone, there’s nothing they can do to her. Cecilia nodded.
“Before that— sir, would you come out for a moment?”
The knight Theodor, who had been quietly holding his sword behind the wall, stepped forward.
“…So, you knew I was hiding.”
“I am rather popular.”
Any renowned swordswoman would have around three stalkers following her.
“If there’s no concrete evidence as you say, then you’re merely a knight bullying a baron’s daughter. Can’t you see the trembling lady frightened by you? You’re acting worse than street thugs.”
Cecilia simply grinned faintly.
Theodor scowled. At that moment, he felt a sense of déjà vu and quickly raised his sword to block.
KAAAANG!
Their swords clashed. The blue sparks from their swords’ collision roared fiercely.
“Whatever is this!”
Unable to open her eyes due to the wind pressure, Charlotte slumped down.
‘d*mn it, what kind of power does a woman have…!’
As Cecilia’s smile deepened, the wind blade grew overwhelmingly fierce. When Theodor’s hands began to tremble under Cecilia’s overwhelming power,
“Receiving my single strike, you have quite an impressive sword technique.”
BOOM!
The sword flew high into the sky. Having retracted her sword, Cecilia kicked it back.
KABOOM!
Several walls were broken as Theodor was flung away. In the mess that was now the mansion, Cecilia approached Charlotte, her sword drawn.
Charlotte’s eyes, which experienced deathly fear for the first time, became moist. It wasn’t just her eyes that were moist.
“A knight with the ability to withstand a sword strike from the Windsor Knight Order would be skilled enough to kidnap a noble lady.”
“Hi, hi…”
Cecilia lifted Charlotte’s chin with the tip of her sword.
“A capable person like that wouldn’t quietly send the lady back. That’s my conclusion.”
‘What impeccable reasoning.’
Cecilia smiled contently at the very rational deduction she had just demonstrated.
“I’m going to ask again, Lady Charlotte.”
Cecilia sheathed her sword.
“Given all this fabrication, why have you framed Lady Bianca?”
Cecilia’s emotionless eyes focused on Charlotte.
For the first time, Charlotte found someone’s gaze terrifying.
Neither kindness nor malice, a gaze devoid of any emotion.
‘Impossible.’
Tears welled in Charlotte’s eyes.
‘Such a demon makes a mask meaningless.’
Cecilia tilted her head.
“Are you still denying it?”
“A, no!”
Charlotte chose the best method to extract herself from this situation.
“It was all a lie. As Lady Cecilia said, it was indeed a fabrication.”
She immediately dropped to the ground, bowing her head deeply.
“D, due to jealousy, I did something I shouldn’t have. I’m truly, deeply sorry.”
Cecilia blinked, then grabbed a strand of Charlotte’s hair.
“Such nice hair. What products do you use?”
Just as she was lost in random thoughts, a loud voice snapped her out of it.
“However, please…”
Charlotte half-sobbed.
“Please, don’t tell anyone else about this.”
“I know it’s embarrassing, and I know how foolish Lady Cecilia must think I am. But if this gets out, I’ll be ruined.”
Charlotte wept, grabbing Cecilia’s hands.
“No matter what, I’ll do anything. If you can just cover this up, I’ll offer everything I can do. Please…”
And again, Charlotte bowed deeply. Instinctively wanting to rest her boot on her head, Cecilia remembered that Charlotte wasn’t a demon and restrained herself.
Then she recalled the shopping list she’d wanted to buy but couldn’t due to high costs.
-The Windsor Knight Order meddled in the Royal Knight Order’s jurisdiction and even took bribes? No allowance for a while then.
At that moment, Kairon’s voice rung in her ears like an auditory hallucination.
Phew, it was almost a disaster. Cicilia snapped back to reality and said,
“Raise your head, Lady Charlotte.”
She regretted it a bit, but she couldn’t accept bribes.
It’s just…
“I don’t particularly have the intention of arresting you, Lady Charlotte.”
She didn’t have positive feelings toward Charlotte, but she didn’t have negative feelings either.
Unless it involved the Demon Race, most things happening in the kingdom were merely hobbies to her.
Honestly, this kind of thing was even a little cute. However, it wasn’t just about treating it as a hobby.
“Really…may I?”
“Yes. This is the jurisdiction of the Royal Knight Order.”
“Are you forgiving me just because it’s that simple a reason?”
‘Such an important issue.’
Cecilia respected the Royal Knight Order more than she expected.
Killing demons is the job of the Windsor Knight Order.
Maintaining peace in the capital is the job of the Royal Knight Order.
It’s rude to infringe on their rights carelessly.
More importantly, Cecilia was a pacifist.
‘I need to keep my rookies safe; creating enemies isn’t beneficial.’
In reality, that was the most important thing.
“However, please remember this, Lady Charlotte.”
Cecilia leaned forward and quietly looked at Charlotte.
Charlotte’s teeth clicked together. To her, Cecilia’s aura was somewhat harsh.
“I hope we don’t find ourselves needing you for ‘another matter.'”
Once the demons are involved…
It would be unreasonable to expect the same mercy as today.
Thus, she kindly informed Charlotte.
“At that time, I will have no choice but to k*ll you, Lady Charlotte.”
‘Nyah~ totally an angel!’
Cecilia was occasionally perplexed by her own kindness.
‘The Charlotte Kidnapping Incident’ came to a peaceful conclusion.
Charlotte was, fortunately, a smart young lady. While Cecilia was indulging in strawberry cakes, she put an appropriate person forward as the kidnapper.
‘What was shocking is that that appropriate person was the owner of my regular shop.’
Cecilia’s regular dessert shop, ‘Golden Honeycomb’
Turns out the owner c*m server, Leina, was the formidable boss of an underground crime organization at the back alleys.
A huge scandal!
But it also brought sorrow.
What if the dessert quality drops…?
That truly can’t be allowed.
She might need to prepare a hefty sum of jewels. Perhaps with Charlotte’s lenience and Edward’s slush fund, it would all work out.
Anyway, after achieving the desired results, Cecilia visited the residence of the beloved Bianca.
“I won’t say thank you.”
Bianca hid her face with a fan.
“You said this was for yourself, didn’t you? If you came expecting thanks, you’ll be sorely disappointed. The Eisenberg’s Bianca would’ve overcome the situation just fine without your help.”
Her haughty statement was the epitome of a villainous lady, exciting Cecilia.
“I didn’t come to receive thanks, Lady Bianca. I’ve seen you’re safe. So, I’ll take my leave now. I wish you well henceforth.”
But going straight at it all the time wasn’t very charming.
Tug-and-push is a basic technique in romance.
Knowing when to step back was a true skill of a flirtatious swordswoman.
Thus, she was about to coolly leave today—
“Wait, stop right there. I haven’t finished what I have to say.”
Bianca stopped Cecilia just as she was about to leave.
Looking at the surprised Cecilia, Bianca closed her fan, handed it to her maid, then personally walked to stand in front of Cecilia, lifted the hem of her dress, and bowed slightly.
A textbook-perfect display of etiquette worthy of a young lady.
“The Eisenbergs will remember this matter.”
“!”
“If there comes a day of distress, the Eisenberg Dukedom will be Cecilia Windsor’s strength.”
In the end, Cecilia couldn’t help herself and embraced Bianca from behind.
“W-What are you doing!”
Even Bianca, struggling, couldn’t escape the Master-level skill of Sword Heroine’s petting.
