Formerly, The Fallen Daughter of the Duke

20. Side jobs

While Claire was searching the back shelves of the library for literature about Lindell Country, Vique and Lewis relaxed in a long chair placed near the library entrance.

Vike lays down in a bench, and Lewis sits on the bench next to him reading a book.

There, Gacha, and the door opened.

“Veek, it’s over.”

It was Keith who showed his face.

“Thanks for your hard work”

Vik wakes his body up from the bench.

Keith, you look even worse than you did in the morning.

Lewis says with a heartfelt sympathetic look.

“I assign the completed paperwork to all the places concerned…… I’m physically tight all night. You can train as many swords as you want.”

Keith relaxes and sits on the floor.

“I don’t remember growing up close to choosing a job, Keith.”

……

When the conversation stopped, only the sound of Claire turning the book sounded, heard from the back of the room.

It’s gonna take a little while.

Keith asks Vik.

“Oh.”

“Well, why don’t we talk outside for a little while?”

I’ll take care of Claire.

When Lewis answered, Vike nodded lightly and left the library with Keith.

The two head out into a wide hallway facing the castle courtyard.

Keith cut out to go straight in.

“I know full well that Your Highness is particularly concerned about Claire”

Veek doesn’t move one eyebrow. It’s the face of the First Prince.

“Right.”

“What I say is impolite, but let me say it as a proximity.

… Miss Claire is not an escort with you. Please don’t go too deep, Your Highness. ”

In a well-ventilated hallway, the wind blows.

“… I am fully aware of that.”

Veek leads to the stone wall and answers with a distant eye.

“Right, sorry”

Keith looked sorry, then lined up next to Veek and brought it to the wall just as well.

“He’s a good kid. Even without that beautiful look, it’s easy to say duke or princess, it’s incredibly tall and wise.”

Keith shrugs back in Veek’s friend’s face.

“Right? Claire’s acting pretty reliable at the Royal School.”

Vik answers with a bitter smile.

“No problem as a side room… or I think she’s a lady I’d like to welcome.”

Keith says as he scratches the back of his head.

“Oh. But she wouldn’t be the kind of vessel that would fit in there”

Behind Keith’s words, Veek answered as if he were telling himself.

Vike felt more and more distanced, no matter how slightly favored he was, it just didn’t sound to Claire at all.

I guess it’s because Claire understands her position well.

(How nice it would have been if I was the type of woman who would be happy to be served in the side room)

Veek deposited his body on the wall and closed his eyes.

―――――

Dinner that day was the first time in a long time that five of us, Claire Veek Keith Lewis Doni, were to visit a restaurant in the castle town.

“Claire, how are you? Are you going to Royal School right now?

Claire, who is somewhat unwell, and Donnie behave brightly when she notices Veek with a subtly harsh air.

“Yeah, Donnie looks good, too. Best of all.”

Claire also answers as brightly as possible.

“I don’t want to go to Royal School again. I can’t play tequila because I’m full of noble ladies, and I’m sick of studying.”

“With that said, Donnie is a chief graduate of Royal School.”

Lewis says with cold eyes.

“Donnie!? I knew you were good.”

Claire is surprised.

“Yes. I’m in sync, but I never won after all”

Lewis makes a rare look of regret.

“What? The magic system was Lewis’ complete victory.”

Watching the two of us twitch each other like this, I can imagine them as students and Claire laughs.

Keith opened his mouth when Ajillo the seafood and his replacement wine were brought in.

“Claire, did you have a harvest in the library today?

Claire puts down the fork she had in her hand, wipes her mouth with a napkin, and then nods.

“Yeah, we had enough. Thank you, gentlemen.”

Claire bows her head deeply when she thinks of the four of them cleaning up their work all night.

“Oh well. Specifically, what harvest?

Ask all the time as Donnie peels off her nuts.

“Yes. Looking at the records, the Lindell Nation was escaping a 3-year-old princess when she was in the raid. conjecture from the situation, … my mother could have been royal of the Lindell Nation”

Four breathe.

All of us were within our assumptions that Claire’s mother was in some way a nobleman who had escaped the Lindell Nation, but we didn’t even expect her to be a royal who was supposed to have been destroyed.

“One thing bothers me. Why are Lindell Country related materials in the No Take Out area? It all seemed like something that could be put on the table.”

Claire asks Vik, careful not to shake her expression.

“That’s right.”

Vik is tapping the desk with his finger.

Claire says clearly when she sees it.

“It’s okay, whatever you know. Tell me the truth, Vik.”