DKVM Ch 9

Chapter 9

At the banquet,

I ran into an unexpected difficulty and was left gasping for air.

“….”

“….”

“….”

After I had greeted the duke and exchanged a few words, only the clinking of utensils filled the silence of the dining room.

‘I noticed earlier, but Rahel is very awkward with her grandfather.’

I think I’m closer to the villa’s gatekeeper…

I broke the silence between the two of them, feeling a heavy responsibility.

“Well… we had a good outing in town today, thanks to the duke’s permission, and I think the princess liked it.”

Of course, Rahel hadn’t even said anything close to “liked,” but I blurted it out anyway.

Fortunately, Rahel didn’t bother to correct me.

The duke seemed interested in what I had to say.

“Really? Where have you been?”

“Since you’re new to town, and I didn’t think you’d have enough time to see everything, I took you to the hill in the back.”

“The hill in the back? Why did you go there?”

“Because if you go up there, you can get a bird’s eye view of the town!”

The duke stared at me, apparently surprised by my answer, and then nodded.

“You’ve thought of the best way to see the town in a short amount of time.”

“That’s because it’s not polite to keep the duke waiting for a meal.”

I chuckled, sneaking a glance at the duke.

As he listened to the story of what Rahel and I had done today, he didn’t even glance in Rahel’s direction.

No, your granddaughter hasn’t been out in a long time, and you don’t even ask her if she had a good time?

Looking between the sullen granddaughter and her grandfather, I sneakily added another word.

“Next time, the duke should come to town with the princess and me!”

I tried tying the two of them together, hoping to get the duke to take an interest in Rahel.

But.

“If I have time.”

The duke merely glanced at Rahel, who continued to eat in silence, with polite indifference.

And with that, the conversation ended, and there was another stifling silence.

I glanced over at Rahel this time.

Rahel seemed to find the silence familiar, concentrating on her meal.

‘Rahel doesn’t seem to follow her nanny that closely.’

Is it because she doesn’t get along with her grandfather, her only family member, that she relies on her nanny?

‘But the nanny doesn’t seem like a very nice person.’

Of course, it wasn’t good for me either.

And most of all…even with a nanny, staying close to her family will help Rahel’s emotions.

Maybe it will prevent her from turning to the dark side in the future.

‘If I knew why Rahel and the duke are at odds, I might be able to help them get closer.’

I need to talk to them more to find out.

I racked my brain, trying to figure out how to get them to talk.

The butler, who had quietly entered the dining room, approached.

“Your Grace.”

“What is it?”

The butler hesitated for a moment, then answered in a voice that was clearly troubled.

“There is an inspector from the imperial palace.”

* * *

Dias neatly bagged the last bread of the day and held it out.

The woman, who had been studying his face, smiled and took the package from him.

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow, Dias.”

“Thank you as always, Madame Henri.”

Dias smiled at the customer who looked over her shoulder at him even as she left the store.

With that, the last customer bought all the remaining bread, and the day’s business ended earlier than usual.

‘Vivian said she’d be back after dinner, so I’ll keep it simple.’

He thought to himself as he prepared to close up shop.

*ding*

The bell on the shop door rang.

“I’m sorry, but we’re closed for the day-”

Dias started to say to the customer entering when he noticed who the “guest” was.

The visitors behind his back were not guests.

It was a hunch he’d honed over the years, one he could tell without looking.

“Are you Dias Hessen, father of Vivian Hessen?”

He recognized the crest on their arms.

Imperial Knights.

Dias’s eyes flickered with recognition.

‘Did they come here knowing Vivian’s identity?’

He hid a nearby bread knife behind his back, a move that was eerily deft.

“What brings you here?”

Then a man who appeared to be the leader approached the counter where Dias was standing.

“My name is Curtis Rohan, an Imperial Knight. I’d like to see your daughter for a moment. Is she home?”

As Vivian’s name came out of the knight’s mouth, Dias’s eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

At the same time, his grip on the knife tightened, and the veins on the back of his hand stood out.

“Why does the imperial family seek my daughter?”

“I hear your daughter is a playmate of Princess Edelwein’s, and we’d like to ask her a few questions.”

Fortunately, their target seemed to be Princess Edelwein, not Vivian.

But even if it had nothing to do with Vivian, he didn’t want to reveal her to the imperial knights.

He didn’t want to create the possibility that they might realize her identity.

‘It’s a good thing Vivian isn’t here right now.’

He hurried to chase them away before Vivian returned.

“I’m sorry, but Vivian isn’t home right now-”

But just as he was about to say that, the bell on the door rang and Vivian burst in.

“I’m home!”

* * *

I walked in with a flourish and stopped dead in my tracks.

‘What the heck is going on?’

A bunch of older men surrounded my dad!

I didn’t know the details, but I instinctively realized that something serious was going on.

While I was still trying to figure out what was going on, I was approached by a man who looked like the boss.

“Are you Vivian?”

His mouth was smiling, but I could tell it wasn’t real.

You should be wary of anyone who smiles like that!

I stared at him warily, ready to run away and call for help.

“Yes, who are you?”

“We are the Imperial Knights, sent by the Emperor’s command.”

Suddenly, I noticed the embroidery on the left sleeve of his top.

‘That’s….’

It was an imperial coat of arms that my father had once shown me.

“If you see anyone wearing clothing with this crest on it, Vivi, get as far away from them as you can.”

Dad told me to avoid imperial knights and nobles as much as possible.

There are good nobles, he said, but the bad ones might take me away to punish me even if I didn’t do anything wrong.

The closer you are to the emperor, the greater the punishment.

At the same time, I remembered the situation at the villa earlier.

The duke and Rahel’s faces hardened at the mention of inspectors from the imperial palace.

‘They’re here to keep an eye on her.’

They’ve heard that I’m Rahel’s playmate, and they want to find out about Rahel through me.

“I’d like to ask you a few questions, do you mind if we step outside for a minute?”

At that moment, my dad, who pushed through the crowd, wrapped his arms around me.

“Let’s talk here.”

The boss’s brow furrowed.

“Ha. Do you really think I, a knight of the imperial family, would kidnap a child?”

“You seem to be still single, but that’s how a parent feels. I ask for your understanding.”

“Hey. As a knight of His Majesty, my word is law. Going against my word is tantamount to treason.”

Despite the boss’s dire threats, my dad was understandably unwilling to let me go.

I swallowed hard as I watched the tense exchange between them.

‘If they fight, my dad will definitely lose…’

My dad, he’s an incompetent fool who is fit but can’t fight!

‘I have to protect him.’

I quickly interjected before the mood turned more serious.

“W- What are you talking about?”

“I heard you’re the princess’s playmate. We thought we’d ask you about her.”

Predictably, the men approached, trying to interrogate me.

‘But as Rahel’s friend, I can’t give information to the emperor’s people.’

I looked at them and smiled wickedly.

‘Looks like these guys aren’t even married yet.’

I’ll show you how fast a conversation with a nine-year-old can go!