Chapter 233 - Waiting...

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"Well, I was fast asleep without even noticing there were intruders, so there is no need to take it too seriously."

I said that with a smile, and the butler blinked and paused. Then, raising one corner of his mouth in a sardonic grin, he bowed.

"I stand corrected... One might almost feel sorry for the intruders instead. As expected of a senior faculty member of Fiddiq Academy. That said, this blunder is mine, so I will make sure the intruders confess everything. If you wish, you are welcome to observe the interrogation."

He said that with a smile, but it hardly seemed like something I could watch with any amusement. I firmly shook my head.

"No, I will pass on the observation."

I told him that, and the butler lowered the corners of his lips in a regretful wry smile.

"I see. Of course, I will report the results to you later, so please rest assured."

"...Thank you."

I thanked him with mixed feelings.

As we were doing that, Glenn finally opened his door and emerged from his bedroom. He still looked somewhat sleepy.

"Oh, good morning. That was quite a nice room, Aoi-kun—wait, wh-what happened here? Why are there so many people collapsed on the floor... Surely not, has Aoi-kun finally..."

Glenn's sleepy face rapidly drained of color. I could tell from his expression alone what kind of misunderstanding he had jumped to.

"...I did not kill anyone, and I was about to be the victim here, so this was self-defense."

When I said that, the butler nodded in agreement.

"My deepest apologies. Despite this being a facility meant to house guests, I allowed despicable individuals to infiltrate. This is entirely my responsibility as the manager. I will ensure this never happens again, so please rest assured."

The butler said that with conviction, and Glenn sighed in relief.

"O-oh... So Aoi-kun was the victim, not the perpetrator? What a relief. We are about to meet this country's king, and I was nearly at my wit's end worrying about what to do."

Glenn said that and laughed.

The butler smiled at that and extended his hand toward the bottom of the stairs.

"Now then, let us refresh ourselves and I will prepare the finest breakfast. Please proceed to the dining hall. As there are currently no maids in this building, it will take a little time, but I ask for your understanding. Also, I will take full responsibility for apprehending and interrogating these intruders, so please do not worry about that either."

The butler narrowed his already thin eyes even further as he said that.

"...I never expected intruders to appear in the middle of the night. After being welcomed so warmly, I had not anticipated this at all."

"You are saying something completely different from when we arrived at the Karvan Kingdom."

We had that conversation as we entered the dining hall and took our seats. Glenn smiled wryly and nodded.

"Well, I am ashamed to say... I went to bed feeling grateful for everyone's kindness."

Glenn said that with a self-deprecating laugh, then quickly turned his attention to the yet-unseen breakfast.

"I wonder what breakfast will be like? Yesterday they asked for our preferences in advance, but today they do not seem to have that luxury."

"Even so, they might still serve a grand breakfast like yesterday."

"Oh, I look forward to it."

Glenn laughed cheerfully, as if he had completely forgotten about what had just happened. I smiled wryly at his brightness, but then thought that this was also one of Glenn's strengths. A good person who did not suspect others, who might even be called overly trusting. That was the kind of person Glenn was.

As I was thinking that, the dining hall door opened from outside.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

The butler appeared. It had not even been twenty minutes since we entered the dining hall. Had he already dealt with the intruders at that time? Even just tying them up and tossing them into a nearby room would have taken a fair amount of effort.

However, more than that, I was surprised by the dishes on the serving cart the butler personally pushed in.

There was soup with lightly grilled vegetables, a pasta dish with white sauce, lightly fried fish, what appeared to be an egg dish, a salad, and even the soft bread Glenn had enjoyed.

"...These are an incredible number of dishes. Did you have them brought in from somewhere?"

The butler had said earlier that there were no maids in the building. He could hardly have made such elaborate dishes alone at that time.

However, the butler laughed, shaking his shoulders with amusement.

"I am capable of anything... or so I would like to say, but in truth, I have been awake since immediately after the intruders appeared, confirming the situation and restraining the maids.

I occasionally went upstairs to check on things while preparing the food. So just now, I simply reheated the dishes after confining the intruders in the underground cell."

The butler said that with an embarrassed smile. Even so, it was remarkably fast. And to think he could prepare this many dishes all by himself.

"No, I think that is still quite impressive. In fact, I respect that a single person could prepare this many dishes."

When I said that, the butler tilted his head for a moment, then smiled as if realizing something.

"Ah, perhaps you misunderstand, but I also prepared yesterday's meal entirely by myself. None of the maids know how to cook."

"Indeed! I had no idea!"

Glenn was surprised by the butler's words and immediately broke into a smile, beginning to share his thoughts on which dishes had been delicious and why.

Feeling somewhat inadequate as someone who was not good at cooking, I could not help but feel a little small.

***

And so, an entire week passed. I welcomed my seventh morning in the same building.

"Good morning, Lady Aoi."

"...Good morning."

I returned the greeting, but the butler's expression was twisted in apparent difficulty. Perhaps my feelings had shown on my face.

"I deeply apologize for the delay. I have relayed our request to expedite matters as much as possible. However, while we have been told to expect an audience with His Majesty, it may take some more time."

The butler muttered that regretfully. Hearing that, Glenn, who must have been listening, emerged from his bedroom and spoke.

"Good morning. I have a question... How long does it usually take to secure an audience with His Majesty? I often hear of one or two weeks, but should we prepare ourselves for that length of time?"

When Glenn asked that, the butler twisted his expression as if finding it difficult to say. However, not answering a question was not something a butler could permit, and with a strained expression, he spoke.

"On average, I would say about a month... There have been cases where people waited as long as half a year..."

Hearing those words, I could not help but widen my eyes.

"...Half a year?"