After listening to Maggie’s account, Rita fell into a brief contemplation, and finally gave a simple summary in her own way.
“So, according to what you’re saying, the Army’s current plan is just to strengthen defenses, station troops to guard against a beetle invasion, and report to the Kingdom? They don’t plan to take the initiative?”
Maggie hugged her thunder weapon and leaned against the wall, helplessly gazing at the scenery outside the corridor window.
“That’s right. Solus City has suffered too many blows recently, and things have only just stabilized inside the city. If we rashly send out troops now, not only will we exhaust ourselves, but it might also leave the city defenses empty and fall into the enemy’s diversionary tactics.
“What if the enemy attacks? If the beetles launch a full-scale assault in these numbers, things will only get worse than last time.
“With the Lord of the Night presiding, this is definitely not a small swarm. If there’s any movement near the city, we’ll know in advance. I’ve already instructed the soldiers to be ready to defend against a siege. As long as they don’t suddenly appear inside the city, I doubt they can breach our Outer City Walls.”
“Then, aren’t you going to tell Lady Cecilia about all this? Maybe ask her opinion?” Rita asked, but was met with a meaningful look, making her feel as if she’d said something wrong.
“Rita, to be honest, I shouldn’t have told you any of this. These are major matters for the Army.”
Maggie showed a troubled expression, scratching her head as she spoke.
“But you really are one of our greatest contributors. Without the intelligence you brought back, we probably would’ve charged ahead blindly. If we’d really encountered the Lord of the Night then, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the whole army would have been wiped out.”
Only Maggie knew that the giant beetle shell Rita brought back had instantly silenced everyone.
At first, many called it fear-mongering, and there was no shortage of people doubting the credibility of the report. But once they saw that giant shell in the City Lord’s courtyard, everyone shut their mouths, which was why Maggie’s work went so smoothly afterward.
“But what does this have to do with Lady Cecilia? There’s no need to hide it from her, is there?” Rita still couldn’t understand.
“Quite the opposite. Since Her Highness the Princess entered the city, we’ve been troubling her nonstop, but not only has she not blamed us, she’s helped us out time and again. Both that old man and I owe her a great debt and can’t trouble her any further.”
In fact, if anyone else were in Cecilia’s position, they probably wouldn’t have spared Solus City a glance, let alone stepped in to resolve its troubles.
Maggie might be blunt by nature, but she wasn’t without her own calculations. As she told all this to Rita, she was secretly hoping Rita would pass it on to Cecilia as well.
As it turned out, later that evening, Rita did tell Cecilia everything during dinner.
Cecilia had slept straight through to dusk. Rita had no idea why Cecilia insisted she join her for dinner as soon as she woke up, but since it was Cecilia’s order, she had no choice but to comply.
Cecilia’s dinner was truly a feast: platters of ham and fruit, grilled steaks, soft bread studded with nuts, and freshly squeezed fruit juice. Rita got an identical serving.
In this world where there was no entertainment to be found, only delicious food could bring Rita some comfort.
Besides, Rita didn’t need to absorb nutrients from food, and had no worries about managing her figure, so she could simply savor the bliss of oil bursting in her mouth.
Unfortunately, Cecilia didn’t drink alcohol. Even if she wanted to, Rita probably wouldn’t have agreed, so there was no way Rita could taste a glass of spiced red wine during dinner.
As dinner drew to a close, Cecilia wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, enjoying some fruit as a post-meal snack while chatting idly with Rita.
So Rita took the opportunity to recount everything that had happened today, naturally including what Maggie had told her.
Cecilia made no comment, and seemed to have no intention of getting further involved.
Rita, curious, voiced her doubts, and Cecilia patiently explained.
“In the earlier matter, I became a target. If unrest had been allowed to continue in the city, it would have harmed all of Solus City. Angus and I share interests, so I could lend him a hand.”
“As for the latter, we hadn’t yet returned. If the Army experienced unrest, it would only become even harder to manage. Later, sending you to investigate was to ensure my own safety. You saw yourself, Maggie—who was all for stationing troops or even attacking—changed her mind after learning about the Lord of the Night. If we’d rushed ahead, none of us might have returned.”
“Now that all is settled, there’s no need for me to overstep my bounds. What’s coming next is another huge decision, and I neither have the ability nor the reason to make it for them. Rita, do you understand what I’m saying?”
Rita nodded half-understandingly.
Nope, she really didn’t understand Cecilia at all.
So, these matters in Solus City have nothing to do with Cecilia for now, right?
“Never mind, I wasn’t expecting you to understand anyway. But do try to smarten up a little, won’t you?”
“Don’t worry, Lady Cecilia! I’ll get smarter as soon as I can!” Rita nodded again, swearing solemnly to Cecilia.
From now on, she’d make sure to use her clever little brain more, so that when she met someone as perceptive as Cecilia, she wouldn’t be left speechless, and would be able to pick up on what others meant between the lines—which could only be helpful.
The very first step in Rita’s efforts to think more deeply led her to a rather startling conclusion.
“Wait, so, Lady Cecilia, do you mean…”
“‘Afterwards’ means afterwards, is that so hard to grasp?” Cecilia looked at Rita with an expression that seemed to say, How can you not understand this?
“Hasn’t this round of assessment already ended?”
“Yes, but the retest is in the capital, so you’ll come back with me.” Cecilia asked, “You told me before that you didn’t have anything pressing to do after the assessment ended, didn’t you?”
Rita had indeed said something like that, but it was just idle chatter at the time, wasn’t it?
She’d originally planned to use her prize money to figure things out on her own. She’d thought about staying with Cecilia, but after everything that happened, her resolve wavered.
She wanted to just go with the flow, but also worried about her identity being exposed. So she was a bit torn, but since the results wouldn’t be out for a few days, she’d just been procrastinating, avoiding the issue.
Rita opened her mouth awkwardly, purposely leaving her own plans unmentioned.
“Lady Cecilia, how do you remember everything?”
“I remember everything about you very clearly,” Cecilia replied lightly, but the weight of her words made Rita almost breathless.
Such a heavy statement—if it had come from a romantic partner, she’d probably be thrilled, but from Cecilia, all Rita felt was fear.
Cecilia glanced at Rita’s nervous, sweat-drenched face, lowered her lashes, and waggled a piece of kiwi on her little fork in front of Rita: “You’re not happy about coming back to the capital with me?”
“Happy! Very happy! It’s what I’ve always wanted!” Rita hurriedly nodded.
Hearing Rita’s answer, Cecilia contentedly popped the piece of kiwi into Rita’s mouth, just like rewarding a puppy. Then she speared a piece of apple and, under Rita’s startled gaze, put it in her own mouth.
“Alright, in two days everyone will turn in their record stones. Then Dorothy will play them for us to review, and we’ll determine the scores and who advances. So, we can stay in Solus City for a few more days. Take this chance to do anything you want.”
Those words weren’t what surprised Rita—the thing that startled her was Cecilia’s series of actions.
Feeding? Indirect kiss?!
How could she do something so naturally, so casually!
And! Why is this kiwi so sour?!
Before Rita could even feel shy, Cecilia’s next words came. “By the way, your record stone is missing, but that’s easily solved. You can rest assured and get ready to come with me. Don’t worry, you’ll get your reward.”
She couldn’t get her record stone back anyway, but with Cecilia’s promise, Rita could finally put her worries about the assessment to rest.
But the trip to the capital was still up for debate.
“Don’t just sit there spacing out,” Cecilia said, stuffing another piece of kiwi into Rita’s mouth. “Once you finish eating, we have other things to do.”
Rita swallowed the tart kiwi, just about to ask what was next, when Cecilia fed her another piece.
After several pieces in a row, Rita finally managed to speak.
“Lady Cecilia, what else do we have to do? Take a bath? Or sleep together?”
“Neither,” Cecilia blocked Rita’s mouth with another piece of kiwi, “When you came back earlier, you looked like a wildling, and now you’re in a maid outfit—it’s simply indecent.”
Then another piece of kiwi was stuffed into Rita’s mouth, “So before I went to bed, I had someone buy a few sets of clothes in your size. You’ll try them on in a bit.”
To be fair, Rita was a little afraid of Cecilia, but she had to admit that Cecilia was really good to her.
Maggie had just said she couldn’t take Rita to buy clothes, and now Cecilia had already brought some back. It was enough to move anyone to tears!
So much so that Rita’s eyes nearly overflowed.
From the sourness of the kiwi.
“Lady Cecilia.” Rita sniffled, glancing at the plate in front of Cecilia that was now left with nothing but kiwis, “Are you a picky eater?”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full. That’s very rude.” Cecilia said, stuffing Rita’s mouth with yet another piece of kiwi.