A Righteous Female Knight Never Compromises!-Chapter 55 : The one who never returns
{Chapter 55} The one who never returns
“Balin Lorand, huh...”
Driven by an impatient mood, Anna didn't wait for the interrogation results or for John Burrito to reveal the name. Instead, she mentioned the name during breakfast.
At the breakfast table, sitting with Anna was Louise's father, who looked puzzled.
“Where did you hear that name?”
At the mention of the name, Duke Baldric's expression turned serious, completely losing the doting father vibe he had when they first met yesterday.
“Well...”
Anna couldn't immediately come up with a reason for how she knew the name.
Although she quickly found an excuse afterward, that brief hesitation was enough to reveal that she was making it up.
And Baldric was no fool. The moment he saw Anna hesitate, his gaze sharpened, making Anna feel a chill run down her spine.
“Father, don't worry about it,” Louise quickly intervened, seeing the situation turning awkward. “Senpai has some special information channels. She must be asking about this because it's related to her assassination attempt.”
Hearing Louise's words, Baldric remained silent, just staring at Anna.
Anna decided not to bother coming up with an explanation anymore. Since Louise had already explained, she just had to engage in a staring contest with her future father-in-law.
“...Honestly. Not even married yet, and she's already siding with someone else.”
After a long moment of staring, Baldric was the first to break, sighing deeply and shaking his head:
“I don't know much about this Balin Lorand either...”
What followed was pretty much the same as described in the simulation, someone who rarely appeared in public, said to be a jester solely for the king's entertainment.
However, there were also some details not mentioned in the simulation.
“I've seen that person a few times before. He always wears a clown-like mask, so I have no idea what he actually looks like,” Baldric said.
“...A mask?” Anna frowned. “Why?”
“According to some, Balin Lorand was disfigured in an accident, so he wears a mask to avoid repulsing others.”
“Disfigured...”
Anna's intuition told her that the man probably wasn't disfigured at all. He was likely just wearing a mask to conceal his appearance.
Wearing a mask would make it easier to disguise his true self... It was even possible that the name “Balin Lorand” was fake.
Using two identities in the palace... It was entirely possible.
Thinking of the “palace envoy” who had tricked her in the simulation, although her usually accurate intuition didn't kick in this time, Anna still had a reasonable guess.
Could that palace envoy be Balin Lorand?
“...Anything else you want to ask?” Baldric inquired, seeing Anna deep in thought.
“No, thank you, Uncle,” Anna shook her head.
“...”
Baldric ate the last bite of his food, then wiped his mouth.
“Remember to protect Louise. If anything happens to her, you'll see what happens.”
He casually threw out those words as if it were just a morning greeting. After saying that, Baldric stood up and straightened his collar.
“I have some matters to attend to. Excuse me.”
Watching Baldric leave, Anna was stunned for a moment, then blinked a few times.
“...Huh?”
As Anna's brain was still processing whether Baldric's words were a threat or a request, Louise leaned closer to her.
“Father's words might have been a bit extreme, but you don't need to take it to heart, silly Senpai.”
“Besides, if anyone's protecting anyone, it should be me protecting you, silly Senpai.”
Looking at Louise, whose face was smiling but whose eyes were deadly serious, Anna's lips moved, but no words came out.
“After all, you're always being targeted by all sorts of bad women.”
Then, in the next second, Louise's words completely ruined the mood.
“...It's not that exaggerated, is it?”
“How is it not? Back in the town, when ing work, the people from the red-light district always mentioned your name,” Louise said, her tone tinged with jealousy. “And last time, when you went to that massage parlor in the red-light district, it felt really good, didn't it?”
“...It was just a regular massage. Why does it sound so weird when you say it?” Anna retorted. “Besides, wasn't it you who arranged for me to patrol the red-light district? How is that my fault?”
“Even if I'm 99% at fault, doesn't that mean you have 1% responsibility!?”
Anna was left speechless.
“Not to mention, you're so beautiful. Whether it's men or women, their eyes always linger on you when we're out shopping,” Louise continued, her resentment growing. “I never realized your looks could appeal to both genders.”
“How would I know about something like that?”
Anna was aware that her appearance often attracted attention from passersby, but she hadn't expected Louise to notice the source of those gazes.
“The disgusting stares from men are one thing, but even the female passersby look at you with those weird eyes,” Louise said, her hand instinctively grabbing Anna's right breast. “Damn it!”
“...Louise, when you're angry, can you not vent by grabbing such strange places?” Anna, feeling weak and her cheeks flushed from Louise's sudden attack, glared at her.
But Louise's subsequent actions quickly turned Anna's glare into a pleading look:
“Stop... stop rubbing...”
“Hmph! This is compensation!” Louise gave a few more firm squeezes before reluctantly letting go.
What kind of compensation is this...
“Haven't you compensated me enough usually?” Anna stared at Louise with a resentful look.
“Of course not,” Louise snorted. “That's just daily life. How could it be the same as this kind of compensation?”
“Who would consider that kind of high-intensity 'labor' as daily life!?”
Well, it could be considered daily life, but Anna felt that if she admitted that, any remaining sense of dignity as a female knight would be completely gone.
Although Anna sensed that she didn't have much of that dignity left anymore…
Chapter 55 : The one who never returns
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