I'm The Only Granddaughter Of The Strongest Duke
Ch. 17

The greatest swordmaster...couldn't see a little girl who was going to bump into him?

'Does that even make sense?'

Nial couldn't understand why Theobold acted like he never met Eve before, but he was certain that Theobold was letting Eve bumped into him on purpose.

Nial came to that conclusion. Nial was always sharp as a tack. His deductions always fell in place like a piece of well-cut wood. 

But if there was one problem. 

"....Do you want to die?"

It wasn't a wise idea to dig up what the other person was trying to hide.

"How can you be so sure?"

Nial Royce had put his life on stake for a simple crime of forgetting such an obvious fact when he returned to Ferdinand's residence after eight years. 

Theobold glared fiercely at him as if dared him to run his mouth again. 

In the end, Nial closed his mouth shut. 

[Something is off. I can feel that you are being watched.]

'Right? You can feel it too, right?'

I answered him in my mind while my mouth was still busy munching on the cookies.

[Be quiet! I'm concentrating!]

'Alright, go on.'

I chewed the cookie and swallowed it down, ignoring the sword who kept buzzing as if expressing his displeasure. 

After a while, Ex became silent as to concentrate. The trinket on the hilt began to shine in blue. 

How long has it been?

[Damn it! This guy is skilled, so I can't detect them easily. How do you even notice that? Even the greatest sword in this century couldn't detect them since they hide their presence so well...]

'I just feel it....isn't it because you've lost your touch?'

[YOU DAMNED BRAT!]

Behind my nonchalant answer, I was also feeling quite surprised. 

'It's strange.'

Just a few days ago, I was caught in the back of my neck because I didn't even notice the drunk men hiding among the bushes.

I can't believe I can feel someone is watching me from a distance in just a week! Is this Ex's special power?

After meeting him and giving him a name, I felt like my ears were getting sharper.

Ex asked me to put him on the floor so he could locate the guy better, so I threw him brusquely like throwing a broom. 

[HEY!]

'What? Isn't it what you want?'

[Won't you treat me more carefully, huh...Hm? Hold on.]

Ex stopped talking as if he felt something at that moment. I swallowed the cookie I was eating and waited for his next words in anticipation. 

[The guy who's watching you is close by. They might be able to catch you at this rate. What should we do? You may be in danger if they truly are intruders.]

'Ah, seriously. Why are you even asking?'

We were in the Ferdinand residence. The living quarters of the only duke of the Kalixt Empire. It was impossible for the security to be so shoddy that even strangers could just come and go.

Therefore, whoever is watching me must be someone from the duke's side. In other words, the duke's subordinate. Also, they wouldn't be able to harm me...since I was a valuable guest and the duke's granddaughter. 

'Let's go! Where's the guy?'

[Hmph, I knew this would happen. Now listen, close your eyes and resonate with me. I will show you the way.]

Following his instruction, I held Ex with both hands and closed my eyes tightly.

And just like that....!

'Whoa...'

I could see the path even in total darkness. I could clearly feel Ex was directing me in which way to go. 

'Is it close by?'

I couldn't stray too far and act carelessly. I was a guest in Duke Ferdinand's mansion. It was impolite to wander off as one pleases within the mansion. Even a country bumpkin like me knew better not to do that. 

[It's close by. Over there.]

Once again, I closed my eyes and tried to align myself with the direction that Ex had guided me. After I opened my eyes, I looked at the direction where the shining trails earlier ended.

"Hm?"

Are they inside the cabinet?

[Behind it, to be exact.]

There was a cabinet in Ferdinand's reception room that was large enough to fit people in it, but Ex insisted that the spy was behind the cabinet. 

'T-They've been in this room with us the entire time?'

[Exactly! Damn it. Why did I only notice it now? It's your fault, brat! I really lost my touch because you are my master....hmph.]

'Be quiet.'

I pressed down the trinket embedded on the center of Excalibur's hilt with my palm. Ex could no longer throw a tantrum like someone with his mouth muffled.

After I forced Ex to quiet down, I walked on tip-toe toward the cabinet and made as little noise as possible.

I saw a little shadow behind the huge cabinet. There was really a crevice behind the cabinet that was big enough for one person to hide. 

After walking as quietly as possible, I put my hand on the cabinet.

"Hehe."

...And sticking my head through the crevice behind the cabinet. 

"!!!!"

The person hiding was peering down at me with a terrified expression. 

There was really a person inside. The gaze I had been feeling until just now probably belonged to this person as well. 

So I scoured the person who hid behind the cabinet from head to toe. 

She was wearing a white uniform with a streak of blue pattern. There was also a blue dragon motif embroidered on it. 

Dragon was said to be Ferdinand's insignia, so she must be Ferdinand's knight that my grandfather attached to me.

"M-Miss Eve...!"

She called me in a trembling voice. Her entire face was flushed red from the embarrassment of getting caught by me. 

"What are you doing here?"

I put on my most innocent look as I asked her.

The knight looked totally bewildered as she was cornered by me. She awkwardly tidied up her hair before slowly coming out from the crevice.

She must've thought she looked so ridiculous when I caught her red-handed hiding in the narrow gap behind the cabinet.

After she got out, I peeked into the gap behind the cabinet to make sure there was no one else behind her. I was relieved when I ensured that there was nobody else behind the cabinet.

Then, the female knight said with a voice filled with hesitation.

"T-That...I-I'm..."

"Did you receive an order from the Duke to spy on me?"

"T-That's not true, Miss! H-His Grace didn't order me to do anything...."

Her voice was shaky and almost tearful as she said that.

I was a bit taken aback by her emotional reaction, so I clenched Ex in my hands and looked up at the knight. 

'I'm the one who's been secretly watched, but why do I think she's going to cry?'

[Maybe because she fumbled her mission badly.]

'You mean a mission to spy on me?'

[Yeah, because you caught her in the act. Most knights will feel incredibly ashamed when they fail their espionage mission. Furthermore...]

Ex continued.

[This woman is no ordinary expert. She is one of the best experts I've ever seen.]

Huh?

Listening to Ex, I looked up at the female knight who hid behind the cabinet to spy on me earlier.

She was still mumbling in a shaky voice to convince me that she wasn't spying on me.

"...An Expert?"

Ouch, I said it out loud without realizing it!

But as luck would have it, the female knight was so bewildered that she didn't hear what I just said. 

That was the only blessing in this whole mess. 

I thought I'd try talking to her again once she calmed down, so I asked the female knight to sit on the sofa.

But at that time. 

Knock, knock.

I heard a knock outside the door.