I'm The Only Granddaughter Of The Strongest Duke
Ch. 33

[Things occur naturally when a good sword meets with a good sword master...]

"Are you saying....you're a good sword and I'm a good sword master?"

[Exactly. We're starting to resonate. The sword and the master....that is you and me.]

At that time, 

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door. I stopped talking with Ex and quickly approached the door to open it. 

The person poked his head in. 

"Who are you...ah! Grandfather?"

My grandfather stepped in and picked me up. It didn't feel uncomfortable since I already got used to him holding me. He gently removed the strand of hair that was stuck on my face and asked.

"When did you come back to your room, Eve? The maids said you suddenly disappeared."

Only then did I recall two maids standing next to me earlier. 

Oh, right. I left them without realizing it.

"Ah! I just came back from playing alone...Do I have to be with the maids all the time?"

I must admit that I wasn't used to going around with the maids.

'I'm already eight years old, but why do I have to go around with the maids?'

Back in my village, I roamed around alone when I was a bit over four years old. So why do I need to go around with the maids when I'm eight years old?

I was only five years old when I began to wander around the village by myself. Why do I need to be accompanied by the maids at the age of eight?

That's absurd!

My grandfather gave a nod, seemingly aware that I felt uneasy with the maids constantly hovering over me.

"The maids will also serve as your temporary escorts. It would be best if they were able to come with you. However, it's okay to move around by yourself if you're uncomfortable."

He added.

"Don't do what you don't want to do. You're free to do whatever you want. So Eve..."

"You're here to ask if I want to stay for a few more days or not, right?"

"How did you know?"

"Goodness! That's so obvious."

I'm a little business wrecker who lives by her wits, Eve Royce. 

My sharp wit allowed me to pick up what he wanted to say easily. 

And the timing was suspicious.

"My dad went to the palace to report to His Highness, and we made up yesterday...."

In other words, it was the best time to push his luck.

"What time is it?"

I turned my head to check the clock. It was two o'clock in the afternoon. 

"You've been thinking about how to bring this up all morning, haven't you? You must be too embarrassed to ask me to stay here again."

"Yeah, you're so quick-witted."

"By the way, Grandfather, who is Claude?"

He carried me to the bed and put me down, but I didn't release my arms around his neck, so he had to stay in an uncomfortable position. He then asked.

"Claude? How do you know him? Ah...don't tell me it's him again."

"Yes, an uncle named Silvester said that Claude would be this family's heir. It seems like he wanted to keep me in check because he's afraid that I'm getting in the way."

"That bastard..."

"Who is that person?  Will I bump into him again if I stay here? Will he look down on us and hurt us again?"

"No, Eve. That won't happen. And Claude is very different from Silvester. He's not a mean guy, and I'm sure he'll like you."

But from the way he spoke, it seemed like Claude was the son of that annoying uncle. 

Will he like me?

My grandfather, who noticed my incredulous stare, added awkwardly. 

"It may be hard to believe, but I'm telling the truth. As for Silvester, I will call him here and give him a good scolding. I promise that I won't let anyone hurt your feelings. So, will you not return to the palace and stay here instead?"

My grandfather made a slight gesture, and a knight appeared from behind the door. He bowed to my grandfather as if he heard a command before disappearing quickly. 

Where did he go?

I briefly stared at the knight, who disappeared like a ghost with eyes full of wonder, before turning to look at my grandfather. 

The blue eyes that resemble my own seemed to be eagerly waiting for my answer. 

After pondering for a moment, I nodded my head.

"Yes, I still want to return home after my dad finishes his work here. But before that, I think I can stay..."

"Eve?! Really?"

"But you have to promise me."

I looked at my grandfather and said as clearly as possible so that he would keep it in mind.

"Do not let anyone in this mansion disregard me and my dad!"

I just acted on my own while my dad wasn't around. 

'But it should be alright.'

My dad never dissuaded me when I said that I wanted to do something, even if that ended up disturbing his work or putting the house in disarray.

-Our daughter is such a good girl! She must be a genius!

He would clap and say something like that without even trying to stop me, so the villagers were worried that my dad was too soft on me. 

Of course, my dad would clap for me whether the villagers liked it or not. 

Anyway! My dad wouldn't oppose it if I wanted to stay here. 

'The mansion is so big, so I want to ask my grandfather to build a workshop for my dad.'

Um, this is great. 

I walked around the mansion, ate a bunch of cookies and juices brought by the maids, and waited for my dad to come back. 

And not long after.

"Miss Eve, Sir Nial is back. Will you come out to greet him?"

A maid knocked on the door, came in and reached out to me. I was lying on my bed while having small talk with Ex, but I jumped out of bed as soon as I heard my dad had returned. 

"Yes! I want to see him!"

"I've been informed that he's almost here, so I think you can wait on the first floor. The night air is cold so make sure you wear warm clothes."

The maid had also brought a cape with thick fur around the neck. The cape was so warm that I thought it would repel the cold effectively.

Ah, this is great.

Actually, when I was living with my dad, I used to dislike cold winter nights. But now I thought the cold winter wasn't all that bad.

'Because I didn't have warm clothes back in the village.'

My dad bought me the warmest clothes he could get, but even the warmest clothes a poor commoner could get at the market were like a thin cloth compared to this cape.

But I liked the clothes that my dad bought for me even though it was a little cold. 

I put on my warm cape and ran past the maid to meet my dad. 

The Ferdinand carriage that my dad rode was entering through the main gate. As the carriage gradually stopped and the door opened, I ran towards my dad with my arms wide open. 

"Daaad!! Huh,,,?"

And I stopped midway upon recognizing someone other than my dad, who also got off the carriage.

[What is he doing?]

"...Your Highness the Prince?"

...Why is he here?

The person who got off the carriage was the Second Prince of the Kalixt Empire and my dad's employer.

The annoying boy who tried to steal my sword. 

Prince Remart Kalixt. 

But why did he come in the same carriage as my dad?