10 Years After – 53
Preparations for Fortifying the Passage
After Milka and Grulf finished meeting each other, Goran came out of his room.
“I thought I heard some barking…? Oh, but who is this?”
“I’ll tell you over breakfast.”
“I see.”
And then Luchila and Gerberga came out as well.
Gerberga was walking behind Luchila.
Perhaps Luchila would not have to carry Gerberga too much inside of the house.
And that was a good thing, as Gerberga needed to get some exercise.
“Ah, so Grulf is awake now.”
“Grrr.”
Luchila knew all about Grulf’s deep sleep the previous night.
“You should wake up when there is a noise like that.”
“Grrr…”
Grulf’s ears flattened on his head as Luchila petted him and gave a gentle lecture.
And then Gerberga approached Grulf.
“Cluck-cluck!”
“Grrrr…”
Gerberga was less gentle in his reminder of Grulf’s failure, and the wolf seemed to shrink down in size.
I didn’t understand what Gerberga was saying, but it must have been a rebuke.
“Well, Grulf. Don’t take it too hard.”
“Grrr…”
I encouraged him. Then Milka said,
“Mister Locke. Where are the cleaning tools?”
“Ah, now that I think about it. We probably don’t have any.”
“What? You don’t?”
“We only moved in yesterday.”
“Oh, is that right.”
“We will have to go and buy some later on.”
“Thank you!”
Milka said cheerfully.
And then we had a simple breakfast.
As there was no cook, we could only eat the leftover bread from yesterday.
“Delicious, delicious! This is so incredibly delicious!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Milka was visibly impressed by the leftover food.
As we ate our breakfast, I explained to Goran and the others about what had happened.
About Milka and the secret passage.
“A secret passage to the palace, eh?”
“That makes me suspicious of its security.”
Goran and Serulis said with worry.
“I plan to reinforce the hole and the entire tunnel today. I will also install a door on the palace side.”
“A door?”
“A door that only chosen people can use. I think it would be good to have an emergency escape route.”
“That’s true.”
Royalty generally had secret escape routes. And they might as well have more than one.
Shia had been listening quietly, but now said,
“But why did this baron’s wife set those traps?”
“The trap that Milka was caught in?”
“Yes. I do not understand why she would make it for a passage that only she and the king would walk through.”
“Maybe she was cautious of someone else entering.”
“Like who?”
“Well, the previous, previous queen, of course.”
“I see… That could be a possibility.”
Shia nodded with a serious expression.
A king would likely have lovers with little shame.
That would not have made the queen very happy.
Perhaps the queen had followed them to the mansion during their tryst.
That wasn’t something that either the baron’s wife or king would find amusing.
And so they humiliated her but stringing her up.
After that, she would never think to follow them down here again.
Koko wa Ore ni Makasete Saki ni Ike to Itte kara 10 Nen ga Tattara Densetsu ni Natteita
