Chapter 52

Chapter 52

“How dare a knight stoop so low as to slight a lady! And how could you so casually dismiss it as unimportant?”

Unable to understand why he was suddenly so upset, I just stared at him with wide eyes. “The knights are loyal to you and the House of Eckhart, not to me.”

I thought that had been accepted as truth the moment I’d searched out my own guard. I did not expect any loyalty from the knights who refused to acknowledge me as the duke’s daughter. In fact, I felt this way about all the servants in the manor, not just the knights. Compared to starving because I couldn’t eat the food on my plate, the knights’ insults meant nothing to me. In fact, if Eckles hadn’t been involved, I wouldn’t have done anything at all.

“Penelope. I just don’t understand...” The duke didn’t seem to see things my way. He stared at me with a look of deep frustration, as though he didn’t know where to begin. “The family knights... They are also your knights. And that will always be the case as long as you are a part of the House of Eckhart.”

“Eckles is enough for me.”

“I’m not talking about just someone charged with guarding you personally!”

“And I’m saying all I need is my knight, Father,” I said, not giving in. “As I have already said before, I do not wish to leave my safety in the hands of those who have no interest in protecting me.”

Nothing had changed after that conversation though, other than Eckles taking up lodgings in the apprentice knights’ dorms rather than the servant’s quarters.

“Yesterday and on the first day of the festival, Eckles was the only one who protected me.” I wasn’t making any special effort to defend him since it was the truth. Men who couldn’t even pretend they wanted to stop their peers from throwing insults my way would never serve as my knights. They had no right.

The duke sighed deeply, unable to find the words to change my mind when I appeared so resolute. Looking tired, he rubbed at his eyes and asked quietly, “So... yesterday’s events are what inspired you to buy six hundred wooden swords?”

I bought six hundred? Since I obviously hadn’t counted them, I’d had no idea there were so many. Amused, I started to understand why the butler had been so appalled that morning. If I was going to be scolded anyway, I decided I’d make the duke understand that I intended on keeping Eckles around for good.

“I felt sorry for him, so I bought him a magical sword, too.”

“Penelope Eckhart. I didn’t give you that blank check so you could buy things for your—”

“Don’t scold me so much, Father. You gave it to me so I could buy things to make myself feel better.” I said coyly, cutting him off with a pout. I wanted him to perceive me as his lovely, cute daughter since I didn’t want to listen to him nag anymore. I took a sip of my cold tea, my mouth dry from nerves.

He won’t get upset because I interrupted him, will he? I’d never been the cute type. My original plan had been to offer him a gift and do my best to look cute if he got angry, but it hadn’t worked out that way. Why am I like this? Biting back tears, I kept a nervous eye on the older man from behind my cup.

“Tsk... Why are you drinking cold tea? You’ll catch a cold. Wait for some hot water to be brought.”

Thankfully the duke seemed more upset that I was drinking cold tea than because I’d complained about his nagging. He summoned a maid and instructed her to heat the water in the kettle.

I guess acting cute works pretty well, too, I thought, relieved. I was glad to have found an alternate strategy since just apologizing hadn’t worked out for me during my conversation with Reynold. I always referenced my experience playing the heroine in normal mode, but the foolish constant apologizing was wearing on me. As the events of hard mode unfolded, the difficulty was slowly escalating.

I have to develop a different strategy for dealing with each new situation from now on. As I contemplated this, the duke’s voice suddenly pulled me from my thoughts.

“Penelope.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Though I doubt this is the case...” the duke said darkly. “A slave is out of the question.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Even if he were to become a citizen, he is still from a conquered enemy kingdom.”

“I don’t...” I stammered, unsure of what he was trying to say. Whatever it was, the duke seemed extremely serious about the topic.

“There’s no knowing what greedy plots hide behind that pretty face. I do not doubt that there are many men out there seeking favor with the Eckhart family’s only daughter—”

“Father, Father!” I interrupted, embarrassed by the turn the conversation had taken. Wait a minute, does he think I want to keep him as a lover? If so, he was hugely mistaken. I never knew when Eckles might decide to just kill me. Pretty face, my ass! I have a heart attack every time I even think about his affection score dropping! My flustered protests came out in a messy tumble of words. “I know I may not be as refined as most young ladies, but I’m not an airhead.”

“I’m only saying this because he’s prettier than a girl, that’s all.”

“This isn’t a romance novel, Father. Why would I want to become lovers with my guard? And besides all that, I’m not into younger men.”

After all, the love interests would all belong to the heroine in the end. Regardless, I planned on completing the game before Eckles even came of age, and then I would leave without a hint of remorse.

The duke cleared his throat with an embarrassed air, sensing my outrage. “All right, then. If you say so, I’ll believe you.”

“Don’t worry, Father. That sort of thing has never and will never happen.”

Useless emotions and expectations of others would only hinder my escape. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, I pushed on with the conversation. “If you’re that worried, I’ll just keep to my room for a while and—”

“You’ve done enough of that already. I’d like you to participate in the upcoming hunting tournament.”

“Huh? But...”

“Don’t stay in your room all the time and try to mingle with other girls your age at the tournament. And do something about that nasty temper!” the duke chided, clicking his tongue.

A surge of resentment filled me. He seemed to think I stayed at home all the time because I enjoyed it. Unable to let it go just yet, I argued, “But Father, I made a lot of trouble yesterday, didn’t I?”

“Trouble? Don’t be absurd! Blasted little—oh, never mind. Enough about all that,” the duke said, grinding his teeth together.

He seemed to be resisting the urge to curse. Oh, come on. I might have told my knight to choke one of his, but there’s no need to curse, is there? That’s not fair! I pouted. Nevertheless, I felt sad that I had to be grateful to the duke for reining his temper in, even though I’d been handed a terrible punishment—I would have to take part in the hunting tournament.

“Take this,” he said, retrieving something from where it was sitting on the floor.

It was a large, expensive-looking wooden box. I hadn’t seen it there since it had been hidden behind the table. There was a loud thud as he placed the heavy box down. Upon closer inspection, I realized it must be some kind of case since there were handles and a lock on the top. The duke undid the latch, opened the case, and turned it toward me.

“This is...” I was stunned by its contents. Inside was a beautiful silver crossbow sat on a soft cushion, the sort of weapon you’d usually only see in a movie set in the Middle Ages. It glistened like it was brand new. Elaborate designs were engraved on its surface and gems studded the crossbow, all indicative of its great expense.

“It’s your crossbow. I had it cleaned and repaired.”

There was a bright flash before my eyes.

<SYSTEM>

You have acquired [Magical Crossbow x1] as a reward.

A reward? Reward for what? I was confused for a moment, then remembered the notification I’d gotten several days earlier.

You have gained [Affection score +3%] for [Reynold] and a [Crossbow] as your reward.

This must be the crossbow that I’d been rewarded for completing that stupid quest with Reynold.

“Ah...” I sighed, bemused by the whole thing.

The duke appeared triumphant, interpreting my reaction as positive. “I’ve had it made safer for you to use.”

I peered down at the wooden case again. It looked like an expensive ornament that should be hung up on the wall rather than used as a weapon.

Safer? Did he make it so I can’t shoot it at all? I was almost immediately proven wrong when the duke reached out and picked something up. I’d somehow failed to notice the black pouch resting next to the crossbow.

“Look here, Penelope.” He tugged the top of the pouch open and showed me its contents. It was full of round metal pellets the size of my thumbnail.

I stared at him uncomprehendingly. “What is this, Father?”

“These are magical pellets, meant to be used as a replacement for bolts.”

“Magical? What do you mean—”

“The pellets explode on impact and emit an electric shock leaving whoever is shot unconscious. It’s not strong enough to kill, so you don’t need to worry about lethally injuring anyone.”

“I see,” I said indifferently, before realizing I should probably sound a little more grateful given how enthusiastic he was about explaining the weapon’s features. I couldn’t help it. I’d lost all interest in everything after realizing I’d have to attend the tournament.

Hunting is whatever... I’ll be lucky if I can avoid catching the crown prince’s eye.

The duke frowned slightly upon noticing how uninterested I seemed. “There’s one more thing,” he said more grimly than before. “The pellets have been enchanted to, upon impact, erase any memories of the moments preceding.”

“Wha... Erase memories?”

What business did a crossbow have carrying that sort of enchantment? I continued to stare at him in open confusion.

The duke spoke, almost reluctantly. “If... you really must shoot someone, lure them away, and do so without any witnesses.”

“Wh...whaaaat?