The Thief?

“My lady!”

The silver-haired girl came at a light jog, her ponytail, tied with a pale green ribbon, swaying from side to side, scattering a fragrance unique to a young maiden.

Even the maid uniform could not conceal the allure of her graceful figure.

For the knight’s order, which consisted almost entirely of men, her arrival undoubtedly added a great deal of color.

Well… although the reason she came here was also for a female, who would be foolish enough to make a move on their boss’s daughter?

But that maid was different… she was a commoner with no background or status, so it was alright to harbor a few fantasies about her.

Moreover, she would occasionally bring over some refreshments, which greatly increased her favorability among the knights.

“…I’d advise you not to get any funny ideas about her.”

“And for what it’s worth, she’s much stronger than you lot.”

“…Anyone who’s made a move on her has met a miserable end.”

The senior knights of the order warned the young greenhorns.

Due to the significant loss of personnel in the knight’s order last year, many new recruits had been added.

And because of this, they had no idea what sort of thorns awaited them on the path ahead.

“Putting the young lady aside, isn’t she just a maid?”

“Besides, it’s just a bit of conversation. What could possibly happen!”

“Miss Maid… please wait a moment!”

I had intended to visit the young lady during my break, but I was stopped on the way by a knight.

…A new face. Is he a new knight?

Because of Vladimir’s meddling before, the ducal estate had dismissed a number of servants, leading to a shortage of staff everywhere. They didn’t dare to hastily hire people of unknown origin; even finding a gardener required numerous background checks.

…And so, I’ve been incredibly busy this past year, with no time at all to participate in training. I only manage to squeeze out a little time each day to look after our young lady, so I’ve only had a few passing encounters with these new knights.

If I remember correctly, is this person’s name… Joe?

“Tonight… c-can you give me a little of your time!”

This young knight looked extremely nervous, as if he had something very important to discuss with me…

Since there was no real reason to refuse him, I agreed.

So that evening, I went to the place he had specified for our meeting.

…I just didn’t quite understand why he had to specify this spot under the old cherry blossom tree behind the knight’s order barracks.

I carefully examined the old cherry blossom tree, hoping to discern something, but in the end, I couldn’t figure anything out.

It was quite beautiful, though. It was currently the peak of the cherry blossom season, and the pink flowers were in glorious bloom.

“Ailena-sa… Mmph!?”

I thought I heard someone call my name.

Turning my head, I saw no one, but there was a little golden pufferfish.

“My lady? Why are you here?”

“I forgot something, so I came back to the barracks for it… More importantly, Ailena, what are you doing here?”

“If you forgot something, couldn’t you have just called for me to get it?”

“Think of it as exercise, to help with digestion. You still haven’t answered my question, Ailena.”

“Um… as for me, a knight told me during the day that he had something to discuss and asked me to meet him here.”

‘That scoundrel… how dare he try to secretly hit on my Ailena… and under this matchmaking tree, no less!’

The young lady seemed to be muttering something.

“My lady, what did you say?”

“…No, it’s nothing. In any case, that guy won’t be coming anymore. Ailena, you can go back.”

“Eh? But…”

“Didn’t I say I went to the barracks to get something? I ran into that guy then. He said… his stomach hurts! Yes, he suddenly got a stomach ache and couldn’t make the appointment, so he asked me to come tell you to go back first.”

“…Is that so?”

“Mhm! That’s right!”

The young lady nodded emphatically, in a way that truly left no room for suspicion.

And I couldn’t think of any reason why she would lie to me right now.

“Alright. Did he say anything about rescheduling?”

“N-no! Not at all! He must not have thought of it! In fact, it would be better if you two never met again!”

“…Hm?”

She seemed to be muttering something again.

“Ahem… anyway, you should head back first. Prepare some hot water for me, and we’ll take a bath together later.”

“…Very well.”

Since the young lady says so…

But isn’t preparing the hot water the job of the maid in charge of the bathhouse?

Oh well, I should just head back for now.

(Katarina’s Perspective)

Crack!

The whip struck the ground, making a terrifying sound.

“Hey, kid. Do you know what mistake you’ve made?”

I swung the whip as I looked at the boy who was tied up in front of me.

I gave a look, and the man beside me immediately understood, removing the white cloth that gagged the boy’s mouth.

“Gasp! Senior Hunter! Senior Leon! You’re a traitor!?”

“Sorry, Tasen. I’ve been the young lady’s person from the very beginning.”

“I warned you, didn’t I? Not to make a move on that maid.”

“You…”

Crack!

The whip landed beside the boy, instantly silencing him.

“Hey, kid, I’m asking you a question.”

I looked down at the boy, Tasen, with a cold gaze. He was so frightened he didn’t dare to breathe, let alone speak.

…Although I know my glare is quite intimidating, it can’t be this bad, can it?

Crack!

“…Eek!”

“Answer me quickly. What mistake did you make?”

“I… I don’t know! I was just trying to chat up a maid…”

“Chat up… a maid?”

My voice unconsciously dropped, and my hand trembled with rage.

“Ailena is my exclusive maid. She is my property. How dare a little monkey like you lay a finger on her!? And you chose to do it under the matchmaking tree!?”

Just thinking about it made my teeth ache with anger.

There has always been a rumor in the knight’s order that if a man and a woman hold hands under that large cherry blossom tree, they are certain to become a married couple.

…In the end, since the knight’s order is rather remote, for any potential partner, being able to invite her to this tree basically means she has some affection for that knight, so it’s only natural that they would end up together.

That being said, for this guy to dare invite Ailena to the matchmaking tree at night, his intentions are unforgivable! Even I haven’t invited Ailena there yet!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Out of sheer hatred, I lashed the floor several times.

“Eek! I-I-I-I’m sorry! Lady Katarina! I-I-I-I’ll never do it again!!”

“Never again? That’s not enough.”

I crouched down, staring at Tasen’s ugly face, which was contorted with fear and even stained with snot, and spoke in a merciless tone:

“You need to learn this lesson with your body. Hunter, Leon… give him the special education!”

“”Yes! My lady!””

The two large men approached the boy with wigs and a small skirt, smiling maliciously.

“Wait, seniors! What are you doing!? Wai-aaaaaah—”

As for me, I turned and left… I really didn’t want to see such an indecent sight.

“…Ailena is truly clueless about her own charm.”

As time went by, Ailena blossomed into someone ever more lovely and captivating, yet she remained completely unaware of it… She was like a sweet flower, attracting bees and butterflies from all over without realizing it.

To be honest, even I can barely restrain myself. Lately, at night, I always feel the urge to touch her, but I’m afraid of waking her and losing my chance to sneak into her bed, so I can only endure.

…If even I can’t resist this sweet temptation, what chance do those men who’ve had little contact with women stand?

This is already the third “execution” this month…

“It can’t be helped. I shall be the one to protect Ailena’s purity!”

All vermin that approach Ailena must be eliminated without exception