The Donut Knight (4)

“Everyone, thank you very much for your tireless service day and night! We maids have prepared a small token of our gratitude for all of you.”

And several hours later, Christina-oneesama’s voice rang out across the Royal Palace garden.

The exhausted soldiers resting there all looked toward us in surprise at once.

It was around four in the afternoon. The Young Master’s snack time had ended, leaving us with some free time.

“The other day, you rescued one of us, and even now you continue searching for the culprit. We are truly grateful. It is nothing much, but please have some if you would like.”

As she spoke, Christina-oneesama lined baskets filled with donuts across the table.

Christina-oneesama was giving the greeting because she was both the longest-serving and highest-ranking of the maids.

“Come now, gentlemen, surely you’re allowed a little perk of the job once in a while. All of us maids put our hearts into making these, and they’re delicious, so please eat up.”

Clara-oneesama, ever the dashing type, said that in her slightly blunt manner.

The soldiers stared curiously at the donuts, though some of them had their eyes irresistibly drawn toward Clara-oneesama’s generous chest.

Choosing lust over food, are we, you bastards?

Then Lawrence-sama, who had been standing at the center giving various orders, spoke with a gentle smile.

“Oh, have we made you go to such trouble? Thank you. Everyone, they have kindly prepared these for us. Please enjoy them.”

A cheer went up, and the soldiers eagerly reached for the donuts.

At the same time, the maids began serving the tea we had prepared.

In no time at all, the grim atmosphere that had surrounded the soldiers began to soften into something peaceful.

“Oh, this is good…! What do you call this food?”

“Sweet. I thought I disliked sweets, but I may actually like this…”

“W-Wow, sorry for making you go to all this trouble… A-Ahaha, is it really okay for the maids to treat us like this!? Ahh, I’m so glad I became a soldier!!”

They happily stuffed their cheeks with donuts while making all sorts of comments.

Some of them were obviously fawning over the older maids, but the donuts seemed to suit everyone’s tastes.

In my previous life, I had once heard something about American policemen loving donuts, so I had chosen donuts almost on a whim, and apparently it had been the right decision.

But my true objective was still ahead.

I quietly slipped over beside Lawrence-sama, who was watching his men devour the donuts with an indescribable expression, and held out a basket filled with them.

“Here, Lawrence-sama, please have one as well. Thank you so very much for saving me. This is a token of gratitude from all of us maids. I know sweets are not to your taste, but please, out of kindness, try just one.”

“V-Very well. If that is the case, I suppose it cannot be helped. A knight has no need for sweets in the first place, but I could hardly reject your goodwill.”

Making excuses all the while, Lawrence-sama reached toward a donut with an ambiguous expression. Heh heh.

And just as his hand lifted the donut and he was about to bring it to his mouth… someone shouted.

“We found him! The intruder! He was hiding on a beam in the watchtower!”

It was the report that the intruder had finally been found.

The soldiers all immediately set down their donuts, rose to their feet, and their expressions changed into those of fighting men.

The maids cheered them on as they grabbed their weapons and rushed away.

“Kyaa, do your best!”

“Make sure you catch that intruder! You all look so cool!”

There were probably very few men who wouldn’t feel motivated after being cheered on like that by beautiful maids.

The soldiers were overflowing with enthusiasm and charged off at tremendous speed, eager to show their best side.

And Lawrence-sama went with them.

After staring at the donut in his hand for a brief moment, he gently returned it to the basket and ran off.

“Surround him first! Do not let him escape! We’ll teach him what happens to anyone who infiltrates the Royal Palace!”

“Kyaa, Lawrence-sama!”

Excited squeals followed Lawrence-sama as he ran off with his shoulders somehow slightly hunched.

Watching him, I couldn’t help muttering,

“What terrible timing…”

It couldn’t be helped.

I would use the next move.

And then, by evening, the intruder who had infiltrated the Royal Palace and tried to attack me had been captured.

The soldiers, having successfully taken the intruder alive, returned proudly and finished off the donuts.

Every last one of the enormous batch of donuts disappeared, leaving all the maids looking proud.

The soldiers would probably be able to enjoy a nice, relaxing rest that evening.

Incidentally, the intruder was apparently a famous thief who claimed that he had wanted to see whether he could conquer the Royal Palace.

I sincerely wished he had thrown that spirit of adventure straight into a gutter, but in any case, everything had ended well.

And so, the Royal Palace’s turbulent day was drawing to a close.

But for me and one other person, things were not over yet.

Both of us still had unfinished business.

“…”

I silently watched from behind one of the corridor pillars.

Then, the instant my target was finally alone, I called out.

“Lawrence-sama.”

Yes, naturally, the person I had been waiting for was Lawrence-sama.