The Fate Of The Golden Wheat

“Ahh, I was so sleepy…”

After finishing his dull lessons, Arthur made his way back to his room. His steps, however, were light—because today, Hervé’s subordinate was bringing over desserts made from golden wheat.

Sweets crafted from golden wheat, paired with Kei’s tea, had become Arthur’s favorite indulgence—a moment of blissful relaxation.

He actually wished he could have them every day, but golden wheat had recently become famous even in foreign lands, making it rare. Besides, if he overindulged, Morgan would surely make snide remarks. So he had restricted himself to enjoying it only once every two weeks.

Indeed, Arthur had grown to be a man of restraint.

“Lord Arthur, I’ve prepared a special tea for today. Miss Erin gifted it to me, saying it would pair well with something sweet.”

“Oh, nice!! Kei, make sure you eat some cake too, don’t hold back.”

“Honestly, I’m only eating because I have to accompany you, Lord Arthur.”

Though Kei puffed her cheeks in mock protest, Arthur already knew she had quite the appetite. Personally, he found watching her eat with such delight heartwarming, but it seemed admitting that would hurt her pride as a young woman.

“It’s already three… They’re late.”

“How unusual. I hope nothing unfortunate has happened…”

Hervé’s messenger was notoriously punctual—always arriving at exactly three o’clock. Hervé, being particular about food, had decided that this was the perfect time for Arthur to enjoy a light dessert—after lunch, but before dinner—when it would taste best without spoiling his appetite.

For that reason, they had never once been late before… until now.

“Emergency, Lord Arthur!!”

As if on cue, a knight burst into the room without even knocking. Arthur recognized him immediately—it was the same man who always brought the sweets. He and Kei had secretly nicknamed him the Sweets Man.

“What’s the matter? Why are you in such a panic?”

“It’s… the golden wheat stored in the warehouse… It’s been stolen!!”

“What!?”

“Eh!?”

Their shocked voices echoed through the room. It was only natural—golden wheat had become a national treasure after the Founding Festival, and its importance had only grown. Security should have been airtight.

“It appears a group of intruders broke in during the night. When the morning patrol opened the warehouse, they found a massive hole in the ground—and the golden wheat was gone…”

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

“As such, we couldn’t prepare the cake we were supposed to deliver to you today, Lord Arthur. We meant to report sooner, but everything’s been in chaos…”

As Arthur listened to the uneasy knight’s explanation, his gaze hardened. He didn’t particularly care that Hervé was in disarray—well, maybe he did a little—but what pained him most was seeing Kei’s face fall in disappointment.

How dare they make Kei look like that.

In that moment, Arthur’s heart burned with righteous fury—not only because they had stolen something precious, but because they had made Kei sad. Never mind diplomacy—revenge for stolen food was a serious matter indeed.

“Do we know who the culprits are?”

“Yes. Judging from their methods, it was surely the Desert People. They snuck into an abandoned house nearby and used their monsters to dig a tunnel into the warehouse and steal the wheat.”

For the Desert People to come all the way to Britannia was unheard of. Even with their skill in stealth, moving outside the desert carried huge risks. And targeting a warehouse near the capital? That was practically a declaration of hostility.

“That’s unforgivable.”

The knight flinched as he saw Arthur’s expression. The prince, known lately for his gentler demeanor, looked furious. The knight assumed it was because the royal family’s honor had been insulted—and feared the blame might fall on the guards.

“Good work reporting it. I’ll personally have words with those Desert People. Tell Hervé not to worry about it.”

“Eh… that’s all?”

“What do you mean, ‘that’s all’?”

Arthur tilted his head, genuinely confused. It wasn’t that he was magnanimous—he was simply straightforward. He wasn’t concerned about political repercussions; in his mind, whoever stole his sweets was at fault, plain and simple.

“To think… rather than scolding us for our failure, you’d even worry for our well-being…”

The knight, not realizing that Arthur was simply angry about losing his dessert, left with tears of gratitude.

“Lord Arthur, it’s a shame about the golden wheat cake… but since I already brewed the tea, shall we have some cookies instead?”

“Yeah… good idea. Thanks, Kei.”

“Oh—your mouth’s a little dirty.”

As Kei gently wiped his lips with a handkerchief, Arthur munched on a cookie and began to think.

He couldn’t forgive anyone who made Kei sad. Diplomacy was Morgan’s department anyway—he’d just have to ask her about it.

His opinion of his childhood friend had changed—from a nagging know-it-all to a dependable, if still nagging, ally. He didn’t mind relying on her anymore.

Little did Arthur know that his decision to visit Avalon would soon drag him into another troublesome affair.