Translator: Nox

Chapter 18

~Chapter 18~

The fear of standing on the edge of a precipice had been completely forgotten. Self-pity was no longer a luxury she could indulge in. Her goal was no longer simply survival. She felt that avenging her family—including herself—was the only path left for her to keep living.

Hadn’t someone once said that if others tormented you without reason, you should give them a reason?

“Scandal maker? Fine. If that’s what you’re going to call me, then I’ll become a real scandal maker.”

Harriet resolved to become the greatest scandal for her uncle and Bella.

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Cedric noticed the trees had gone bare when winter had already crept up to his feet. The scent of the winter wind had a way of dredging up old memories—most of them bitter ones.

Cedric fiddled absently with the brooch his father had given him just before that final battle, recalling their conversation from that day.

“Why are you suddenly giving me something like this?”

It was a brooch crafted with exquisite care by a master artisan: a 50-carat emerald-cut ruby encircled by diamonds that gleamed with radiant brilliance. He had always thought it too flashy for his father’s taste.

“For just in case.”

“Just in case? What do you mean by that?”

“Keep it safe. Don’t lose it.”

An uneasy feeling settled over him. Handing over something like this on the eve of battle felt too much like leaving behind a memento of the dead. So he tossed out a meaningless joke instead.

“Well, something this flashy would make me a perfect target for the enemy. So how did you even come by a brooch like this?”

“Your mother gave it to me.”

He had seen the brooch since he was a child, but this was the first he had heard of that story. His parents had always kept their distance from each other, so he could never have imagined them exchanging gifts like that. Perhaps noticing his surprise, his father continued.

“Cedric, don’t hate your mother too much.”

“Hate her? Why would I…”

“I was the bad one. I married someone far too good for the likes of me and never once gave her what she wanted.”

His stomach twisted at those words.

“So that’s why you turn a blind eye to Mother’s lovers? You knew about them, didn’t you?”

His father gave a faint smile at that.

“If it means your mother can smile, then what’s the problem? In the end, nothing changes.”

What had he said in response back then? Oh, right.

“If marriage is like that, then I swear I’ll never get married.”

His father burst into unusual laughter.

“You really take after your mother, don’t you? Hahaha!”

Why had he looked so happy then? No—why hadn’t Cedric savored that joyful expression a little longer? If he had known it would be the last time, he would have begged him to laugh just a bit more… or to hold him just once.

Cedric gripped the brooch tightly and closed his eyes. To others, his father had seemed cold and aloof, but when they were alone, they shared all sorts of stories, and he would smile faintly like this.

“Why didn’t you ever show that side of yourself to others? Even though you knew what they were really like.”

If he had, his father might still be alive.

To outsiders, it must have looked like his father had been dragged to the battlefield because he couldn’t refuse the emperor’s unreasonable demands. Naturally, win or lose, the empire stood to lose. The only ones who gained were their enemy, the Firma Kingdom.

Even with the empire’s homeland under attack, not a single noble stepped forward. Instead, they subtly tried to foist the burden onto the imperial family. That was when Roan stepped up.

“I’ll lead the army. As the emperor’s brother-in-law, it’ll be easy to pressure the other nobles by pointing out that the imperial family is already shouldering the heaviest load.”

Just as Roan had predicted, the emperor managed to secure supply lines by wringing resources from the nobles and successfully recaptured the Kifren border region that the Firma forces had occupied. It would have been a perfect victory if Roan hadn’t died—but he lost his life shielding the army that Cedric was commanding from a surprise attack.

Crushing the weakened Firma army and forcing their surrender hadn’t been difficult for Cedric at all.

“Father fought the entire war, and yet I’m the one getting called a hero. He always came out on the losing end.”

The brooch clenched between Cedric’s firm fingers scattered the cold winter sunlight across his face.

“Or is this another trap you laid to catch those bastards?”

It seemed people thought they could dismiss Cedric since he was only in his mid-twenties. The moment news of Roan’s death spread, the traitors began surfacing with alarming speed.

The external enemies were predictable: those who envied him for suddenly inheriting a dukedom as the second son of some ordinary baron’s family. Others were jealous of his good fortune or feared losing their own power.

This time, what Cedric had newly confirmed were the enemies from within.

“Those leeches enjoying wealth and power under the name of Kailas dared to take part in murdering my father?”

That was something he could never forgive. Cedric was preparing their downfall—slowly, but surely. As he coldly scanned the intelligence reports on his desk one more time, a knock came at the door.

“Come in.”

The visitor entered at his permission. It was his friend Edgar Dawson, fresh from completing two years of study abroad. Cedric slipped the brooch into his pocket, rose, and gave him a light embrace.

“Long time no see, Ed.”

“Thanks for the warm welcome, Ced.”

“I’d rather you didn’t call me that.”

“Then should I say ‘Your Grace’?”

“Spare me.”

Edgar laughed as he took a seat. Cedric instructed a nearby maid to prepare tea, then sat across from him with his legs crossed.

“So, how does it feel to be back home after so long?”

“What do you think? Home is home in the end. People might act just like before, but it still feels comfortable.”

“Sounds like you’ve been dragged all over the place.”

“Father hauled me around like a dog. Said I needed to show my face, so he made me attend every damn party!”

He shook his head with an exaggerated whine, but that signature mischievous smile never faded. Edgar grumbled about his father’s eccentricities, but Cedric—who knew the affection between them—felt no need to offer comfort.

“Anyway, hear any interesting rumors?”

“Well… I heard the Listerwell family cut off guardianship of their niece.”

Cedric went still at that.

“You know the Listerwell family?”

“Not the family well, but I know Bella and Harriet Listerwell. They’re both pretty famous.”

Cedric had no interest in either of them, but the news that Harriet had lost her guardian piqued his curiosity.

“What do you mean, cut off? Did she find a new one?”

“No. They shipped her off to a convent and severed the guardianship entirely.”

“Then what happens to her?”

“She’ll become a nun or something, I guess. Heard she caused a ton of trouble while I was gone.”

Edgar lifted the teacup the maid had set before him. Just as he was about to take a sip, he shot Cedric a playful glance.

“You’re awfully quiet, but wasn’t she the one behind your last scandal?”

“Could you even call that a scandal?”

“Of course! A woman getting publicly humiliated while trying to seduce a man.”

Edgar took a sip of his tea, waiting for Cedric’s account. Despite his casual demeanor, as the eldest son of a count’s family, he drank without making a sound.

“It really was nothing. I’d lost my brooch, and she picked it up and wore it, apparently not realizing it was mine… I was on edge about Father at the time, so I made a scene.”

“That’s not how I heard it.”

“Whichever version, it’s not something I care to dwell on.”

Edgar knew where to draw the line, so he deftly changed the subject. He wasn’t the type to press jokes or gossip if it made his friend uncomfortable.

“Anyway… mind if I stick around you for a bit?”

“What’s with the sudden request?”

Edgar scratched the back of his head at Cedric’s question.

“Father’s starting to get suspicious. Why do you think he dragged me everywhere right after I got back, not letting me make any personal plans?”

The word “suspicious” wiped the smile from Cedric’s face in an instant. Edgar’s role in Cedric’s secret intelligence network was a secret even from his own family.

“When did he start suspecting?”

“No idea why, but he demanded my attendance records. Turns out his ‘diligent son passionate about Candian literature’ was one step from expulsion.”

Cedric pressed a hand to his forehead.

“You should’ve at least hired someone to handle it.”

“How was I supposed to know he’d go that far?”

“So what excuse did you give?”

“What excuse does a literature-loving young man have?”

Edgar flung his arms wide and declared with grand flair. “Love! That’s the only true answer!”