Chapter 16

What on earth happened here?

“Move.”

There was no need for threats.

The moment the servant heard Cedric’s cold voice, he paled and immediately stepped aside.

When Cedric finally pushed the door open, the person waiting for him on the other side was Eileen.

She greeted him with a surprisingly calm expression.

“...What happened to your face?”

A large bruise in the shape of a handprint stood out vividly on her cheek.

One glance was enough to tell him exactly what had happened.

Cedric didn’t know what to do.

He simply stared at her.

That unnaturally composed expression only made him more uneasy.

“Why are you here?”

Eileen asked out of genuine curiosity.

Recently, he had made no effort to contact her. If anything, he had acted as though he wanted nothing more to do with her.

So why had he suddenly come?

“Why am I here? Is that really the first thing you have to say right now?”

Cedric seemed to interpret her words in a completely different way.

How could she act as if something like this were nothing?

He was angrier than the actual victim.

The absurdity of that fact almost made him laugh.

“So what? You want me to just leave? Pretend I didn’t see anything?”

That wasn’t what he truly meant.

He had always known Count Cassier was a greedy man, but he had never imagined he could be this disgusting.

Even if they only shared half their blood, family was still family.

How could a father raise his hand against his own daughter?

Cedric couldn’t bring himself to leave Eileen in this house.

Even if they had no special relationship, he would have felt the same.

At least, that was what he believed.

And somehow, that realization only made him angrier.

“...Cedric, I thought you hated me.”

“I do. I hate you too. Even now. The way you sit there acting like nothing happened. The way you look at me as if you want me to leave. Yeah, I hate that.”

Eileen bit her lip silently.

She didn’t even look hurt.

That only frustrated Cedric more.

It was painfully obvious that this wasn’t the first time she had been treated this way.

She had probably spent years being ignored and mistreated in this house.

But still—

She could have said something.

Did she really think that if she told him, he would brush it off and tell her to deal with it herself?

With a sigh, Cedric leaned against the windowsill beside her.

After sitting down, he rubbed his face and quietly asked,

“Do you remember what I said last time?”

“You said I was annoying.”

“No, not that. Forget that one. I didn’t mean it seriously...”

After snapping irritably, his voice suddenly lost all its strength.

He muttered the last words under his breath.

Eileen watched him silently.

To someone who had become numb to nearly everything in life—

Cedric was far too emotional.

Always changing.

Always intense.

“...I’m trying to be honest, but you keep hiding what you really think.”

“I’ve never lied to you.”

Of course, there were truths she had to keep hidden.

But lying to someone like Cedric was not easy.

“That’s what I hate. Ah, how am I supposed to explain this...?”

He raked both hands through his hair in frustration.

During their previous conversation, he had told her not to lie.

Eileen had understood those words differently.

So she said,

“It’s okay if you hate me.”

She spoke after a moment of thought.

Perhaps, she wondered, he felt guilty for disliking her.

But his face immediately twisted in frustration.

Clearly, that wasn’t the right answer.

“It’s not okay.”

“I honestly have no idea what you’re trying to say, Cedric.”

“The fact that you’re okay with it isn’t okay!”

His words only confused her further.

She truly couldn’t understand what he was trying to say.

In fact, she was beginning to grow curious.

Why had he insisted so often that he hated her?

“Haah... I really hate this...”

Covering his face, Cedric muttered to himself.

He even lightly bumped his forehead against the wall.

Just as Eileen was about to stop him—

He suddenly turned and said,

“Come on. Let’s talk at the duchy.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. As you can see, the only problem here is the Count’s personality.”

“That’s exactly why I want to get you out of here.”

He held out a hand toward her.

But when Eileen instinctively flinched, remembering what had happened a few days earlier, he immediately withdrew it.

“...Why do you keep choosing to stay somewhere that scares you?”

Eileen looked away.

For some reason, meeting Cedric’s eyes felt especially difficult today.

“Because I have nowhere else to go. And... this was partly my fault too. I shouldn’t have let my emotions get the better of me.”

“Then are you certain this won’t happen again?”

“Yes.”

She answered calmly, as though correcting a wrong answer on an exam sheet.

Cedric suddenly found himself wondering.

Just how does Eileen Cassier’s mind work?

“You have nowhere else to go? What am I, decorative furniture? Aren’t I your fiancé?”

“You’re not really my fiancé.”

“Then pay me back later when you inherit your estate. For now, come stay at my house.”

His usual blunt tone slipped out in his frustration.

A faint smile appeared on Eileen’s lips.

The way he casually said my house sounded awkward, yet somehow perfectly like him.

“Why are you smiling? And just so you know, I’m charging you rent.”

“If you’re going to be the future Duke, shouldn’t you be a little more generous? Trying to squeeze money out of someone without a title is rather cruel.”

She was teasing him.

But hearing the relief in her voice eased something inside Cedric.

Maybe she really was alright.

Maybe she was far stronger than she appeared.

She was probably the only person in the world who could brush off his words so easily.

And certainly the only one who could talk back to him without hesitation.

“Anyway, get downstairs. I’ll have a carriage brought around.”

Cedric rose and opened the door.

After casting a cold glare at the Count, he ordered two knights from the ducal household to stand guard nearby.

Then he left without offering a single explanation.

Watching him go, Eileen quietly murmured,

“For someone who claims to hate me, he treats me awfully well.”

Of course, she quickly rationalized it.

It was simply because he couldn’t ignore someone who needed help.

Cedric Lowell was far kinder than he appeared on the surface.

Just then, Mary hurried into the room.

She had gone to fetch breakfast and only learned what had happened after returning.

“I never expected Young Master Cedric to come!”

She looked genuinely delighted as she hurriedly began packing Eileen’s belongings.

“What a relief. He really seems like a good person.”

“I suppose he does...”

Cedric had joked about collecting payment later.

But the kindness he had shown today weighed heavily on Eileen’s heart.

She didn’t want to become too close to him.

He was someone destined to face a tragic future she already knew about.

Even if it was pointless—

She knew she would want to interfere.

That was why, when he kept his distance and pretended to dislike her, she had thought it was for the best.

But the current Cedric Lowell—

Was making things far more difficult for her.

She didn’t know what Cedric had said to the Count.

But whatever it was, it had worked.

Leaving the estate turned out to be surprisingly easy.

After helping her into a carriage belonging to the ducal family, Cedric dropped heavily into the seat opposite her.

“Cedric... are you hurt?”

Only then did Eileen notice the blood soaking through the sleeve of his jacket.

The crimson stain was steadily spreading.

It wasn’t a minor wound.

“Ah... this? Looks like the injury opened up again. It’s nothing serious. There was actually an assassination attempt during the ball.”

“...What?”

“And when I told you to leave, I wasn’t serious. There were assassins around, and I had to deal with them myself. It was kind of a hassle.”

Scratching the back of his head, he spoke as casually as if it were no big deal.

But to Eileen, it was shocking.

Speechless, she stared at him.

How could he be so calm after suffering an injury like that?

“You should have told me you were hurt.”

“Well... you didn’t tell me anything either.”