Chapter 20

“You’re making it painfully obvious that you can’t focus right now.”

Cedric tightened his grip around the sword hilt.

Eden frowned and gave him a serious warning.

“If you keep this up, your injury is going to get worse.”

“I’m already healed.”

“Really? It doesn’t hurt at all?”

“What, did you want me lying in bed because of a scratch?”

“Of course not.”

This time, Eden dropped the formal tone and answered casually.

“Remember when you sprained your ankle during training? You still insisted on finishing the session.”

“That was when we were kids.”

“And you’re just as stubborn now.”

Eden and Cedric had been close since their days as knight apprentices. They were around the same age. After becoming full-fledged knights, Eden had begun keeping a respectful distance, but whenever Cedric wanted to speak comfortably, he occasionally crossed that line.

“I’m not that reckless anymore, so stop worrying. And don’t go telling Cassel about this.”

Just imagining the lecture Cassel would give if he heard Cedric had been overexerting himself was enough to make him shudder.

Knowing how much Cedric hated Cassel’s nagging, Eden let out a quiet chuckle.

“As knights, it’s our duty to report the condition of the young master we serve.”

“Why are you so serious today?”

“Anyway, I’m glad to see you’ve recovered completely.”

“You’re talking way too much for someone in the middle of a duel.”

Cedric suddenly attacked with more force than Eden had expected.

“Whoa—”

Eden staggered backward.

He nearly lost his balance, and by the time he recovered, Cedric’s sword was already resting at his throat.

Raising both hands, he surrendered.

“I lost. You kept saying your skills had gotten rusty while recovering, but that’s obviously not true.”

Despite claiming his injury had left him sluggish, Cedric had continued sparring with the estate’s knights and was defeating every one of them with ease.

Lowering his sword, Cedric brushed back his disheveled hair and watched Eden concede.

“That’s enough for today.”

His breath came out white in the cold air.

Compared to the northern territories, however, this weather was nothing. It was cold enough that his breath showed, but not even enough to make him feel the need for the shirt he was wearing.

“This is the perfect time to stop. There’s no need to push yourself.”

Most of the knights were already sitting on the ground, silently begging for training to be over.

Cedric was just about to drag them all back to their feet when a swaying skirt entered his field of vision.

“Eileen.”

Before he could even whisper her name, she turned her head and hurried back into the mansion.

There was only one person here with elegant clothes like that and black hair.

“Where are you going?”

“I just remembered something I need to take care of.”

Throwing aside his wooden practice sword, Cedric rushed through the front entrance and followed her into the mansion.

But Eileen Cassier was nowhere to be found.

Only a silent corridor greeted him.

“Where did she go...?”

Growing frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair, let out a deep sigh, and sat on the staircase railing with his arms folded.

“Is something wrong, Young Master?”

“Eileen disappeared.”

“I saw her earlier. I believe she went toward the library.”

As Cassel descended the stairs and answered, Cedric frowned.

The fact that Cassel had apparently spoken with Eileen so casually while Cedric himself had barely managed to see her for days irritated him more than it should have.

Just as Cedric was about to head upstairs to find her—

“Young Master, someone from the Cassier family has arrived.”

“Send them away.”

Cedric cut him off immediately, irritation clear in his voice.

“Should I simply tell them you’re busy?”

“No. Tell them never to come back. Eileen is never returning to that house.”

“...Understood.”

The mere mention of the Cassier family made Cedric’s blood boil.

“They won’t even let me see her face, and now they have the nerve to show up?”

He glared up the staircase for a moment before suddenly charging up the corridor, taking the steps three at a time.

Left behind, Cassel shrugged.

“The young master has ruined things again.”

He knew perfectly well that Eileen was avoiding Cedric.

She was even rearranging her daily schedule specifically to avoid running into him.

She must have her reasons...

In fact, Cassel was secretly impressed that Cedric had noticed so quickly.

“Still, it would be best to resolve this soon.”

His thoughts drifted back to a brief conversation he had shared with Eileen the previous evening.

“Is there anything making you uncomfortable? If there’s anything you need, please let me know.”

He had naturally expected her to answer, Everything is fine.

Instead, she hesitated.

There was clearly something on her mind.

“In this estate, you are the second most important person after the young master. You even possess authority to give orders.”

“Me?”

“Has anyone said anything disrespectful to you?”

Perhaps one of the knights had treated her poorly.

He doubted it, but if that had happened, he had no intention of letting it slide.

“It’s not that... It’s just that the overall management of the estate seems a little lacking.”

Choosing her words carefully, Eileen brought up something entirely unexpected.

“If there is someone responsible for overseeing the estate, I think it might be worth checking whether they’re doing their job properly.”

Unlike her usual composed demeanor, there was hesitation in her voice.

“I’m not trying to cause trouble. It’s just... something I happened to notice.”

Listening to her quiet explanation, Cassel found himself thinking:

She would make an excellent mistress of the house.

At this rate, if things continued like this, he might have to step in and help himself.

Shaking his head, he left.

Meanwhile, Cedric raced through the corridor and threw open the library door.

This time, he was determined to speak with Eileen.

They were living under the same roof, so why was she so difficult to find?

“Eileen Cassier!”

But his hopes were instantly shattered.

The library was not empty.

Instead, her maid was organizing books.

Mary's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Cedric burst in, breathing hard.

“My lady just left.”

“Just left? I saw her come this way.”

“She left again. She said the air in here felt stuffy.”

The truth was that Eileen had planned to spend the entire morning in the library and quietly return to the detached residence once Cedric finished training.

But Mary lied to protect her mistress.

He keeps chasing after her... I do feel a little sorry for him.

Still, she could not betray her lady.

“Where did she go?”

“I’m not sure... Perhaps she went for a walk?”

“In the middle of winter?”

Unlike the graceful Eileen, Mary was terrible at lying.

She lacked the skill to smoothly escape situations like this.

Only Eileen could do that.

“...Well... it’s not exactly cold... so maybe?”

“Why is she avoiding me?”

“Avoiding you? No, that’s not it.”

Ah, this is the worst possible situation.

Mary did not even know why Eileen was avoiding Cedric in the first place.

My lady, why would you leave me with a task like this...?

She felt a slight sense of resentment toward Eileen, who had told her to shake Cedric off and then vanished.

It wasn’t that Cedric frightened her.

If anything, she found him cheerful and easy to be around.

“Does she not want to see me?”

“She’s never said anything like that.”

“Then why won’t she talk to me?”