ELND Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Our Private Dinner

It was just after I had finished my evening shower.

I was about to head straight to the dressing room when a hurried voice came from outside the sitting room door.

“Your Highness! The Grand Duke…!”

But the sentence never finished.

Cedric suddenly burst into the bedroom.

“Cedric?”

“Rebecca!”

As soon as he spotted me, Cedric strode over and grabbed my shoulders.

His face was flushed, as if he had traveled a long distance at full speed.

“I just got the news. The Duke of Bold was here, wasn’t he?”

“How did you…?”

My voice trailed off.

A sudden ominous feeling washed over me.

‘Could it be that Cedric misunderstood my meeting with the Duke of Bold again? There’s no other reason he would rush here at this hour.’

If I told him the truth, would he even believe me? I felt trapped, not knowing how to start clearing up this misunderstanding.

“Cedric… that’s…”

Just as I was struggling with this awkward situation, Cedric suddenly spoke words I hadn’t expected.

“Rebecca, are you okay? You weren’t hurt, right?”

I looked at him in surprise as he hurriedly checked me over.

He glanced back at me and murmured softly:

“You were so startled… Did it drain your strength?”

There was genuine worry in his tone.

I could only blink at him in response.

‘What… is he… worried about me?’

At that moment, Mina and the other maids, finishing up the bath chores, entered the bedroom.

Upon seeing Cedric holding me, their faces instantly paled.

“Y-Your Highness!”

The maids immediately knelt, seemingly rehearsed, and began pouring out their excuses.

“We deeply apologize for assaulting a human-world noble without your command, Your Highness!”

“Yes, Your Highness! But we erased his memory completely, so there shouldn’t be any trouble!”

“B-but he threatened Your Highness first!”

They spoke passionately, but whenever Cedric’s gaze fell on them, their faces immediately froze, and they bowed hastily.

Silence, heavy with fear, hung in the room for a long moment.

“I am truly disappointed in you all.”

Cedric’s deep voice cut through the room like a northern wind, freezing the air.

Just as everyone swallowed nervously, he added:

“Was it really necessary to erase the Duke of Bold’s memory?”

At his words, the maids’ habitual gestures of bowing and pleading abruptly stopped.

“…Pardon?”

Cedric’s eyes narrowed as he looked at them with disapproval.

“Did you think I’m so incompetent that I couldn’t handle the nonsense the Duke of Bold spews in noble society?”

“N-no, that’s not it…”

“Then you should have handled it more firmly.”

Cedric’s voice darkened as he spoke.

“That man should have remembered clearly what happens when someone dares to mistreat my wife.”

I blinked rapidly as I looked up at him.

‘What… is he saying right now?’

Apparently, the maids were equally bewildered.

Just then, when all eyes in the room were on Cedric, he spoke again:

“Ryman, distribute the reward we prepared.”

Cedric’s aide approached the kneeling maids with thick envelopes, signaling them to stand and handing each a reward.

“You’re giving these to us…?”

“Really?”

“Why…?”

The maids accepted the envelopes, still confused. The aide shook his head as if he didn’t know either.

When he returned to Cedric, the latter emphasized:

“From now on, the Duke of Bold’s carriage is never to enter my castle without Rebecca’s invitation.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And you all…”

Cedric’s gaze returned to the maids.

“If anything like today happens again, absolutely…”

His eyes flashed cold for a moment.

“Do not erase that man’s memory.”

“….”

“If you’re concerned about his memory, bury him somewhere instead. That way, both his memory and body will be gone together.”

It was a chilling statement. Yet Cedric’s expression remained calm, and only then did the maids visibly relax and laugh brightly.

“Yes, Your Highness! We will follow your instructions from now on!”

“Exactly! We were even about to bury him on Demon Mountain but held back for fear of upsetting Your Highness! Hehe…”

Cedric and his aide nodded in satisfaction.

‘What… is going on here? Am I the only one feeling awkward?’

Amid the rough banter of the half-demon servants, I awkwardly smiled like a piece of garnish on the side.

Cedric quietly addressed them once more:

“I think everyone now understands my intention. You may leave.”

Then he looked at me and added:

“I have something to discuss with Rebecca, just the two of us.”

.
.
.

Finally, with just the two of us remaining, an awkward tension filled the room.

Unable to endure it, I bit my lip slightly before speaking:

“You’ve come to see me so suddenly before, haven’t you?”

“…Yes, probably just before we divorced.”

“That’s right. Back then, I was also coming out after finishing my bath…”

I paused, recalling that day.

‘Right, I had leaned against Cedric in my partially opened bathrobe that day.’

Coincidentally, I was still wearing my bathrobe.

Cedric’s face flushed slightly, and he awkwardly cleared his throat.

Apparently, he remembered that incident too.

‘Ugh, that’s the best I could come up with to break the awkwardness?’

I scolded myself internally.

“Rebecca.”

When I looked up, his sapphire-blue eyes met mine.

“…You must have been quite startled by what happened today.”

“….”

“Should I call the physician?”

“I’m fine. I’m not hurt anywhere.”

His deep voice sounded unusually gentle.

The pleasant awkwardness made me unconsciously lower my gaze.

“…Thank you for giving my maids a reward.”

“It’s only right to reward them for taking good care of you.”

It felt like a conversation between a happily married couple.

‘Tch… he only acts like this after our divorce.’

In fact, Cedric was relatively gentle with everyone except me.

Perhaps that’s why, in moments like this, I was reminded why divorcing him right after possession had been the right choice.

‘I also realize how much Cedric wanted this divorce.’

I reaffirmed my resolve: until the end of the contract, I would maintain a good friendship with Cedric.

Not too close, not distant—just this level.

A distance where we could exchange polite gestures without complications.

Taking a sip of tea, I continued:

“Now, no one will suspect our divorce because of our separation. You’ve been very cooperative. Thank you, Cedric.”

“….”

“But there’s no need to act like this when we’re alone. It could be a burden.”

Despite offering him sincere praise and relief, Cedric remained silent.

In the past, he would have muttered something curt like, “Good idea” or “As you wish.”

After a long pause, his lips moved:

“Does my behavior bother you now?”

I blinked slowly at the unexpected question.

“…No. It’s not a burden on me. You’re the one burdened. We’re divorced, and this is just acting because of the contract.”

“….”

“I understand our situation. There’s no need to be overly kind.”

Cedric, who had been staring at me in disbelief, let out a shallow sigh.

“Rebecca, you surprisingly didn’t know some things about me.”

“Huh?”

“Of course, compared to that fool Vincent, I am patient, but I do have demon blood flowing through me.”

“What… does that mean?”

“It means I’m not a fool who endures and performs actions I dislike or find tedious.”

Cedric left those words hanging and slowly stood.

I looked up at him, puzzled.

“In that sense, Rebecca.”

“….”

“I’d like to have dinner with you tomorrow. What do you think?”

He asked, gazing at me with sapphire-blue eyes.

‘Ah, it’s been a while since the whole Grand Ducal family had dinner together.’

I nodded slowly.

“That sounds nice. Bianca would be delighted.”

As I recalled our favorite dishes and got up from the sofa with him, Cedric said softly:

“That’s not it.”

He chuckled lightly and approached me.

The distance between us had closed again.

He gazed at me silently for a while.

“Rebecca, I’m asking for a private dinner for just the two of us.”

…Just the two of us? Why?

When I looked at him, confused, a mysterious smile spread across his lips.

‘Really… impossible to read.’

I took a small step back.

He naturally closed the distance with two more steps.

Oh no, he’s closer now.

I nervously bit my lip.

“To be clear, this isn’t acting for our contract.”

His smooth, deep voice resonated again.

“This is my proposal because I want it.”

A smooth, confident smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

Seeing his relaxed smile, I felt a strange urge to reject his offer.

But I had no good reason to do so.

Or rather, my true concern was that I didn’t want to make things awkward by rejecting his kindness.

There wasn’t really any other reason to accept his proposal…

‘…Or was there?’

I moved my lips in uncertainty before finally speaking:

“Alright. I’ll come to the House of Light tomorrow.”

Satisfied with my answer, Cedric’s lips curved into a smile again.

“Then all that remains is to wait. Tomorrow… and…”

A charming smile that mixed composure with an unavoidable sense of relief.

“Rebecca, you too.”