ELND Chapter 67

Chapter 67

The Reason I Called You

At the moment when I was being captivated by the sparkling hues of the champagne fountain, Emperor Letitz spotted Cedric and waved his hand high.

“Oh, Cedric! You’ve finally arrived!”

At his joyful cry, every eye in the banquet hall turned toward Cedric and me.

While I felt burdened by the attention, Cedric seemed used to such stares and strode forward with ease. Naturally, he took my hand as he approached.

Just as we neared the laughing emperor step by step, Letitz’s smile began to twist awkwardly.

“Ah… ha-ha! Our Duchess of the Twins has also come.” He added the words while glancing at the man standing beside him.

“Envoy Diart. Ease up that expression of yours, hah…” The man the emperor called “Envoy Diart” gave off the air of a stern, disciplinary figure. Already severe-looking, his face hardened further as he alternately glanced between Cedric and me—looking extremely displeased.

“Long time no see, Your Grace. Is this the first time I’m seeing you since I sealed ‘that document’ with the Papal See’s seal?” Diart’s question carried a sharpness to it.

“In a manner of speaking.” Cedric maintained his poker face, but I could feel he was holding back irritation.

‘These two don’t get along at all. No wonder…’ I nodded slowly. A “daesingwan” (대신관) serves God and the Pope—someone who would naturally stand opposed to Cedric, who is practically the head of a mixed-blood demon clan. And since Cedric had gone against the Pope’s wishes and divorced via a special procedure, it wasn’t surprising Diart disliked him.

Sure enough, Diart’s gaze on me was thoroughly disapproving. He hesitated, then barely managed a greeting.

“Your Grace, the Duchess of the Twins… I salute you.” It was obvious he was displeased having to call me “Your Grace, the Duchess.”

“Nice to meet you, Envoy Diart.” I answered with a faint smile, but Diart turned away without reply. The atmosphere chilled instantly.

In that cold silence, the emperor’s pupils trembled. He blinked rapidly and forced an awkward laugh.

“Ha… ha-ha! By the way, our duchess seems to have grown more beautiful!” Emperor Letitz was desperate. I nodded to help him along.

“Of course—these days the Duke has to treat her well, after all.” When I said that, the emperor’s pupils trembled again.

“Th… the Duke of the Twins?” When I exaggeratedly fluttered my eyes, the emperor suddenly seemed to remember and nodded vigorously.

“A! Ah, yes, yes! I’ve heard that Cedric and she are getting along extremely well these days!” I clapped my hands and put on an act.

“Oh my, has that rumor even reached the capital?” I teased.

“Of course! I can’t speak for the capital at large, but the court has been abuzz!” At this forced banter, Envoy Diart could not hide his contempt.

“Your Majesty, there’s no need to go that far…” Diart pressed his brows together, and the emperor hissed him a private admonition.

“You promised—promise is promise. Match the tune a bit, will you?” Diart, resigned, took a step back. His gaze landed on the hands Cedric and I were clasping.

“…I’ve heard that rumor, too. I suppose it is as people say.” His words sounded like he agreed with the emperor, but the meaning was different.

‘Even if it’s just for show, it’s hard to watch divorced spouses holding hands in front of people.’ Diart’s eyes plainly said it was sacrilegious to see.

A hint of irritation rose within me. I turned my head away with a frown right then.

“Ha ha—so you’re all here!” A hearty middle-aged voice announced as someone joined the group. Seeing who it was, I couldn’t help tightening my face.

“Duke, have you and our duchess been well?” It was Duke Bold.

He had been staring at me from afar a moment ago, and now he had come right up beside me, standing close to the emperor.

“Your Majesty. You may remember me—the head of the Bold household, a duke of this Western Empire, and the father of the Duchess of the Twins.” His beaming face looked insincerely flattering.

“I was going to greet His Majesty first, but I thought it better to wait for the arrival of the ducal couple and greet together.” Though he was only a duke in name, he was not the head of a leading noble family in the Western Empire; he could hardly approach the emperor first. That pathetic excuse made the emperor show a sour smile.

“Duchess, I am also family of the Twins; I sent several dispatches asking that I be allowed to greet His Majesty at this banquet… Did you perhaps not notice them?” …Huh? When did you become family of the Twins?

I looked at Duke Bold with a baffled expression, but he was thoroughly immersed in his role—playing the abandoned father who’d been spurned by his daughter turned noble’s wife.

“Truth be told, this isn’t the first time you’ve ignored my messages, Duchess. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but perhaps old age makes me sentimental…” Seeing him, a wave of disgust rose in me. I clenched my teeth and tried to endure it. His real goal, I suspected, was to create a scene that would spread across the gathered nobility.

“I—of course I wouldn’t ignore you on purpose, Father…” I forced a smile but couldn’t fully manage the expression.

I turned my head slightly to avoid looking at him, and then—

“Long time, Duke Bold.” Cedric said, slipped an arm around my shoulder, and pulled me toward him. Suddenly pressed to his chest, I caught the emperor’s eye and we both blinked at each other. The emperor looked as astonished as I felt.

Whether he was aware of the effect on others or not, Cedric continued speaking to Duke Bold.

“I came here intending to speak privately with my father-in-law—lucky to meet you here.” Although Cedric sounded smiling, a cold gleam showed in the corners of his eyes.

“Just you and me?” the duke asked.

“Yes.” Cedric excused himself to the emperor and took a small step back while still holding my wrist.

“Rebecca, I have some matters to discuss with Duke Bold. Mingle with those you know for a bit.” he said.

“If you mean anyone I know….” I looked around—only Adrian came to mind.

“Ah, I’ll do that.” I answered. Cedric’s gaze followed mine; when he saw the end of my glance, he shook his head firmly.

“No. Not Adrian.” Cedric’s face was serious.

“Why not? The only person I know is Adrian.” I grumbled—must my ex-husband dictate who I can talk to?

“Then talk with someone you don’t know. Not Adrian.” He seemed determined not to leave until I agreed. I had no choice but to nod.

“Alright, alright.” When I relented, Cedric released me as if satisfied and disappeared somewhere with Duke Bold.

Unlike the bustling banquet hall, the corridor they walked into was thick with an oppressive darkness. When Cedric stopped walking, Duke Bold also halted.

“You were never one to give me a chance to speak alone, Your Grace. To think you’d give me such an opportunity now—one lives long and sees strange things.” The duke’s deep voice echoed down the empty corridor.

Even though Bold started the conversation, Cedric remained turned away, silent. The duke, puzzled by Cedric’s long silence, again asked:

“Your Grace, why did you call to see me…?!” His expression froze as if struck by ice. Cedric looked back slowly, his eyes cold. A bitter sneer crept across his mouth, making the duke feel dread.

A sinister, beast-like bass tone settled over the corridor.

“Duke Bold, do you think I’d call you here on a whim?” Bold swallowed dryly. On the way to this remote corridor he’d only heard the jingle of coin in his ears—his ambitions from the day he became the Duke’s father-in-law until today had been all about wanting to push partnerships and business with Cedric’s help. But Cedric rarely met him privately. So when his son-in-law arranged a private meeting, Bold had been thrilled.

Now… to see Cedric’s face cold enough to make the duke’s spine tingle was unexpected.

“Duke Bold—didn’t I ask why I’d summoned you?” Cedric said.

“Well, I’m not sure…” Bold stammered, inwardly belittling Cedric because he was a mixed-blood demon, masking his own inferiority. To now be trembling and stuttering in front of Cedric was a terrible blow to his pride, but it couldn’t be helped. Bold felt a primal fear toward the mixed-blood leader, Cedric.

“That answer isn’t what I want.” Cedric tapped his brow with a finger and said, “Think again.”

Cedric exuded the elegant killing aura of an absolute top predator. Bold, who had thought Cedric had always disdained him, realized at that moment that Cedric had been regarding him like a small animal all along.

‘Could it be he noticed I was trying to hand Lillian’s heart over to the Kachiis Kingdom?’ A chill crawled up Bold’s nape. As if reading his thought, Cedric shook his head as if pitying him.

“No. What makes me truly angry at you is something else.” Cedric said.

“W-what…?” Bold whispered.

“I suspected it for a while, but I tolerated it for reasons. Your scheme was… cute, almost pitiful.” Cedric’s light mockery slipped out.

“As you know, I am mixed-blood. So I try not to get angry in the human realm.” He paused, then continued, “Because some of the demon blood flows in me, when I do get angry, the way I vent it appears… quite—” Cedric’s mouth curved into a long, cold smile. “Cruel to human eyes.”

His gaze hardened. “But you tested my patience.”

Cedric leaned in closer. Hearing Bold’s terrified panting, Cedric smiled gracefully, though it was chilling.

“Listen, father-in-law.” A smile lingered at the corner of his mouth, but Cedric’s presence was terrifying. “If there is a human who dares to lay a hand on my wife’s neck…”

Moonlight and shadow fell coldly over Cedric’s face.

“Don’t you wonder how I would deal with such a man?”