~Chapter 17~
Cedric’s blunt answer carried a sharp edge.
Eileen started to glare at him like he was being ridiculous, but stopped herself. Instead, she spoke gently, as if trying to calm him down.
“Count Cassier cut off all contact with the outside world.”
“You could’ve told me about what was going on in your family before that happened.”
But if she had complained to him… would he really have just listened and understood? She wasn’t sure about that.
When Eileen didn’t answer for a long time, Cedric turned to stare out the window, clearly displeased.
“Cedric, I couldn’t ask someone else to carry my burdens with me. Especially someone I barely know.”
“We’re not complete strangers.”
“Maybe not. But we’re not exactly close, either.”
Knowing someone makes you feel responsible for them. And Eileen didn’t have the courage to be responsible for Cedric’s life. So she didn’t want him to take responsibility for hers—not in half, and certainly not entirely.
“There are already enough people I have to protect—Diana included. Adding you to that list won’t change much.”
Hearing Diana’s name made Eileen’s heart sink. Just her name alone carried so much weight.
“…You said she’s important to you.”
“Yeah. Protecting Diana and the Lowell family—that’s the most important thing to me.”
But Eileen knew Diana would eventually separate herself from the Lowell family.
That would push Cedric into despair and lead to his collapse.
Right now, Cedric Lowell had strong pride in his family, a deep sense of duty, and a clear vision of his role.
Eileen hoped he would never forget those values.
It would be heartbreaking to see someone so bright and determined fall apart because of just one person.
“Don’t forget what matters most to you—protecting the Lowell family.”
Even when Cedric looked confused by her words, that was all she could say at this stage.
She wanted him to remember the current version of himself—the one who repeated his father’s wishes and committed to protecting his family.
***
As soon as they arrived at the duke’s estate, Cedric tried to jump down from the carriage—and immediately collapsed.
“Cedric!”
To be precise, he jumped down with confidence… But then he stumbled, dropped to one knee, and collapsed sideways.
Thankfully, none of his subordinates saw him in a worse state than that.
“Young Master! Are you alright?”
“Quickly, take him inside and call the physician!”
Eileen nearly blurted out, “Take this idiot inside already,” but held back, trying to preserve some of her dignity.
“I’ll help support him.”
Because she was wearing a veil that covered her face, her vision was limited. She had to turn her head to see clearly—
That’s when she noticed the young knight with dark brown hair helping the half-conscious Cedric.
That man…
He looked familiar. Then she remembered—Cedric had left him to guard her door earlier. By the time they escaped the count’s estate, a few more knights had joined them.
But Cedric had given this knight his direct orders first and told him to relay them to the others.
If Cedric trusts him that much, enough to take Cassel’s place…
He must be someone Cedric deeply trusted.
Eileen kept her eyes on him and let out a long sigh.
What kind of stubbornness drove him all the way to the Cassier estate…?
Once the chaos had passed, only Eileen and a few of the duke’s knights were left standing there.
Through her hazy veil, her sharp green eyes were visible, and none of the knights dared to speak to her.
Eileen was too focused on the place where Cedric had disappeared to notice them anyw She was clearly deep in thought.
“Um…”
The knights didn’t actually know what was going on either.
They had only been told that Cedric was returning to the estate with Eileen—and that was an order they had no choice but to obey.
Of course, the knights of a duke’s house couldn’t treat their lord’s fiancée carelessly.
But even from a distance, Eileen gave off an aura that was hard to approach. Unlike the usual noble ladies from the capital, she had a cold and intimidating air about her.
“Where is Sir Cassel?”
The moment she glanced at them, the knights started to panic. It was as if her question was scolding them for just leaving her standing here alone.
“Where is the vice-captain?”
“I don’t know.”
“You can’t just say you don’t know!”
“Someone hurry and go bring him here!”
They were trying to whisper among themselves, but Eileen heard every word. It was impossible not to.
From this alone, she could sense the overall atmosphere within the Lowell family. Perhaps Cedric’s unusually casual attitude toward others was simply a reflection of how his family worked.
Just as Eileen was seriously thinking about going inside the mansion herself to find Cassel, he came rushing over, visibly exhausted.
“My apologies. I didn’t expect the young master to leave so early in the morning.”
“No, I should be the one apologizing. I’ve made you work nonstop.”
“Not at all. I’ve been cleaning up after the young master’s messes since forever. Ah, not that you are a problem, Lady Eileen.”
His words hinted that Cedric had caused all kinds of trouble since childhood.
With a heavy sigh, Cassel added, “Please, let’s go inside.”
He guided her into the mansion. It was clean and orderly, but lacked any warmth or signs of people really living in it.
“…I understand. You don’t need to explain. This isn’t Cedric’s fault.”
Eileen’s voice trailed off.
Cassel must have been wondering why she had shown up at the duke’s mansion so early in the morning.
She needed to explain.
But the words weren’t easy to find.
“How much did you hear? About why I’m here?”
“I was told… that the young master left without saying anything and later collapsed. Other knights only said that you’ll be staying here for a while—they don’t know much else.”
“I see…”
She let out a deep sigh, and her veil swayed with it.
If recklessly throwing himself into action was a talent, then Cedric had that talent for sure.
Do I dislike that part of him…?
Honestly, no.
In fact, she felt like defending him, saying that what he did had meaning—at least to her.
Eileen stopped walking and, without hesitation, lifted the veil from her face.
“Well…”
Cassel’s reaction was much the same as Cedric’s earlier.
His gaze, which had been on her bruised cheek, moved to her lips—then quickly darted away, clearly startled.
He looked completely flustered, his mouth opening and closing with no words coming out.
“Who… who did this to you…?”
“Count Cassier.”
Eileen spoke first, knowing Cassel couldn’t bring himself to ask directly.
Her hand trembled slightly as she lowered the veil again.
Just because she pretended to be okay didn’t mean she actually was.
She was simply too exhausted—even to feel properly sad anymore.
“…He needs to be reported.”
“To whom?”
How? Where could she report him?
Even Cedric, despite his rage, had kept his mouth shut.
Even if she tried to make this public, at best, Count Cassier would just be the subject of some gossip.
Cedric could be clueless at times, yet when it mattered, he saw things clearly—which made him all the more confusingly realistic.
“If His Majesty the Emperor heard about this, he’d take action.”
“He hasn’t made a public appearance in ages.”
“But the Crown Prince is still around.”
“To the Crown Prince, the Cassier family is a valuable financial investment. Count Cassier, who’s an illegitimate son, is trying to strengthen his position as a noble by pouring gold into the Crown Prince’s hands.”
Count Cassier wasn’t stupid.
He was squeezing out every last coin from the family’s gold mines—buying influence with more money than other families could even imagine.
“Even if the Duke’s family protests using my future title as the duchess, they’ll just say it’s a family matter and tell us to settle it privately.”
Because that’s how things usually worked between noble houses, everyone assumed it was just about money in the end.
