~Chapter 26~
As soon as Eileen left, Cedric slumped into his chair, trying hard to push away the image that kept flashing in his mind—a look on her face he had never seen before.
‘She looked so hurt.’
Her expression had been completely frozen the moment he said those cold words.
It was like she couldn’t believe he would say something like that to her.
All the trust they had built over the past few months crumbled in that instant, and her gaze felt like she was looking at a stranger.
“…Idiot.”
Cedric grabbed his hair in frustration, but he couldn’t ignore what Eileen had said.
“Why Eden…? Why would he do it? What could he want?”
Was the Finykel family behind it all? Were they plotting something more carefully than anyone realized?
Even thinking that, Cedric couldn’t understand why Eden would work with them.
Eden wasn’t even connected to that family—he was an orphan raised near the ducal estate.
“My lord… now that you’re the head of the family, you shouldn’t trust anyone, even me completely.”
“What do you mean, Cassel?”
“Otherwise, you’ll die. Either get dragged down or killed—it’s the same thing. So prepare to be alone. Harden yourself.”
Cassel had told him that months ago. The people you’ve known the longest—those are the ones you should never fully trust.
To protect your position, you have to be completely ruthless.
But Eden wasn’t just one of those people.
He wasn’t just a servant Cedric saw every day.
He was his strongest ally, his closest friend.
‘I said I don’t need a guard, but he still sticks to me.’
“Better two than one, isn’t it?”
But deep down, the seed of doubt had already been planted in Cedric’s heart. He had just refused to look at it.
“You have a strong resistance to poison.”
“I’ve been drinking herbal teas to build immunity. They say I’m naturally more resistant to it. Poisoning me isn’t that easy.”
Conversations that once seemed like casual chit-chat now felt different.
Cedric was overwhelmed with despair.
***
“…What time is it?”
Cedric realized he had fallen asleep after thinking so hard. He quickly got up and looked out the window—it was barely dawn.
No matter what decision he made, one thing was certain: he had to leave for the north today.
He stepped out of the study to return to his room, but stopped in his tracks.
He saw someone sitting quietly in the drawing room.
“Eileen?”
She had fallen asleep curled up in an armchair.
The fireplace had almost gone out. And the air was cold.
“She’s going to catch a cold… why is she here?”
Seeing the tear stains still faintly on her red cheeks, guilt washed over him.
Why did he always have to say everything on his mind?
And why did he have to lose control and hurt her like that?
Cedric quietly walked over so he wouldn’t wake her.
He gently brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen over her face.
“I…”
Every time he spoke, he felt like he was committing a sin against her.
Because he didn’t want what she said to be true. Because if Eden really had betrayed him, he didn’t think he could handle it.
When her body shivered slightly, Cedric grabbed a blanket and carefully tried to cover her.
But just as he turned back, his eyes met hers—those green eyes that always seemed to see right through him now looked terribly sad.
“Cedric. Do you hate me?”
She said it as if she already believed the answer was yes.
“What I hate… is the feeling that you might be right.”
But Cedric Lowell no longer hated Eileen Cassier.
If anything, she had become someone he couldn’t bring himself to hate, no matter how much he tried.
Seeing the calm look on Cedric’s face now, Eileen had nothing left to say. She could only gaze at him in silence.
“I wish I could hate you for accusing Eden with some baseless theory. But I can’t.”
Eileen understood—that was his way of apologizing.
But the wound still hurt. His words today cut deeper than usual.
“Go.”
They both needed to face reality.
They had spent too long in this small mansion, disconnected from the world.
She shouldn’t have stayed at the duke’s estate to begin with.
“Go to the north and do what you have to do.”
Eileen had done everything she could.
Now, all she could do was hope that Cedric Lowell would survive.
Not wanting to talk about it anymore, she turned her head away from him and toward the fireplace, where the flames had nearly died out.
She could hear movement from the entrance of the mansion. The knights were gathering, preparing to depart for the north.
Click.
Just as she sat there lost in thought, unsure of what the future would bring, Eileen noticed that Cedric had left something on the side table before leaving.
She looked over—and saw an old, worn box sitting there.
“What is this…?”
When she forced the stiff lid open, inside was an antique-looking key.
The moment she saw the intricately engraved Lowell crest, she jumped to her feet.
“Why would he leave this here…!”
It was clearly the key to the family’s treasure locker—where the most important heirlooms were kept.
This key symbolized the authority of the duchess. Normally, it would never be handed over so casually.
“There’s no signet ring, so…”
A note scribbled beside it made it worse.
Cedric meant that if he had the Lowell signet ring—the one the emperor had refused to give him—he would’ve left that too.
“You really…!”
The signet ring. The locker key.
Both symbols of the family’s power and authority.
He pretended not to care, but this was practically asking her to take responsibility for the entire Lowell family in case he didn’t return.
He was telling her to act as duchess—use her status as his fiancée, use this key—and protect the family.
“You’re so selfish.”
She had just told him not to get hurt—and now he handed her the authority to rule the north.
He didn’t seem to care at all that they had promised to break off the engagement.
In the distance, she heard horses snorting. Cedric hadn’t left yet.
Realizing this, Eileen ran to the window and shouted:
“Cedric Lowell!”
He turned his head, looking up at her, his face firm and resolute just as he was about to depart.
“This key—I’m going to throw it into the river, so come back alive no matter what! I never asked for this!”
More than anything, this was probably her way of accepting his apology too.
Maybe they would always argue like this. Maybe they’d continue to clash and hurt each other. That might never change.
But her trust in him—at least on a human level—remained.
Their relationship had become far more complicated than she had imagined.
She thought once the engagement was over, that would be it.
“I’ll contact you.”
Cedric gave a calm reply, grabbed the reins, and headed off to the north without hesitation.
***
The aging emperor did not survive past spring.
It was something everyone had expected. The emperor had been visibly sick for a long time, so his death didn’t come as a surprise to the nobles in the capital.
What they cared about more was that the spring social season had been canceled due to the mourning period.
So instead, they busied themselves gossiping even at the emperor’s funeral.
