WHM | Chapter 83

~Chapter 83~

The man who had been standing in the front with the most confidence looked completely thrown off.

While he hesitated, chaos broke out among the nobles at the sudden appearance of Cedric.

“Who is that?”

“That crest… that’s Lowell.”

“Lowell? Why would Lowell be here?”

“Isn’t the Cassier girl engaged to the Lowell heir?”

How stupid. Did they seriously forget that? The last man to speak at least seemed to have a functioning brain.

Cedric politely waited until they finished whispering among themselves.

“But still, shouldn’t the Count of Cassier be the one coming forward? Why would he…?”

“Lowell doesn’t even have connections with Ribonsher, right?”

“She probably handed the seal over like an obedient little lady because her future husband told her to.”

“A perfect example of a quiet, proper noblewoman.”

Cedric’s hand—tapping the armrest in boredom—stopped abruptly.

“Aileen Cassier is not the type to meekly obey anyone.”

He lifted his head, and the coldness in his eyes was so sharp that even Aileen froze.

The air instantly chilled.

“The Ribonsher Marchioness trusted Aileen’s judgment. What’s your problem? Who do you think is more likely to be wrong—someone who ran this house successfully for decades, or people like you?”

“Lord Lowell, you may not know this, but Ribonsher’s finances are not in a favorable—”

Cedric cut him off with a single flick of his hand, as if swatting away meaningless noise.

“That only means Ribonsher needs Lowell even more. Does anyone here come from a family greater than Lowell? Unless one of you has the imperial family behind you?”

Of course not.

“I thought maybe at least one of you had something resembling a legitimate claim. A document, an order, anything. But there’s nothing.”

He leaned back slightly, sounding bored, and then stopped looking at them entirely as he issued the command:

“Throw them out.”

“Yes, please leave now.”

The Lowell knights immediately moved, pushing the nobles toward the exit. Naturally, they protested.

“You can’t just throw us out like this! Butler, say something!”

“Well, that is…”

The butler stammered helplessly, so Aileen stepped in to spare him.

“Stop bothering the butler. Jeon doesn’t want to speak to you. Sitting here won’t change anything.”

“You? You think you’ll be able to see the Marquis of Ribonsher?”

“Yes.”

Her firm answer made the man’s face turn blotchy with anger.

But Aileen had already seen the curtains on the fourth floor shift earlier. Someone had peeked out—light brown eyes that clearly recognized her.

Unlike some people, she and Jeon actually had a connection.

“Unlike others, I’ve known him for a long time.”

“That was only because the Marchioness—!”

“The Marchioness must have had her reasons. Sir Dane, please remove them. Like Cedric said, there’s no meaningful conversation to have here.”

“As the lady commands.”

Aileen didn’t particularly like Dane’s presence, but he was the scariest-looking man in the room—and the biggest.

Resting his hand casually on his sword hilt, he said with disinterest:

“I hope we won’t need to use force.”

“W-Wait—w-we’ll leave! Honestly, northern people are so—”

“Quiet. Get out.”

He didn’t even draw his sword, yet one man hiccupped from fear. Aileen loosened her crossed arms and watched the nobles get pushed out, looking utterly pathetic.

A soft, low laugh came from Cedric’s side. Aileen turned to look at him—he was still slouched in the chair, unable to hide his displeasure.

She cautiously asked:

“Why? You didn’t like that I interrupted and took over?”

“No.”

But the way he tilted his head and stared at her still looked… strange. Unfamiliar.

“Then why do you look like that?”

“Because that’s the kind of thing you do. You can’t just sit still—you always have to step in.”

“…I’ll take it as a compliment.”

Aileen sat opposite him, fixing her slightly wrinkled dress. Cedric watched silently before resting his chin on his hand.

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

“…You literally said it was ‘like me.’”

“Exactly.”

He sighed deeply and straightened his posture a little. The atmosphere slowly returned to something more familiar.

“So where’s the Marquis of Ribonsher? He’s still not coming out after all this noise?”

“Every time I knock, he tells me either to leave him alone or go away. So I leave meals in front of the door.”

The butler finally answered, still flustered.

His master hadn’t given any proper orders, so he had no way to stop unwanted visitors.

“So he’s not weak enough to skip meals. Good.”

Cedric shot up from his seat.

“Where are you going?”

“To Jeon Ribonsher’s room. Obviously. I should meet him.”

“I can handle this alone!”

But Cedric was already halfway up the stairs.

“Cedric! Do you even know where his room is?”

“The head of a house always has the nicest door on the highest floor. It’s not complicated.”

“It’s fine! I’ll go!”

She said that to the butler, who was panicking as Cedric wandered deeper inside without waiting.

Aileen hurried after him. Cedric pretended not to care, but when she tripped on her dress and grabbed the railing, he came back down.

She took his hand. Cedric didn’t look as icy as before, but he still seemed… irritated.

“Why are you rushing like this? You don’t even know Jeon personally.”

“It’s better to finish things quickly. Those people will definitely come back.”

“True, but still…”

She only said it because Cedric had been in a bad mood ever since they’d approached Ribonsher.

But even when she silently asked him “why?” with her eyes, he simply turned and kept walking.

Aileen gave up trying to read him and followed.

***

Later

Knock, knock.

Aileen took a deep breath and knocked gently.

“Jeon, it’s your sister Aileen. Can you open the door?”

Her heart was tight. She had tried to contact him privately before coming here.

But Jeon never replied. Not once.

“No reaction.”

Cedric leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching her. He couldn’t beat her persistence, so he stayed quiet… mostly.

“Big confidence earlier for someone getting ignored.”

Aileen pressed a finger to her lips.

“Shh.”

Cedric clearly wanted to kick the door open, but he stayed silent.

“Are you really not coming out even though I’m here?”

Again, no reply.

But Cedric leaned in, listening carefully.

“…I hear movement.”

“You can hear that?”

“Footsteps. He’s coming.”

A tension like a spy operation filled the air.

And sure enough, a few seconds later, the door creaked open.

A skinny boy wearing oversized glasses peeked out. Despite being older than ten, his body looked frail and tiny—like a child.

Aileen immediately stepped forward.

“Jeon. Hi.”

His short, uneven brown hair matched his light brown eyes. But his tightly pressed lips and stubborn stare warned this would not be easy.

Sure enough—

“…I hate you, sister.”

“Jeon.”

“Don’t talk to me.”

He fired the attack without hesitation. Aileen was briefly speechless as he tried to slam the door shut.

“Rude.”

Cedric stopped the door before it closed.

Standing behind Aileen, he held the door firmly open and said:

“Has the young Marquis of Ribonsher forgotten basic noble manners? Clearly you’re not too sick to greet a guest.”

He didn’t need to sound threatening—his size alone did the job.

“Who are you? Get out.”

“I can’t. Aileen left you in my care.”

“…What?”

Jeon’s eyes darted rapidly between Aileen and Cedric.

Technically what Cedric said wasn’t wrong… but the way he phrased it made it sound like Aileen simply dumped Jeon’s life into his hands.

“So if you want to vent your anger, direct it somewhere else. It’s not Aileen’s fault that the Marchioness passed away and you ended up alone.”

Aileen hadn’t been sure why Jeon was acting like this, but Cedric clearly already knew.

And judging by how Jeon’s sharp tone softened slightly… Cedric was right.

“It’s not venting.”

“Good. Then speak properly—house head to house head. Why are you acting like this?”

“I—”

Aileen tried stepping in, but Cedric looked down at her.

“This is a necessary talk.”

Do you want to be the cold one, or should I do it?

That was what he meant.

And thinking back to earlier, maybe she did need Cedric’s firmness right now.

So in the end, Aileen was the one left out in the hallway.

“…Lady Cassier. We’ve prepared refreshments in the sitting room.”

The butler finally noticed her standing blankly there.

Aileen nodded and followed.

She had come here confidently… but Cedric’s words stuck painfully in her mind.

Maybe she really wasn’t much help at all.

Maybe Ribonsher didn’t need her the way she thought.