Chapter 84
To be honest, the moment Cedric saw Jeon Ribonsher in person, all his tension drained away.
“…Sorry, sister.”
Really—how could anyone feel intimidated when the kid was sitting there with his knees neatly together, fidgeting with both hands like a tiny child?
“I understand if you hate me. I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner…”
“I don’t hate you. I don’t.”
Jeon jumped in place, rejecting it with all his might, then darted a glance at Cedric.
“It’s not that I hate you… it’s just…”
His expression was a mix of discomfort and caution. Probably both.
Because Cedric had been much harsher and more direct with Jeon than Aileen had expected.
“Then stop being Marchion. Hand over the title. There are plenty of people outside who’d gladly take your place.”
“…I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
“I’m Ribonsher’s heir.”
Well. That much awareness was at least a relief.
Cedric, after all, had gone through the same thing. There was a basic sense of duty—“I have to hold on to this position no matter what.”
“Then hold on to it properly.”
Cedric looked around the room. Books were stacked everywhere, and between them were rolled parchments—like a room belonging to a scholar deeply immersed in research.
“You can’t just sit here doing nothing.”
A worn map was wedged between the books. Next to it were neatly organized notes analyzing grain yields by region, each page full of careful calculations.
“…I also reorganized the ledgers. Fixed mistakes, and…”
“You don’t have to do all of that personally. Hire people. Your job is to oversee them—manage the house.”
“…How?”
A fundamental question that gave Cedric a headache. He sincerely wanted to walk out right then.
“Go out and give orders. You’re the Marquis.”
“…I’m not as strong as you.”
Jeon shyly pointed at Cedric’s sword—his eyes full of unexpected envy.
“I wasn’t strong at the beginning either.”
The conversation stalled again. In the end Cedric dragged the stubborn boy all the way to the parlor.
Jeon was still talking slowly with Aileen.
“So why didn’t you want to come to the Lowell estate? You stayed shut in your room.”
“I’m… scared to go outside.”
“Scared?”
“I’ve never gone beyond the estate. Well… I did, a few times, but…”
Jeon slumped his shoulders. His voice carried quiet resignation.
Cedric noticed the worry flicker in Aileen’s eyes and forced himself not to sigh.
Yes, Jeon wasn’t exactly someone Cedric could be “tough” with—but that didn’t make Jeon any less frustrating.
Aileen seemed inclined to be gentle, but honestly, the Marchioness had basically dumped all this on Aileen.
And she hadn’t even given her anything in return. Just a request—“Please take care of him.”
“She could’ve at least given her something.”
Though considering the “something” she originally intended to give Aileen was the title of Marchioness… maybe asking was better.
“…He doesn’t have serious health issues, does he?”
“The medicine quality has improved greatly. He’s well enough for normal daily life.”
“That’s good. Then—”
“Then start physical training.”
Cedric cut in before Aileen could finish.
Because he really couldn’t stand watching this brat cling to Aileen acting all pitiful.
“A sword?”
Jeon’s eyes suddenly sparkled in pure excitement.
His reaction was much stronger than expected—almost concerning.
Still, Cedric stuck to his decision. If he had taken responsibility for this kid, he may as well do it properly.
And honestly, Jeon seemed like someone he should handle, not Aileen.
“You said you want to be strong. I’ll teach you.”
“Cedric, I don’t think—”
“I’m not going to do anything extreme. I have common sense.”
Aileen’s skeptical stare showed she clearly remembered his not-so-peaceful sparring matches.
But Jeon leaned forward, unable to hide his growing excitement.
“I want to hold a sword too. I want to get stronger. Grandma said I’d get hurt, so she wouldn’t let me.”
“You have to be able to hold one first.”
With a metallic shring, Cedric drew his sword. It settled heavily in his hand.
Jeon reached for it—and nearly fell over immediately.
“W-whoa, this—!”
“It’s heavy, isn’t it? Protecting yourself isn’t easy.”
Cedric steadied the sword and slid it back with smooth, fluid motion. Jeon’s eyes followed the movement in pure admiration.
Cedric didn’t hate that look. Not at all.
“You two work well together.”
Aileen had caught the shift in Cedric’s mood.
“Being a house head at a young age is kind of my specialty.”
He had taken over the entire Lowell estate at about Jeon’s age. Maybe a little older, but still—close enough.
Jeon’s personality or physical weakness didn’t matter. Cedric understood better than anyone how crushing that responsibility felt.
“I’ve gotten soft.”
He had told himself he needed to be cold toward Aileen… yet here he was, caving again.
“Once you come to Lowell, I’ll train you properly.”
He needed to secure that promise.
“…I’ll go. Aileen, you’ll be there too, right?”
“I’ve always been there.”
That answer settled everything neatly.
“Then I’ll start learning now.”
For a moment Cedric wondered if maybe he should’ve let Jeon stay locked in his room and kept out of it entirely.
“Well, good luck.”
But when he saw Aileen smiling as she watched him follow Jeon outside—
He realized it didn’t matter. This was fine.
Thank you.
That sincere look she gave him made it even more worth it.
Yes. Turning Jeon Ribonsher into a real Marquis—that was something he could do.
***
Later
“I can’t. I’m not doing this. Cedric, you’re awful.”
Only a few hours had passed, yet Jeon had already changed how he addressed Cedric—and already reached the “I quit” stage of basic training.
Cedric sat on a stump, sharpening his sword, barely glancing up.
“You barely ran.”
“When do I get to use a sword?”
“When you can run around the courtyard ten times without stopping. Lowell’s courtyard is twice as big.”
Jeon, who had chosen to lie dramatically on the grass, sat up with a tearful face.
“That means I won’t be able to do it this year!”
“Luce. Say something.”
Luce, holding water nearby, spoke kindly:
“It took me a month just to hold a wooden practice sword.”
“I’m not doing this.”
“If you’re going to give up this easily, you shouldn’t have started. As I said, if you can’t do it, then maybe you should just hand over—”
“…Fine! I’ll run. I’ll run again.”
All that dramatic determination resulted in… running one lap, drinking water, resting, then running again.
The doctor had already confirmed he was physically capable of at least this much.
Luce commented casually, seeing Jeon’s glasses about to fall off:
“At this rate, holding a sword will be a miracle.”
“But he still came outside.”
Cedric then narrowed his eyes, catching a movement far away.
“Did you see something just now?”
“That direction? Sir, you can see that far?”
“Go check.”
Luce hopped over the wall and returned shortly.
“There’s nothing there. Probably a bird.”
“Hmm.”
Cedric was sure he’d seen a head. But he picked up his sword again and focused on sharpening the blade.
“Probably another idiot who doesn’t know his place.”
***
That night
Aileen placed the bird figurine on the bed again and sat down, thinking hard.
I should at least send him a message…
Theorn had said Chester’s troop movements looked suspicious. She needed to know if that investigation had progressed.
Maybe he’d found a crucial clue—something that could finally let her speak to Cedric about the truth.
Knock, knock.
A tapping sound came from the balcony window.
She ignored it at first, thinking it was just wind—until the sound repeated at perfect intervals.
“…Cedric?”
When she turned her head, Aileen nearly fell backward in shock.
Cedric was standing on the balcony.
She rushed over and opened the door.
“Why are you here? How did you get here?”
“I climbed.”
He walked into her room like it was no big deal, ignoring her shock.
Aileen looked at the spaced-out balconies outside, then back at him.
“You climbed from where? From there? Your room isn’t even next to mine.”
“Yeah. It was a bit difficult.”
And he was holding a sword.
How he did it was beyond her.
“…Why did you come?”
She lowered her voice in case anyone could hear outside. Servants would still be awake.
“I wasn’t comfortable. Those people from earlier—I have a bad feeling about them.”
“You think they’ll do something stupid?”
“Who knows. Someone desperate might.”
“Then why come to my room and not Jeon’s?”
“You’re easier to target. You openly blocked them.”
He looked around the room carefully, genuinely alert.
“And I don’t trust Ribonsher’s staff at all.”
“So you snuck in?”
After circling the room once, Cedric leaned against the table, sword still in hand, and looked at her for a long moment.
“That’s part of it. But… I kept thinking about something you said. And I don’t think it was just a random comment.”
“What comment?”
“When you asked me what I’d do if I knew my future.”
Aileen took a step toward him, ready to push him out and tell him he was overthinking—
But stopped mid-step.
“…It was just something I said.”
“No. It wasn’t. You don’t say things like that for no reason.”
“So what? You think I actually know the future?”
She tried brushing it off as ridiculous—
But he cut through that instantly.
“Yes.”
Cedric’s eyes were already full of conviction. Aileen met his blue gaze and suddenly wondered—
When did things shift?
When had he begun to understand her…
better than she understood him?
