“Yeah. I knew it was you.”
Cedric, who had been lying in bed, slowly started to sit up, then gave up and leaned back against the headboard. He still looked somewhat dizzy.
“Diana would never just sit there quietly like that.”
Looking at Eileen, he smiled brighter than usual, a playful grin spreading across his face.
“She would've grabbed my hand and cried her eyes out.”
“Want me to cry in her place?”
Eileen didn't particularly dislike Diana yet. Still, being compared to her wasn't exactly pleasant.
Tears changed nothing. The very idea seemed inefficient.
If the situation were truly that serious, it would make more sense to replace the physician or pressure the Emperor into sending an imperial doctor.
“No. Eileen, that would be a little strange.”
“Do I really seem that cold and heartless?”
As if amused by her blunt tone, Cedric slapped the empty space beside his bed and burst into laughter.
Of course, the laughter came at a price.
He had moved his injured arm far too roughly.
“Ah—ow... that hurts...”
“Try thinking before you move.”
Eileen scolded him, then stood up to grab the bell cord just in case.
Cedric immediately stopped her.
“No, don't.”
“Why? We should check the wound again.”
“The poison hasn't been completely neutralized yet. That's why I still feel weak. The wound itself is fine. I've endured injuries much worse than this.”
The remark hinted that his childhood had been far from ordinary.
Eileen studied him carefully, wondering whether he was merely pretending to be fine. Only after confirming he wasn't sweating and his complexion hadn't turned pale did she sit back down.
“Did they find out who the assassins were?”
She smoothed the wrinkles in her dress and asked the question as casually as if she were commenting on the weather.
The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.
She's really different from Diana.
Even while worrying about his condition, Eileen remained detached, calm, and free of judgment.
Diana would have undoubtedly cried and begged him never to scare her like that again.
Perhaps Cedric had simply become too accustomed to reactions like hers.
“Are you asking because you're worried about me?”
The question slipped out before he could stop himself.
Eileen was the complete opposite of Diana, who wore every emotion openly.
Cedric found her unreadable expression confusing.
At the same time, he wanted some kind of reaction from her.
“Then why else would I care? Of course I'm asking because I'm worried.”
“Well... it's just strange hearing you actually say you're worried.”
The moment he received confirmation, Cedric felt something stir lightly in his chest.
The fact that she cared about him, even a little, made him happy.
“Don't talk nonsense.”
Eileen turned her head away.
In that moment, the bruise that had not yet faded came into view. She had probably removed her veil in anger earlier.
Cedric's expression hardened instantly.
“That bruise...”
“Anyway, thank you.”
Just as he was about to tell her to summon a physician from his family, Eileen spoke first.
Her gaze rested on the hands folded in her lap as she absentmindedly played with her fingers.
The hesitation was unlike her.
“...Thank you for helping me.”
“Anyone would've done the same.”
There was an oddly bitter note in Cedric's reply.
And because of that, Eileen realized something once again.
There had been no special meaning behind his actions.
He had simply helped because she was in danger.
At the same time, she felt a little pathetic for having needed help in the first place.
“I'll repay you someday.”
“That thing about putting it on your debt account earlier was a joke.”
Cedric sat upright in alarm.
He should have known someone like Eileen Cassiar would take a joke seriously.
“I haven't received all of my inheritance yet, but I'm not completely penniless.”
“Eileen.”
“I have a small villa on the outskirts of the capital. There are noblewomen who still owe my grandmother favors. If I ask, getting out of here won't be difficult either—”
Without even looking at him, Eileen began listing plans one after another as though she had already prepared them beforehand.
“Eileen Cassiar!”
At last, Cedric lost his patience and shouted her name.
Only then did Eileen emerge from her thoughts and look at him.
“Eileen. Even if you were completely broke, do you really think I'd throw you out?”
Her green eyes blinked slowly.
She looked genuinely surprised.
“If you were poor, that would give me even more reason not to send you back to the Cassiar estate or leave you out on the streets.”
“Still... isn't it inconvenient having me here?”
“There are plenty of rooms. There aren't many people living here, either.”
That was true.
The mansion felt as though it had been purchased in haste by someone determined not to stay at inns or noble estates.
It felt less like a proper home and more like a temporary residence.
“Are you sure it's okay for me to stay here?”
“You can have the entire annex to yourself. Do whatever you want.”
Cedric didn't want her to leave.
His emotions were tangled into a knot so complicated that even he couldn't explain them.
He didn't understand why he wanted to keep her here so badly.
“An annex... I suppose that would be fine.”
That way, there would be physical distance between them, and they would have fewer chances to run into each other.
That didn't mean she was completely comfortable staying in the mansion.
Eileen was someone who believed every kindness came with a price.
To her, this level of generosity felt like a burden.
Especially when the man offering it had no intention of marrying her and was merely waiting for their engagement to be broken.
“I'll keep to myself. Don't worry.”
To Eileen, it was simply a polite statement from a guest.
Cedric interpreted it very differently.
Am I really that uncomfortable for her? Seriously?
He had just told her to make herself at home.
Why was she taking it in the exact opposite way?
“I didn't mean it like that, um...”
“Still, we should settle living expenses separately. It's only proper. I can't let you bear the costs because of me.”
Eileen continued speaking calmly and precisely, not leaving him any opportunity to interrupt.
“Actually, maybe I should discuss it with your aide. I won't ask for hundreds of gold at once. But I'll need at least dresses and jewelry. Would it be acceptable to borrow a larger amount interest-free?”
“Huh? Ah... well, for a ducal house, something like that... No, that's not what I meant. I'm not that stingy.”
Cedric needed a moment just to process her excessively practical calculations.
She was so composed and straightforward that it was difficult to keep up with her.
“Good. Then let's do that.”
Looking relieved, Eileen smiled as though everything had been neatly resolved.
Before Cedric could properly respond, the matter had already been settled in her mind.
“I'll let Sir Cassel know you're safe. He's been very worried.”
“Wait—”
Ignoring Cedric's protest, Eileen quietly opened the door and left.
Meanwhile, Cedric Lowell was currently venting all his frustration in the sword training grounds.
“Please go easy on me, Young Master.”
“Go easy on you? Are you planning to negotiate with the enemy on a battlefield?”
Cedric had displayed extraordinary talent with the sword since childhood and was already considered superior to his father at the same age.
“That's not what I meant...”
His senses were razor-sharp, and his movements made it difficult for opponents to land a hit while leaving countless openings for his own counterattacks.
“Your sword feels unusually sharp today.”
“Your skills have probably just rusted.”
Cedric's thoughts were so tangled that he unconsciously slipped back into the old way he used to speak.
Eden raised an eyebrow slightly.
