“You're truly a troublesome person.”
At last, Cedric muttered the words, his patience finally wearing thin.
No matter what he said, Aileen refused to be shaken. She remained calm at all times, responding with effortless grace. As a result, it was Cedric who kept finding himself at a loss for words.
“That’s a new assessment.”
Aileen smiled faintly.
“You can’t blame me just because you’ve run out of things to say.”
“In the North, we don’t waste words.”
Cedric folded his arms across his chest.
“We talk with our swords.”
“Oh?”
Aileen narrowed her eyes.
“Are you seriously trying to challenge someone who’s never even held a sword to a duel? How shameless.”
In the end, it was Cedric who had nothing left to say.
Aileen rose from her seat first.
She had confirmed everything she needed to confirm. She had said everything she wanted to say.
For today, that was enough.
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
She offered a light farewell.
“I won’t interrupt your training any longer.”
At those words, something strange crossed Cedric’s face.
That was it?
She was really leaving?
For some reason, he felt caught off guard.
He had expected something more dramatic. Between her sudden visit and her confident attitude, he had assumed she was planning to cause some sort of commotion.
But she was genuinely leaving after finishing her business?
“...You’re going?”
The question slipped out before he could stop himself.
He didn’t even know why he wanted to stop her.
She was definitely an irritating woman.
Yet at the same time, she was unlike anyone he had ever met.
The nobles who filled the capital always spoke in circles and concealed their true intentions. Aileen was different. Strangely, almost unnervingly direct.
That alone felt refreshing.
And there was something else.
For some reason, he couldn’t stop thinking about how unconcerned she seemed despite her dress being covered in dirt and dust.
Cedric cleared his throat awkwardly.
“You probably don’t need advice, but...”
He looked away as he spoke.
“At the very least, you should change your clothes. A mansion like this should have at least one dress worth wearing.”
Aileen didn’t answer.
She simply looked at him quietly.
The moment their eyes met, the tips of Cedric’s ears turned red again.
“N-Now don’t get the wrong idea!”
His voice rose defensively.
“I’m only saying it because if you leave the ducal estate looking like that and rumors start spreading that I bullied you, it’ll be troublesome!”
Aileen’s expression remained perfectly composed.
It almost felt as though he was the only emotional person in the room.
A moment later, she smiled.
“Who would say something like that?”
Then she added with a serious face,
“You should change your clothes too, Young Master.”
“What?”
“You smell like sweat.”
“...!”
A beat later, Cedric instinctively lifted his collar and sniffed it.
His expression suggested he wasn’t sure whether he should be angry or embarrassed.
Finding the sight unexpectedly amusing, Aileen turned away before he could even formulate a rebuttal.
After leaving the training grounds, Aileen spotted Mary lingering near the entrance.
Cassel stood quietly beside her.
“They said I’m allowed to change clothes.”
Aileen approached them.
“Do you think there are any dresses here worth wearing?”
“I’ll summon the head maid immediately.”
Cassel answered without hesitation.
Fortunately, there were still a few dresses available within the estate.
The designs were somewhat outdated, but they were clean, elegant, and respectable.
After changing, Aileen wandered through the mansion and naturally found herself overhearing snippets of conversation.
Apparently, because the previous duke had rarely visited the capital, the estate had been neglected for a long time.
As a result, they had recently purchased the residence of a fallen noble family and were now scrambling to renovate everything before the upcoming ball.
While thinking about this, Aileen headed toward the main building and happened to cross paths with the butler.
In his hand was a thick envelope.
“What’s that?”
Aileen asked.
The envelope was slightly crumpled.
Rather than an official invitation, it looked more like a personal letter.
“A letter for the young master.”
The butler replied.
“I’ll deliver it.”
Aileen naturally extended her hand.
“I was on my way to find him anyway.”
Without any suspicion, the butler handed it over.
But the moment she saw the sender’s name—
Her hand froze.
“...This.”
The handwriting was round and adorable.
She could practically picture a young girl carefully writing each letter with utmost sincerity.
But it wasn’t the handwriting that shocked her.
It was the name written on the envelope.
Diana.
Cedric’s childhood friend.
His hope and his despair.
And ultimately, the person at the center of the fate that would destroy him.
Aileen felt her heart sink heavily.
Then—
“Give it back.”
A low, urgent voice cut through the air.
“Don’t look at it without permission.”
When she looked up, Cedric was approaching.
His damp golden hair fluttered in the wind, evidence that he had just finished training.
He snatched the letter away so quickly it was practically ripped from her hands.
Then he clutched it tightly against his chest, as though afraid someone might try to take it from him.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Yet Aileen’s gaze never left him.
It felt as though a story she had nearly forgotten had begun moving once again.
As if she could hear the gears of fate turning.
“I wasn’t trying to read it.”
Aileen spoke honestly.
And it was true.
She had only meant to save the butler the trouble.
An awkward silence followed.
Aileen was the first to break it.
“She must be someone important.”
Holding the letter close, Cedric replied,
“She’s a friend.”
After a brief pause, he added with deliberate emphasis,
“The most precious and important person in my life.”
The way he spoke sounded as though he was determined to make her understand.
Yet at the same time, he looked like someone desperately trying to keep the deeper parts of the story hidden.
Aileen smiled bitterly.
As the villainess of this story, she already knew the ending.
Diana, the heroine, would never accept Cedric’s feelings.
One day, Cedric would fall in love with her.
But Diana would never be able to return those feelings.
And Aileen’s role would be to stand in the way of their relationship.
She couldn’t warn him about the tragedy waiting ahead.
After all, she couldn’t simply abandon the role fate had assigned her.
Not yet.
Aileen lowered her gaze.
They’re still only friends.
At this point in time, Cedric and Diana were still nothing more than childhood companions.
There was still time before everything became tangled.
Things will change once the male lead appears.
That was when Cedric would begin to feel jealousy.
And new emotions would take root.
A complicated love triangle would begin.
But Aileen had no intention of throwing herself into that whirlwind.
As if trying to change the subject, she said,
“I’m jealous.”
Cedric looked up.
“I’ve never had a friend like that.”
Since childhood, Aileen had never fit in with others her age.
She had always been too calm.
Too mature.
She interacted with noble ladies when necessary, but there had never been anyone she could truly confide in.
“She’s my childhood friend.”
Cedric spoke quietly.
“We grew up together.”
Even as he talked, he subtly studied Aileen’s expression.
Yet he couldn’t read her thoughts at all.
If anything, it felt as though she could see straight through him instead.
“Do you like her?”
Aileen asked lightly.
Cedric’s eyes widened.
Her face remained calm as ever.
As though she could see everything.
Why was it that he could never read her at all?
The words escaped before he could stop them.
“What if I do?”
The truth was, Cedric had never viewed Diana romantically.
She was more like a younger sister.
Someone he wanted to protect.
Someone precious.
Yet the moment Diana came up, the letter he had recently received surfaced in his mind.
The one saying she wanted to come to the capital with him.
He remembered imagining Diana’s bright smile as she wrote those words.
At the time, the thought had made him genuinely happy.
Then the Emperor’s sudden engagement decree had turned everything upside down.
After a moment, Cedric spoke.
“If Diana comes here...”
His gaze sharpened.
“Are you planning to drive her away?”
Diana was Aileen’s complete opposite.
Warm.
Pure.
Kind.
If Aileen ever hurt Diana—
Just imagining it made his chest tighten.
He had already drawn a firm line regarding the engagement.
But Diana was different.
He didn’t want to see her hurt.
Cedric’s thoughts became increasingly tangled.
Conflicting emotions.
Unsorted feelings.
And amid that confusion, Aileen’s questions only seemed to throw his heart into even greater turmoil.