CHAPTER~10
Spring Breeze
Night grew deeper, and the once-heightened atmosphere of the banquet began to cool.
Cedric Glaston slipped out to the garden and headed for the fountain.
Occasionally, lovers hid behind vine-covered walls to enjoy their secret meetings, but they never came near the open fountain area.
It was the perfect place to catch his breath.
Following the gas lamps that lit the garden, he soon reached the fountain spouting cool streams of water.
As expected, no one was there.
Cedric sat on the nearby bench, loosened his cravat, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes.
The cool spring breeze—still carrying winter’s chill—brushed through his hair.
The once-stifling cravat felt far more comfortable.
The banquet was horribly tedious, as always.
The chaperones endlessly pushing women toward him, the blushing ladies beside them, the polite yet meaningless small talk that followed.
It was all too familiar, but ever since marriage had been added to the qualifications for the successor, the number of people approaching him had grown.
And with that, the number of meaningless conversations increased as well.
At this point, even dancing would have been less boring—he wouldn’t have to entertain pointless conversations while dancing.
Normally, he would have left long ago.
The only reason he had endured until now was…
Yvonne.
Yes, because of that woman.
She was bold enough to ask him first what he wanted from her, yet now she avoided him every time their eyes met.
He didn’t approach her, nor did he say a word.
Was she acting like he would devour her?
And yet, whenever he sensed a gaze and turned around, she watched him with wary green eyes—only to flee again when their eyes met.
Was she guarding him, watching to see when he might approach or reveal her secret?
Her behavior was irritating and bothersome, but strangely intriguing.
He wondered what secret she was hiding so desperately, but chose not to investigate further.
Partly because he could find out easily if he wanted to, and more importantly… because watching her struggle to hide it amused him.
That was also why he didn’t approach her, though he fully knew she was watching him.
But the game ends here.
Cedric rose from the bench, and as he straightened his loosened cravat, an unfamiliar voice rang out.
“Sir Cedric?”
Seeing the woman’s face, he recalled she was one of the ladies a chaperone had introduced earlier.
The daughter of Count Harris—the one whose father managed a textile factory.
“You came out to rest as well, My Lady?”
“Ah… yes, that’s right.”
“The wind is still cold. You shouldn’t stay out too long.”
Cedric gave a slight nod and attempted to pass her.
“Um, Sir Cedric!”
Had her urgent hand not caught him—
Cedric sensed trouble and his brow faintly creased, but a lifetime of gentlemanly training stopped him.
“Do you have something to say?”
“If it’s not too much trouble… could you escort me back to the mansion? I feel dizzy from the drinks…”
She had walked all the way from the mansion perfectly fine, yet now she played such an obvious trick.
Cedric hid the cold sneer rising within him and answered with a businessman’s polite smile.
“I will return to the hall and send someone immediately. Please sit for the moment.”
A gentle refusal.
But just as Cedric seated her on the bench and moved away, the woman suddenly threw herself into his arms.
A strong wave of perfume engulfed him.
“I-It’s too cold out here. Couldn’t you stay with me for just a moment…?”
And the faint smell of alcohol as well.
So the part about drinking wasn’t entirely a lie.
Cedric frowned.
This wasn’t the first time a woman had rushed at him.
Some women, drunk like this, acted without reason, and sometimes older noblewomen seeking a lover approached him as well.
Especially those doused in perfume.
“I’m sorry, My Lady.”
Cedric straightened her and adjusted her slipping shawl.
“But I am a gentleman.”
Her eyes shook as she met his cool blue gaze.
Cedric turned first, sparing the woman further humiliation.
That, too, was the courtesy of a gentleman.
Soon, he heard footsteps retreating deep into the garden.
He listened to the fading steps with a bored expression and began walking back toward the mansion.
At that moment, a faint sound came from a nearby arch.
A small twig snapping.
“Gasp…”
The startled breath that followed confirmed he wasn’t mistaken.
A mouse had witnessed everything.
Cedric stopped walking and let out an irritated sigh.
Whether the witness claimed the woman had clung to him first or that he seduced her, a scandal would arise either way.
Normally, he wouldn’t care, but with all of Lucerne focused on his marriage, it would be troublesome.
In that case, a warning was best.
Cedric walked toward the arch where the mouse hid.
The hem of a lavish dress peeked out from behind it—the dress worn by tonight’s main star.
His lips curved in a slanted smile as he approached.
Yvonne had no intention of spying on someone else’s private matters—she swore.
She simply came out for some air and happened to run into Cedric and the Harris Lady.
She planned to quietly disappear as if she had never been there, but…
‘W-What do I do…?’
Of all things, she had stepped on a twig.
Hearing footsteps coming quickly in her direction, Yvonne’s mind went blank.
‘He hasn’t seen my face yet. If I run now, he won’t know it was me… right?’
That was the only option.
Yvonne lifted her dress slightly to flee.
But then—
“Lady Yvonne.”
She nearly screamed.
Her heart leapt and then plummeted.
How—?
She had no time to seek answers or think of a solution.
A large shadow cast over the wall, and soon its owner appeared.
Even with the light behind him, the man’s sharp features were clear.
Especially those blue eyes fixed on her.
“I didn’t know you had such a poor hobby—peeking into others’ private affairs.”
His quiet voice held a hint of mockery.
Like a trapped prey, Yvonne held her breath, but indignation rose.
She forced herself to speak softly.
“I… wasn’t trying to look.”
“The garden is quite large. And yet at this hour, you just happened to be here by coincidence?”
“That’s…”
Yvonne hesitated.
It truly was coincidence, yet even she knew how much it sounded like an excuse.
“Or.”
Cedric stepped closer into the shadows where she crouched.
“Did you follow me?”
What unbelievable self-consciousness!
Yvonne let out a silent gasp of disbelief but found herself unable to refute it—because his annoyingly handsome face was too close.
She looked away briefly, then opened her mouth.
“It really was a coincidence. You don’t have to believe me, but it’s the truth.”
His gaze darkened slightly, as if reading into her thoughts.
But she was innocent, so she had no reason to avoid his eyes.
“And… you don’t have to worry about what happened earlier. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Why?”
“…Pardon?”
“If it were me, I would have used it for a trade.”
Thrown off, Yvonne blinked.
Cedric continued, his face cold with a faint sneer.
“You have a secret you want to hide. And just moments ago, you gained the perfect leverage to cover it.”
Realizing he meant the detective agency, Yvonne’s lips tightened.
A strange sense of betrayal stung her chest.
Even though she had been desperately wary of him… deep inside, had she believed he might keep her secret quietly?
Even though she knew the world wasn’t that kind.
She mocked herself and spoke coldly.
“I think I now understand how you became the kingdom’s greatest businessman.”
“That is why I’m teaching you the method as well.”
He laughed lightly, unfazed, which annoyed her even more.
Realizing further conversation was pointless, Yvonne turned away.
But then—
Voices sounded nearby.
“I’m sure she came this way.”
“Maybe we passed her?”
Men’s voices. Several of them.
If they found her here with Cedric, the scandal would fall on her, not the Harris girl—
And far more sensationally so, considering he was her fiancé’s older brother.
But men were approaching from ahead, and behind her stood the man holding her secret.
Frozen, clutching her dress, Yvonne finally looked at Cedric.
A soft spring breeze passed between them.
And the next moment—Cedric pulled her into his arms.
