Chapter 9
One of Those Days
After dining out with Cedric, I spent most of my time inside the ducal estate. I barely went out even in the Kingdom of Lundra, so I didn’t feel any particular need to go outside here, either.
Cedric had gone out the day after I arrived in Owen, and he’d also taken me out to dine, so I wondered if the rumor that he never left the house was just gossip.
But after our meal together, he stopped going out as well. Because of that, I occasionally ran into him.
One of those days—
The moment I woke up, a maid brought me news: Cedric had hired a new chef. A chef trained in Lundra, specialized in Lundran cuisine.
The breakfast set in the small sitting room of my chamber was filled with perfect Lundran dishes. The raspberry pie was especially delicious.
After a satisfying meal, I visited Cedric’s office. Cedric, wearing glasses, greeted me.
“Duke, do you have a moment?”
“Of course.”
Cedric seemed to have been working; Baron Hudson, his steward, was with him. The baron, who had been working at another desk beside Cedric’s, poured me tea.
“I just wanted to thank you for treating me to a perfect Lundran meal.”
“I merely did what I ought to do.”
“That may be true for you, but I wanted to express my gratitude.”
I shrugged and sipped the tea.
Ginger tea.
I don’t usually like strong ginger teas, but since I was interrupting a working man’s time, I didn’t want to leave the cup unfinished. I drank a few more sips and exchanged a few polite words before standing to leave.
Another day—
I explored the ducal library.
I pulled out a book at random—history. Up until the part about the dragon Lundra, the contents were mostly the same, but at the end, there was an additional section about the founding of the Owen Empire.
In Owen, I was technically a foreigner, but the history book written in Owen described the Conquering King—the first emperor, who was an invader from the outside—in rather positive terms.
Perhaps he had been a conqueror to outsiders, but a decent ruler to his own people.
Was history so dependent on perspective?
I found the Owen-centric history interesting, so I stood before the bookshelf, forgetting to even sit down.
“Your Highness.”
I looked up at the voice calling me—it was Cedric. He already had a few books in one hand.
“Hello, Duke. Good….”
I glanced out the window.
“It’s evening!”
“Yes. Good evening. Have I interrupted you?”
“No. I was just looking around.”
Cedric, like a gentleman, didn’t check which book I was reading. I lifted the cover to show him.
“It’s a history of the Empire. It’s more detailed than what I learned in Lundra, so it’s interesting.”
“Is that so.”
He didn’t even look at the cover. He truly had no interest in what I was reading.
“Did you come looking for a book too?”
“I needed reference materials for my work. Excuse me.”
His hand passed in front of my eyes as he neatly pulled a few more books from the shelf beside me, gave a polite nod, and left the library.
“Your Highness, since it’s evening, would you like dinner now?”
A maid asked.
I thought of the raspberry pie. Would it be served again? Or would there be something new and delicious? I was excited.
Another day—
After breakfast, I took a walk along the corridor to admire the paintings for digestion. While walking, I ran into Cedric.
“Good morning, Duke.”
I greeted him first.
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
“Did you have breakfast?”
“Yes. And you, Your Highness?”
“Yes! Thanks to you, I enjoy wonderful meals every day.”
I placed a hand to my chest in gratitude. Cedric looked at me with an emotionless face. He didn’t seem to recognize that I was joking a little. I changed the topic.
“Are you headed to your office?”
“Yes.”
He was wearing gold-rimmed glasses—he only wore them when working. Even with part of his face covered, he still looked handsome.
“The glasses suit you well, Duke.”
Complimenting a man’s looks wasn’t very ladylike, so I chose the glasses instead.
“Thank you.”
The driest voice in the world.
The next day—
There was a reception room on the second floor with a particularly large terrace. The sun was nice that day, so the maids recommended having a little picnic there. While enjoying snacks at the terrace table, I spotted Cedric speaking with Sir Connor outside the Dayerton Knights’ training grounds.
Sir Connor gave him a brief salute. Their conversation seemed to have ended. As Cedric turned away, our eyes met. Cedric seemed quite sensitive to gazes. When he looked up at me, Sir Connor also raised his head and bowed to me.
I cheerfully waved my hand. Cedric responded with a polite bow.
I decided that this terrace was a nice place to enjoy the fresh air.
The day after that—
I decided to have a small picnic in the ducal rear garden.
We found a large tree with pleasant shade and set a table beneath it. While enjoying sweet hibiscus tea, I met Cedric’s gaze—he was inside, visible through the office window.
Thinking back on it now, the duke’s office was on the first floor, and its windows faced the rear garden. Still, of all the places in this enormous estate, wasn’t it strange to set up the picnic right in front of his office?
I felt embarrassed—would it look like I was idle and enjoying myself while he was hard at work? To dispel that awkwardness, I smiled at him. He bowed briefly in return and turned away. The sunlight was too bright to see inside clearly.
I picked up the sandwich in front of me and took a big bite, thinking that next time I should choose another location.
And the day after that—
The chef brought me a dessert I had never seen before, and it exceeded all expectations. He called it a mini crème brûlée tart.
Knowing I enjoyed picnicking around the estate, he even skewered several little tarts onto a small wooden stick. I privately called it my “crème brûlée tower.”
One day, I requested a whole bunch of them. Since they didn’t exist in the Kingdom of Lundra, I thought the royal knights should try them too.
Carrying a basket of snacks with the maids, I headed to the knights’ quarters. Crossing the garden, I ran into Cedric.
“Good afternoon, Duke!”
“Good afternoon, Your Highness.”
I lifted the basket on my wrist and handed a snack to Cedric.
“Would you like one? It’s sweet.”
“Thank you.”
Cedric accepted it. He stood still, holding the end of the skewer.
“You eat it like this.”
I lifted my hand as though holding an imaginary skewer. Cedric raised his hand slightly.
“Yes, like that. And then you take a bite like this.”
I demonstrated an enthusiastic chomp. Cedric copied me.
He eats well.
I bowed and headed toward the knights’ building.
Another day… another ordinary day—
I went horseback riding. The butler, Mason, planned a cantering route through the forest surrounding the estate. Sir Leo Mathis, a knight of the kingdom, accompanied me for protection.
On the way to the stables after finishing, I ran into Cedric.
I dismounted and greeted him.
“Good afternoon, Duke.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Good afternoon.”
Cedric returned the greeting politely and emotionlessly. I noticed his casual attire. Maybe he had just finished training.
“I heard you’re a very famous knight in the Empire.”
“Is that so.”
“Why are you known as such a famous knight?”
“I’m not sure what rumors you mean, so I cannot answer.”
“You don’t even know your own rumors?”
I couldn’t suppress my smile. Cedric remained expressionless.
“I’m not very interested in outside matters.”
“Hm. Then you probably don’t know the other rumors about you either?”
I leaned in slightly and lowered my voice conspiratorially.
I pretended I knew things about Cedric’s reputation, but in truth, other than the rumor that he never left the house, I knew nothing. And after spending days here, I was starting to think that wasn’t a rumor—it was fact. Even if I told him something was a rumor, he wouldn’t seem surprised. But I just wanted to see a hint of curiosity on his face.
“Are there more rumors?”
Cedric asked with a face that showed absolutely no curiosity.
“I’ve heard things. If you’re curious, ask me. I’ll tell you anytime.”
“Understood.”
What a letdown. I straightened my posture again.
I thought he would walk past me, so I adjusted my hold on the reins—but then Cedric spoke again.
“Rachel wrote that she will be visiting in a few days.”
“The princess?”
“She seems to wish to meet Your Highness.”
Did he mean the three of us would meet together, or that Princess Rachel wanted a private conversation with me? If it was the latter, would she bring up the matter of the kingdom’s treasure again?
“I’ll send the exact time through the maid.”
“Thank you, Duke.”
Cedric gave a small bow and headed toward the mansion.
My horse snorted, so I turned to calm it—and met Cedric’s eyes again. He was standing somewhere between where we had parted and the mansion. I gave a small nod.
Why was he still standing there?
I turned back toward the stables.
