Chapter 18
Isaac gently set Cecile down with stiff, creaky movements. Ever so gently.
‘Seriously, with the overprotectiveness…’
Cecile thought to herself, but seeing the fear on Isaac and Hans’s faces, she realized she was the only one who could ease the tension.
“You’re here, Duke? Isaac and Hans were just telling me what happened.”
As Cecile spoke in a friendly tone, the Duke of Bartholomew, who had been focused on the adults, softened noticeably when his gaze shifted to her.
“I see.”
‘Honestly, even earlier when he was punishing those three, I felt it… How can his attitude be so drastically different depending on whether he’s dealing with adults or children?’
When he faced adults, he was ruthless and harsh—worthy of his nicknames, the King of the Underworld and the Father of Crime.
But the way he treated her now was the complete opposite.
He was still blunt and stiff, but at least he wasn’t cold or cruel toward her.
After quietly observing Cecile for a moment, the Duke finally spoke.
“I heard that you played a crucial role in resolving the situation.”
Behind him, Isaac flashed a V sign with his fingers and shrugged his shoulders proudly. It seemed he had once again taken it upon himself to credit Cecile.
Cecile was more than satisfied with that. More than anything, she wanted to prove her usefulness to the Duke of Bartholomew and earn his favor.
Even if his capricious goodwill were to disappear, she wanted to ensure he couldn’t cast her aside so easily.
She neatly folded her hands and placed them on her stomach.
The gesture made her look mature, but also revealed a child’s effort to appear grown-up—an intentional, calculated move on her part.
“I don’t know if it was crucial, but I’m glad I was able to help,” Cecile said modestly with a shy smile.
The Duke looked at her with a curious expression—as if he could see right through her. Having once been killed by him, Cecile felt her heart sink under the weight of his piercing gaze.
“…Is there something you want?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked if there is something you desire.”
There was. Something she had been thinking about for a long time.
“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to have dinner with you.”
The Duke had protected her as promised and spared no financial support—but that wasn’t all Cecile wanted.
They always dined separately. In fact, they barely ever crossed paths unless she sought him out herself.
But what Cecile wanted was to grow closer to the Duke. And this was an opportunity she couldn’t afford to miss.
The Duke paused at her words.
“Would that really be enough for you?”
Not just the Duke—everyone around them looked surprised.
The Duke of Bartholomew had offered to grant her any wish, and she chose not money or power but simply to share a meal?
But Cecile saw things differently.
‘I know how people like him think. Someone like the Duke, who is guarded and moody—you ask for too much and it’ll just backfire.’
If she had demanded money or privileges now, it would’ve earned her the Duke’s and his retainers’ disapproval.
They might start suspecting that this obscure little princess had approached the Duke with ulterior motives from the start.
‘I have to approach him one step at a time—so he won’t feel wary. So that before he realizes it, I’ll have completely tied his heart down.’
Show her usefulness while still playing the role of a pure, innocent child.
Cecile intended to be the perfect, sweet child in front of him. The kind of child no one would ever suspect of harboring an agenda.
Smiling deviously in her heart, Cecile put on her best angelic smile.
“Yes, I truly wanted to share a meal with you, Duke. Nothing brings people closer like enjoying delicious food together.”
She stretched her arm out and pointed to Hans, who stood behind her.
“Besides, Chef Hans’s cooking is absolutely amazing! It’s way better than anything I had in the imperial palace.”
Hans looked startled by the unexpected praise.
“Milady…”
His eyes shimmered with emotion.
‘Hans is a loyal man. These little things will only deepen his loyalty.’
Cecile giggled.
“It always felt like a waste to eat such delicious food alone. If I could share it with you, Duke, I’d be really happy.”
The Duke seemed to consider her request for a moment before nodding.
“That’s not too difficult. How about tomorrow at 7 p.m.?”
“Sounds great!”
“Then it’s settled.”
And with that, the Duke left.
Cecile turned to Hans.
“I’ll leave the best dinner befitting the empire’s greatest chef in your hands. You’re up for it, right, Chef Hans?”
Hans replied with a determined expression.
“Of course! I’ll prepare the finest feast of my life, with my pride as the Duke of Bartholomew’s head chef on the line. Just leave it to me!”
Cecile was really, really looking forward to tomorrow’s dinner.
Dinner was absolutely extravagant. The white tablecloth was barely visible beneath the mountain of dishes.
Even Cecile, on her second lifetime, had never seen some of the exotic ingredients on display, and each dish gleamed with mouthwatering oil.
‘This is the first time His Grace is having a meal with anyone else.’
‘Seriously! He’s always so busy with work, he usually just eats alone in his office.’
The cooks, who had grown quite fond of Cecile, had whispered the tidbit to her earlier. Maybe that was why everything looked even more appetizing now.
Cecile stared at the beautiful Chateaubriand steak that made her mouth water just by looking at it.
Instead of eating it herself, she slid the plate toward the Duke.
“…?”
The Duke looked puzzled. It was uncommon for an 8-year-old to give up a delicious dish for someone else.
Cecile giggled.
“I heard you usually eat alone in your office because of how busy you are.”
While most nobles and rich people liked to flaunt their wealth with grand banquets, the Duke was different.
He only ever ate the simplest meals—just enough to keep himself going. Meals purely for survival.
“I’ve always felt a bit guilty eating such good food thanks to your generosity, Duke. I hope you can really enjoy your meal today.”
Taking care of the Duke’s meal—something even his own servants never did—was undeniably thoughtful.
If only her seemingly innocent consideration weren’t backed by a highly calculated, self-serving plan.
‘To open the heart of someone like him, cold and unfeeling, you need this kind of delicate attention. Now then, what will your reaction be, Duke?’
Underneath her innocent smile, Cecile was scheming away.
The Duke looked at her with a hard-to-read expression. He seemed just a little flustered.
“…I’m not sure how to respond. No one’s ever looked after me like this before.”
Still, he accepted the plate of steak Cecile had pushed toward him.
‘Success!’
Seeing him accept her gesture, Cecile’s eyes sparkled. Her plan had worked.
But then, the Duke’s next move was something she hadn’t expected at all.
He cut the steak into bite-sized pieces—and placed the plate back in front of her.
“But the one who needs to focus on nutrition is you, not me.”
“Eh? B-but…”
“I’ve already grown, but you’ve still got a long way to go.”
He calmly ate the simple chicken dish in front of him.
“You’ll need to eat plenty if you want that tiny body of yours to grow.”
“T-Tiny…?!”
Cecile was dumbfounded.
‘Did he just—did he just tease me for being short?!’
