7
Cedric’s eyelids fluttered. His heart sank, hit squarely by the truth.
But at the same time, this was something he had expected to some degree. Lavinia was no fool, and there was no way she could fail to see the connection when such bizarre events kept occurring only when a certain man was involved.
Cedric forced himself to maintain the unabashed smile he had practiced so diligently.
“Whatever do you mean by that?”
“…….”
“I admit that strange things have happened when I’ve been with you lately, but I don’t know how you could misunderstand and think I was behind them. You know as well as I do—magic is strictly forbidden in the capital.”
“So you’re saying this is all just a series of miraculous coincidences?”
When Lavinia asked back, raising an eyebrow in disbelief, Cedric took a step closer with a broad grin.
“That’s why it’s so amazing. Doesn’t it feel like a strange destiny is trying its best to bind us together? I, for one, feel something quite special.”
He then reached out his hand, offering to carry the book she held. Lavinia let out a short, dry laugh and simply stared at him. In her sharp gaze, a searching light lingered, as if trying to decipher exactly what his scheme was.
‘Haha, I feel like I’m going to die.’
Cedric thought brightly.
The longer her silence stretched, the more his mind went blank, his heart thrashed, and his palms grew damp. His very vitals felt twisted with an ache, and the strength was draining from his legs. Cedric naturally leaned against a bookshelf to steady himself and tried to pivot the conversation.
“My carriage is waiting outside today as well. Since we have the same destination, won’t you ride with me?”
His voice trembled slightly as he asked. Lavinia frowned slightly and questioned him.
“Is Your Grace also going to the royal palace?”
“Yes. Of course. The hunting competition is coming up soon, isn’t it? Shouldn’t I go to scout the mountain trails of the hunting grounds? I assume you haven’t scouted them yet, My Lady?”
Lavinia nodded.
Indeed, she had recently seen groups of nobles heading up and down the royal mountain under the pretext of learning the terrain. However, Lavinia had already made a promise to climb those trails with Philip tomorrow.
“I’ve already agreed to go with Prince Philip tomorrow.”
But Cedric merely tilted his head and gave a small, knowing smile.
“Is that so? But that fellow… he’s going to be quite busy.”
It was a meaningful remark.
There was no way a prince who, until yesterday, had been idly hopping between social clubs with his friends all night would suddenly become busy. Lavinia looked at Cedric with eyes full of suspicion, but he merely shrugged his shoulders with a harmless smile.
“Don’t be like that; let us return together. As you know, the lines for entry are quite long due to the high number of visitors. If you are with me, you’ll be able to enter in no time.”
What he said was true. During the preparation period for the hunting competition, the royal palace was several times more crowded than usual, and even Lavinia, who stayed at the detached palace, had to wait in those long inspection lines just the same.
However, the carriage of Cedric, a member of the royal family, could pass through at the fastest speed at any time. Since wasting time was not a hobby of hers, Lavinia nodded and said she would accept the favor.
At her affirmation, Cedric secretly expressed his joy by tightly clenching his fist behind his back.
Throughout the carriage ride, it seemed only Cedric spoke, but he didn’t particularly mind. Even if she only let out a dry laugh as if she couldn’t help herself, or if she just blinked her eyes ever so slightly, it was enough for him as long as there was a reaction. When the carriage stopped in front of the detached palace, Lavinia offered a polite greeting and stepped down.
Just then, someone who appeared to be Prince Philip’s servant came rushing toward Lavinia the moment he saw her. In the servant’s hand was a short letter stamped with the royal seal.
Cedric did not start the carriage even while Lavinia opened and read the letter; he sat quietly and obediently, as if waiting for his moment.
After reading the short note, Lavinia naturally turned her head toward Cedric.
“Prince Philip says he has suddenly become too busy to make time tomorrow. He says he will write an urgent letter asking Your Grace to guide me instead. Have you received that letter already?”
“No.”
“Then did Your Grace make Prince Philip busy?”
As she had thought before, Lavinia was truly a clever and sharp person. It wasn’t that he fell for her because she was that kind of person, but knowing she was, he found himself liking her even more.
Cedric grinned once again.
“My Lady, you overrate me. How could I possibly make a Prince of the Kingdom busy? It’s just that… it seems the mountain of documents piled in Philip’s study finally reached the point where they required approval today. Of course, it appears my father gave His Majesty a few words of advice regarding royal discipline, but I’m sure that, too, is merely a coincidence.”
It was Lavinia who was left dazed by that answer.
It seemed more logical to believe it was all a coincidence than to believe that Cedric Valmont had used his own father to advise the King—all just to trip Philip up so he could go scouting with her.
Since she couldn’t find the right words to respond, she could only part her lips wordlessly. Cedric stepped down from the carriage and politely extended his arm toward her once more.
“As it happens, we must go to the hunting grounds together, and quite by chance, here I am. I happen to be free, so if you have no other plans, why don’t we head to the hunting grounds right now?”
At that, Lavinia let out a laugh that was almost a sigh.
She wondered if refusing was even meaningful at this point. Even if she refused here, she would surely meet him “by chance” again tomorrow, and the day after that.
Ultimately, Lavinia placed her hand on his forearm.
She didn’t need to look to know that the corners of Cedric’s mouth had curved upward smoothly.
***
The forest trails of the royal hunting grounds boasted an overwhelming landscape, a testament to the Kingdom’s majesty. Over her head, centuries-old trees formed a canopy of deep green shade to block the sun, and beneath her feet, fine soil and moss were spread out like a carpet.
Cedric led the way skillfully, like a guide who had walked this path tens of thousands of times. However, his gait was quite different from his usual arrogant stride. He hesitated with every step to check Lavinia’s pace, and whenever he saw a stray branch or a rough stone on the path, he was busy kicking it aside with his own feet faster than anyone else.
“This path has a gentle slope, so it will be easy to walk. If we go up just a bit more, we’ll reach the valley that serves as the finish line for the competition. The scenery there is the finest in the Kingdom.”
Lavinia followed behind him in silence, observing the surrounding terrain. Certainly, the path Cedric had chosen was excellent both strategically and aesthetically. However, she couldn’t fully focus on the beautiful forest scenery because of Cedric, who kept awkwardly putting his hands behind his back, waving them again, and occasionally clutching his heart in secret.
‘He clearly seems to be in pain somewhere, so why is he pushing himself so hard?’
When she frowned, he became even more flustered.
“Are your feet hurting?”
“Pardon?”
“I heard that in Barkazar, people prefer to go barefoot when climbing mountains. You don’t need to worry about formalities in front of me, so please, take off your shoes.”
At that, Lavinia let out a soft laugh.
“Are you mocking me for being a barbarian?”
She knew the man, who was so flustered every time she spoke, wouldn’t mean it that way, but she simply felt the impulse to say it.
As expected, Cedric’s face turned deathly pale.
“I would never dare.”
“People of Nordiel do it every chance they get. At first, they watched me eat for a long time, as if they were expecting me to eat with my hands.”
“Who would do such a thing?”
“Actually, there are tribes that do eat with their hands.”
At that, Cedric fell silent. He didn’t know whether he should criticize the nobles who treated her like a barbarian or support her by saying that eating with one’s hands is naturally the most intuitive way.
As if sensing Cedric’s complicated inner thoughts, Lavinia laughed.
“Actually, you aren’t really interested, are you?”
“Pardon?”
Leaving Cedric making a sound as if he were being strangled, Lavinia shrugged her shoulders.
“Whether I eat with my hands or climb mountains barefoot—rather than whether those acts are barbaric or not, aren’t you just worrying about how to praise me without making me feel bad?”
Cedric inhaled sharply at the way she hit the mark.
“That is……”
Just as Cedric’s lips quivered to offer an excuse, it happened.
As Lavinia, who was following behind, stepped on some sodden earth, the edge of the path—which had looked perfectly fine—gave way helplessly.
“Ah……!”
With a short cry, Lavinia’s body swayed heavily to the side. Having lost her balance, her foot slipped, and a sickening crack echoed as her shoe heel got caught in a sharp rocky crevice.
“Watch out!”
If Cedric hadn’t snatched Lavinia by the waist, she surely would have broken her ankle. He instantly gathered her in his arms, pulling her fiercely against his chest.
For a moment, the smell of wet earth brushing her nose mixed with the cool scent of Cedric’s perfume.
