Chapter 21
A genuine smile with no calculations or hidden motives. Words that were clumsy but sincere.
It had been a completely impulsive thing to say something so childish.
‘Maybe I’ll regret it tomorrow because it’ll be too embarrassing… but right now, who cares. I just don’t want to see that villainous duke crying in secret.’
Cecile felt surprisingly refreshed.
‘Don’t act all pitiful when you’re the one who killed me. Let me hate you properly, will you?’
The fact that the duke looked like he had taken a hit made her feel even better.
Just as Cecile was about to leave the office again—
“Cecile.”
This time, it was the duke who called her back.
She hadn’t expected him to say anything, so she turned around, startled.
In the dim light, where only the starlight faintly shimmered, the duke was smiling.
It was a very faint smile on a pale, exhausted face—barely visible, really—but that alone was enough to shock Cecile.
“Thank you for today… truly.”
* * *
The next morning, as expected, Cecile was mortified.
‘How could I say something so unprepared, so unsophisticated, and just plain stupid! And to the duke of all people!’
Blushing furiously, she kicked her blankets in frustration.
‘I’m supposed to be a dark mage—an expert in manipulating people with words. And I said “The Duke is actually kind of cool”? What the hell was that?!’
What made it worse was that it wasn’t just her and the duke who knew what she’d said.
[Cecile, I never imagined you actually thought the duke was cool!]
They say walls have ears, and in her case, her familiar Nibelung always seemed to hear everything, day or night. Now he was teasing her to death.
[Then what about me? This mighty being who always works to strengthen your magical power—don’t you think I am cool too?]
Cecile felt a chill down to her soul.
“Drop dead. Go into eternal slumber and never speak to me again.”
[T-That’s so harsh!]
“Hmph. Anyway, I’m busy today, so don’t bother me. Unless you really want to go to sleep forever.”
[Busy? What are you planning to do today?]
Telling Nibelung not to talk had never once stopped him from talking. Cecile let out a scoff like she was used to it.
“I’m going to win over the organization members. Should be easy as flipping my hand.”
* * *
“M-Miss Cecile?! What are you doing here?!”
The members of the organization were shocked to see her.
Today, Cecile wore a cute outing dress and carried a picnic basket nearly as big as her whole body.
“I came because I wanted to share some delicious food with you all. You enjoyed it so much last time, and that made me happy.”
She tilted up the wide brim of her hat and gave a bright smile.
That’s right—she had come to none other than the headquarters of the criminal organization.
“Somebody get Ace.”
The members, buzzing from the unexpected guest, hurried inside and returned with someone.
Even before seeing his face, Cecile already knew who it was.
Ace—the Duke’s hunting dog, the head of the organization. A man with a red mohawk.
‘Oh? He changed his hairstyle.’
Last time, his hair had been spiked up like a rooster’s comb. Now it was down, looking pretty decent.
Maybe that was why his ruggedly handsome features stood out more.
‘Why didn’t he do this sooner? I know this is a crime syndicate, but that rooster look was just too much.’
After hearing the situation from the others, Ace came up to Cecile with a troubled expression.
“Miss Cecile, we’re thankful that you came, but… to be honest, after last time, the boss told us to avoid contact with you. He’s worried we might have a bad influence on you.”
Given the duke’s attitude last time, it wasn’t exactly unexpected. Cecile replied with a well-prepared line.
“Really?! I never imagined anything like that.”
“The boss is, well… kind of strict. So, Miss, maybe this time you should—”
“Um… then, could we at least eat this together before I go? It’s strawberry tart and pumpkin pie… I worked really hard thinking of you all while baking…”
It was around 4 p.m.—long past lunch and just before dinner. People were starting to feel peckish.
The members—especially those who had tasted her cooking before—began to stir. Even Ace looked conflicted.
“Strawberry tart and pumpkin pie, huh, Ace?”
“No way. One more hit from the boss and I won’t have any functioning brain cells left.”
“But… it’s strawberries…”
They looked at him with puppy eyes.
Cornered, Ace glanced back at Cecile, trying to avoid the group’s stares.
Cecile’s big, round violet eyes sparkled with pleading as she clasped her hands together.
In Ace’s mind, Cecile’s teary eyes mixed with images of strawberries and pumpkin pie, spinning in a whirl.
“…Ugh, fine! I’ll just train my skull too from now on!”
“Woohoo!”
The members burst into cheers.
“But we’re eating outside, not in HQ.”
There were probably things at HQ that were too unsightly for Cecile to see.
‘Well, it is a criminal organization, after all.’
A man with a skull tattoo said there was a perfect picnic spot halfway up the front mountain. On good days, even the members came up there to hold get-togethers.
“Then let’s go there!”
And so, Cecile, Ace, and half a dozen other members headed toward the mountain.
* * *
On the way to the picnic spot, Cecile and the group came across an elderly woman hauling a large bundle up the trail.
The path was too narrow to pass her, and she was moving painfully slowly.
“What the hell, granny! Where do you think you’re going?!”
‘Uh-oh, that’s not good.’
Cecile had already been wary when the old woman blocked the path, but when the pink-haired woman started picking a fight, her frown deepened.
She herself wasn’t exactly a righteous person, and as a dark mage, she’d vowed to use any means necessary to achieve her goals. Still, she didn’t like doing cruel things to innocent people like she had in her previous life.
‘Those kinds of things leave a bitter aftertaste and mess up your dreams. Just not my style.’
Just as Cecile was about to smooth things over diplomatically—
“How dare a granny climb a mountain trail alone! And carrying such a heavy load, too!”
“Give me that bundle!”
“Hurry, climb on my back, ma’am!”
“Oh dear… thank you, dears. What polite young folks you are. Hohoho…”
Cecile had thought she’d seen everything life had to offer, but this shocked even her.
Ace, carrying the old lady’s bundle, looked back at Cecile.
“Miss Cecile, want me to carry you too?”
“N-No, I’m fine.”
“Fine, huh? Get on already, before your fancy shoes get dirty.”
And just like that, Cecile ended up getting a piggyback ride too.
Surprisingly, being carried up a mountain wasn’t too bad. It was kind of comfortable.
After escorting the old woman over the ridge, the group finally arrived at the picnic spot.
“Wow, the weather is amazing today.”
“Nice, right, Miss? You can see the whole town from here, and there’s a stream too.”
Cecile nodded at the member’s words.
‘South-facing, so there’s plenty of warm sunlight. Great view. Fresh water from the stream. Perfect spot for a picnic.’
The members laid out a large mat, and even brought an extra cushion for Cecile so the ground wouldn’t be too hard.
Ace sat to one side of her, and the pink-haired woman to the other. The rest gathered in a circle.
Cecile opened the picnic basket. Out came the strawberry tart and pumpkin pie she had baked with Hans, along with a bottle of strong black tea and matching teacups.
