Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Servant Cedric (18) - A Lucky Day for a Certain Noble Lady
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Cedric thought.
‘My body’s condition is no joke.’
His entire body felt as heavy as if lead weights were hung all over it, and his limbs trembled at random intervals.
His senses, which had always stayed razor-sharp, had dulled so badly that he needed mana reinforcement just to barely maintain average human levels.
Without a doubt, his body was barreling toward ruin.
In a way, it was only natural.
During the assassination attempt on Claudia, the martial force he’d unleashed was roughly mid-4th rank.
For a clone specialized in combat prowess like adventurer Bern, it was power that could be wielded without much trouble, but for Cedric—who chased all-around versatility at the cost of lower peaks in every area—it demanded preparing for massive backlash.
Already by that point, serious strain had piled up in his body, and afterward, he’d pushed even beyond his magic limits.
Armin Redbell’s surveillance had been as relentless as his personality, so to slip completely past his minions’ eyes and strike from behind, he’d needed to weave together a fair variety of spells.
A body made of mana. Even as he clearly sensed the creaking screams from every straining component, Cedric didn’t hesitate to smile.
‘Still, it’s a relief the contract’s almost up.’
This body wasn’t his true self anyway.
Even if it collapsed from self-inflicted damage, that was far from actual death, and unless it was abruptly shattered by outside force like with Bern, the kickback to his main body could be kept to a minimum.
If he had to name an anxiety, it might be failing to fulfill his role as ‘Servant Cedric,’ but luckily, his current state looked like it could hold out through the remaining time.
“Cough! Cough! Sigh... Almost got it on my clothes.”
Wearing a wry smile at the sudden gush of blood, he swiftly straightened his posture and set off again.
Unaware, thanks to his senses being so badly numbed by the side effects, that a certain maid had witnessed the scene and was staring in horror.
Sometimes, your eyes just open on a good day for no particular reason.
Today was exactly that kind of day for Claudia.
The maids helping with her morning routine seemed to sense it too. The one brushing Claudia’s hair spoke up.
“You seem to be in high spirits today, miss.”
“That obvious?”
“Yes. Did something good happen?”
“Nah, nothing like that. I just feel great, condition-wise.”
Lackadaisical chit-chat free of any tension, blooming into cheerful laughter.
Seeing the maids’ smiling faces reflected in the mirror, Claudia thought to herself.
‘Back in the day, they’d have been frozen stiff, working like dolls.’
Just a few months ago, maids voluntarily striking up casual conversation with Claudia would’ve been unthinkable.
One wrong moment with her mood, and a slap would fly—who’d dare open their mouth?
‘What an idiot I was.’
No matter how hard or miserable she felt, that didn’t justify taking it out on others.
Servants weren’t objects she could handle or discard at whim; they were humans, just like her, with blood that ran and pain that hurt.
Establishing noble authority was one thing; wanton harm was another. Proof of that: they could chat like this, yet efficiency hadn’t dropped—in fact, it had improved.
Facts she either hadn’t known before or had ignored.
‘Makes me feel sorry all over again...’
Of course, she’d already apologized for past wrongs and offered monetary compensation, but that didn’t instantly erase the guilt in her heart.
Some servants had accepted it sincerely, but others had only because of her status—and knowing that made it worse.
This lingering unease would have to be repaid slowly, over a long time.
Breakfast time.
The head chef, who’d been diligently honing his skills lately, served a menu Claudia found quite familiar.
“Omelette rice and Hamburg steak?”
“It took quite some time to master what I learned from Cedric into my own cooking. Please, savor it.”
Unlike the red sauce Cedric usually used, this omelette rice came with a rich brown sauce. Claudia took a bite and nodded slightly.
‘This one’s pretty good in its own way.’
Unlike what she’d eaten before, the sauce had a deeper flavor and a more mature feel.
Personally, she preferred Cedric’s version, but other nobles would probably favor this one.
The Hamburg steak was another difference: Cedric’s had been a big slab, while the chef’s came in cute, one-bite orb shapes.
Easier to eat with a fork, and the taste was solid.
“Nice, it’s delicious.”
At Claudia’s simple words, the tension drained from the head chef, who’d been wound up tight, a joyful smile breaking across his face.
It wasn’t anything grand, yet he was over the moon—probably because she’d never acknowledged him much before. Made her feel a bit sorry for him.
Saying “delicious” to food made just for her in this huge mansion shouldn’t have been so hard.
Heading out to the garden, she saw a few servants tending to the blood beasts.
Or more like playing with them.
“Go on! Fetch! Good boy! That’s it!”
“Hand! Hand! Oof, why won’t it listen to me?”
“Must be skill, right?”
“What? Hey! Switch! Let’s swap beasts and try!”
“Tsk, I just spoke the truth—why get so worked up?”
Leaving the servants to growl at each other like dogs themselves, the two small-dog-sized blood beasts yawned lazily.
Thinking back to how they used to tremble at the mere shadow of a blood beast from afar, it was an astonishing change.
Of course, no one would treat a lion-sized monster the same as a knee-high pup...
‘Did they forget there’s a drop of my blood in those blood beasts they’re playing with?’
Claudia didn’t constantly share the blood beasts’ visions and sensations in real time.
But when she met one, she could receive their experiences via intent.
Conversely, she could issue them commands a bit more complex than for a normal dog: ‘Do this in that situation’ or ‘Go to that building and fetch someone then.’
The blood beasts scattered across the territory had been ordered to ‘teach what you’ve learned to your offspring,’ so the security system would propagate on its own without her meeting each one personally.
Claudia debated giving the servants a light warning, then decided to stay quiet.
Honestly, watching was pretty entertaining.
-Woof!
-Arf!
Perhaps sensing Claudia’s will, the two blood beasts sent intent like, ‘We’ll tell you later how they played!’
Claudia smiled and left the garden.
Her next stop was the lord’s office in the mansion.
Head butler Bestian, now utterly natural with paperwork in hand, reported on the territory’s management.
“The number of free folk trying to settle here from outside Eched territory is steadily rising. Seems the ‘territory free of worries about criminals or monster raids’ is a big draw for them.”
“No issues with food or land?”
“Eched was full of unused, fallow land to begin with, so if we take in migrants gradually while having them clear fields, there shouldn’t be major problems. The territory’s finances are ample too, so we can buy food from outside if needed.”
“Guess I owe big sis and big bro thanks. They squeezed out quite the haul.”
“It’s not just anything—it’s compensation for threats to your life, miss. They couldn’t complain even if you took more.”
“What about reactions from other Redbell territories?”
“Quite a few are flustered seeing you back the Crown Prince instead of the Second Prince, but open malcontents are relatively few. They see the marquis not punishing you as a form of ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’”
Put all eggs in the Second Prince’s basket, and you lose everything if he falls.
Split some into the Crown Prince’s, and even in the worst case, something remains.
Of course, purely theoretical—and in practice, a risky strategy.
The Second Prince was apparently throwing a fit over her ‘two-timing.’
Marquis Redbell ignored him completely, leaving eldest son Armin to suffer so much he was going bald.
“Working this hard for his little sister—eldest sons really are different.”
Claudia burst into giggles.
She’d gained some leisure and grace now, yielding to ‘her people,’ but her core personality hadn’t vanished without a trace.
Delighting in others’ misfortune—that was the villainess lady to a T.
After reviewing paperwork for a good while and wrapping up a chunk, she summoned Cedric.
She wanted the black tea he brewed.
“Here you are, miss.”
Moments after calling, Cedric appeared with a serving cart. Claudia quietly sipped the tea he’d prepared.
Temperature adjusted to the perfect drinking warmth, while preserving the aroma that would normally fade at that heat—a technique only Cedric could pull off...
“...Huh?”
Sensing something off, Claudia tilted her head and took another sip of the clear orange liquid.
Then she was sure.
‘The aroma’s weaker than usual?’
The taste on her tongue wasn’t much different.
But the tea’s key element, the scent, felt subdued.
He’d mentioned using mana somehow to cool it while fully preserving the aroma—had that step failed?
Even sipping a less polished failure than usual, Claudia didn’t get mad.
If anything, she felt a bit pleased.
Seeing that even Cedric could mess up made him feel more approachable and fun.
“Sheesh, it’s not as good as usual. You getting too relaxed lately?”
With a touch of teasing, Claudia spoke to him.
Looking forward to whatever shameless comeback he’d fire back.
But his reaction was unexpected.
Cedric’s eyes went wide in genuine surprise, then his face fell somber as he bowed his head.
“...I’m sorry, miss. I have no excuses.”
“Huh? Oh, uh, no need to worry that much. Everyone slips up sometimes. Didn’t you tell me that yourself?”
Abandoning her plan to tease, Claudia hurriedly consoled him.
She hadn’t imagined this response.
To her, Cedric was already an irreplaceable giant in her life.
She wasn’t rotten enough to truly scold the servant who’d changed her life over a minor slip.
At least, not until his next words.
“I offer my deepest thanks for your magnanimity, miss. You’ve truly grown so much. Now I can leave with peace of mind.”
“...Leave?”
Claudia blankly echoed.
Moments later, her serene face twisted viciously.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Where do you think you’re going?”
“The contract term ends soon.”
“Then renew it!!”
Crash!
The teacup Claudia dropped shattered with a loud clatter.
But she didn’t spare it a glance.
Her eyes fixed solely on Cedric.
“Don’t go. You’re mine. My servant. You think I’ll let you leave!?”
“Even so, extending the contract isn’t possible, miss.”
“Why not!!”
Bam!
Claudia slammed the table and shot to her feet.
Her blazing eyes met Cedric’s calm ones in silence.
Cedric bowed first.
“...You seem a bit agitated right now. I’ll come back later.”
With that, he left the room. Claudia glared daggers at the door, then flopped irritably into her chair.
Then, maid Neria entered to clean the broken cup shards.
After carefully sweeping and mopping the floor, she hesitated instead of leaving right away.
The moment Claudia—her good mood all day rendered pointless, her temper razor-sharp—was about to snap...
“Um, miss. Actually—”