Chapter 127
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127
“I wasn’t aware that my assistance was causing you trouble. For that, I offer my sincerest apologies.”
“It’s not your fault, Duke—!”
“However, there is one thing I must correct.”
He cut her off gently, as if to keep Harriet from spiraling into further apologies.
“To be honest, Lady Harriet, I could say the exact same thing to you. Except, of course, for the part about ‘disliking’ it.”
“Pardon?”
“You keep insisting that I’ve been showing you favors for no reason, but the reality is quite the opposite. You are the one who helped me without expecting a single thing in return.”
“Uh…”
Harriet’s eyes darted back and forth as she sifted through her memories.
To Cedric, that sight alone spoke volumes about the purity of her heart. She was the type to forget her own generosity while magnifying the kindness of others, forever convinced she was the one in debt.
“Perhaps you take your own actions lightly because they come naturally to you, but none of it was easy. If you look at it from a different perspective, you’ll find the answer. Imagine if someone else had bestowed such favors upon you.”
If someone had risked their own reputation to shield her honor… if someone had tracked down and returned the precious mementos of her late parents…
Harriet realized she would have regarded such a person as her benefactor for life.
Only then did her shoulders rise slightly as she began to truly grasp the value of what she had done for Cedric. Noticing the subtle shift in her posture, Cedric allowed himself a discreet smile.
“I understand what you are wary of, and I highly value that noble resolve.”
“Well, no, it’s only natural for me to handle my own affairs…”
“That may be so, Lady Harriet. But even I, a Duke, rely on those around me when a crisis arises. Does that make me weak?”
Of course not. He was one of the most powerful men in the Empire.
As Harriet slowly shook her head, Cedric took another step closer.
“Sometimes, our own problems become impossible to resolve alone. Borrowing the strength of others can lead to a far better outcome. Unless it crosses a line, asking for help is nothing to be ashamed of.”
“But because of me, you even had to meet Her Majesty the Empress. Wasn’t that crossing a line?”
“To you, she is the Empress. To me, she is simply my aunt. We see each other often, and she dotes on me. It truly was no trouble at all.”
Harriet furrowed her brow, looking a little confused. Cedric, however, had no intention of giving her time to overthink it.
“I hope that we can continue a relationship where we support one another.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. To put it bluntly, human relationships thrive on mutual benefit—whatever form that may take.”
Though something about his words felt slightly unsettling, Harriet nodded, seemingly grasping the gist of his point.
Cedric smiled faintly. He gently took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it, her skin cool from the night breeze.
“I hope you enjoy the rest of the banquet. And, if I may say so, you look truly beautiful tonight.”
“Pardon?”
Leaving a thoroughly flustered Harriet in his wake, Cedric quietly withdrew from the balcony.
In truth, the shivers that had raced down his spine when he kissed her hand hadn’t subsided, and his heart was hammering against his ribs.
“Haa... The weather really is... wonderful.”
Walking down the deserted corridor, Cedric muttered to himself. It was the first time in his life he had ever truly felt the weather was good.
*
While Cedric and Harriet were talking, Daphne had also called Edgar aside.
Back at the Laurel estate, when he’d first asked her to dance, she had written him off as a mere attention-seeker. But today, having become her waltz partner for a second time, she felt she couldn’t simply let it pass.
“What could Lady Laurel possibly want to say to me? I doubt anyone is eavesdropping by now.”
Edgar, having led Daphne to a secluded spot, looked at her with an expectant expression. His face was still full of mischief, making it hard to tell if he was being serious.
Daphne hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak frankly.
“First, I believe I owe you my thanks.”
“To whom? …Surely not me?”
“Yes. You’ve saved me from the fate of a wallflower twice now.”
At her words, Edgar practically jumped, as if the idea were preposterous.
“Me, saving you, My Lady? I was simply a step quicker than the rest. Even if I hadn’t stepped in, someone else would have surely asked you to dance.”
“You are very considerate. But if it hadn’t been for you, Young Master, I would have spent both that evening and tonight standing alone.”
He spoke as if other men would have rushed to her side, but Daphne knew better. After dancing with Edgar at the previous party, no one else had approached her. It was as if the entire room was watching from a distance, unable to bridge the gap.
She didn’t blame them.
She was the ‘jilted’ party in a scandalously public love triangle. Any man who danced with her would inevitably be dragged into the gossip as a protagonist in a new love quadrangle.
“Thanks to you, I didn’t have to look pathetic in front of my former fiancé and his new bride-to-be. Thank you.”
At her repeated humility, Edgar waved his hand dismissively. However, Daphne’s true question came next.
“At any rate, what I want to ask you, Young Master, is… what is it you want from me?”
“Pardon?”
“Once can be considered a kindness, but twice is clearly intentional. I’m not criticizing you; I simply believe it’s better to settle things quickly if there is an objective in mind.”
Edgar stared blankly at her, stunned by her calm calculation, then furrowed his brow.
“Settle things, you say…”
The fact that she viewed his thoughtfulness as a calculated move was fine. Considering her naive past, it could even be seen as necessary growth. Yet, strangely, he hated the fact that she had become unable to trust men.
It was a curious, conflicting sentiment.
Edgar bit his lip for a moment, pondering the origin of this contradiction, then let out a small laugh.
“If I must name a price, it was simply the pleasure of dancing with a beautiful lady. And thanks to the fool who left your side, I’ve had that wish granted twice.”
Daphne blushed faintly and smiled, but Edgar immediately sensed a transparent wall separating them. He instinctively realized that his usual smooth, guarded demeanor wouldn’t be enough to break it down.
Edgar scratched his cheek, then opened his mouth again. It was an impulsive act, entirely uncharacteristic of him.
“To be even more honest…”
The mischief vanished from his face, replaced by a rare sincerity. It was the first time the eloquent and sly Edgar Dawson had been this nervous since he was eight years old and got caught stealing coins from his mother’s purse.
“I fell in love with you at first sight.”
Daphne’s eyes widened.
Edgar realized anew how truly beautiful her violet eyes were. It wasn’t just her eyes—it was her silver hair fluttering in the night breeze, her fair skin, and her lips that looked as though they’d been stained by flower petals.
Daphne was so beautiful that listing her traits felt meaningless. And what made that beauty shine even brighter was her gentle, considerate nature.
As Edgar gazed at her with a wistful expression, Daphne, who had been blinking in surprise, suddenly burst into a bright laugh.
“Ahahaha!”
It was a clear, pleasant sound, like the ringing of silver bells.
“It feels like such a long time since I’ve laughed like this. They say you’re the most entertaining man in Genoa’s high society, and it’s true!”
“Pardon…? En-entertaining… you say?”
“Thank you so much for saying that. I think we could be very good friends, don’t you think, Young Master?”
Daphne, completely misinterpreting his first-ever confession as a joke, proposed ‘friendship’ with a bright, refreshed face.
He felt a little wronged and more than a little flustered, but what could he do?
This must be karma, he thought.
Edgar recalled his past, having spent his days tossing out jokes and flirtations everywhere, and let out a faint sigh. Still, starting as friends with Daphne Laurel, the goddess of high society, wasn’t the worst outcome.
He winked and grinned.
“If that is your command, I shall prostrate myself and obey, my princess.”
Edgar returned to his usual persona, bowing with an exaggerated gesture, and Daphne giggled again.
The only thing Edgar considered fortunate was that Cedric wasn’t around. If his friend had witnessed this scene, Edgar would undoubtedly have been the target of his teasing for a long, long time.