Chapter 18
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 18
The terror of standing on a cliff’s edge had vanished. Self-pity was a luxury she could no longer afford.
Her goal was no longer merely to survive. Harriet felt as though she could only truly begin to live once she had avenged her family—and herself.
Hadn’t someone once said that if people were going to torment you for no reason, you might as well give them one?
‘Scandal Maker? Fine. If that’s what they want to call me, then I’ll become a real one.’
Harriet vowed then and there to become the greatest scandal her uncle and Bella had ever faced.
* * *
By the time he noticed the trees were bare, winter had already settled at his feet.
The scent of the winter wind often unearthed memories of the past. Mostly bitter ones.
Cedric fiddled with the Brooch his father had pressed into his hand before departing for his final battle, recalling their conversation that day.
“Why are you suddenly giving me this?”
It was a fifty-carat, emerald-cut ruby, meticulously carved by a master artisan and encircled by diamonds that radiated a brilliant luster. It was a Brooch Cedric had always considered far too flashy for his father’s usual taste.
“Just in case.”
“Just in case of what?”
“Keep it safe. Do not lose it.”
Cedric had hated it. Receiving such an item before a battle felt too much like being handed a memento. To deflect the grim feeling, he had made a biting joke.
“Well, I suppose wearing something this sparkly would make one an easy target for the enemy. How did you even end up with a Brooch like this?”
“Your mother gave it to me as a gift.”
Cedric had seen the Brooch since childhood, but this was the first he’d heard of its origin. His parents had always been distant; he couldn't imagine them exchanging such a sentimental gift.
Noticing his son's surprise, his father spoke again.
“Cedric. Do not hate your mother too much.”
“Hate her? Why would I…?”
“I was the one in the wrong. I took a woman who deserved better as my wife, yet I couldn't give her anything she truly wanted.”
At those words, Cedric’s stomach churned.
“So that’s why you turn a blind eye to Mother’s lovers? You aren't unaware, are you?”
His father had only smiled faintly.
“What does it matter, if it makes your mother smile? Nothing changes, after all.”
What had Cedric retorted then? Ah, yes.
“If that is what marriage is, then I will never marry.”
At that, his father had burst into uncharacteristic laughter.
“You really are like your mother. Hahaha!”
Why had that face seemed so joyful?
No—why hadn't Cedric gazed at that joyful face just a little longer?
If he had known it would be the last time, he would have begged his father to smile a while longer, to hug him just once.
Cedric closed his eyes, clutching the Brooch tightly.
To the world, his father might have seemed gruff, but when it was just the two of them, Rowan would talk about anything and everything, even offering the occasional subtle smile.
‘Why didn’t you show that side of yourself to others? Why didn't you let them know you saw through all their schemes?’
If he had, perhaps his father would still be alive.
In the eyes of the public, Rowan had appeared as a man unable to refuse the Emperor’s unreasonable demands, dragged off to the battlefield against his will.
And for good reason: the only one who stood to gain from that war was the opposing nation, the Firma Kingdom. For the Empire, it was a losing battle whether they won or lost. Even with their borders invaded, not a single noble had stepped forward. They had even tried to subtly shift the entire burden onto the Imperial Family.
That was when Rowan stepped up.
“I will lead the army. If I, Your Majesty’s brother-in-law, take command, it will signal that the Imperial Family has taken on the greatest burden. It will make it easier to pressure the other nobles.”
As Rowan had predicted, the Emperor was able to squeeze the nobles to ensure supply lines weren't cut. Thanks to this, they succeeded in reclaiming Kifren, the border region that had been occupied by Firma.
It would have been a perfect victory had Rowan not fallen in battle. He lost his life defending against a Firman ambush intended for the forces led by Cedric.
It hadn't been difficult for Cedric to break the morale of the depleted Firman army and secure their surrender afterward.
“Father did everything in that war, yet I’m the one being hailed as a hero. Father always took the short end of the stick.”
The Brooch, held between Cedric’s firm fingers, scattered the cool winter sunlight across his face.
“Or was even this a trap you laid to catch them?”
Perhaps thinking Cedric, still in his mid-twenties, could be easily ignored, traitors were quickly surfacing upon hearing of Rowan’s death.
The external enemies were obvious: those who had envied his father's fortune and feared losing their own power from the moment a mere second son of a viscount’s family had suddenly been granted a ducal title.
But what he had newly confirmed this time were the internal enemies.
‘Those who enjoyed wealth and power under the name of Kailas dared to participate in my father’s death?’
That was unforgivable.
Cedric was slowly, yet surely, preparing for their downfall.
As he coldly scrutinized the intelligence laid out on his desk once more, a knock sounded.
“Come in.”
The man who entered was his friend, Edgar Dawson, who had recently returned after two years of studying abroad. Cedric tucked the Brooch into his pocket, stood up, and gave him a light hug.
“Long time no see, Ed.”
“Thanks for the enthusiastic welcome, Cedi.”
“I’d prefer you didn't call me that.”
“Then should I call you Your Grace?”
“Please don’t.”
Edgar chuckled and took a seat. Cedric signaled a waiting Maid to prepare tea, then sat opposite Edgar, crossing his legs.
“How does it feel to be back home after so long?”
“How does it feel? Just that home is truly the best. Even if people are doing the same old nonsense, it’s still a welcome sight.”
“Sounds like you’ve been dragged all over the place.”
“My father dragged me around like a dog. Do you have any idea how many parties I had to attend just to ‘show my face’!”
He shivered, shaking his head, yet his playful smile remained. Edgar spoke as if his father was being overly demanding, but Cedric, knowing his friend’s deep familial affection, didn't bother to offer comfort.
“So, did you hear any interesting rumors?”
“Uh… that the Listerwell family terminated their niece’s guardianship?”
At that, Cedric paused.
“You know the Listerwell family?”
“Rather than the family, I know Bella Listerwell and Harriet Listerwell. They’re both famous, aren't they?”
Cedric had no interest in either of them, but the news about Harriet’s guardianship being severed piqued his curiosity.
“What do you mean, ‘terminated guardianship’? Does that mean she found another guardian?”
“No. They just cut her off while she was exiled to the convent, apparently.”
“So what happens to her?”
“She’ll have to become a nun, I suppose. Didn’t she cause a lot of trouble even while I was away?”
Edgar picked up the teacup the Maid had set down. As he was about to drink, he shot Cedric a mischievous look.
“You still haven't told me everything. You were the main character in the last scandal she caused, weren't you?”
“Can you even call that a scandal?”
“Of course! It was a woman hitting on a man and getting utterly humiliated.”
He sipped his tea, awaiting Cedric’s explanation. No matter how lighthearted he seemed, Edgar was still the eldest son of a count; he made no sound as he drank.
“It really was nothing. I lost a Brooch, and she must have found it. She wore it without knowing it was mine… I was a bit sensitive then, thinking about my father, and I ended up causing a scene.”
“That’s a bit different from what I heard.”
“Either way, it’s not something I particularly want to dwell on.”
Edgar Dawson, a man who knew exactly where to draw the line, changed the subject. There was no joke or rumor worth enjoying if it meant making his friend uncomfortable.
“Anyway, that aside. I need to impose on you for a while.”
“What’s this about, suddenly?”
At Cedric’s question, Edgar scratched the back of his head.
“My father has started to get suspicious. What do you think the real reason was that he dragged me around without giving me a chance to make other plans the moment I got back?”
The moment the word ‘suspicious’ was uttered, the smile vanished from Cedric’s lips. Edgar’s true identity as one of the pillars of Cedric’s secret intelligence organization, <Cloud>, was a secret even to his own family.
“Where did he catch on?”
“I don’t know why, but he requested to see my attendance records. He found out that his son, who supposedly went abroad to study with a burning passion for Candia literature, barely avoided expulsion.”
Cedric pressed a hand to his forehead.
“You should have managed that, even if you had to use a proxy.”
“How was I supposed to know Father would go this far?”
“So? What excuse did you give him?”
“What kind of excuse would a literary youth blurt out?”
Edgar spread his arms wide and declared proudly,
“Love! Nothing else!”