🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter : 29
The man in front of her had spent years chasing Edmon. And he could very well spend decades more.
It wasn’t just to reclaim a mana stone mine. He carried himself as if he were burdened by the dead.
“…This is strange. From what I’ve heard, they’re supposed to be a group that moves cautiously under the surface, yet they’re giving a carpenter a spider statue? That’s far too reckless.”
“That’s exactly the problem. A group that’s been moving in secrecy is beginning to show themselves openly… I have a bad feeling about this.”
She agreed with Cedric’s words.
Edmon had committed crimes up until now without anyone knowing. There must be a reason why he suddenly approached people in the guise of a ‘cult.’
“I… no, we need to find out.”
The word we felt strange. Cedric, too, seemed unsettled; even he frowned slightly at the word he had just spoken.
As Lauren silently mulled over the words, he returned the items he had taken from the drawer to their place. Then, as if to offer a handshake, he extended his hand.
“Is that enough explanation?”
“Yes.”
Lauren clasped his hand and shook it lightly. She could feel the warmth of his palm. Cedric’s firm grip enclosed her hand.
A faint smile lingered on his lips, but there was no trace of amusement in his eyes.
Lauren still didn’t like Cedric. His terrible first impression lingered in her mind. Yet…
Well, we’re in the same boat, so there’s no avoiding it. I’ll survive this and then get my divorce.
She met his gaze and smiled. A potential ally. It was hard to read Cedric’s thoughts, but at least their joined hands felt certain.
“What shall we do now?”
Lauren asked. It was a simple question about what came next, but it was important—not just Cedric’s future, but theirs together. Now, it was not one, but two.
“Well… we’ll pursue Edmon. As the number of cultists increases, it will become easier to reach the heart of things. But before that…”
This time, he spoke the word we naturally. Cedric trailed off, as if about to say something more.
Worried that something even more shocking might come out, Lauren fixed her gaze on his lips.
“Let’s deal with the wedding first.”
Right, the wedding. Lauren let out a sigh.
One mountain after another.
At that moment, Noah sat at the dining table, unaware of anything, picking at the endless dishes in front of him. Though the spread was undoubtedly a feast, he somehow had no appetite.
He stirred the pumpkin soup with his spoon, while the roast chicken on the office table, now cooling, haunted his eyes.
I put so much effort into this…
He pouted and took a spoonful of the pumpkin soup. The sweet taste hit his tongue, and his eyes widened. It was delicious.
“…Well, with a taste like this, I can’t help it. It makes sense to suddenly change the dinner venue.”
His hollow mutterings echoed through the restaurant. The servants quietly continued their service.
Though he tried to convince himself otherwise, Noah knew the truth. He hadn’t been brought here just to taste delicious soup.
Lauren’s face, inspecting the spider illustration, was a mix of emotions: bewilderment, surprise, and a faint underlying fear.
Noah let out deep sighs. He didn’t know all the details, but it seemed he was caught up in something serious.
I never thought I’d be entrusted with such a major first case.
He scraped the bottom of the soup bowl with his spoon, pressing a little harder than necessary.
“That shouldn’t break the bowl.”
A voice from behind made Noah flinch. Cedric was standing there, arms crossed.
Noah instinctively tried to stand, but Cedric lightly waved his hand, and he had no choice but to sit back down.
“Uh… when did you…?”
“Just now. You didn’t even hear me open the door, did you?”
He pulled out the chair next to Noah and sat down. Resting his elbows on the table, he leaned his chin on his hands and scrutinized Noah.
Noah lowered his eyes under Cedric’s gaze. Lauren was nowhere in sight.
“I told your wife to rest first. She seemed tired.”
Cedric added as if reading Noah’s thoughts.
Noah missed his first client terribly. At least in this moment, he did.
“Um… my lord… may I head back now?”
“No.”
Despite mustering courage to speak, he received a sharp, unwavering refusal.
Cedric leaned closer to Noah. The sudden proximity intensified the pressure he felt.
“When did you start detective work?”
“I… I just recently opened my office, but even before that I handled small errands… so…”
Noah, who had habitually wanted to say, I can handle anything if you just assign it to me, shut his mouth tight.
“You have a good instinct. Honestly, I was surprised.”
Giving praise like this felt frightening. Noah didn’t know whether to smile or nod seriously.
He made an awkward face. Cedric’s and Noah’s eyes met briefly in the air.
“What are the procedures for taking a case?”
“…Excuse me?”
He asked again, thinking he misheard, but Cedric repeated the same words.
“I want to hire you.”
It didn’t sound like a joke. Noah swallowed hard.
He recalled his father shouting about how detective work could only be chasing after a runaway puppy. Now this was the perfect chance to prove himself.
“You’ll support me fully, I take it? If there’s anything you want, speak immediately.”
“Why me…?”
“We’re newlyweds. The husband can’t just be running after cults, can he?”
Cedric gave a small laugh at Noah’s cautious question, replying in a way that made it hard to tell if he was serious or joking.
“You’ll need time to think. I’ll ask again tomorrow morning. I hope you’ll have an answer ready by then.”
After finishing, Cedric stood. Noah’s gaze followed his back long after he left the dining room.
In the room, only the sound of pen on paper filled the air. Cedric sat at the desk, writing out the invitations one by one.
Lauren lay stretched out on the sofa, examining the invitation envelopes.
“…The Barons Atkins, what kind of people are they?”
“They’re both quiet. They don’t talk much, so conversation shouldn’t be difficult. They’re wealthy. They’re not the type to act upfront, but they’re quite influential politically.”
Cedric rattled off the answer without even looking at her.
Lauren was cramming information about the wedding guests, trying to memorize as much as possible.
Remembering wasn’t the hard part—it was knowing how to behave when actually meeting them that worried her.
Despite her concerns, preparations for the wedding went smoothly: the dress, the venue, the rings… Cedric handled everything efficiently. It was almost as if this was a second marriage.
Though Cedric shook his head at Lauren’s jokes, looking as if he were tired of it. Doing this twice was madness, he said.
Lauren sighed unconsciously. Cedric finally looked up from writing on the invitations and glanced at her. Leaning back on the sofa, she looked comfortable.
“Why the sigh? You look like you’re about to fall asleep.”
He scolded her gently. But she ignored him, continuing to examine the envelopes.
“If you don’t like it, lie down too.”
“There’s only one sofa.”
“Then lie on the floor. The servants clean daily, so it won’t be dirty.”
Cedric got up from his chair and strode over to the sofa where Lauren lay. She tilted her head back to watch him approach. The angle reversed her view, making him appear upside down.
“What’s troubling you so much?”
The question sounded unusually gentle.
The two had reached a calm state. They still teased each other out of habit, but clashes had lessened. They were in a state that could reasonably be called an ‘alliance.’
Lauren still couldn’t fully read Cedric’s mind, but she could now discern subtle differences in his ‘smiling face.’
Right now… he seems in a good mood.
The corners of his eyes were slightly curved. Perhaps things were going well.
