IBYVS 20

Chapter 20

Completely cornered, Jeril squawked loudly.

“I– I admit it! I admit I gave a lesson far above a student’s level. But the necrosis? That can’t be my fault!”

Anticipating this, we had summoned a physician to give his opinion.

Calib immediately turned to the doctor.

“Are you certain that Elia’s wound was caused by shoes?”

“Yes, absolutely. If it weren’t for ill-fitting shoes, there’s no way her foot could have been so badly injured.”

The physician, flustered by the sudden questioning, quickly replied.

Still in my arms, Calib said coldly,

“So, as the ‘official physician of the Grand Duke’s estate’, you are declaring that Lady Elia’s wound was indeed caused by Lady Jeril forcing her to wear high heels for an extended time, and that there is no error in your diagnosis?”

It was a question asked as if the answer had already been chosen.

The physician stole a nervous glance at Calib, who was nestled against me.

That title—‘physician of the Grand Duke’s estate’—had been brought up deliberately.

The doctor had indeed diagnosed the injury as shoe-related, but he had never said it would progress to necrosis.

Since his only prescription had been ointment, if he now claimed otherwise, he might end up being blamed himself.

Sensing this, he quickly declared,

“That’s correct. I examined her thoroughly; there was no mistake in my diagnosis. The wound is certainly from shoes, and it could very well become infected.”

He added that infection could, in fact, lead to necrosis.

In truth, he had mentioned before that complications were possible.

Jeril opened her mouth as if to argue back at once, but—

“Then that’s settled.”

Cedric cut her off, giving her no chance.

He immediately commanded Edwin.

“Elia needs rest. Escort her outside.”

“Yes, understood.”

At the moment Edwin laid a hand on Jeril’s shoulder—

“Let go! Do you even know who I am?! Lord Cedric, necrosis? That’s absurd!”

Jeril shoved him away, trying to cling to Cedric instead.

But her flailing was swiftly subdued by Edwin.

Looking as if he had only ever held a pen, he nevertheless spun her back around with ease and restrained her.

It was firm, yet neither rough nor excessive—just right.

With a faint smile, Edwin nailed the coffin shut.

“I couldn’t stand by and watch the daughter of a first-rank vassal family not only abuse the young lord, but now even attempt disobedience against a direct order.”

In the end, Jeril was dragged away by Edwin, unable to utter another word.

The physician swallowed nervously, shaken by the thought that he might have ended up like her, and said,

“I will fetch holy water.”

“I’ll accompany you,” Olivia quickly offered, following the doctor out—no doubt to ensure the perfect crime.

Yet, despite Jeril’s guilt, her protest about “necrosis” being a slander was true. That left me feeling uneasy.

Perhaps sensing it, Cedric leaned toward me while keeping the servants pressed against the walls.

To everyone else, he must have looked like he was deeply worried for me.

He whispered softly,

“Even after achieving your goal, you still wear a troubled expression.”

As expected, he had realized everything the moment necrosis was mentioned.

I leaned toward my brother, hiding my lips and expression completely as I murmured,

“Jeril—no, the marquis’s daughter—was right. The necrosis claim was slander.”

I also made sure to warn Calib never to learn such underhanded methods.

He said he understood, but somehow I didn’t quite believe him.

His bright smile seemed to hide something… though perhaps I was just imagining things.

Looking up into Cedric’s cool blue eyes, I confessed my worry.

“I’m afraid there might be consequences.”

Reflected in his jewel-like gaze, my face was perfectly framed.

He looked at me for a while, then raised just the corner of his lips.

“Edwin is a capable aide. Since he has taken charge, all will be fine.”

“Really?”

“Yes. In fact, I am grateful to you, Elia.”

Both Calib and I turned to him, puzzled.

Glancing between us, he exhaled as though a balloon had deflated.

“Without your quick thinking, we would have had to keep the marquis’s daughter as Calib’s tutor.”

Ah, that’s true.

Not only had we given her a taste of her own medicine, we had effectively gotten her dismissed.

That meant Calib would no longer be tormented by Jeril.

In that case, yes…

This had been for Calib’s sake.

At least she hadn’t gotten away unscathed.

I let out a breath of relief at the thought.

But Calib’s face grew grim.

“Calib? What’s wrong?”

“Uh, n-nothing…”

He looked restless, like someone whose carefully laid plan had been ruined.

I wanted to ask, but even children have their own troubles.

At times like this, I had to respect Calib as an individual.

Besides, watching him reminded me of Yoon, lying helplessly in that hospital bed.

As long as it wasn’t dangerous, I thought, I would let him do what he wanted.

I was lost in memories of Yoon when Cedric suddenly took a lock of my hair.

He buried his nose and lips in it, inhaling deeply.

“…Huh?”

Startled by the strange action, I gave a questioning sound. Cedric asked in a flat tone,

“Do you wear perfume?”

“Perfume? No… I haven’t bought any yet.”

Was he disapproving, thinking I was already spending money?

I answered nervously.

For a while he was silent, then gave a soundless laugh and released my hair.

Calib, who had been watching with a puzzled look, tilted his head.

Then, glancing at me, he leaned over toward my hair and sniffed.

Like a curious puppy wondering, “What’s that smell?”

I almost burst into laughter.

Goodness, how cute.

Yoon had done the same thing once. Exactly the same.

Whenever I rushed from the dojo to the hospital, afraid of smelling sweaty, I would spray fabric refresher.

Then Yoon would secretly sniff my hair.

“Your little brother’s dying to know if his sister has a boyfriend.”

At first I hadn’t understood, but when the caregiver told me, I laughed so hard.

Maybe because I was remembering Yoon again, or maybe because Cedric had just told me he was grateful—

The guilt I’d carried over Jeril felt a little lighter.

Jeril, meanwhile, was in utter disbelief.

“This can’t be happening… it can’t be…”

She muttered the whole way back in the carriage to the marquis’s estate.

The fact she had been dismissed as the Grand Prince’s etiquette tutor.
The fact everyone now knew she had abused him.
And worst of all—

“Are they really lovers?!”

She couldn’t believe what she had seen—Cedric gently wrapping Elia’s shoulders.

That despicable Elia, who had feigned weakness all along, was one thing. But Calib?

She never imagined he could look at her with such cold eyes.

Before her, he had always cowered.

“This can’t be happening…” she repeated.

If this was all true, then disaster had struck.

The marquis family’s reputation would plummet, and her father Renald’s influence would shrink.

To abuse the Grand Prince was tantamount to treason.

“We might even be expelled from the vassal houses!”

True, since her late grandmother had been from the Grand Duchess’s family, they wouldn’t lose everything at once.

But Jeril trembled in terror the entire way, tearing at her neatly tied hair.

That evening, an emergency council was convened at the Grand Duke’s estate.

Calib’s seat remained empty.

I should be there too. This is my matter.

But Calib, you’ve already endured so much. Just this once, why not let your brother speak for you?

Elia feared it might leave Calib traumatized.

Cedric, meanwhile, sat in the council chamber, watching the vassals bicker like squawking pigs, and thought:

Elia was right. If Calib saw this, he would’ve gained a trauma he never had before.

The retainers shouted, pointing fingers, cursing, raising their voices.

All over one issue: whether or not to expel the Marquis of Babylon’s family.

But the families Renald had bought off fought desperately against it.

“Yes, the young lady’s crime is grave, but the achievements of House Babylon in service to the Grand Duke’s family are greater still!”

“Please, don’t make a hasty decision over a single incident!”

“The late Grand Duchess’s kin will surely prove a great strength to Lord Cedric—no, to the Grand Prince himself!”

On the other hand, those long oppressed by House Babylon seized the chance to roar like fish finally in water.

“The victim was none other than the Grand Prince himself!”

“This is outright betrayal—treason against the sovereign house!”

“There’s no way the marquis did not know of his daughter’s abuse!”

Among their shouts, Cedric alone sat with a cold, composed face.

I never expected to uproot House Babylon in one stroke anyway.

Their influence was too vast, the risks too great.

But their power would surely diminish.

Little by little, he would pare them down.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Cedric silenced the chamber.

Finally, he spoke to the overheated retainers.

That the Marquis of Babylon would not be expelled.