MLWR 02

Chapter : 02

Cedric was alone in the spacious room.

In the softly filtering sunlight, the black hair of the still-young boy shimmered faintly.
And beneath that tousled hair, his red eyes flickered strangely.

“Hello, Cedric.”

Marianne greeted him with as natural a smile as she could manage.
After all, first impressions mattered between people—if she showed a friendly face like this, maybe he wouldn’t be quite so wary.

“U… uuh!”

Cedric tilted his head as he looked at Marianne, but once he realized she was a stranger, he let out a low growl.
Then he hurriedly ran behind a nearby table and curled himself up.

“…!”

The smile on Marianne’s face faded.

It wasn’t because Cedric was hiding—it was the chains.
Every time he moved, the clinking sound was so shocking it made her chest tighten.

The shackles, gripping his thin ankles and connected to the chains, looked unbearably cold and heavy.

Feeling even guilty for having thought him cute, Marianne turned to Amelie.
At Marianne’s questioning gaze, Amelie lowered her head slightly and spoke.

Her voice was very quiet, as if she hoped Cedric wouldn’t hear.

“As you may already know, Your Highness, the young duke sometimes suffers severe bouts of madness.”

“So you tied him up because of that?”

Marianne frowned. But she could no longer reproach Amelie after what followed.

“…There was a time, on a day of heavy snowfall, when he suddenly broke a window and escaped from the mansion.”

“…!”

“It took quite some time to find him. Fortunately, he was rescued at the entrance to the snowy mountains, but he fell gravely ill from the cold. After that, we took these measures.”

Amelie’s eyes dimmed slightly, as though she were recalling the days before Cedric’s escape.

“I know this is terribly regrettable for the young duke, but please understand it as a measure taken so we do not lose someone precious again, Your Highness.”

She finished speaking with a resolute expression, as if prepared to accept any punishment.

…They said it snowed heavily on the day the duke and duchess were executed together.

The one who ordered Cedric’s parents to be killed was none other than the emperor.

Marianne, who had grown up sheltered like a flower in a greenhouse under that very emperor’s protection—what right did she have to criticize Amelie?

After quietly looking at Amelie’s face, filled with sorrow and self-blame, Marianne reached out and patted her shoulder.

“I’m sorry for making you bring up something so hard to talk about.”

“Pardon? Ah—no. I’m sorry.”

Amelie, startled by how different Marianne was from the rumored tyrant princess, paled and bowed her head deeply.

Well… there was really no way to explain it.

Marianne gave an awkward smile and decided to change the subject.

“It’s a bit late, but if Cedric hasn’t eaten yet, may I eat with him?”

“The meal… I hesitate to say this, but it may be uncomfortable for you.”

“It’s fine.”

Amelie was trying to imply that it was dangerous. Knowing exactly what she was worried about, Marianne smiled gently.

Cedric was unstable right now.

The immense magic power and divine power filling that small body could clash at any moment and swallow up those around him.

Still… as long as I don’t whip him or torture him like the real Marianne did, it should be fine.

In the novel, Cedric only went berserk once.

That was when Marianne dismissed all the servants and pushed him to the brink by denying him food and even water.

Seriously—how could anyone think of being so cruel to such a tiny child?

Marianne’s expression stiffened naturally. Seeing this, Amelie swallowed dryly.

She thought that if she said any more to stop the princess, the young master’s safety might be put at risk instead.

Whether the princess was being generous because she was in a good mood or for some other reason, one thing was certain—this was the princess infamous as a mad butcher.

“Th-then… understood.”

Even so, Amelie looked deeply uneasy, only nodding after her lips trembled several times.

“We’ll eat here.”

“Yes. I’ll bring it right away once it’s ready.”

“I’ll wait quietly at a distance, so you can take your time.”

Amelie greeted her and left the room, doing her best to hide her concern about whether it was truly all right to leave Marianne alone with Cedric.

“Uuh…”

Once Amelie left, Cedric let out a small whine.

Marianne deliberately walked to the far end of the room, keeping her distance from Cedric, and calmly looked around.

One reason she had insisted on eating with him was because she wanted to see how the child was living.

There was also, admittedly, a bit of calculation—she wanted to get close to Cedric quickly.

How old is Cedric again? Thirteen? About the same as my youngest…

The bedroom was far too spacious for someone his age. Aside from a few antique pieces of furniture, there was nothing else, making it feel bleak for no reason.

And it was cold.

Even wrapped in a thick cloak, the air was chilly enough to sting the tip of her nose.

From the fireplace against the wall Cedric had his back to, she could hear the faint crackle of burning wood, but it seemed there wasn’t enough firewood to warm such a wide room.

Well… since the emperor isn’t providing support, it’s not like the ducal household could have much to spare.

Marianne sat down on the stool beside the bed and observed Cedric for a moment.

“Uuh…”

Cedric seemed uncomfortable under the table, the cold floor bothering him as he cautiously watched Marianne.

Oh no—at this rate, he’s going to stick himself to the floor again. That won’t do.

Marianne quickly turned her gaze away.

Then she waited patiently until Cedric squirmed his small hands and feet, climbed onto a chair near the table, and curled himself up again.

“U!”

Perhaps thinking he’d hidden successfully, his voice sounded slightly pleased.

Rather than a deranged monster, he’s just a cutie acting younger than his age.

Marianne pinched her thigh to keep from letting a laugh escape.

Cedric was even cuter than she’d expected.

As she thought, the claim that this tiny child was insane was likely a scandal fabricated by the emperor to drag the ducal family’s honor even lower.

If he were truly mad, he wouldn’t listen to Amelie or the other servants at all and would be causing havoc constantly.

If that were the case, there was no way his face and clothes would be as clean as they were now, even if his hair was a bit messy.

…Though the fabric of his clothes did look a bit rough for the heir of a ducal family.

All of this was because of that narrow-minded bastard of an emperor.

To accuse the grand duke who defended the North of plotting treason just because he was beloved by the people—how did that make any sense?

Still, Cedric would eventually recover from his madness, reclaim the title of grand duke through overwhelming strength, and live happily ever after.

Marianne smiled contentedly as she recalled Cedric’s successful future in the novel—then her smile faded when she looked at his hands.

Black and white energies clearly stained both of Cedric’s hands in blotches.

They were partially hidden by his sleeves, but those marks, likely covering his entire body, were the real problem.

To erase that, Estelle would have to come… and for that to happen, I’d have to die.

There had to be another way. She would find one.

Just as she was desperately running her “happy thoughts,” Amelie returned.

“I’m sorry for the delay. I’ve brought the meal.”

She was carrying a large wooden tray. On it were only two servings each of steaming stew, brown bread, and salad.

It was far too simple to be considered a meal of a ducal household.

The food in the imperial palace was always so lavish…

Marianne frowned slightly.

How could they oppress a growing child so badly that they couldn’t even feed him properly? A person lives by food!

Seeing Marianne’s expression, Amelie hurriedly bowed her head.

“Your Highness, I apologize that the meal is so modest. We haven’t yet been able to use the ingredients sent from the imperial palace, so we’ll prepare something better for dinner.”

“…No, it’s fine. I eat just about anything.”

Marianne said so, then swallowed a sigh.

Amelie hadn’t yet checked the gifts bestowed by the emperor, since she had been asked to guide Marianne. She must be hoping that those gifts would improve the ducal household’s situation even a little.

But there was nothing particularly useful inside them.

They were merely filled with low-quality goods and poorly preserved ingredients—just for the sake of appearances, to show that the imperial family had “bestowed grace” upon the ducal house.

As if that would actually help… Ugh. I’ll think bad thoughts later. Let’s eat for now.

Marianne lightly shook her head and approached the table where Amelie had set down the dishes, moving very carefully.

“Uuh…”

Fortunately, perhaps because there was food in front of him, Cedric didn’t run away. He just looked upset as Marianne sat down and picked up her spoon.

Or maybe he couldn’t run away because Amelie was wiping his hands with a damp towel.

Marianne decided to think positively.

“Thank you for the meal. Cedric, enjoy your food too.”

“U?”

Cedric tilted his head at the unfamiliar pre-meal greeting, then smiled for the first time and picked up the bread.

Then, in complete contrast to his angelic smile, he began to mercilessly—no, thoroughly—tear the bread apart.

“……”

“Y-young master!”

Amelie tried to stop him, but Cedric remained blissfully innocent.

Watching the male lead’s embarrassing dark past unfold in real time, Marianne pressed a hand to her forehead.

It’s a good thing you won’t remember this after you recover from your madness, Cedric.

“Cedric.”

She couldn’t just keep watching.

With the careful yet firm resolve of Miss Sullivan teaching Helen Keller, Marianne reached out her hand.

“No.”