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Chapter : 15
As if the clear skies of yesterday had been a lie, the weather took a turn for the worse. Heavy clouds rolled in, the cold growing harsher, so that even though firewood was diligently fed into the fireplace, the tip of one’s nose still felt icy.
Marianne rubbed her cold hands together and cast a sideways glance at Cedric.
“Uh…….”
Even though the curtains had been drawn under the pretense of the strong wind, blocking the view outside, Cedric looked listless. It was as though he instinctively knew what the sky looked like without needing to see it.
Seeing him slumped like that, yet still clutching his teddy bear tightly, made him look less cute and more pitiful.
If it snowed, his condition would only worsen.
‘If only it would just sleet a little and stop… but it won’t.’
Knowing the future, Marianne couldn’t put her mind at ease.
“Your Highness.”
“Mm.”
Amélie called out to Marianne, who had been staring blankly at the empty space between Cedric and the window. After briefly checking on Cedric, she leaned in and whispered in a lowered voice.
“They say it’s likely to snow this afternoon. I did replace the curtains with thicker ones, but…”
Her words trailed off in worry. Maintaining eye contact with Amélie, Marianne nodded.
“I understand. I’ll try my best not to stray far from the table.”
“I’m sorry. And thank you.”
Amélie bowed deeply—almost excessively so.
The reason she felt so apologetic was because Lusana and the maids had begun to slack off more and more.
The knights that the Marquis of Hill had promised to send were due to arrive soon, and once it became clear who would be using which quarters, not only Lusana but even the maids had grown lax about cleaning.
At least when Amélie stood by to supervise, they pretended to clean a little. Because of that, she couldn’t stay at Cedric’s side.
Chloe, Julie, and Laurent were all too busy with their own duties to help.
‘In the end, it’s all that emperor’s fault.’
Cursing the emperor and Louis inwardly, Marianne waved Amélie off.
Once the door closed, she let out a short, soundless sigh and approached Cedric. Sitting down to meet him at eye level, she called his name in a soft voice.
“Cedric.”
“Auu….”
A faint mumble came back—whether it was an answer or a groan was unclear. Cedric was curled up in his chair as if buried in it, hugging his doll tightly and staring at the floor.
The one small blessing was that the blanket Helene and Fabrice had given him was draped over his knees.
‘It’s white, but he’s not afraid of it. Maybe his trauma has eased a little.’
“Cedric, are you oka—”
Marianne gently placed a hand on his still-slender knee and called him again, but she couldn’t finish her sentence. She couldn’t say that he was okay.
Cedric was trembling. The shivers were so slight that Marianne wouldn’t have noticed them if she hadn’t touched his knee.
Just how frightened must he have been, to hide even trembling like that? Marianne couldn’t truly understand his heart.
‘Saying that I understand would probably just be hypocrisy.’
Thinking that bitterly, Marianne stopped trying to speak and instead lifted herself halfway up. Then, just as she had the first time they met, she carefully wrapped her arms around him.
“…!”
Cedric’s body stiffened at the sudden contact.
Marianne slowly patted his small, rigid back—just like her mother used to do when she woke up crying from a nightmare about monsters.
The crackling of the firewood in the fireplace and the howl of the wind outside the window softly filled the room.
After some time passed, when the wind seemed to die down a little, Marianne realized that Cedric had lifted his head.
“Cedric.”
“Uh, uuh….”
His eyes were red, as if he had been holding back tears. Marianne raised her hand to wipe them, then stopped.
She thought that simply wiping them might irritate his skin and make it hurt.
“Cedric, I’ll get you a handkerchief. Just a moment.”
After whispering in a low voice, she tried to pull back—but froze when she felt her clothes being tugged.
“Uuh.”
At some point, Cedric had grabbed the edge of her shawl with one hand.
When Marianne shifted slightly and saw him grip it even tighter so as not to lose it, a dull ache crept into her chest.
“Alright, Cedric.”
With a faint, bittersweet smile, Marianne lowered herself again. After hesitating briefly, she sat down on the floor altogether.
“Uh?”
“Sorry, my knees hurt. But I’ll stay right here with you.”
Leaning half her body against the underside of the armrest of Cedric’s chair, Marianne looked up at his face.
A dark shadow still lingered there, but he seemed a little less anxious than before.
“Cedric.”
After calling his name, Marianne hesitated.
Was it okay for her to tell him to be strong? Would it sound like shallow pity?
The answer didn’t come easily. But then Marianne remembered something she had forgotten.
‘…He won’t remember any of this anyway.’
No matter how incoherently she rambled now, it wouldn’t remain in Cedric’s memory. So she decided to speak freely.
Gently tapping his knee, she comforted him.
“Cedric, this isn’t your fault. And it’s not that the late… Grand Duke and Grand Duchess did anything wrong either.”
“Uh?”
“The ones who did wrong are the emperor. And no matter how badly the emperor treats you, you’ll overcome the curse, grow up well, and become a truly, truly wonderful Grand Duke.”
Perhaps thinking she was just reading him a fairy tale, Cedric only blinked and listened quietly.
“And after you resolve the oracle beautifully… you’ll marry a princess and live happily ever after.”
Maybe she’d gotten a little too carried away.
Feeling suddenly embarrassed, Marianne rubbed her cheek and laughed awkwardly.
Ah well. Since she’d started with a stream of consciousness, she might as well end it that way.
Looking at Cedric’s round knees and the soles of the teddy bear’s feet, she whispered softly.
“So, I hope our Cedric won’t suffer too much. You’re a very, very precious and important person, and everything will turn out fine. Everyone will love you and cheer you on.”
“…….”
Even after she finished speaking, Cedric didn’t respond. Marianne glanced upward—and bit her lip to keep from laughing.
Cedric had already fallen asleep, leaning back against the chair. No matter how much he’d heard, his even, gentle breathing sounded pleasant.
‘So cute.’
Even while sleeping so soundly, though, Cedric didn’t let go of her shawl. Marianne slipped it off and carefully draped it over him so he wouldn’t wake.
After slowly standing up, she tiptoed toward the door and only then stretched. Her back cracked with a series of ominous sounds.
Rubbing her lower back, Marianne checked on Cedric again. He was still sleeping peacefully.
‘Maybe I should grab something to eat from the kitchen.’
“Your Highness.”
The voice behind her made Marianne let out a silent scream.
“…Julia.”
That scared the life out of me. Rubbing her tight chest, Marianne made a shushing gesture and turned back again. Fortunately, Cedric was still fast asleep.
Julia tilted her head, followed Marianne’s gaze to Cedric, and looked a little surprised.
“The young duke… is asleep.”
“He must’ve been really tense and exhausted. He only just fell asleep, so we need to be quiet.”
Marianne whispered. Julia watched her for a moment, then lowered her head slightly and replied in an even softer voice.
“I prepared a meal, thinking you might be hungry. Shall I set it up in another room?”
“Mm. I don’t think I should leave Cedric alone. I don’t know when he’ll wake up.”
She shook her head, though she did feel a little hungry as Julia had said. She’d barely eaten breakfast—or lunch—because she’d been so worried about Cedric.
She needed at least some food in her stomach to keep taking care of him properly.
“Julia, could you bring some soup in a cup from the kitchen?”
“…Ah. Understood. I’ll also prepare something small that you can eat easily.”
In her usual flat tone, Julia anticipated exactly what Marianne wanted. As expected of the future Cedric’s trusted aide—someone who understood two things when told one.
“Thank you.”
Marianne smiled brightly. It was reassuring that such good people were by Cedric’s side.
People this kind, upright, and capable were hard to find—even if they didn’t express emotions very often.
“It’s nothing… Rather, I’m the one who should thank you, Your Highness.”
“Hm?”
Marianne was taken aback by Julia’s trembling voice. But lost in memories of the past, Julia didn’t notice her reaction and continued, her voice barely steadied.
“Around this time of year, the young duke couldn’t sleep peacefully. Herbal tea and even scents said to promote deep sleep didn’t help. He was always anxious and often in tears… But now, his expression is much more relaxed than before.”
Julia seemed to want to say more, her lips parting slightly. Then she bit her lower lip once and bowed her head.
“I apologize. I’ll be right back from the kitchen.”
“Ah—okay. Please do.”
Marianne nodded absentmindedly. She could have said that she wasn’t actually that kind, nor was she caring for Cedric with a completely pure heart—but
bursting someone’s heartfelt moment when their eyes were red with emotion didn’t feel right.
‘I’ll just treat Cedric even better instead.’
Rather than making things awkward by confessing unnecessarily, she resolved to focus on what she could do for Cedric and the North.
So when Julia returned with the tray, Marianne leaned in and asked in a very soft whisper.
“Julia. I have one question. It’s a light one, so don’t feel pressured.”
“Yes.”
“Well, you see…”
