Chapter 11
In the evening, the servants became busy. When I looked in the mirror, my dull face now had a slight red glow. The servants were very skilled. Just by lifting the corners of my mouth, I looked lively enough to be a happy person.
“Madam, we are finished.”
The servants stepped back. I stood up without looking at the mirror any longer. As I left the room, the butler hurried to follow me.
“Your master has already arrived at the palace.”
I just nodded. Then the butler quickly added,
“And he told me not to believe the rumors going around.”
I stopped at the word “rumors.” When I looked at him, the butler lowered his head and continued.
“Your master was very worried. He didn’t want you to be bothered by strange rumors.”
Strange rumors. I thought a lot but did not answer. I left the mansion. The carriage was already waiting.
When I approached the carriage, the coachman kindly opened the door for me.
Going alone was not bad. If Cedric was with me, it would be awkward. If he had acted badly, it wouldn’t have felt this miserable.
“…I must keep my mind clear.”
My father’s words echoed in my head. He probably didn’t say that because my life was precious, but strangely, that phrase stuck with me.
What if Cedric had not divorced me all this time because he wanted to use me?
I bit my lip and stared at the lights outside the carriage.
The carriage soon arrived inside the palace. As soon as I got out, I looked around out of habit. Then my eyes stopped on one place.
Cedric was standing there. He wore a neat uniform, his hair perfectly in place, and had a face that naturally drew attention.
He was talking to some people. They were smiling, but Cedric had no expression, as if he was not happy.
I couldn’t move my feet toward him easily.
I remembered what I said to Cedric in the morning. I couldn’t be sure about him, so it was harder.
At that moment, Cedric suddenly turned his gaze.
He smiled as soon as he saw me and came closer. Something was strange. It was not the usual neat smile he gave me. It looked a little more lively.
Before I knew it, Cedric was standing in front of me. He smelled familiar but stronger than usual today. Cedric’s quiet voice rang in my ears.
“You arrived earlier than I thought.”
Cedric naturally offered his arm to me. I hesitated. Then Cedric gently placed my hand on his arm. Surprised, I looked at him, but Cedric answered calmly.
“Is it uncomfortable?”
I spoke without thinking.
“No.”
Cedric smiled and led me inside the palace. I felt the gaze of people around us. Surely rumors about Cedric’s mistress had already spread.
“Why is Cedric acting like this?”
My mind was confused. When the large ballroom came into view, Cedric skillfully guided me to a seat.
I sat next to Cedric and looked at him. He didn’t seem drunk and looked the same as before. But his earlier behavior was hard to understand.
At that moment, the crown prince came down from the high stairs. He looked around at the guests seated for dinner, smiled, and sat at the head seat. When he sat down, everyone took their seats one by one.
The crown prince suddenly pointed at a dead wolf placed in the center and said,
“Isn’t this bigger than the deer you caught before?”
His eyes were on Cedric. Cedric looked at the wolf once and calmly said,
“Congratulations, Your Highness. This time, you caught a bigger prey.”
Cedric’s voice was so flat it had no feeling. The crown prince smiled and said proudly,
“Yes, catching a prey like this is a rare chance, right? That’s why I called you all to celebrate.”
Everyone said flattering things. Cedric just nodded and drank wine. But his eyebrows twitched strangely.
As soon as Cedric put his glass on the table, the crown prince spoke loudly.
“I was surprised you solved the case so quickly this time.”
His eyes were on Cedric. Cedric answered calmly.
“What case are you talking about?”
“The case of the count and countess.”
People around focused their eyes. As Mrs. Jenkins said, it seemed this case was really the talk of the social circle. Everyone watched with curious eyes, and Cedric simply said,
“It was a terrible case, so I handled it quickly.”
“It was terrible indeed. To sacrifice your wife for dark magic.”
The crown prince laughed and looked at Cedric. Cedric did not avoid his gaze and looked back. The crown prince continued,
“Have you not heard the rumors? That someone is using dark magic to control animals and kill people.”
The crown prince looked around, and everyone nodded and spoke.
“I heard it too. It seems dark magic has become very common lately.”
“I’m not sure if it really happened, but I have been avoiding hunting.”
After several nobles spoke, the crown prince looked at Cedric with a smile.
“By the way, didn’t you catch only wolves before? Even though there were many dangerous wolves.”
“I actually got a lot of help from the wolves while hunting.”
That one sentence made everyone silent. The crown prince frowned and held his wine glass. Cedric looked at the crown prince without any expression and said,
“But, as Your Highness said, the forest is dangerous these days, so you must be careful.”
“Are you worried about me now?”
“If I don’t worry about Your Highness, then who would make such a small worry?”
One eyebrow of the crown prince rose.
“A small worry?”
“You caught such a big wolf, so the worries I have are nothing but small.”
The crown prince’s hand holding the wine glass trembled. Cedric ignored it and continued,
“And at a time like this, even the palace forest is dangerous. Unless someone directly manages such wolves, no one hunts them carelessly.”
The crown prince looked at Cedric with disbelief.
“Are you saying I let those wolves loose?”
“I did not say directly that Your Highness let those red-eyed wolves loose.”
“Then what exactly…”
“I’m just saying such things happen. I’m also investigating it right now.”
Cedric spoke quietly without avoiding the crown prince’s gaze. The crown prince’s veins stood out on his hand. His eyes turned red as he glared at Cedric.
“You always ruin my mood like this.”
The voice suddenly dropped, and others looked surprised at the crown prince and Cedric. But Cedric calmly said without changing his expression,
“I’m sorry if you are upset at such a fine event.”
The crown prince said harshly,
“You should be careful.”
I glanced at Cedric. There was no sign of worry on him. Everyone around us was quietly watching.
“Careful? What do you mean?”
Cedric’s voice was cold and very low. The crown prince leaned back in his chair and said proudly,
“Sometimes, when an incident happens, I even suspect you planned it on purpose. It’s scary.”
The room went very quiet. Cedric looked coldly at the crown prince.
“Do you have any proof that I did it?”
“No proof, but…”
“Then Your Highness is misunderstanding me. I didn’t think you would think that deeply about something I didn’t do.”
“I still…!”
“Do you know that the big wolf has no knife marks?”
“Why are you suddenly talking about that?”
“When royal family members hunt, they must mark the prey as their property, right? If not, they should at least leave knife marks.”
The crown prince’s wine glass trembled noticeably. His eyes looked red, like he was about to draw a knife. Cedric looked at the crown prince’s hand for a moment and slowly said,
“Did Your Highness forget to leave knife marks?”
“You…”
“You should leave knife marks even now. If you really hunted it yourself.”
The crown prince threw his glass against the wall. People stood up in shock. Only Cedric stayed seated. I grabbed Cedric’s shoulder.
Unlike my surprised face, Cedric smiled as he met my eyes and looked at the crown prince.
“It seems the mood has dropped, so I will take my leave now.”
