Chapter 28 

Was it the spring breeze that made her feel so warm? Or was it the awkwardness of the situation?

Despite the heat coursing through her body, Isabella found herself shrinking back as if chilled, unsettled by the strange and unfamiliar sensation.

In the end, she turned her head to the side.

The playful spring breeze teased at her black veil. Cooler than expected, it slipped beneath the fluttering veil, but even that wasn’t enough to cool her flushed cheeks.

‘Ugh…’

Isabella mustered all her patience to stop her gaze from instinctively drifting back. But the sensation of Cedric’s hands wrapping the bandage around her was so vivid that her patience quickly wore thin.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. And in that instant, her breath caught in her throat.

His hands, gently cradling her small foot, made her toes curl, and her heart tightened at the sight of his furrowed brow as he focused intently on wrapping the bandage.

‘Is he even human? How can someone be that beautiful…?’

Even with a scowl, he looked like a living work of art.

Isabella stared at him, entranced.

Then, another breeze swept by, rustling his long hair. The moonlight caught in his silver strands, as though fragments of the moon had scattered across them.

They say moonlight has the power to enchant the human heart.

Drawn in, Isabella reached out and gently brushed her fingers through Cedric’s drifting silver hair. His hand, mid-motion with the bandage, came to a sudden halt. He turned to look at her.

His silver hair shimmered under the moonlight, and the deep teal of his eyes glowed beneath them, an otherworldly sight.

As if in a trance, Isabella murmured her thoughts aloud.

“You’re so beautiful…”

That was when it happened.

The hand holding her foot twitched, and the teal eyes looking at her began to tremble.

Isabella, staring at him quietly, once again let her thoughts slip out unguarded.

“Have we really never met before?”

Every time she looked at Cedric, she was struck by a strange familiarity. A memory of a radiant boy from her childhood, bloodied, mysterious, and gone too soon, kept surfacing.

“I don’t like repeating myself.”

As expected, his reply was as impenetrable and cold as a towering wall she wouldn’t dare scale. He swiftly tied off the bandage and rose to his feet.

“The banquet will continue tomorrow. You should return for now.”

He spoke curtly, then walked off the balcony without a second glance, as if there were no reason to stay.

Left alone, Isabella stared blankly at the closed balcony door. A sudden gust of wind slipped through her veil, and she shivered.

“So cold.”

Just moments ago, the breeze had felt stiflingly warm. Now, it was cold enough to raise goosebumps. Slowly, she stood up and left the banquet hall.

* * *

Step. Step. Step.

Cedric’s footsteps came to a halt as he walked alone down a quiet corridor. He slowly looked down at his right hand.

Isabella’s slender ankle, which seemed like it would snap if he applied even the slightest pressure, lingered vividly in his mind. Her ankle, flushed and swollen, and her soft skin still clung to his palm.

Gritting his teeth, Cedric clenched his fist.

‘That was unnecessary.’

He hadn’t meant to get involved. And yet, he couldn’t ignore the way she wandered the gossip-ridden banquet hall, trying to adapt, nor the pain she must have felt in her ankle, though she never once showed it.

She looked so fragile, like a child left unattended near deep water, that he found himself hyperaware of her every move, and it left him exhausted. Then, he heard voices from around a nearby corner.

“Shame, isn’t it? Her body wasn’t bad.”

“So what? I heard her face is hideous.”

‘Hideous?’

That word struck his ears like a hammer.

“Well, who cares? Cover her face and she’s good for a night of fun.”

“If you’re that desperate, why don’t you go after her yourself? She seemed naive enough. Sweet-talk her a bit. I’m not into monsters.”

“Coward. Fine, I’ll give it a try. Heard she dabbles with demons, right? Maybe I’ll get a taste of a succubus. Hahaha!”

They never mentioned a name, but Cedric instantly understood who they were talking about.

Crack.

His jaw clenched so tightly it made a sound. Recognizing the approaching voices, Cedric stepped forward.

Thud!

One of the young nobles, not watching where he was going as he turned the corner mid-conversation, slammed into Cedric’s shoulder and fell flat on his rear.

“Ugh! Who the hell… huh?! Y-Your Excellency!”

Just as he raised his voice in indignation and pointed a finger, the young man paled at the sight of Cedric’s cold, deadly gaze. He looked like he might wet himself.

As Cedric looked down at him, he realized the man was one of those Isabella had asked to dance. Then, his eyes shifted to another man trying to quietly back away, the other participant in the vulgar exchange. A fresh recruit in the Crown Prince’s imperial knight order.

“The Sword of the Empire, Duke Caron! I-I salute you!”

The moment their eyes met, the knight scrambled to salute, panic in his voice. Cedric fixed him with an icy stare and spoke in a voice cold enough to frost glass.

“The weight of your words is the weight of your responsibility. Remember that.”

He turned and walked away.

Despite the fierce, nearly murderous atmosphere, Cedric had let them off with a mere warning. One of them collapsed in relief. Without hesitation, Cedric returned to the banquet hall where the Crown Prince awaited.

“You’re late. Had a secret rendezvous, perhaps?”

The prince greeted him with a teasing tone. Clearly used to such banter, Cedric replied flatly.

“I only stepped out for some air.”

“Oh? Funny, I smell perfume.”

“…Perhaps I picked up a trace in passing.”

Cedric, who had trained himself to leave no scent behind, flinched at the sharp remark. Fortunately, his usual stoic demeanor kept anyone else from noticing.

Except one.

The Crown Prince, his liege and confidant, had seen it.

Watching Cedric’s subtle shift in gaze, the prince chuckled and changed the subject.

“Maybe so. But tell me, did no young lady catch your eye tonight, Duke?”

“No, Your Highness.”

“Come now, take your time. You can’t stay single forever. Isn’t it time you started a family?”

“It would only interfere with my duties.”

“Tsk. So heartless.”

The prince clicked his tongue, unimpressed by Cedric’s cold, unfeeling answer.

‘Does he truly feel nothing? Or is there already someone in his heart? Either way, he’s a block of stone.’

Though their relationship was official, the prince had come to see Cedric like a younger brother. And he couldn’t help but worry for him. Then, a thought struck him.

“Come to think of it, isn’t Lady Hellen staying at your estate?”

The prince’s sudden mention of Isabella made Cedric flinch ever so slightly. He didn’t miss it. The prince smiled knowingly.

“You never even let me into that house. What possessed you to take her in?”

“The circumstances left me no choice…”

“Oh? Don’t tell me the infamous Butcher of the Battlefield is talking about sympathy?”

“…No, Your Highness.”

“Then what was it?”

Cedric remained silent, unable to speak under the prince’s serpentine smile and prying gaze. Then came the question.

“Is she beautiful?”

“She is bea… ugh.”

Startled, Cedric nearly blurted it out before clamping his mouth shut and jerking his head away.

The prince laughed silently at his reaction, but Cedric couldn’t bring himself to look back.

The image of Isabella lingered in his mind, unshakable. Her unveiled face, fluttering hair, and glowing cheeks as she smiled, her eyes twinkling like a galaxy.

｢So beautiful…｣

At that moment, a precious memory, long buried in his heart, surged to the surface.

｢Wow! So pretty!｣

A young girl had once said those same words, dimples showing as she smiled while brushing his hair.

‘She hasn’t changed… Thank goodness.’

Though she had grown older, her pure violet eyes remained the same, and Cedric felt time collapse around him, past and present overlapping.

But the moment of relief quickly gave way to a wave of panic.

‘No. I can’t let myself waver. I can’t let it show. Never.’

Clearing his thoughts, Cedric composed himself and looked ahead. Then, he steered the conversation away.

“Your Highness, I heard you recently recruited a new knight into your order?”

“Yes. On Viscount Touart’s recommendation. Will you be testing him again yourself?”

As was customary, Cedric would personally spar with each recruit to assess their skill and protect the prince. But this time, Cedric answered without hesitation.

“There’s no need.”

“Oh? You’ve already met him? Is he that skilled?”

“No. I suggest you dismiss him.”

“…And why is that?”

The prince sensed a rare hint of animosity in Cedric’s tone. Cedric answered firmly.

“His character is flawed. As a fellow knight, I found him deeply offensive.”

The prince’s eyes widened.

Cedric might not have realized it, but the prince could see it clearly. A searing blue fire, impossible to measure in temperature, blazed behind Cedric’s otherwise frigid eyes.

……

T/N: Ahhh my ML senses!!! Cedric was indeed that child FL saved before… in other words, they are each other’s first love!!! Ahhh!!!🎉