I looked at Cedric's eyes over the thin wall surrounding the training hall.
Oh no, I hid without realizing it because I was so surprised!
It had been a night walk just to see the light of the "Devil's Gift" again. But the light coming from the training center had ignited my curiosity. I'd just come here without thinking much...
And found Cedric swinging his wooden sword alone, without a single thread on his upper body.
Ha, I shouldn't have come. Why am I so curious?
I didn't know that if I happened to run into Cedric, he might get the wrong idea—that I was secretly following him. If it were the original Rebecca, that would have been her style. Then the favorability that seemed to have slightly recovered would plummet again...
No, that's absolutely not allowed!
I began to move little by little toward the entrance to the training ground in a crouching position. It was a ridiculous sight, but it was the only way to avoid being caught in Cedric's line of sight.
I'd barely walked five steps when—
"...You there."
Cedric's unique bass voice resonated throughout the large training hall.
No way—was I caught...?
Oh no.
Even if he caught me, he still wouldn't know it was me, right?
The moment I was about to take another step with vain hope, the indifferent voice rang low in the huge training hall once again.
"I think it would be less embarrassing if you stood up now."
"...You can really see everything, Rebecca."
I didn't know if it was my imagination, but I sensed a hint of amusement in Cedric's tone.
He even knew it was me.
I hesitantly bit my lip, then slowly stood up.
"Haha... you're still awake?"
When I made eye contact with Cedric, an awkward laugh escaped me. But Cedric just stared at me with his blue eyes.
"What are you doing here at night?"
He pulled on his nightgown and walked slowly toward me.
"Oh, well, I was out for a walk and saw the light coming from this place..."
"So you wanted to peek?"
"I just came to see! Please don't misunderstand—I would never, ever secretly follow you or anything like that."
Cedric had come right in front of me and looked down at me in silence for a while. Until now, I hadn't met Cedric alone very often. Usually, when we suddenly encountered each other like this, Cedric didn't hide his wariness toward me. It had been the same at our first meeting and in all subsequent meetings.
Ha... he's probably going to glare at me again and say something harsh, right?
Was all the effort I'd made so far to win Cedric's favor going to waste like this?
It was then that a soft sigh escaped his lips.
"...Are you going for a walk alone tonight?"
Cedric asked, staring at the entrance to the training ground—as if checking whether someone was waiting there.
I slowly blinked at his unexpected reaction.
"'Tonight's walk'?"
"Why are you talking like you saw me with someone?"
Cedric was silent for a while, as if I'd hit the nail on the head.
This might be an opportunity.
I took advantage of the moment Cedric stopped talking and took a step back.
"Anyway, it was really a 'coincidence' meeting you, but it was nice to see you, Cedric."
"......"
"Then... bye."
And just as I turned around—
"Something pretty interesting happened at the Orangery."
"......"
"You sent all of Bianca's friends back to the capital?"
Oh my, is he trying to blame me for that?
There's no way it could go this smoothly.
"Cedric, before you get angry, listen to me first. It was a reasonable situation..."
I sighed and turned my head toward Cedric again.
"Thank you."
"...What?"
What did I just hear?
I blinked rapidly and looked up at Cedric.
"Bianca told me. You protected her in a difficult situation."
"I really appreciate it."
These were words I thought I'd never hear from Cedric. I was amazed and looked at Cedric with wide eyes. As the silence continued for quite some time, Cedric cleared his throat, as if embarrassed.
"If it's all right, would you like to have a cup of tea with me?"
The place I headed with Cedric was on the upper floor of the training hall. The loft was located directly beneath the dome-shaped roof. This seemed to be a simple lounge where Cedric rested after training. Across from the small fireplace was a bed, sofa, and table, and on the table were simple biscuits and a teacup set for after training.
Cedric, who sat across from me at the table, busied himself making tea.
"I'm not very good at making tea. Bianca teased me about it a few times."
Cedric said, carefully tipping the kettle over my teacup. Finally, as I lifted the warm, steaming cup, he looked at me with expectant eyes.
"How is it?"
"It's fine. You make tea well, too."
"Be honest."
"...It's extremely astringent and hot like lava."
Ugh. I quickly grimaced and set the teacup down.
"It's clear to me that you have no talent at all."
Cedric scratched his brow, looking embarrassed. I looked at him and nodded seriously.
"Yes, completely. None whatsoever. If possible, let's leave it to the staff."
"At this level, I could die of shock while drinking tea. There's no need to bother poisoning it."
Cedric, who'd been looking at me pouring out negative reviews with a straight face, soon burst into laughter. Cedric is laughing like that in front of me.
Surprised, I stared at him. When a handsome person smiles like that, it really seems like the whole world lights up. Whether it was because I'd gotten to know Cedric's imperfect human side, or because I'd seen his bright smile—it was the first time I felt comfortable being with him.
"It looks like you're disposing of artwork these days."
"That's right. How did you know?"
"From the Mansion of Darkness, works of art were being taken out one after another, piled on white cloth. So I'm just guessing."
Cedric lowered his head for a moment and blinked slowly.
"If it's because the alimony isn't enough..."
"No, it's not like that."
I denied it outright. Alimony that will be taken away by Duke Bold anyway. Cedric looked at me with a confused expression.
"Even though we're divorced, we're still living together, so we can renegotiate the alimony agreement."
"It means you can ask me for help."
"You... want to help me?"
After saying thank you, he'd even volunteered to help. I was so surprised by Cedric's seemingly indifferent yet friendly attitude that I couldn't easily continue speaking.
Cedric looked at me in silence for a while, and the corners of his lips gently curved upward.
"Of course, we failed as a couple. You went too far, and I was apathetic."
"But that's true—"
Cedric paused for a moment, then his soft gaze fell on me.
"It doesn't mean we'll fail as friends."
Eyes as clear as the deep blue sea. For the first time, I felt a slight warmth in that gaze that had always been full of cynicism and coldness. Seeing Cedric like that, I was at a loss for words for a moment. I slowly raised the corner of my mouth.
"Dude, I like that."
A slight smile spread across Cedric's beautiful face, as if he was satisfied with the answer. At the same time, I cleared my throat due to the slight excitement I felt.
"Hmm... I think it would be better to pretend we're still a couple."
"Honestly, it will be known soon that we're separated, but if you treat me the way you have been, no one will suspect our relationship has broken up, right?"
"...Maybe so. Let's try."
Cedric nodded with a serious expression.
"Then, to celebrate that we're now friends, how about you tell me—if alimony isn't the issue, then why are all the works of art being disposed of?"
"Oh, that's actually..."
"...?"
"I don't think I'll ever get a single penny of divorce alimony."
"What does that mean? There's no way Duke Bold would do that."
Cedric's brow slowly furrowed.
"I thought you had a very special relationship with Duke Bold... wasn't that the case?"
What special relationship?
I immediately shook my head.
"Not at all. It may seem that way on the outside, but my father has never truly cared for me. It's the same for my mother."
Although the story of the Bold family wasn't detailed in the original work, it was still something that could be guessed. Moreover, after meeting Duke Bold in person, that guess had become closer to certainty.
"That can't be..."
Cedric muttered lowly. I didn't know why, but he looked shocked.
"Is it really that surprising that I don't have a good relationship with my own father?"
At my question, Cedric raised his head again, with an expression that seemed as if he'd finally come to his senses.
I smiled softly while looking at him.
"So I plan to increase my personal assets as much as possible until the divorce is announced."
"No matter how much he's the head of the family, he can't touch personal property that existed before the divorce."
Cedric, who was lost in thought, slowly parted his lips.
"In that case, the alimony could be converted into personal property in advance."
"That's enough."
Cedric's eyebrows arched at my firm refusal. Cedric's offer was appreciated, but it was natural that his situation would become difficult if Duke Bold found out about it later. As the absolute head of his family in the Western Empire, it was an unwritten rule in aristocratic society that no matter how high-ranking another family was, one should not infringe upon the rights of other family heads.
That old man will use that as an excuse to form a critical public opinion in aristocratic society—to squeeze more from Cedric.
I didn't want to cause so much trouble when I'd be leaving soon. After thinking about it, I shook my head.
"If you really want to help me, lower the alimony to the lowest level or shorten the payment period. Then I think my mind will be at ease."
But Cedric furrowed his brows, as if he regretted that he couldn't help.
"I can't help it. Then let's deal with that matter gradually... but how are you going to build personal wealth without my help?"
"I'll invest in the demon world material futures trading market."
"The futures market?"
Cedric asked back, unable to hide his surprised expression.
"I didn't know you had much interest in the economic field. I thought there was almost nothing I didn't know about you."
Cedric muttered lowly, as if talking to himself. I let out a small laugh looking at him like that.
"You'll get used to it soon. Mina and Adrian were often surprised at first, but now they seem to have gotten used to it."
At that moment, for some reason, Cedric's expression began to subtly darken.
"Adrian... are you referring to the person who's currently staying with you in the Mansion of Darkness?"