48
‘This kid looks like he’s about to cry.’
To those who didn’t know Cedric well, it would seem like his usual face with no particular difference, but…
Riette, who had been by his side since this young master was still a timid little kid who spoke few words, could easily notice that Cedric was currently in quite a ‘gloomy state.’
‘…I suppose he can’t help it.’
Riette recalled what happened a few days ago.
It was when she had first sought out Cedric, suggesting they go see Edgar’s face after a long time while also hearing about how Edgar had been chosen by a divine artifact.
〈I got rejected by Eddie.〉
When she pressed him after he stubbornly refused, saying he wouldn’t go so she should go see him alone… that was the answer that came from Cedric’s mouth.
〈Did you confess?〉
〈…No. But I think he noticed.〉
〈Then he doesn’t know yet, does he?〉
〈He wants to stay friends with me. How could I not know when he’s giving off such strong vibes telling me not to confess?〉
〈…So you’re going to give up on Eddie?〉
〈……〉
〈You can’t give up anyway.〉
〈……〉
〈Stop complaining and just follow me.〉
She had forcibly dragged the reluctant Cedric along and visited the Lowell family mansion.
Riette continued to probe Edgar’s subconscious to see if Cedric’s love really had no hope of being fulfilled…
Her conclusion was ‘not so.’
Cedric seemed unable to make objective judgments because he was currently digging underground tunnels, but from Riette’s perspective, Edgar didn’t show any signs of wanting to put up walls, considering he had supposedly noticed Cedric’s feelings and said he wanted to ‘stay friends.’
Of course… it could be that he really wanted to stay as friends rather than lovers. But even taking that into account, Edgar showed no signs of feeling rejection toward Cedric or wanting to distance himself.
This was Edgar, who had said he’d never even thought about men in that way.
She had a good feeling about it.
And Riette trusted her instincts.
Riette, who had let out a deep sigh, approached and sat beside Cedric. She spoke to him, who didn’t even turn around.
“I told you. From what I can see, there’s hope.”
“……”
“Have confidence! At this rate, even what could work won’t work.”
“It’s easy to say.”
Cedric grumbled irritably. Not being unable to understand his feelings, Riette swallowed a sigh and turned her head.
Heavy silence flowed between them. How long had they been sitting like that? The first to break the silence was Cedric.
“I’m going to give up.”
As if talking to himself. As if comforting himself.
“I should give up… even if I can’t, I have to.”
He lowered his head, spitting out his gloomily sunken emotions. His shoulders looked so small that Riette’s heart ached with pity.
She wanted to somehow encourage her friend who was suffering while saying he would give up.
“Cedy, let’s try to hang in there a little longer. You’ve gotten much closer to Eddie lately.”
“…As friends.”
“That’s always how it starts. You’ve been circling around for too long, so you’re tired now. I’ll respect your choice anyway, but… I hope you won’t regret it.”
“Forget it.”
Cedric shook his head.
“You don’t have to try for me, Ret.”
“Cedy…”
Riette’s eyebrows drooped. Just as she was about to place her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
Suddenly, with a thud, the floor shook. The source of the loud noise was from the salon. As the two people looked up in surprise, screams suddenly began bursting from the salon.
“What? What’s happening?”
Startled, Riette jumped up and shouted.
At that moment, Cedric, thinking of Edgar who would still be inside the salon, ran in without saying anything.
“Cedy!”
Riette also ran to the salon, then was flustered by the thick black smoke spreading everywhere. With poor visibility, it was difficult to gauge what was happening.
‘Where is Cedy… wait, where’s Eddie?’
While looking around, she staggered because of someone who bumped her shoulder and ran out. Voices filled with terror were coming from everywhere, and it was chaotic with many people confused and trying to flee to the entrance.
“Cedy! Eddie! Where are you?”
Since the last place she had spotted Edgar was near the terrace, Riette squeezed through the crowd of people and barely made her way there.
Since everyone was heading to the entrance, there were actually no people on the terrace. The only one remaining was Cedric.
“Cedy?”
Cedric was crouched motionlessly, holding something in his hand while looking at it. Riette, who approached closely to check, quietly swallowed her breath.
It was the brooch Edgar had been using.
* * *
My head is dizzy.
What happened?
I tried to recall what had just happened step by step with my hazily returning consciousness.
After Cedric left, I headed to the terrace to get some air… and there were several people who approached me, talking to me…
〈I heard you had a blind date.〉
〈Is it true that His Highness the Prince came out?〉
〈About being chosen by a divine artifact?〉
〈It’s so fascinating. If you have it with you, could we take a look?〉
…We were having various conversations like this.
Yes, that’s right, my blind date partner was His Highness, this is the divine artifact. Since I had nothing else to do anyway, I passed time answering those questions.
Then, as if everyone had been holding back things they wanted to ask, they started coming over one by one and chattering… Just when I was forcing myself to smile while gradually feeling mounting fatigue.
〈Huh?〉
Someone seemed to have spotted something over my shoulder. Right after that, a loud thud burst out and the surroundings instantly became thick with black smoke.
My ears felt like they were tearing from people’s screams.
Someone tried to grab me so I resisted…
‘Did I get hit and pass out like that?’
While retracing the sequence of events, I looked around. As my eyes gradually got used to the darkness, I began to understand my surroundings to some extent.
I was lying on a cold floor as if thrown there. I tried to move my body but only then realized that my hands and feet were tied.
“Sigh.”
It seems like whoever knocked me out dragged me here. Where is this place, and what’s the reason for kidnapping me…
‘A blackmailer?’
The Lowell family was a noble family famous for having money. So encountering blackmailers on the street had happened several times before.
‘Or maybe they wanted to threaten someone by taking a noble hostage and I just happened to be the closest one. But… how did they get through the surveillance and get inside?’
A stranger couldn’t have gotten inside the mansion through normal means.
I lay on the floor thinking deeply.
Hmm. There wasn’t really any answer I could deduce.
Suddenly, with a creaking sound, the door opened.
“Are you awake?”
At the same time, an unfamiliar man’s voice was heard.
When I lifted my head, someone was coming inside. When the door opened, the light from outside clearly illuminated the interior, so I noticed this was some kind of shabby warehouse in a private house.
As I curled up warily, the man who strode closer grabbed my hair and lifted it up.
“Ugh!”
His grip was so rough that it felt like all my hair would be pulled out. The man, whose lower face was covered with black cloth, looked me up and down and asked.
“Hey, kid. You’re Edgar Lowell, right?”
“…No, I’m not.”
The man snorted through his nose.
“Huh? Lying with such an innocent face.”
“……”
“What a clever noble young master, hm?”
Then why did you ask?
“Ugh, do you think you’ll be safe after doing something like this?!”
“Don’t worry. I’m going to blow myself up and die as soon as this job is over anyway… so there won’t be any trail to follow.”
Wait. Blow himself up, what?
What is this person talking about right now?
As I blinked in confusion, the man’s emotionless eyes looking down at me curved like a bow.
“While I’m being nice, tell me where the divine artifact is.”
Hearing that threat, I realized.
That this bastard’s purpose wasn’t money. That he had targeted me from the beginning and caused this incident.
‘This kind of guy is dangerous.’
There’s no telling what he might do if things go wrong.
If I were a hostage, I could at least keep my life until there were negotiations for the purpose, but in this situation, I didn’t know when something terrible might happen.
I racked my brain and moved my lips.
“Right now… I don’t have it. I stored it somewhere else.”
“Really? Where?”
“At home. It should be in my room.”
There was no reaction from the man. I tried to stay as calm as possible while moistening my lips… when suddenly the man let go of my hair and grabbed my throat.
“Kuk!”
“Young master. Why do you keep lying, hm?”
“It’s, true!”
“Divine artifacts don’t leave their avatar’s side. They’ll be attached to your body in some form. I’m quite knowledgeable about divine artifact studies.”
…Oh no. Was I in trouble?
It’s getting harder and harder to breathe.
When I started gasping, the man finally released his grip.
“I’ll say it one more time.”
I looked up while feeling the stinging pain in my throat that had been grabbed. A gaze with not a trace of emotion bore down on me.
“While I’m being nice, tell me where the divine artifact is.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
