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The startled head butler quietly inhaled. A heavy silence flowed, and not long after, Riette’s round, large eyes wavered and she began to drop tears like chicken droppings.
“Waaaaaah!”
Riette didn’t hide her fear and tears. As she cried out with all her might, only then did the Grand Duke sigh and leave, while the head butler comforted young Riette in his place.
Cedric quietly looked back at Riette. His face was stoic, but his white cheeks were swollen and flushed red, looking painful.
Riette hugged Cedric while crying sorrowfully.
“…Why are you crying?”
“I hate your daddy! Huuuung!”
It must have been an extremely shocking scene for the young lady who had grown up receiving plenty of love from her parents and was still naive.
When such statements from her echoed loudly through the lobby, the flustered head butler quickly took Cedric and Riette and went upstairs.
Even on the way to the study, Riette continued to get angry as if for someone to hear.
“Why is he acting like that! He’s a bad person!”
“Ah, Miss. Please calm down a little.”
The head butler, who was sweating profusely while taking the two children to sit in the study chairs, smiled bitterly while looking at the huffing Riette. Soon, when Cedric’s reddened and swollen face came into his sight, his gaze filled with pity.
The head butler ordered a servant standing in the corridor to bring a pouch for ice compress, then knelt down to match the eye level of the two children.
“Young master, Miss. Please don’t hate His Excellency too much. Ever since the madam fell ill with an incurable disease and became uncomfortable in her movements… His Excellency has also been under a lot of mental pressure. That’s why he’s so sharp.”
Moreover, the Grand Duke of Soliwen’s wife, Velona, had fallen ill not long after giving birth to Cedric, so the Grand Duke was directing harsh anger at everything being Cedric’s fault.
Of course, since stories that could invoke guilt weren’t suitable for children, he didn’t mention that part.
In fact, the Grand Duke would know that his actions weren’t right. He just needed to turn his eyes away from reality and find a place to relieve his anxiety.
But whatever the case…
“That’s not a reason to hit him!”
Riette’s words were correct.
The head butler smiled silently and soon gently applied the ice compress pouch he received from the servant to Cedric’s cheek to cool down the heat.
Cedric neither cried nor whined and remained dignified, but inwardly he was grateful to Riette who had gotten angry and cried on his behalf.
“Ret. Earlier I…”
“Yeah?”
“…I’m sorry for telling you not to interfere.”
At that, Riette grinned broadly. That was good up to that point, but having a spirited personality, she pounded Cedric’s back and shouted.
“You’re a kid who knows how to apologize too!”
It was an action that broke all the tension like an energetic tomboy. Thanks to that, Cedric’s expression twisted, but Riette just laughed happily and then belatedly worried about his swollen cheek.
“Doesn’t it hurt where you got hit? Are you okay?”
“…Yeah. Don’t worry.”
Riette examined his cheek up close and then drooped her eyebrows as if she had been hit herself. The head butler looked at the two children warmly and then asked casually.
“Young master, Miss. You must be hungry, shall I bring some sweet desserts?”
“Yes! Good! I want to eat cake and macarons.”
“Yes, I’ll bring both cake and macarons.”
The head butler smiled while making eye contact with Riette, who unhesitatingly said what she wanted to eat, and then left the study.
After that day, perhaps being conscious of the Grand Duke of Soliwen, Riette acted a little less noisily when she came to visit the mansion.
The two of them… gradually became ‘real friends’.
They bickered, clashed over their different aspects and came to understand each other. They had mutual affection but no feelings beyond that – they were friends at just that level.
Then one day came.
“We’re stopping by Lowell territory, so you prepare yourself too.”
The Grand Duke of Soliwen called Cedric and instructed him in a dry voice. He didn’t understand why he was being taken along, but since he was told to prepare, he silently followed those words.
The Grand Duke of Soliwen, who had been waiting for Cedric in the lobby, only confirmed with his eyes that his son was coming down after finishing preparations and left the mansion first. The two then boarded the carriage together, but they didn’t exchange a single word.
Cedric was boredly looking at the scenery outside the window passing by quickly when he suddenly recalled something Riette had said.
‘…Lowell.’
Come to think of it, Riette’s other friend who played piano well was said to be a son of the Lowell family.
‘His name was Edgar… I think.’
Maybe I’ll meet him today.
But he soon erased it from his mind.
Since he didn’t know the reason for going to Lowell territory, he couldn’t be sure whether he’d meet that child or not.
The heavy and awkward silence, which was hard to think of as between father and son, only disappeared after they arrived in front of the Lowell family mansion.
“Grand Duke of Soliwen! Nice to meet you.”
A blonde middle-aged man who appeared to be Count Lowell approached them welcomingly as they got off the carriage.
When he smiled kindly, his crow’s feet deepened visibly. Cedric was staring blankly at his handsome face that even time couldn’t hide when their eyes suddenly met.
Count Lowell looked at Cedric and smiled even more deeply, creating crow’s feet, then bent his waist to kindly match eye level.
“Is this child Your Excellency’s son?”
“Yes.”
“My, he resembles Your Excellency and is very handsome. Those beautiful lapis lazuli eyes are just like looking at Lady Velona.”
“……”
The Grand Duke of Soliwen showed no reaction as if he didn’t like that comment, but Count Lowell didn’t seem to particularly care about him. No, it seemed like he didn’t even notice that uncomfortable atmosphere.
“Hehe, actually I pestered the Grand Duke to bring you along at least once. I’m glad to meet you like this. What’s your name?”
“…It’s Cedric.”
“Yes, Cedric. I also have a son the same age as you. He’s also friends with Ret – do you perhaps know him?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, really?”
Count Lowell looked at Cedric answering maturely and smiled proudly, then gently patted his head.
The warmth of that palm was very warm and cozy, making Cedric feel strange.
“It would be really nice if you could get along well with our son too. Oh! I have somewhere to go with your father. Will you rest at our mansion?”
“…I will.”
Soon Count Lowell led the conversation cheerfully, suggesting to the Grand Duke of Soliwen that they go up to the small mountain behind the mansion and get some fresh air together.
‘Father came to Lowell territory to meet that Count.’
After that, Cedric was… left at the Lowell mansion. By then, his curiosity about the friend named Edgar swelled again.
So he went to find the Lowell family’s head butler and asked.
“Can I meet the kid named Edgar?”
Redward at that time found it admirable that Cedric didn’t make a fuss despite being in an unfamiliar place and asked about his curiosity in a serious tone, so he answered kindly.
“Young Master Edgar is out.”
“Out? Where did he go?”
“He went up to the mountain behind. He likes playing with mountain animals. When he’s bored, he often feeds friends like squirrels and rabbits that live on the mountain.”
Cedric fell into thought for a moment. He didn’t know how wide that mountain behind was or what kind of place it was since he’d never been there, but since Count Lowell was up there now and the friend named Edgar was also there, he wanted to go see.
“I understand. Thank you for telling me.”
When Cedric turned around and headed for the door, Redward was slightly flustered and followed.
“Are you going to look for Young Master Edgar?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll accompany you.”
“No, I’m fine by myself.”
“But…”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Thus he declined Redward’s worry and kindness and boldly climbed the mountain alone.
Until then, he was confident that he could really find it himself.
It was a foolish thought.
Cedric lost his sense of direction while climbing the mountain path and ended up getting lost.
‘…Where is this?’
It was unfamiliar land, and moreover a place he’d never been to before. As soon as he realized he was lost, Cedric felt fear and after pondering, decided to just follow the mountain path upward.
He believed that if he went up, he’d reach the top, and from there he could look down and figure out the direction.
And if he was lucky while walking, he thought he might meet either Count Lowell or Edgar somewhere. He excluded the Grand Duke of Soliwen since he didn’t want to meet him even in this situation.
How long had he walked aimlessly?
Since it was a mountain densely overgrown with trees, there were many areas where sunlight didn’t penetrate well, and to make matters worse, gloomy clouds passed overhead and even began to drizzle.
“……”
For Cedric, who was still very young and small in stature, this huge forest felt just like a monster that had swallowed its prey.
Cedric, who struggled to overcome his fear, first entered between the gap that opened like a hole under a split tree to avoid the rain.
The green lights above his head sparkled as they dropped rainwater. It was a scene that would feel truly beautiful if viewed comfortably, but nothing felt beautiful to Cedric right now.
‘…I shouldn’t have said I’d go find him alone.’
Such regret came to him, but it was already too late.
‘What do I do now?’
Cedric pulled his knees up to hug them and leaned his cheek against them. If no one discovered him like this, if they didn’t find him…
‘Will I starve to death?’
Thinking about it, since it’s a mountain, there would be quite a lot to eat. If he ate tree fruits and such… he might be able to endure until others noticed his absence and came looking.
Since the Lowell family’s head butler knew he had gone up the mountain, it might end as a short incident.
Even while thinking that, his anxiety grew.
‘…What if no one can find me?’
He’d go missing and gradually die.
Then would at least Ret be sad for him?
Suddenly he remembered Riette saying it was okay to cry if he wanted to cry. He didn’t know why. But at that moment, something welled up inside and his eyes became hot.
It was when Cedric was blinking while shedding tears.
“What’s your name?”
It was a clear voice he’d never heard before.
Cedric, who lifted his head thinking he might have heard wrong, saw a small silhouette standing half-blocking the sunlight.
Under pudding-soft-looking golden hair, round green eyes sparkled as they stared at Cedric.
Looking closely, it was a boy around Cedric’s age.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
