Cedric was searching the entire mansion because a patient who needed treatment had disappeared. If the Duke had been attacked by someone again, he would never be able to forgive himself this time.
'Etienne, I want to be your secretary when I grow up.'
Cedric had followed Etienne around since childhood. Etienne, who was skilled in swordsmanship and knowledgeable, was different from the kids his age who just kept running their noses.
At his words, Etienne, who was reading a book, looked up.
'I'm not going to be anything, so how on earth are you going to become my secretary?'
'...Ah.'
It was a sharp question, just as expected from Etienne.
Etienne already had two grown brothers, and His Excellency the Duke was also in good health.
So, when Etienne becomes an adult, he might become a knight if things go well, or he might have to become a monk or wander around looking for a wealthy priest.
Flustered, Cedric scratched the back of his head and muttered.
'But you, you will definitely become a great person.'
And Cedric's faith was not in vain. Despite many twists and turns, Etienne Bernhard became the master of this family.
In front of many people, Etienne pretended to be a libertine, but he was exactly the same as he was when he saw him as a child.
'It would be absolutely perfect if it weren't for that woman.'
At this point, he even began to wonder if he should get rid of Shioana secretly.
He clenched his fist tightly at the sight of the Duke appearing from the end of the hallway, his gown fluttering.
"Your Excellency! Do you really want to watch my heart fall out?"
"Cedric, you're noisy first thing in the morning."
"Didn't the doctor tell you to get absolute rest for a month?"
Cedric drew out the end of his sentence while glancing in the direction he had come from.
He had taken precautions in advance because he thought His Excellency would visit frequently if Shioana were right next to him, but it seemed to be of no use.
"Stop nagging and go now."
Etienne leaned back loosely on the bed and reached out to feel his side. The arrow had lodged shallowly, but the poison on the arrowhead was the problem. It was said to be a poison that killed slowly rather than instantly, a cunning poison that one might not even realize they had been poisoned.
Fortunately, the doctor discovered it, but said that the recovery would be slow because the detoxification started a day later.
'It is a very powerful poison, so there may be aftereffects.'
Recalling the doctor's words, Cedric slumped onto a chair by the bed.
"We have not yet determined whether it is the Grand Lady or Marquis Calix who are targeting Your Excellency. However, one of the captured individuals will confess soon."
"This is really sick and sour. Does it only end when everyone dies?"
The weary Duke rubbed his eyes and spoke sadly. Seeing this, Cedric deliberately acted cheerful to change the atmosphere.
"That is a terrible thing to say; if the ladies who are smitten with you heard it, they would surely cry."
“Is it so?”
Etienne entered the bedroom and looked Cedric up and down while sitting leaning against the headboard.
"Did you receive proper treatment?"
"I am perfectly fine."
Cedric looked embarrassed because the Duke was concerned for his health.
"Then I’ll be leaving now. As the doctor said, it seems I need absolute rest right now."
At the Duke's command to his attendant, Cedric blurted out the words he had been holding back.
"Where did you go knowing that, in such poor health?"
Etienne seemed speechless at the other person's question.
The place he had just returned from was the bedroom where Shioana was. Waking from a light sleep at dawn, he was tormented by anxiety.
'She isn't by my side.'
Sweating profusely, he walked down the hallway as if about to collapse and stood at the bedside of the sleeping Shioana. As he saw her sleeping face with his own eyes, he was able to shake off some of the tension that had been tightening his heart.
Just then, as if tormented by a nightmare, her forehead furrowed, and she called out to someone with difficulty.
'...Etienne.'
He felt as though his body had frozen for a moment.
He desperately wanted her to call his name, but it was just as painful to hear. In that moment, a terrible thought took root in Etienne's mind.
'If the rest of our lives are going to be hell anyway, being together like this wouldn't be so bad.'
Because he could neither forgive Shioana nor send her anywhere.
As the Duke remained silent, Cedric cautiously added.
"You must be especially careful right now."
It was not just once or twice that a woman, captivated by Duke Bernhard's handsome face, wealth, and power, plotted sordid schemes.
He thought it would pass, but it was clearly visible that His Excellency was becoming increasingly obsessed with Shioana. Cedric paused for a moment before continuing.
"She is a person of no help whatsoever to Your Excellency's great undertaking."
What the Duke was about to do was revenge on a small scale, but it could also be seen as serving the Empire on a large scale.
'So, Your Excellency, it is right to marry a woman who is a little more upright and dignified.'
"Yeah, I guess I should get married."
"...Yes?"
Cedric stammered, surprised by the sudden marriage announcement.
"Your Excellency, have you secretly found a partner to marry?"
He secretly hoped for a family name that could rival the forces of Marquis Calix or Grand Lady Bernhard. However, the Duke, with a pale face, spoke up as if displeased.
"Cedric, it's a shame you're not as perceptive as you are good at nagging."
"...No way."
“I have already decided."
With his eyes closed like that, the Duke issued a silent order to dismiss him. Although it was the long-awaited news of the Duke's marriage, Cedric wore no joyful expression whatsoever. Stepping out of the bedroom, he briefly let his disheveled face slip away before quickly composing himself.
If that is the master's will, there is no choice but to follow it.
"Shall we go quickly and get a confession first?"
Cedric's fresh-faced blue eyes curved sinisterly.
***
It was the third day when Shioana got up. Because she ate well and rested well, her body quickly felt lighter.
"I have to go to work tomorrow."
As Shioana muttered while being spoon-fed soup, Martha made a displeased face.
"I heard His Excellency told you to get some good rest, saying you’ve worked hard, Miss."
"Am I really in such a situation?"
She was already worried about her unauthorized absence from the office. She wouldn't have a word to say even if Raul, who trembled at the mere thought of money, fired her on the spot.
Martha, who was clearing away the empty soup bowls, fell into a rather serious dilemma.
It seemed that both gentlemen were deeply smitten with the young lady, but it was difficult to readily choose which one was better.
'The boss looks a bit scary, but he's actually quite kind, and while the Duke is a good person in every way, I just have a really bad feeling about him.'
She didn't like him because he had the exact same appearance as Regbell's slave.
Even though red eyes symbolize a good bloodline here, that was absolutely not the case where she was born and raised.
'Right, seeing as he even embraces Young Master Harriet, the Boss is the better choice.'
Martha imagined Shioana marrying the boss and building a happy family.
'I wonder how beautiful our young lady will look in a wedding dress.'
If she's lucky, she might even be able to hold the baby the young lady gave birth to.
It was then.
There was a commotion outside, and Cedric poked his head out.
“A guest has arrived.”
As Cedric stepped aside with a very displeased look on his face, Raul kicked open the door and burst in with the sound of thumping footsteps.
"I heard the rumors were widespread that you beat a bear to death."
Raul, with his hands full of food, cracked a joke as soon as he entered.
His lighthearted tone helped Shioana shake off some of the anxiety that she might be fired.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't contact you because of personal circumstances."
"Lord Conrad over there contacted the office."
"...Ah."
Shioana got up and bowed to the Viscount. However, he pretended not to notice, acting as if he wasn't very interested.
"I have a lot of work piled up. I think I'll be able to come in starting tomorrow."
Raul clicked his tongue as he looked down at Shioana's gaunt face.
"Don't worry. Murphy and Thompson are working overtime every day, and I'm not going to pay a single penny to any absent secretary."
Shioana smiled awkwardly at the remark, which was truly typical of a boss sensitive to money.
"Thank you for taking care of me anyway."
As Shioana greeted him while looking at the bundle Martha was unpacking, he shrugged his shoulders.
"I just picked that up at the market on my way here, too. Don't feel pressured. Get plenty of rest until the end of this week and come back at your leisure. Well then, I'm busy, so I'll be going now."
Raul's sending off was as sudden as his entrance, so Shioana couldn't even properly greet him.
"..."
Cedric, seeing Raul off, stopped and spoke in a displeased voice.
"Do you think the Bernhard mansion is a salon?"
"Sir, even if you say so, I cannot understand."
As Raul joked, Cedric kindly continued.
"It is not a place you can come and go for such private business."
"I don't have business with you, Duke; I came to see my secretary. What does that matter?"
As Raul grinned slyly while leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed, Cedric, who had not lost his smile, spoke up again.
"This should be the last time you come to see that secretary."
"Is His Excellency the Duke going to marry my secretary? Unless it is something like that, I can't believe it."
Raul chuckled to himself, finding it funny no matter how much he thought about it, but Cedric, who was watching, had a strange expression on his face.
"...Ah."
Raul's face darkened in an instant.
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