Chapter 34

Aidan was born, and Cynthia had changed.

Cynthia said it was because she had become a mother.

It was as if she had become a different person.

She had started to engage in conversation. More than that, she showed a clear willingness to approach her.

That didn’t mean her sins had disappeared.

Still.

The fact that she could now pour out her pent-up feelings, which seemed ready to burst, was a relief for Rias.

She had reached her limits both mentally and physically.

When she spoke of love, Cynthia would blush but still listen without rejecting it.

During the picnic, Cynthia murmured while leaning on Rias’s body.

“Oh, how happy.”

Rias felt as if her breath had been taken away.

It’s me.

A surge of emotion made Rias bite her lip.

I want to give you everything I have. Every drop of my blood, to you, this beautiful and gentle light.

If this person can be at peace, I need nothing more.

After the attack on the way back from the temple, Rias had not made much progress in the investigation.

“I found something that matches the characteristics of one of the attackers.”

Reuben, Rias’s close aide who handled communications with the intelligence unit, said this on Aidan’s second birthday.

“Where?”

“In the city of Fran.”

It was nearly a five-hour ride from the capital, a place that couldn’t be done in a day.

He could delegate it to someone else, but there were few who remembered the attackers’ features clearly.

There had been no leads so far. He couldn’t afford to miss this.

Rias made the difficult decision to head to the city of Fran.

He captured several recognizable attackers alive and hurried back to the mansion.

“... What did Cynthia say?”

Reuben, who had been entrusted with the message, said she had understood but it was the usual scene.

It was unclear whether she was angry or not. Rias had to see her face as soon as possible and left all the post-incident handling to his subordinates.

“Don’t kill them. The interrogation is all for tomorrow.”

Saying this, he returned to the mansion. It was almost dawn.

Just seeing Cynthia, and even receiving a healing spell from her, Rias felt more energetic than the day before and threw herself into her work.

“—Now, let’s hear about the employer.”

Despite the dark circles under his eyes, Rias’s interrogation showed no signs of fatigue, and the attackers confessed that day.

The mastermind was likely the noble faction, the Marquis Marcel family.

The son, who had been a close aide to the former crown prince, had fled first in the war. It was an unauthorized retreat and a violation of orders. Several of his aides had been beheaded. It was a just punishment, but it had fueled his resentment.

It was the result of cunningly guiding the crown prince to achieve a victory for the noble faction, outmaneuvering Pencillia. There was no room for leniency.

However, this led to the light blood entering Pencillia, further widening the gap between the royal faction and the noble faction.

His resentment and frustration had grown.

If only he could take that light blood away.

Such a simplistic thought led to an unforgivable plan.

“Duke!”

Reuben burst into the office, breathing heavily.

“What is it? Weren’t you going to fetch the documents?”

Reuben had gone to the mansion to retrieve the missing documents. Rias had wanted to go himself, but he was too busy to leave.

“It’s about the princess. I can’t overlook this any longer.”

The princess. After a moment, Rias realized he was talking about Cynthia.

“Aidan was covered in mud.”

“I see.”

Perhaps Aidan had been playing in the mud today. Rias had no memory of such a game, but Aidan enjoyed making things with mud.

He smiled at the thought.

“His face and clothes were completely dirty. Poor Aidan!”

“—Poor?”

He stopped.

“What do you mean by that?”

“The princess has abandoned Aidan’s upbringing. Moreover, she had me locked out of the mansion using a knight! It’s outrageous.”

“What are you talking about?”

Reuben had always been a bit stubborn, but he was the fastest and most accurate at document work, and was now Rias’s closest aide. His loyalty to Pencillia was very high.

“Cynthia is raising Aidan with deep affection.”

“That’s her? I don’t think so at all!”

Rias, seeing Reuben’s excited state, thought, “Could it be...”

“Reuben, did you say something to Cynthia in that tone?”

“I told her not to take out her anger on her son.”

“You...”

So that’s why he was kicked out.

What have you done?

Rias hurried to prepare to leave.

“Duke...?”

“Listen, Reuben. Cynthia cherishes and raises Aidan more than anyone. I know this because I’ve seen it up close.”

“I don’t think so. At the last meal, Aidan spilled most of his food. I reported it, didn’t I? Yet the princess didn’t help him.”

“I don’t know what you saw, but a two-year-old is like that.”

He’s growing and learning to eat every day.

At first, it was a surprise, but now it’s part of Rias’s daily life.

“Come with me, Reuben. Apologize to Cynthia. Being kicked out of the mansion means you said something inappropriate.”

“I was thinking of the young master—”

“Reuben, that’s your misunderstanding.”

Perhaps his loyalty was too strong. Interfering with the lady of the house’s parenting.

Reuben, originally from a commoner’s family, might be unfamiliar with such matters.

In any case, he needed to make him apologize.

“—I don’t think the Duke needs to bow down to the princess more than necessary.”

He’s still saying it.

“Reuben, that’s wrong. I’m not bowing down, and it’s only natural to respect Cynthia because I love her.”

In the carriage, Rias told Reuben to apologize.

If he had listened to Reuben a bit more, he might not have brought him along.

At this point, he thought Reuben had made an overzealous suggestion to Cynthia out of loyalty.

When they arrived at the mansion, Reuben had made far more disrespectful remarks to Cynthia than he had imagined. When he brought up the war, Rias’s body moved before he could think.

If Cynthia hadn’t stopped him, he might have cut off Reuben’s head.

It was his own fault for not noticing, given Reuben’s usual work and loyalty.

Keeping the matter of the crown prince from Cynthia was something Rias had been very careful about.

If she knew he had been handed over to Pencillia as reparation, how much would she be hurt?

He couldn’t keep anyone who might cloud her smile close by.

“I don’t have the ability to judge people...”

I want to remove anything that clouds her heart.

Of all people, it was his aide.

“—It’s a sign of his loyalty and his strong tendency to jump to conclusions. It’s understandable.”

The commander of Pencillia’s knights consoled him, but Rias was still disheartened.

“Just by looking at the lady, you can see how much she cherishes and raises Aidan. How Pencillia has welcomed such an irreplaceable person. —Since I didn’t see it with my own eyes, it’s understandable.”

“I was thinking of exiling him... but Cynthia said to continue using him because of his loyalty.”

Is it kindness? Lately, Cynthia has been putting herself last. Dismissing the contempt directed at her as unimportant.

First Aidan, then the mansion, then Rias, and prioritizing them.

I wish she would be more self-centered and selfish.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? He’s capable at his job.”

“I don’t want to use someone who has ill intentions toward Cynthia.”

“—Then, how about putting him in the intelligence unit? He might do well there.”

After some thought, Rias decided to adopt the commander’s suggestion.

Reuben, brought to the office, had red, swollen eyes and a red nose.

“—Do you know what you did wrong?”

“Trying to break the silence.”

That’s true, but that’s not it.

“You lack respect for the duchess.”

“I...”

Reuben couldn’t say anything more. He started crying like a child.

Reuben’s brothers and father had all died in the previous war.

Reuben still remembered the numerous insults he had hurled at Rias when Cynthia first arrived.

No one could say a word when the person he most revered and pledged loyalty to was being insulted, especially by someone from the royal family who had killed his family.

“Normally, this would be a grave offense.”

Exile or punishment.

“But Cynthia has forgiven you. Because of your loyalty to Pencillia.”

Reuben’s face lifted in surprise.

“From now on, don’t forget your gratitude to the duchess.”

Rias’s voice was cold, as if to say regaining this trust would not be easy.

Reuben, sobbing, bowed his head.

The investigation into the noble faction had hit a bit of a snag.

At the palace ball, suspicious herbs were circulating, and it was clear that young members of the noble faction were involved.

However, the connections and sources were still unknown.

“I’m sure they’re all connected. From the attack to the herbs.”

In the crown prince’s office at the palace.

Ortimiti was looking at the report with a serious expression.

This serious look was very similar to Cynthia’s. The color of his flaxen hair and red eyes was different, but his expressions were often similar.

“What did the king say?”

“He said to leave it to me.”

“I see...”

The king had never been particularly interested in politics. As the crown prince grew, this became more pronounced.

Ortimiti is only 15. I need him to work a bit harder.

After losing his wife and eldest son, he became more withdrawn and started delegating more work to the crown prince.

Fortunately, Ortimiti didn’t seem to find his duties as crown prince particularly burdensome. He was not intimidated by the nobles and could exchange opinions with them.

His lack of experience was inevitable, but it would only be a matter of a few years.

“—Don’t be so down. I thought it was perfect.”

He must be talking about the ball.

“The security gap wasn’t just the prince’s responsibility. It was mine too.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s hard to stop someone who wants to do something bad. Very hard.”

He’s not the type to stay down for long.

Talking to him like this, his personality might be very similar to Cynthia’s.

“—There’s nothing we can do for now, so take a vacation if you want.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll take a break too. Come and play with your sister again.”

Ortimiti’s suggestion wasn’t just because he wanted to see her.

The alliance between the royal faction’s leading Pencillia and the royal family was indeed having an effect.

The noble faction was clearly losing momentum in meetings.

It seemed they intended to continue with this strategy for a while.

Rias replied, “Yes,” and left the office.