## Chapter 46 – Servant Cedric (12) – Anxiety and a Handshake
Lord’s mansion was thrown into chaos.
After all, how could it not be, when assassins had reached the lord’s bedroom?
“…It seems some of the guards, dissatisfied with the lord’s proxy being dismissed, collaborated with the assassins. Knowing the plan had failed, we apprehended those attempting to flee and imprisoned them all.”
The head butler, Bastien, reported with a grim expression.
“Miss, no, My Lord. This is a matter that cannot be taken lightly. The guards must be held responsible, and order must be restored to ensure nothing like this happens again.”
Hearing Bastien’s words, the captain of the guard’s face darkened considerably.
Still, even as his complexion darkened, he refrained from offering any rebuttal—because the situation left no room for argument.
Considering the breach that had endangered the lord’s life, it was already a grave issue. Knowing the cause lay in betrayal from within the guard itself made it an even more inexcusable scenario.
The captain of the guard, standing before Claudia, bowed his head like a prisoner awaiting judgment. Claudia then announced her decision:
“A month’s pay deduction for those on duty today, and the captain will serve three months unpaid. That’s the ruling—take it as you will.”
The captain’s eyes widened in shock, and the other retainers around him expressed their bewilderment. It was simply too light a punishment, considering the gravity of the situation. In many noble houses, the mere wounding of the person under their protection would result in the beheading of all guards. In this case, her judgment seemed so merciful as to be almost inadequate.
“My Lord, yet…”
“I’ve already decided, and I won’t entertain any counterarguments. And don’t think I’m letting it go lightly. Those directly involved with the assassination attempt will receive no mercy.”
The captain of the guard knelt before Claudia, his throat constricting. The guards behind him, trembling in gratitude, also bowed deeply.
“Thank you, My Lord! Henceforth, I pledge my life in total allegiance!”
“‘Allegiance! We pledge our allegiance!’”
“Good, I’ll be counting on you all from now on.”
Though Claudia responded with a seemingly uninterested tone, deep down, she was a little surprised.
“…Honestly, I planned to have all of them ruined.”
Lately, she had been trying to cultivate a sense of dignity and mercy, but such a transformation wasn’t an easy feat.
More importantly, in this case, she had the perfect rationale—not to mention the advice of Cedric.
Worried that treating the matter lightly could make subordinates undervalue the importance of their lord’s life, Claudia found Cedric’s method of instilling loyalty through mercy surprisingly fresh.
The guards, deeply moved by the lord’s mercy(?), interrogated the traitors and assassins with eyes bloodshot from rage. Unfortunately, their effort bore meager fruit.
“Request: ‘Scare him as much as possible without killing.’ The client is from an entirely different criminal organization compared to the one these traitors belong to. I imagine, if you visit their group to investigate, you’ll probably be given another organization’s name. The subdelegate upon subdelegate upon subdelegate, so to speak.”
Cedric shrugged his shoulders, and Claudia frowned.
“Still, some information came out, right? Following the trail back from the organization who contracted these guys, and then the one that contracted them, will we not eventually find the real culprit?”
“With the level of complexity involved, some of the intermediary links may well be fictitious. The investigation would likely be derailed somewhere along the way.”
“Hmph.”
Claudia clicked her tongue in obvious dissatisfaction.
Turning to her, Cedric said, “You already have a pretty good idea who’s behind this, don’t you, Miss?”
“The siblings, no doubt. They always act like convulsions when I seem to be getting things done.”
Though calling them “siblings,” there was no trace of familial affection in her voice. It wasn’t complicated affection either—her pure, straightforward dislike was abundantly clear. By this point, it was only appropriate to view them as no more than acquaintances related only by lineage.
Claudia sighed deeply.
“I wasn’t entirely unprepared, but it’s happening too fast. It doesn’t feel like this will end with just one attempt either. Should I bring some Blood Beasts back for my protection?”
Cedric shook his head.
“Doing so would simply play into their hands. It would amount to weakening the growth momentum of Lord Echard.”
“…Huh? Yeah, that makes sense. Then instead, if you stick by me for protection, that would suffice. How about moving your room next door to mine?”
Even though they were discussing her personal safety, a serious topic, there was a hint of excitement in Claudia’s voice. She saw this as a great pretext to keep Cedric close.
“To protect you as your servant isn’t an issue. However, if I move my room to focus solely on your guard duties, the regular guards might feel excluded. They might see your verbal forgiveness as mere pretense, believing you don’t truly trust them.”
Cedric rejected her proposal outright, arguing that there was no need to discard the hard-earned trust and respect he had gained.
“Ugh.”
Claudia puffed out her cheeks. She wanted to say that the disappointment of those who’d already failed didn’t matter, but she couldn’t bring herself to. She didn’t want to risk looking like a spoiled child in front of Cedric, in case he became disappointed in her.
“So you’re not concerned about my safety at all?”
“I am concerned. And frankly, within the estate, it makes no difference whether I’m nearby or far away. I’ll rush to your side as soon as you call.”
“O-oh, really?”
Forgetting her previous dissatisfaction, Claudia’s face brightened. His promise to rush to her side sounded rather sweet to her ears.
It reminded her a little of a line from Rose and Pocket Watch. And she imagined the next development: the two of them locked together in the rain at the villa…
“Miss? Miss Claudia?”
“…What? Huh? What is it?”
“No, I was just concerned because you suddenly seemed to become quiet. Apparently, I may have been insufficiently considerate. Considering what you’ve been through recently, it’s reasonable that you might feel tired.”
“I’m fine. Really.”
Claudia repeatedly cleared her throat in discomfort and changed the subject.
“Anyway, that’s how we’ll handle the guard situation. Anything else to do? Or should I just hire some assassins and send them out?”
“You don’t know exactly which sibling is behind this, do you? And with our current, still shaky power base, pushing too hard might give them the chance to exploit our situation to their advantage.”
“Che, so you’re saying I should do nothing and just sit still?”
“Not quite. We still need to increase the number of Blood Beasts and govern the territory well.”
“That’s too generic.”
“Generic is a good thing.”
Cedric smirked.
“With time, the one growing restless from this routine will be them.”
Ervine, the second son, and Mira, the third daughter, remained calm despite rumors that criminal organizations dispatched against Echard County had gone quiet.
After all, the culprits operating in the field had no clue about the real identity of those at the top.
Even if they were captured, Claudia had no evidence to trace back to the real masterminds.
An attack that posed no risk, successful or not.
Thus, the conversation between the siblings, while discussing the matter, seemed unusually amicable.
“What’s Claudia’s reaction been like?”
“Quiet. There’s no sign of her recalling Blood Beasts for reinforcements, and she’s not running around vowing revenge.”
“Hmm, strange. That volatile nature of hers wouldn’t just sit still after a pre-emptive strike.”
“Maybe she’s biding her time. Don’t worry, we’re already preparing new ones.”
“This time, I’ll be sending out operatives as well. Draining blood from her night and day, anyone—woman included—will crumble eventually.”
With fiendish smiles, the siblings dispatched their new assassin.
Needless to say, they failed promptly.
“Huh, stopped them? Guess the guard is somewhat competent.”
“Damn, for the price they demanded and still couldn’t even pose a proper threat. This is why I hate dealing with trash.”
“Next time, we should only send operators rated higher than three stars. A regular soldier, no matter how well-trained, has limits.”
“Also, we should consider providing additional scrolls.”
Equipped with better gear and carefully selected personnel, a third assassination attempt was made.
The result? Failure, as usual.
“…Is she being protected by a pretty powerful knight?”
“Is she accompanied by someone of at least four-star ability or higher? What does that foul-tempered woman have up her sleeve?”
“Regardless, she’s still within the Redbell clan. It seems we have at least one deluded fool swayed by her reputation. We need to change our approach.”
“Fearing a genuine death might have made us hold back, but that’s not an option anymore. Poison, snipers, bribery—everything at our disposal must be employed.”
With a serious attitude, the siblings tried assassinations anew. As always, they failed.
“….”
“….”
No matter the methods used, personnel selected, or tools and funds provided, not a single one of their operatives returned with the news of success.
Worse, even reports of their failures were absent.
Through their informants, they checked Claudia’s movements: the number of Blood Beasts patrolling Echard County remained unchanged, Claudia was not avoiding high-risk public events, her fame and influence continued to soar, and many in the nobility were even unaware any assassination attempts had occurred.
Indeed.
The assassins they sent were so thoroughly ignored that their presence was rendered fictitious—they were simply dismissed as not worth the effort.
“Forget relying on others. We need to handle this ourselves.”
Ervine voiced his serious sentiment, making Mira shiver.
Both Ervine and Mira possessed ‘real swords’ for direct, dirty work—individuals far beyond the skill level of hired mercenaries.
However, there were always reasons for why these hadn’t been used until now.
“Ugh, but won’t it be too risky for us to get directly involved? If we’re captured….”
Accepting an anonymous commission and letting criminal organizations act freely carried a different weight compared to directly involving the power of House Redbell.
If it were to fail, dealing with the consequences would be genuinely difficult.
However, the second son persisted despite his sister’s plea.
“Other provinces bordering Echard County are already appealing to Claudia for blood beasts in their territories. If left unchecked, she’ll consolidate a formidable force.”
“But, hold on. While it’s true that it’s easy to increase the numbers of blood beasts by sacrificing some of their individual power, blood beasts still have a limit, right? Echard County might be manageable, but there’s no way they can cover other territories too. She’ll fail even if we leave her be!”
“The law and order in Echard County has already been largely stabilized. If we move the blood beasts within to other provinces symbolically, it’s something that can be managed. We’ll at least be able to show some results worth boasting about.”
The pair did not assume that the number of blood beasts under Claudia’s command would genuinely increase. In fact, they actively ignored that possibility.
They couldn’t acknowledge, given their own pride, that there was anything lacking in comparison to the thievery of that woman and her mother.
“It’s time to abandon the mentality of ‘it can’t be helped if I die.’ We must proceed with the mindset of ‘I must kill her.’ Before the head of the house takes an interest in that girl.”
Though Mira expressed reluctance, she ultimately agreed with Ervine’s repeated insistence.
Despite their attempts to act subtly, their every move was faithfully reported to the true ruler of the Redbell House.
As the viscount assessed,
“Unfortunately for them, it’s already a foregone conclusion they’ll fail.”
“Do you really think so?”
The viscount’s confidant expressed surprise.
While it was true Claudia had recently begun expanding her influence, the two siblings had been doing so much longer.
Even if past failures were due to their cautious approach to avoid risks, once they committed fully, they were bound to far outpower Claudia.
Yet the viscount confidently declared Claudia’s success with a disinterested expression.
“They didn’t thoroughly assess their opponent’s capabilities or prepare adequate force. Not methodical, not intuitive. It’s more like: they underestimated their foe, trickled in their forces, and when it didn’t work, they scrambled to respond. What idiots. Their entire operation will be wiped out.”
Having spent considerable resources to rear them, discovering their incompetence was not a pleasant experience.
However, it was intriguing.
“Unclear how far she’s managed to foresee this. If she’s manipulated every step from the start until the end, then she’s more a monster than we imagined.”
The viscount felt curiosity stir within him.
And being the powerful man he was, he needed no restraint in indulging that curiosity.
“Perhaps it’s not too bad to spend an intimate moment with family every once in a while.”
