# Chapter 52: A Day of Good Fortune for a Certain Noble Young Lady – Cedric (18)
Cedric thought to himself.
‘What a mess my body’s in.’
His entire body felt as heavy as if it were burdened with lead, and his arms and legs ached unpredictably.
His senses, which had always been razor-sharp, had dulled significantly to the point where he had to rely on magic just to maintain an average person’s level of perception.
There was no doubt about it; his body was heading towards ruin.
In a way, it was only natural.
During the assassination attempt against Claudia, he had unleashed a force at roughly the mid-fourth tier level.
While this level of strength was manageable for an incarnation like Bern, who specialized in physical power, for Cedric, who pursued versatility at the cost of peak abilities, it came with significant backlash.
Even at that point, his body had already endured quite a bit of strain. Afterward, he had also exerted more power than he usually allowed for in magic usage.
Given Armin Redbell’s relentless supervision, Cedric had had no choice but to carefully combine various spells to avoid detection by his subordinates while attempting to outmaneuver them.
His magic-constituted body groaned and protested with every movement, yet Cedric continued to smile without hesitation.
“Still, it’s fortunate that the contract ends soon.”
After all, this body wasn’t his true one.
Even if he despised his current state, it was far from death. And unless this body was suddenly destroyed by external force as Bern’s had been, the backlash to his original body would be minimal.
The only genuine concern might be if he failed to fulfill his duties as “Cedric the Servant,” but thankfully, he believed he could endure for the remaining time given his current condition.
“Cough! Cough! Close call… almost stained my clothes.”
Though a bitter laugh escaped him as a nosebleed suddenly arose, Cedric quickly composed himself and continued on.
With his senses dulled by side effects, Cedric was unaware of something crucial—a maid observing his condition with shock and alarm.
Sometimes, for no particular reason, one wakes up in an uncommonly good mood.
Today was precisely one of those days for Claudia.
Even the maids assisting with her morning preparations seemed to notice, as one boldly ventured a question while brushing Claudia’s hair.
“You seem to be in a good mood today, Miss.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yes. Has something good happened?”
“Not particularly. I just feel… in good spirits.”
In the midst of lighthearted and trivial chatter, laughter bloomed warmly.
Claudia, glancing at the maids smiling through the mirror, reflected inwardly.
“In the past, they’d have been rigid and worked silently like dolls.”
Merely months ago, it would have been unthinkable for maids to initiate ordinary conversation with Claudia.
At the slightest displeasure, they risked a physical rebuke. Which maid would dare speak out recklessly to her?
“What foolishness.”
Her own struggles and pain don’t excuse unleashing that frustration onto others.
Servants are not objects to be used and discarded, but humans like herself, who feel pain and bleed.
Establishing one’s authority as a noble differs from causing indiscriminate harm. Evidence of this lay in the fact that such casual conversation did not decrease efficiency—in fact, it improved.
Claudia realized these truths she had either ignored or dismissed in the past.
“And still, somehow, I feel apologetic all over again…”
Though she had already apologized and compensated financially for her past misdeeds, the guilt in Claudia’s heart hadn’t vanished. She knew that while some servants had sincerely accepted her apology, others had done so out of obligation to her status.
This nagging feeling would likely fade only slowly over a long time.
Breakfast time arrived.
The head chef, who’d recently honed his skills through intense effort, presented Claudia with a familiar menu.
“Omelette rice and Salisbury steak, I see?”
“It took time to fully internalize what I learned from Cedric into my own cooking. Please enjoy it.”
Claudia sampled the omelette rice, covered in a dark brown sauce instead of the usual red. She nodded slightly, finding it quite decent.
“The flavor is deeper, more mature compared to what I’ve had before.”
By her personal preference, Cedric’s version of the dish might be closer to her liking, but she suspected other nobles would likely prefer this style.
As for the Salisbury steak, Cedric’s version had been a large chunk of meat, while the chef’s creation was round and bite-sized, easier to spear with a fork and, despite a different shape, equally delicious.
“It’s good. Keep it up.”
At Claudia’s simple endorsement, the chef, who’d been tense with every gesture and breath, relaxed and beamed with joy.
She hesitated briefly—was his joy excessively disproportionate to her comment? Or rather, how often had she truly acknowledged his efforts in the past?
To compliment his cooking was no arduous task in this grand estate where everything was prepared exclusively for her.
Out in the garden, some of the servants were seen attending to the blood demons, or rather, amusingly, playing with them.
“Go and fetch it! Good job!”
“Hand! Hand! Why won’t you listen to me?”
“That’s what we call skill, isn’t it?”
“What? Hey! Let’s switch! Let those responsible try!”
“Ah, why do you flare up so much just for speaking truth?”
Though the servants themselves started bickering like dogs, the two blood demon companions of small hound size simply yawned with leisure.
Recalling how these servants used to shiver even at the sight of a blood demon’s shadow, it seemed an astonishing transformation.
Of course, equating the average lion-sized great beast with a knee-level dog-sized creature might be far-fetched…
“Have they forgotten that these blood demons contain drops of my blood?”
Claudia did not always share everything her blood demons saw and felt in real-time.
However, when they met, she could gain insights into their experiences.
Conversely, she could issue them somewhat complex commands: “Do this in such a situation” or “Go to a particular building and call for help when necessary,” more intricate than a standard order to a regular dog.
Furthermore, having instructed the blood demons dispersed throughout the dominion to “teach what you’ve learned to the younger ones,” she trusted the guard system would self-perpetuate without her needing to oversee each one individually.
Pausing briefly to consider offering mild advice to the servants, Claudia ultimately remained silent, deciding it was somewhat entertaining to observe this scene.
Woof!
Woof!
As if sensing her thoughts, the two blood demons sent her a message: “We’ll report back on how they played later!”
Smiling, Claudia left the garden.
Her next destination was the study of the lord’s mansion.
Bastian, now a butler whose handling of documents seemed almost second nature, reported on the current state of the dominion.
“The number of free citizens attempting to settle in Eched County from the outside is steadily increasing. It seems the idea of ‘a dominion where criminals or monster attacks are unnecessary concerns’ holds substantial appeal.”
“Are there no issues with food or land?”
“Since Eched County consists largely of unused and abandoned lands, gradually welcoming these immigrants to cultivate the farmland should present no significant issues. The dominion’s finances are also relatively robust, so we could purchase food from the outside if necessary.”
“I should thank my brother and sister for those efforts. They must have extracted quite a lot.”
“Miss, isn’t that just compensation for the risks to your life? Even if you demanded more, few would object.”
“How is the response from other dominions within the Redbell family?”
“Many have been taken aback at Miss’s support for Emperor Elect rather than Prince Elect 2. However, only a small portion are overtly voicing discontent. Upon witnessing the Duke’s lack of restrictions against Miss, many have interpreted this as a ‘diversified egg-baskets’ strategy.”
Putting all eggs in the ‘Prince 2’ basket means losing everything if he fails.
In contrast, placing some eggs in the ‘Emperor’ basket leaves opportunities even in the worst-case scenarios.
Of course, while this theory sounds sensible, it actually poses many challenges.
It seems Prince 2 is already raging over the perceived two-timing.
Uninterested in this squabble, Duke Redbell reportedly pays little mind, which has left Armin, the eldest son, under considerable stress.
“For a brother doing this much for his sister, the elder son isn’t bad.”
Claudia chuckled.
Despite becoming slightly more refined and lenient to “her people,” her fundamental personality hadn’t disappeared entirely.
Her enjoyment of others’ misfortunes was quintessentially that of the archetypal villainess.
As she perused various documents, she eventually sought Cedric.
Simply for the desire to enjoy the tea he prepared.
“Here I am, Miss.”
Shortly after summoning, Cedric appeared with a serving cart, and Claudia quietly sipped the tea he had prepared.
His skill in balancing the perfect temperature with the aroma’s preservation, an art that allowed the tea to be enjoyable while cool enough to drink, was undoubtedly Cedric’s exclusive talent…
“Um?”
Detecting a strange sense of unreality, Claudia tilted her head slightly, then took another sip, noting the clear difference.
‘Compared to usual, the aroma is much milder.’
The taste as interpreted by her tongue seemed unchanged.
However, the tea’s aroma, a crucial element, felt somewhat weaker.
Based on what Cedric had previously explained, magic somehow maintained the full aroma even at lower temperatures, but it seemed this process hadn’t gone as smoothly today.
Claudia noticed the reduced completeness of what was usually a near-perfect masterpiece, yet she didn’t get angry.
Rather, she somewhat found it amusing.
‘To think Cedric can also make mistakes… somehow makes him more endearing.’
“Jeez, this isn’t as good as usual. You aren’t too relaxed recently, are you?”
Teasing with a hint of mischief in her words, Claudia awaited his typical smooth comeback.
But his reaction was unexpected.
Cedric seemed genuinely startled, widening his eyes before lowering his head with a sorrowful expression.
“Forgive me, Miss. I have no excuse.”
“Eh? No, wait, it’s not something to worry so much over. Humans make mistakes, right? Something you’ve taught me.”
Claudia, who had initially planned to tease Cedric, hastily consoled him instead.
Never had she imagined such a reaction.
To her, Cedric’s existence had become monumental, irreplaceable.
Claudia wasn’t so heartless as to scold her mentor for a small error like this.
At least until Cedric’s next words.
“Thank you for your generous understanding, Miss. You’ve truly grown. It feels like I can now depart with peace of mind.”
“…Leave?”
Claudia echoed the words vacantly.
After a brief pause, the calm expression she had previously maintained twisted into something fierce.
“Don’t say nonsense. Where are you going to leave to?”
“Our contract period is ending soon.”
“That can always be renewed!!”
Clang!
The teacup fell from Claudia’s hand, shattering with a loud sound.
However, Claudia didn’t even glance at the broken pieces.
Her eyes were solely focused on Cedric.
“Don’t go. You’re mine. My servant. You really think I’d let you leave!?”
“Even so, contract renewal isn’t possible, Miss.”
“Why!! Then… why!”
Bang!
As Claudia slammed her hand on the table and stood up, her fiery gaze bore deeply into Cedric’s composed eyes.
It was Cedric who looked away first.
“…You seem a bit agitated now. I’ll visit you again later.”
With that, Cedric left the room.
Claudia remained where she was, glaring at the now-closed door for a long while before suddenly retreating back into her seat, her movements nervous.
It was at this moment that Neriah, a maid, slipped in to clean up the broken shards.
After carefully sweeping with a broom and wiping the area clean, Neriah hesitated without leaving.
Just as Claudia, whose good mood from earlier had now turned sharp-edged, was about to snap—
“Um, Miss… actually…”
The maid’s hesitant words stopped her in her tracks.
