# Episode 53 – Part 19 – Rational Reasoning
Claudia had almost no experience running on two legs with great effort.
Initially, she wasn’t particularly fond of physical activity, and as a noble young lady, even her walking motion fell within the etiquette guidelines, making her even less inclined to run.
But at this very moment, she was running with all her might, disregarding her past tendencies.
The mansion’s servants looked at her with astonished eyes, trying to say something, but she paid them no attention. Even her labored breathing was secondary.
“Mr. Cedric seems to be in very poor health lately.”
“Compared to before, the amount of work he does has significantly decreased, his speed is relatively slower, but even now, he still does more than what an average person would. But how should I say it, if he was once ‘unreachable,’ now it feels like he’s at the ‘very skilled person’ level.”
“I just thought he was taking it easy because the mansion and estate had stabilized recently. But the last time I saw him, he… he was coughing up blood.”
“He didn’t seem particularly alarmed or surprised, and quite naturally wiped away the traces, making me feel like Mr. Cedric himself is well aware of his condition.”
“I hesitated whether I should tell this personal matter, but I thought Lady Claudia should know.”
The testimonies of the maid rang in Claudia’s ears as she ran clumsily, repeating the words in her mind over and over.
Finally, she reached the room where Cedric stayed and pushed the door open.
Rather, she tried to push it open.
Click! Click!
“Cedric! Open the door! Cedric!!”
After incessantly knocking and pulling, the door was eventually opened by Cedric from the inside.
With his usual puppy-like face, Cedric widened his eyes in surprise as he looked at Claudia who was breathing heavily and seemed puzzled.
“Miss Claudia, what is the matter?”
“You, you…! Huff, you know, huff!”
“First calm down, and get your breathing under control. Here, slowly, slowly.”
With Cedric’s help, Claudia finally managed to steady her breath and then proceeded to interrogate him.
“Cedric, are you sick somewhere? Answer me honestly, no lies!!”
Upon Claudia’s persistent questioning, Cedric momentarily narrowed his eyes, then seemed to figure out the situation and revealed a bitter smile.
“Miss, it’s nothing you should worry about.”
“How can I not worry!! Where does it hurt? Have you visited a doctor? Should I call one for you?”
“Miss Claire.”
“What in the world! You didn’t say anything about being sick. Is the reason why you’re stopping work because of this? You’re worried you’ll be driven away if you can’t perform your duties?”
“Miss Claudia.”
“There’s no way I would abandon you for such a reason! It’s fine if you don’t work. Neither the omelets nor the tea are necessary. It’s fine as long as you’re just here with me…”
“Miss Claudia!”
Unlike his usual playful tone, Cedric’s serious reprimanding tone caused Claudia to shiver and shake violently.
“I apologize for cutting you off, but it seems Miss is misunderstanding something, which I must correct.”
With a trembling gaze filled with anxiety, Cedric spoke calmly toward his nervous mistress.
“First, it’s true that I’m not feeling very well, but it’s not as serious as you’re worrying it is.”
This was indeed true.
“And the reason why I am leaving is because I’ve done everything I needed to do here. I’m only departing to start new work in a new place. It’s not because of those negative reasons you might be thinking.”
This too was true.
“Lastly, a servant who does absolutely nothing and merely relies on their master’s benevolence to remain close cannot be called a ‘servant.’ Such an existence would go against my personal pride.”
Cedric did not utter a single lie.
He undoubtedly told Claudia only the truth.
His attitude was so firm and resolute that even Claudia who thought without a doubt that Cedric was gravely ill, felt momentarily confused.
In the end, she had no choice but to take a step back.
“If, if you’re fine, then it’s good. Let’s talk about rehiring you tomorrow.”
“Though my answer won’t change, very well.”
After Cedric bowed politely, Claudia reluctantly distanced herself from his room.
She knew if she stayed there any longer, Cedric, who was clearly unwell, wouldn’t be able to rest.
Unaware of the peculiar glances surrounding her, Claudia was lost in deep thought.
‘Could it really be that Cedric’s condition is not serious? But he was coughing up blood…’
Claudia lacked the insight to perceive someone’s level or condition just by looking at them.
While the Blood Demon Beasts could use their special senses to assess Cedric and pass information along to Claudia, she couldn’t fully rely on that, either.
Even when they were a strong, elite group, they were unable to accurately assess Cedric, let alone now when they were scattered.
Though calling a doctor to conduct an examination seemed like an option, it occurred to her that Cedric would likely skillfully deceive them. Even if the doctor declared everything was fine, the uneasiness would likely not fade.
At this point, someone’s face popped into Claudia’s mind.
If this had been the old Claudia, she wouldn’t have asked for help from this person no matter what. But since it involved Cedric, the story was different.
Claudia made her decision.
*
“Huh, so you’re asking me to check on this servant’s condition right now?”
The visage of Lord Redbell was filled with disbelief.
Of course, this was inevitable.
For his youngest daughter, who lately had all eyes of the political world directed at her, to suddenly barge in without a prior appointment was a peculiar situation. Asking him to check on the health of some random servant added another layer of absurdity.
“If this is a joke, I’ll give it points for entertainment. After all, too outrageous and there’s bound to be laughter.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Despite Lord Redbell’s joking tone, Claudia’s gaze remained completely serious.
Therefore, the Lord also softened his tone slightly.
“It should be a joke. To think my own daughter could be so rash over the situation of one servant.”
This was a warning.
If any of the Lord’s other children had been present, they would have paled and bowed their heads or stepped back and suppressed their inner feelings.
However, Claudia’s response was neither.
“I have more important things than your recognition, Cedric’s well-being is more important to me.”
“Are you under the impression that all the things you possess can survive without my recognition?”
“Don’t treat everything as if it’s yours simply because you planted a single seed. How long are you going to keep living off my name?”
The style in Virca Kingdom emphasized the authority of the patriarch and viewed children as possessions, so under normal circumstances, such a disrespectful statement would elicit either shock or anger.
And Lord Redbell was not one who was detached from authority and power.
However, he wasn’t entirely either.
“Hmm.”
Because he was competent, he could suppress any momentary anger or discomfort for the sake of greater authority and power.
Weighing the benefits of dismissing Claudia or compromising with her, he came to a conclusion and spoke.
“I can look into his health condition if it makes you happy. But it won’t make much of a difference anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you say he mentioned that he needs to move on to new work and a new place? Having you intervene won’t change anything. He is bound to leave.”
“What are you talking about?”
To Claudia, who was confused by his response, Lord Redbell added calmly.
“If he was someone chasing wealth, then Cedric would have no reason to leave. He could enjoy a privileged life sticking by you alone, far exceeding what an average civilian would achieve. If you don’t change your feelings toward him.”
Cedric had done many favors for Claudia.
In the wake of this, should Claudia choose to favor Cedric, no one would be able to object due to his indisputable merits.
Even so, why was Cedric ending his rehire and leaving?
“You should have figured it out as well. Cedric is far from a regular commoner. In fact, most nobles could not possess such overwhelming talent. He must have been raised deliberately by a large power, a nation, or a similarly powerful organization.”
Claudia couldn’t refute his claim.
It was a highly logical argument.
“Moreover, the force behind Cedric dispatched him to a foreign land as a simple servant and let him work under extreme fatigue, to the extent of coughing up blood. Thus, Cedric is no more than a disposable resource to the power controlling him. Not cheap enough to waste, but not so unique that he can’t be replaced. He’s probably treated like that.”
Indeed, this was quite similar to how the Crown Prince of their kingdom treated his avatars.
As expected, the insights of a lord who had pulled a family from the brink of collapse and elevated it back to the top were extraordinary.
Claudia asked with a trembling voice.
“Exactly, who…? What kind of bastards are making Cedric suffer like this?!”
“Hmm. I’m not a fortuneteller, so I can’t say for sure, but his claim of being from the empire might just be a display of confidence. Even if capable, other groups within the empire wouldn’t dare to insinuate the existence of such a large power lightly. Thus, the ones behind Cedric are likely the royal family.”
Even a demon king would have acknowledged this reasoning as a fortuneteller’s.
“Huh…”
Claudia covered her mouth with her hands in shock.
For those in Virca Kingdom, Empire was merely a vague concept of a strong country far away, located at the northwestern end of the continent.
However, the knowledge-seeker in Claudia knew better.
She understood that there was no single nation capable of matching the empire’s power, and even the combined forces of the second and third strongest nations could barely stand a chance against it.
What can the Virca Kingdom, ranked somewhere around the top 10, even contribute if they mustered all their forces, other than futile resistance?
“Understand now? If you truly wish to have complete control over this Cedric, you must possess a power and influence strong enough to negotiate face-to-face with the Crown Prince of Empire. At your current standing, even discussing such a matter is out of the question.”
Even Lord Redbell, a man with immense authority even the King of Virca Kingdom could not easily ignore, would be considered merely a regional noble in Empire.
Let alone talk about someone like Claudia who was just taking her first steps.
Thinking of Cedric’s caution to be careful in his old age, the lord decided to show a bit of kindness to his daughter.
“Don’t try so hard to hold onto what you cannot. At least cherish the time you have left together.”
Defying the Lord’s logical reasoning, Claudia shook violently and tried to speak several times, only to end up lowering her head deep.
That was all she could do in the face of her father’s overly rational deductions.
