At the same time, Cedric, along with Village Chief Deven, was heading out to the magic stone mine.

It was a mine under development with the support of the Twins family near the Grayzone Village.

For a while, they descended the mountain path with faint smiles on their faces.

Village Chief Deven, looking at the village through the dense trees, spoke up.

“Do you think Her Highness the Duchess came to sincerely seek forgiveness from us?”

Village Chief Deven had a complex expression.

Cedric, who was looking at him with sympathetic eyes, nodded and spoke after a moment.

“Yes, Rebecca is sincere.”

The response was firm.

At the same time, Chief Deven’s wrinkled eyes gradually widened.

Cedric had spent a long time as the head butler at the Bright Mansion, closely observing the Duke and Duchess even before Rebecca was driven away.

To Deven, seeing Cedric praising Rebecca felt unfamiliar no matter how many times he saw it.

“During my time away from the Bright Mansion… What exactly happened between you two?”

“Nothing much.”

A faint smile played on Cedric’s lips.

After a while, he looked at Chief Deven again with a somewhat serious expression.

“Rebecca has really changed, Deven. Even when dealing with the servants, with Bianca, and even…”

“…”

“…even when dealing with me.”

Chief Deven raised his eyebrows and remained silent for a while.

His most trusted Cedric was uttering unbelievable words, making him look confused.

Cedric, as if sensing Deven’s inner turmoil, forcefully continued speaking.

“If you can’t trust Rebecca at all, trust me.”

“But, Your Grace…”

“Rebecca has undoubtedly changed, and I now believe in that fact without any doubt.”

Cedric’s eyes, saying so, were filled with deep trust in Rebecca.

It was at that moment when Chief Deven’s lower lip slowly trembled downward.

“Huk, huk… Your Grace, Chief! There you are!”

A young man rushed up to them.

“Please hurry to the village. Everyone has gathered in front of the village hall!”

“Everyone gathered in the village?”

Deven Chief asked slowly, blinking his eyes.

“Why, sir! Since Your Grace has come, a celebration must be happening!”

The young man replied cheerfully, oblivious to the visible tension on Cedric and Chief Deven’s faces.

However, hearing those words, Cedric and Chief Deven’s faces noticeably stiffened.

“Could it be that even Rebecca… is with all those people?”

As Cedric asked with a somewhat guarded tone, there was an inexplicable sense of caution in his voice.

The young man nodded with a puzzled expression.

“Yes? Yes, she did come out, but…”

Then, Chief Deven couldn’t hide his worried expression.

“Is Her Highness all right? If the villagers get drunk and threaten Her Highness, we must…”

But Deven’s words couldn’t continue.
Cedric turned away from him with an uneasy expression on his face.

“I need to go to Rebecca right away.”

Cedric left without saying anything else, running down the forest path in a single breath.

As he approached the center of the village, the voices of intoxicated people and cheerful laughter started to be heard.

Cedric’s heart raced even faster.

“Darn it, if the intoxicated ones misbehave towards Rebecca…”

Cedric, who cherished the half-blood demons more than anyone else, felt that even setting fire to this place wouldn’t be refreshing if such a situation occurred.

Finally arriving at the front of the village hall, he saw a long banquet table, rustic but appetizing dishes, and people sitting around, laughing and enjoying food and drinks.

It looked like a pleasant banquet to anyone watching.

However, Cedric’s anxiety intensified even more as he observed the scene.

The sight resembled the celebration demons of the underworld enjoyed after an important hunt.

“Rebecca, where is Rebecca?”

Cedric shouted, grabbing anyone he could see with an urgent attitude, like parents desperately searching for a lost child.

His desperate cry echoed loudly around the outdoor banquet area.

“Huh? Who’s looking for me…?”

Someone sitting at the banquet table raised their hand and asked.

In a familiar yet somewhat distorted pronunciation, Cedric urgently turned his head.

“Oh? It’s Cedric…?”

In the distance, a red-haired woman with drowsy eyes opened slightly could be seen.

Relieved, Cedric wiped his face and walked straight towards her.

Seeing Cedric suddenly appear in front of her, Rebecca blinked her eyes slowly, affected by the alcohol.

Then, she turned to Jacqueline, who was sitting next to her, and asked, “Isn’t that Cedric?”

Jacqueline, who was now plump due to drinking, burst into a hearty laugh and said, “Yes, Your Grace! But why are you urgently looking for Lady Rebecca?”

Until they arrived in this village, Jacqueline had been the one who treated Rebecca with the most hostility.

It was at that time when she suddenly changed her attitude toward Cedric, watching her intently.

“Cedric, come over and sit here.”

Rebecca patted the seat beside her, tapping it, and said, “You have no idea how fun the people in this village are. The honey beer here is incredibly delicious.”