I peeked over the low wall surrounding the training ground, keeping an eye on Cedric.

‘Oh no, I was so startled I hid without even realizing it!’

It was just a night walk to see the light of the ‘Demon King’s Gift’ again.

But the light leaking from the training ground in the backyard sparked my curiosity.

I came here without much thought, but…

Wasn’t Cedric swinging a wooden sword alone, without a single thread on his upper body?

‘Ah, I shouldn’t have come. Why did I have to be so curious?’

If I happened to run into Cedric, he might misunderstand that I had secretly followed him.

The original Rebecca would have been more than capable of doing just that.

Then the slightly recovered favorability would plummet again…

‘No, that absolutely can’t happen!’

I began to move little by little towards the entrance of the training ground in an awkward crouching position.

It might look ridiculous, but it was the only way to avoid being caught in Cedric’s line of sight.

It was when I had barely moved about five steps away.

“…There.”

Cedric’s distinctive low voice echoed loudly throughout the spacious training ground.

‘Could it be… I’ve been caught?’

No, even if I was caught, he wouldn’t know it was me yet.

Just as I was about to take another step, clinging to that vain hope.

The indifferent voice resonated low once again across the vast training ground.

“It might be less embarrassing for both of us if you stand up now.”

“……”

“…Rebecca, I can really see everything.”

I’m not sure if it was my imagination, but I sensed a hint of playfulness in Cedric’s tone.

‘Oh no. He even knew it was me.’

I awkwardly licked my lips and slowly stood up.

“Ha ha, ha….. You’re still awake?”

An awkward laugh escaped me as soon as our eyes met.

However, Cedric just stared at me silently with his blue eyes.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

He walked slowly towards me, putting on his nightgown.

“Ah, well, I was out for a night walk and saw light leaking from here……”

“Saw light leaking?”

“I just came to check. Absolutely, absolutely do not misunderstand that I was secretly following you or anything like that.”

Cedric, who had approached right in front of me by now, looked down at me silently for a while.

I haven’t had many chances to face Cedric alone until now.

But usually, when we suddenly met like this, Cedric didn’t hide his wariness towards me.

It was the same at our first meeting, and the next one too.

‘Hah…… Is he going to glare at me and pour out harsh words again?’

Is all the effort I’ve put in so far to gain Cedric’s favor going to become a bubble like this?

Just as a dejected sigh was about to escape my lips, that’s when it happened.

“……Are you alone on tonight’s night walk?”

Cedric asked, gazing at the entrance of the training ground.

As if trying to check if there was someone waiting there.

I blinked slowly at his unexpected response.

“‘Tonight’s’ night walk? You’re talking as if you’ve seen me with someone else before?”

Cedric remained silent for a while, as if struck by the truth.

‘This might be my chance.’

I took advantage of Cedric’s pause and quietly took a step back.

“Anyway, it was really a ‘coincidence’ that we met, but it was nice seeing you, Cedric.”

“……”

“Well then… goodbye.”

And just as I was about to turn around.

“You pulled quite an interesting stunt at the orangerie.”

“……”

“I heard you sent all of Bianca’s friends back to the capital?”

Oh no, is he going to blame me for that? Of course it wouldn’t pass so easily…

“Cedric, before you get angry, please listen to me first. There was a good reason for that……”

It was when I turned my head back towards Cedric with a sigh.

“Thank you.”

“……Pardon?”

What did I just hear?

I blinked rapidly as I looked up at Cedric.

“Bianca told me. That you stood by her steadfastly in a difficult situation.”

“……”

“I’m truly grateful.”

It was something I thought I’d never hear from Cedric.

Finding the situation curious, I stared at Cedric with wide eyes.

As this went on for quite a while, Cedric cleared his throat as if embarrassed.

“If you don’t mind, would you like to have a cup of tea together?”

.

.

.

The place Cedric and I headed to was the upper floor of the training ground.

An attic right below the dome-shaped roof.

This seemed to be Cedric’s makeshift resting area after training.

Across from a small fireplace were a bed, sofa, and table, with simple biscuits and a tea set prepared on the table for after training.

Sitting across the table, Cedric was busy brewing tea himself.

“I don’t seem to have a talent for brewing tea. Bianca has teased me about it a few times.”

Cedric said as he carefully tilted the teapot over my cup.

As I picked up the cup with steam rising from it, he looked at me with expectant eyes.

“How is it?”

“It’s fine. You make good tea too.”

“Honestly?”

“……It’s extremely bitter and hot as lava.”

Ugh. I quickly confessed and put down the teacup with a pained expression.

“It seems I truly have no talent for brewing tea.”

Cedric scratched his eyebrow slightly, looking a bit embarrassed.

I nodded seriously as I watched him.

“Yes, completely. Not at all. You’d better have a servant do it if possible.”

“……”

“At this rate, someone might die of shock while drinking tea. No need to bother finding poison.”

Cedric burst into laughter as he watched me criticize him with a serious face.

To see Cedric laugh like this in front of me.

I stared at Cedric in surprise.

‘When a handsome person laughs like that, it really feels like the whole world brightens up.’

Whether it was because I got to see Cedric’s human side that always seemed perfect, or because of his bright smile.

It was then that I felt comfortable spending time with Cedric for the first time.

“It seems you’ve been disposing of artworks lately.”

“That’s right. How did you know?”

“I saw artworks wrapped in white cloth being taken out of the Dark Mansion one after another. So I just guessed.”

Cedric blinked slowly with his head down for a moment.

“If it’s because the alimony isn’t enough……”

“No, it’s not that.”

I denied it outright.

The alimony that would be taken away by Duke Bold anyway.

It was useless either way.

Cedric looked at me silently with a complicated expression.

“Although we’re divorced, we’re still living together, so we could renegotiate the alimony contract.”

“……”

“I mean you can ask me for help.”

“You… would help me?”

Following the words of gratitude, now offering to help me.

Surprised by Cedric’s seemingly indifferent yet kind attitude, I couldn’t easily continue speaking.

After silently looking at me for a while, the corners of Cedric’s lips curved up gently.

“Of course, we failed as a couple. You were excessive, and I was cold.”

“……”

“But that fact,”

Cedric’s gentle gaze fell on me as he paused for a moment.

“Doesn’t mean we’ll fail as friends too, right?”

Eyes as clear as the deep blue sea.

For the first time, I felt a faint warmth in that gaze that had always been full of cynicism and coldness.

After being at a loss for words while looking at such a Cedric, I slowly curved my lips upward.

“Friends, I like that.”

Seeming satisfied with my answer, a faint smile spread across Cedric’s beautiful face as well.

Feeling a slight flutter at the same time, I let out a fake cough.

“Um….. I think that would be better for us to pretend we’re still a couple too.”

“……”

“Honestly, the fact that we’re separated will be known soon anyway, but if you treat me like you have been, wouldn’t anyone doubt our breakup?”

“……That could be true. I’ll try my best.”

Cedric nodded with a serious expression.

“Then to commemorate becoming friends, why don’t you tell me? If it’s not because the alimony isn’t enough, why are you disposing of all the artworks?”

“Ah, that’s actually……”

“……?”

“……I don’t think a single penny of the divorce alimony will come to me.”

“What do you mean? Duke Bold wouldn’t do that.”

Cedric’s brows gradually furrowed.

“I thought you were quite close with Duke Bold… Was I wrong?”

Close? Not at all.

I immediately shook my head.

“Not at all. It might look that way on the surface, but father has never truly cared for me. The same goes for mother.”

Although the story of the Bold ducal family wasn’t detailed in the original work, it was still something I could sufficiently guess.

Moreover, after meeting Duke Bold in person, that guess became closer to certainty.

“That can’t be……”

Cedric murmured softly.

For some reason, he looked shocked.

“Is it that surprising that I’m not on good terms with my father?”

At my question, Cedric raised his head again with an expression as if he had just regained his senses.

I smiled faintly as I watched him.

“So I plan to increase my personal assets as much as possible until the divorce is announced.”

“……”

“No matter how much of a family head he is, he can’t touch personal assets that existed before the divorce.”

Cedric, who had been lost in thought, slowly parted his lips.

“If that’s the reason, I could convert the alimony into personal assets for you in advance.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Cedric’s eyebrows arched up at my firm refusal.

Cedric’s offer was kind, but if Duke Bold found out about it later, it would obviously put Cedric in a difficult position.

In the Western Empire, the family head was the absolute figure of each family.

That’s why it was an unwritten rule in noble society that even families of high rank did not carelessly infringe on the rights of other family heads.

‘That miser would use that as an excuse to form negative public opinion in noble society. To get more out of Cedric.’

I didn’t want to cause such trouble when I was about to leave anyway.

After some thought, I shook my head.

“If you really want to help me, lower the alimony to the minimum level or reduce the payment period. That would at least put my mind at ease.”

However, Cedric frowned as if he regretted not being able to help.

“It can’t be helped then. Let’s deal with that matter gradually… But how do you plan to create personal assets without my help?”

“I’m going to invest in the demon realm goods futures market.”

“The futures market?”

Cedric asked back, unable to hide his surprised expression.

“I didn’t know you were interested in economics. I thought I knew almost everything about you……”

Cedric murmured softly as if talking to himself.

I smiled slightly as I watched him.

“You’ll get used to it soon. Mina and Adrian were often surprised at first, but now they seem a bit more accustomed.”

At that moment, for some reason, Cedric’s expression subtly darkened.

“By Adrian… do you mean the one currently staying with you in the Dark Mansion?”