“Quite literally. Mistress Jocelyn needs to disappear from this house as soon as possible for the Duke’s life, the Duchess’s life, and even my life to become more comfortable. As long as that woman clings like mold, neither the Duchess nor the Duke can be happy. So, if there are any clues or witnesses I can help with, I will assist with anything.”

“This matter is being kept strictly confidential. Except for Jemero and me, no one knows about it. I was thinking of ordering you to forget everything you heard here as soon as you leave this room.”

Meiana replied, “Unfortunately, the obvious fact is that human memory doesn’t easily disappear with a simple ‘forget’ command. Of course, pretending to forget is possible. But I’m not inclined to such things, Your Grace. It doesn’t suit me to know and pretend not to know, to see and pretend not to see, to do and pretend not to do. So, I’ll remember everything I heard here clearly without omitting a single detail. And I’ll do what I can.”

It was an audacious statement, even somewhat provocative. It was a tone that said, “I’ll do it like this, so try to stop me if you can.”

Throughout Cedric’s entire life, someone like Meiana was the first.

Even young ladies raised in high-class households, who were careful not to offend his mood, worried whether their actions would upset him. But from Meiana, not even a hint of such concern could be found. Not even a single strand of hair.

Suddenly, he began to laugh, bending his waist forward. It was a laugh so quiet that only very faint sounds could be heard, and it was hard to tell whether he was laughing or not, except for the trembling shoulders.

It was an unpredictable behavior for Meiana. Could laughter come out in such a serious situation? Or did he feel relieved after revealing a secret, causing anything to spill out?

“Your Grace, forgive me for saying something outrageous, but are you laughing right now?”

In response, Cedric laughed even louder. It seemed that the reason he laughed was more likely the latter. A relieved laugh… If that was the case, it was not easy to blame him blindly. In fact, it felt a bit ridiculous.

“If only Liria were half as strong as you, she could have protected both Beberbo and herself. As well as Ariante, of course.”

“It seems you’ve been deeply impressed by this Miss Liria. If you don’t want to hear crazy talk about the Madam, please pull yourself together. The opponent is not a pushover.”

“Don’t worry. I really never harbored any dark thoughts towards Liria. Even if she were to come back to life right now, it would never happen.”

That was an obvious statement. Meiana thought.

Cedric tilted his head sadly. His body leaning back on the sofa also followed suit, and now he was in a posture half-turned towards Meiana, still leaning against the sofa, looking more exhausted than before.
Close yet not distant, the gap created by the two allowed the shadows of the afternoon light to spread out vaguely. Like an inexperienced painter mixing too much water and lightly painting, it was a translucent, shining light of a faint sunset.

Meiana didn’t take her eyes off the sunset, which seemed to have turned upside down on Cedric’s face. For a moment, she reached out and lightly brushed Cedric’s cheek.

Cedric’s eyes widened as if about to pop out. Meiana was equally surprised. The touch that brushed and passed by was unexpectedly soft. When she touched near his jaw, she even felt a slightly rough sensation…

“…What was that just now?”

Cedric, who had maintained silence, asked.

“Yeah, what exactly did I just do?”

Meiana thought.

She had only seen Cedric’s face looking sad for a moment. It was brief, but in that moment, seeing his eyes, she thought of Ariante’s lonely face. That pitiful emotion…

A similar feeling, wanting to do anything, hug gently, and sweep away the troubles, had unexpectedly welled up in Cedric.

It took just a few seconds for her to organize all these thoughts and come to a conclusion. However, those few seconds felt to Cedric as if they were as long as three seasons, although he did not know it.

“I comforted you because you looked sad.”

In response to Meiana’s answer, Cedric made a subtle sound, whether it was laughter or something else.

“Suddenly comforting like that. It’s a unique experience.”

“If you want, I can announce in advance how I’m going to comfort you, and then do it that way next time, Your Grace. Or, if you prefer, we can eliminate the act of comforting altogether. Of course, only for Your Grace.”

The last words were somewhat forced and awkward, and Meiana herself felt embarrassed. The sunset above Cedric’s face seemed to have turned even redder.

“I’ve been comforted by many people.”

He said. Meiana looked at Cedric with a puzzled expression, wondering what he was trying to say.

“But it’s the first time I’ve been comforted by you, and it’s not that unpleasant.”

Meiana felt a sudden warmth at the back of her neck and lightly rubbed her eyebrows. What’s this? It’s not like I suddenly caught a cold.

Cedric observed Meiana’s movements as if he were watching something, one by one, slowly. And he said.

“Okay, I’ll accept your help. It’s about investigating Jocelyn. I believe you’ll keep the secret.”

“Don’t worry about that. And I have one last thing to say to Your Grace. No, maybe I should ask.”