Holding a teacup, Cedric paused for a moment. The pendulum clock on the wall above chimed with a deep sound. At that, he glanced meaninglessly at the clock’s hands pointing to the hour.

Maiana sensed that Cedric was avoiding the conversation. Whatever the reason for going to the capital, it was clearly different from before.

“My lord.”

As she called him again, Cedric finally turned his gaze away from the clock and looked at Maiana.

“Yeah, right. This time… yes, it’s for a different reason.”

“Do I not need to know what it is?”

Interpreting Maiana’s words, it meant something like ‘Is it an affair unrelated to Ariante?’ Cedric stared at her, lips tightly sealed.

The death of Lord Gleden itself had nothing to do with Ariante or Maiana. However, his son, Swan, was the issue. Lord Gleden asked Cedric to take care of Swan.

Since the conversation, Cedric hadn’t visited Lord Gleden, so practically, that was the last will left to him.

If Swan were truly accepted into the Valtminister family…

Cedric said, “A close friend died. Her Majesty personally conveyed the condolences to me. So, I am going to attend her funeral.”

Maiana was startled by the unexpected words, her eyes widened for a moment, and then she sighed quietly.

“You must have been quite surprised.”

A short sigh was heard. Cedric continued, “He had been ill for a long time. So, it wasn’t surprise but rather… I felt that it was about time. When I checked on him recently, his condition seemed worse than before, even to my eyes.”

Speaking slowly and intermittently, he raised his hand to wipe his face. Afterward, as if trying to shake off the awkwardness, he touched his face a few times.

Maiana knew that there was something he had not yet said. But this time, she didn’t press and waited.

The evening sunlight, filtering through the window, began to cast sharp and slanting shadows on the floor between the two.

Maiana’s gaze momentarily caught the edge of those shadows, then shifted back to Cedric. Cedric, who had pushed the half-empty teacup aside, finally raised his head as if determined. His clasped hands touched his lips, and his gaze, not towards Maiana but facing forward, gathered in a displeased point.

“He has a young son. He’s just turned ten. His mother died when the child was three.”

“Good heavens.”

Maiana spoke in a low voice.

“Does he have no relatives?”

Cedric asked.
“I do have relatives. However, none of them has any interest in the child… They’re only opportunists with eyes wide open, ready to seize the property left by the departed. In the midst of such people, there’s nothing a ten-year-old can do. There’s no way to survive…”

Too pitiful. Maiana thought. It was genuine.

Even though she had never seen the child’s face, didn’t even know the name, imagining the magnitude of the wound and shock he must have suffered by losing both parents at the tender age of ten was beyond her comprehension.

However, when she heard Cedric’s next words, Maiana was even more shocked.

“A friend asked me to take care of his son. That was the last thing he said to me.”

Maiana realized that this was the core Cedric had hidden and hesitated to reveal.

If it meant sponsoring the child until he became an adult or requesting material support to ensure a comfortable life, Cedric wouldn’t have pondered on it for so long and deeply. It was evident that if it were such a matter, Maiana wouldn’t have delved deep into the issue in the first place.

“When His Lordship’s friend said, ‘Take care of my son,’ you don’t mean…?”

Cedric turned to look at Maiana again. He didn’t seem to be as deeply troubled now, but it was only a surface change.

He could understand what unsaid part of the conversation was behind Maiana’s bewildered expression. It seemed to echo in his ears. ‘Could it be that you’re saying you’ll bring the child here?’

He said it straight.

“Bring that child here, to the Valtminster Duchy, and make him my son.”

Maiana’s reaction was immediate.

“That’s absurd. What about the Lady?”

And then she continued without a pause.

“What will happen to Lady Ariante?”

Cedric answered.

“Nothing will change for Ariante. At least, not regarding things she rightfully owns. The successor to the Valtminster family is still Ariante alone, and it will remain so. I am…”

When his words suddenly stopped, Maiana became more perplexed. However, the most confused at that moment was none other than Cedric himself. He seemed to be bewildered, not knowing the reason for the blurred end of his words.

I won’t get married, that’s what he intended to say. However, for some reason, that phrase got stuck on the t
Maiana couldn’t perceive Cedric’s confusion. It was also challenging for her to suppress her own amazement.

“Then.”

As if spitting out a thorn caught in her throat, Maiana spoke laboriously.

“Does His Lordship really intend to… adopt that child? As his son?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

Cedric raised his head with a calm yet firm attitude.