WHM | Chapter 23

~Chapter 23~

Cedric’s behavior had changed slightly.

At first, it was hard to notice.

But after a while, it became impossible for Eileen to ignore how often he just stared at her.

“Cedric.”

If she called out to him like that, wondering if something was wrong, he would suddenly flinch and awkwardly pretend to fix his hair while looking away.

“…Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“Yeah. I’m going.”

But when Eileen started walking and noticed she couldn’t hear his footsteps behind her, she looked back.

Cedric was still staring at her—then, as if startled, quickly turned away.

“If you have something to say, just say it.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Even when she was reading alone in the drawing room or the study, she’d feel someone’s eyes on her. Every time she looked up, it was always Cedric.

After a few more days, it was clear that he wasn’t just watching her—he was following her around.

It’s not exactly annoying…

But considering all the work he had to do besides training, she didn’t understand why he was doing this.

“Cedric. I know you’re there. Come out.”

Eileen turned a page in her book and spoke casually.

“I was just passing by. That’s all.”

“I was going to say you could sit down, but if you’re just passing by, then keep going.”

Cedric hesitated. Hiding behind a bookshelf didn’t feel great either.

“Are you bored or something?”

Eileen smiled slightly, sensing him nearby.

“No.”

Cedric plopped down onto the sofa, sinking deep into it.

Truthfully, ever since the assassination attempt, he’d been uneasy about Eileen walking around the mansion alone. That’s why he kept hanging around her.

I could assign a bodyguard to her…

But for some reason, that idea didn’t sit well with him.

“Cedric.”

“Yeah?”

“There’s a book I was going to read—it’s under the cushion you’re sitting on.”

“Oh. Here.”

But instead of asking any more questions, Eileen just took the book and said nothing.

Cedric, who had tensed up when she called his name, relaxed and leaned back further.

The crackling fireplace lit up Eileen’s face.

Cedric glanced at her out of the corner of his eye… and before long, started nodding off.

Did he come here just to nap because he was tired?

After a while, Eileen looked up and saw him sleeping.

Even though Cedric seemed relaxed around her, she knew he was usually tense everywhere else.

He probably didn’t feel the need to keep up appearances around her since she was an outsider—someone he didn’t need to impress.

Just as Eileen closed her book, Cedric suddenly opened his eyes at a small noise and looked around warily.

Seeing that, she had a feeling she knew why he was always nearby.

“You’ve been following me around because I seem less secure after that assassination attempt, haven’t you?”

“Following you? I’m not.”

“Then why don’t you assign me a temporary bodyguard? You brought plenty of knights.”

Actually, thinking about that incident again reminded her of something suspicious.

Eileen decided to dig a little deeper.

“There’s a knight around your age, right? I’ve seen one. He seems skilled, and someone close in age would be easier to get along with.”

But Cedric’s expression only darkened.

What now?

“You want Eden?”

“The cheerful young knight with the brown hair—his name was Eden?”

Eileen remembered seeing him often during sparring. He seemed sociable.

“You know him?”

“We’ve talked a few times.”

Like he was pointing out a problem, Cedric frowned and muttered.

“Eden-hyung is not a good choice. He’s not calm enough to be a guard. He’s always running around.”

“…You call him ‘Eden-hyung’? So you’re close?”

“We learned swordsmanship together as kids. Before he became a full knight, I just called him that out of habit. It still slips out sometimes.”

Cedric realized he had said too much.

But Eileen sighed to herself.

Because she was now almost certain—Eden was the knight from the Duke’s household who would betray them.

And the one behind the previous assassination attempt was probably him.

‘…It turned out that a knight from the Duke’s family was a spy. It was a painful betrayal for Cedric Lowell, who barely survived. In the end, he had to personally execute someone he had trusted his entire life.’

The problem was that the original story was so brief and vague that she didn’t know the spy’s identity or who they worked for.

But there was a certain feeling from those words: “lifetime” and “trust.”

Besides Cassel, Eden seemed to be the only one Cedric truly considered a friend.

Cedric noticed her observing him.

“Why are you so interested?”

“No reason. Just curious—you two seemed close.”

Eileen leaned back in her chair and casually picked up her book again.

But Cedric still looked serious.

‘Why does he look so bothered?’

She figured he’d get annoyed and speak up again soon—and he did.

“Why don’t you just learn swordsmanship?”

“What?”

“You’re always watching the knights train. If it’s not because you like swordsmanship, then what are you watching?”

Eileen blinked in disbelief. He sounded genuinely irritated.

Wondering what answer he wanted to hear, she decided to test a silly one.

“I was watching you, Cedric.”

“You were watching me?”

“Yes.”

That seemed to be the answer he was hoping for. He immediately looked up and stared at her.

As Cedric leaned closer, Eileen could smell a mix of dust and the cool scent of winter from him.

“So you were sitting there just to see me?”

“That’s right.”

It wasn’t entirely true—but it was true that Cedric had drawn her attention more than once.

While she was watching the knights and trying to figure out who might be a traitor, she’d often end up watching him instead.

“I don’t know much about swordsmanship, but I can understand why people call you a genius.”

“Of course. I’m one of the best, right?”

“Yeah.”

That wasn’t a lie. It was the truth.

What surprised Eileen was how much Cedric seemed to crave praise, even though he had surely grown up being praised a lot.

***

From that day on, Eileen kept a close eye on Eden.

It was better than relying on the vague original story, which only said a knight would betray the Duke’s household.

Now that she had a clear suspect, spotting suspicious behavior wasn’t too hard.

Was he careless? Or just confident no one would suspect him?

Probably both.

Eden was the second most influential knight after Cassel and sometimes gave orders to others.

His position within the Duke’s knights was strong and secure.

Through some casual “coincidences,” Eileen began noticing an odd pattern in his daily routine.

“Heading out somewhere?”

“Oh, yes. I have an errand to run.

She ran into him in the hallway one day—he was wearing plain clothes.

An errand? At this awkward midday hour…?

Every ten days, he would go out dressed like that and return late.

When that pattern came around again, Eileen gave Mary a task.

“Follow the brown-haired knight. But don’t get close. Just find out which direction he goes.”

“…You want me to see where he’s headed?”

Mary looked confused but obeyed faithfully.

“I saw him go into a back alley. There was no one around, so I didn’t go further. I was afraid he’d notice me.”

“Did he seem suspicious? Nervous?”

“He kept stopping and looking around—kind of weirdly.”

Eileen thought it over.

If he’s really a spy, he’d need to contact someone outside regularly…

That was probably it.

But this much wasn’t enough.

He could still deny it—and without solid evidence, her instincts alone weren’t enough.

I need more. Something definite. Something I can be sure of—and something I can tell Cedric.

She was still only at the “suspicion” stage—and that wasn’t enough to say anything to him yet.