~Chapter 56~
Cedric felt somewhat relieved about Theo Arwyn’s early return to his country. One less thing to worry about, especially since it was one of the issues that had been nagging at him for a while.
‘Eileen’s interest in him…’
Others might say it’s just politeness, just being respectful. But Cedric saw it differently. Eileen wasn’t the type to engage in meaningless conversation. Her default attitude was indifference. She seemed unshakable, like nothing would disturb her.
But to Cedric, it was strange. For some reason, Eileen had been paying a lot of attention to Prince Theo Arwyn, even though she had no reason to.
‘Diana… Wasn’t there any exchange between Eileen and Prince Theo?’ Cedric thought to himself.
‘She probably wasn’t rude to him, and I doubt she’s interested,’ Diana responded.
‘That’s not the issue… No, never mind,’ Cedric thought, unsure of why he felt this way.
Eileen would ask random questions that seemed to have no point, and when Cedric tried to understand, she would quickly change the subject. It felt like she was intentionally steering the conversation away from certain topics, especially anything related to Theo Arwyn or Arwyn itself.
‘Is there something going on here?’ Cedric wondered.
‘Maybe something’s happening back in the kingdom.’
Even today, right before Cedric left to search for Lord Noheel, Eileen had brought up Theo Arwyn. Cedric didn’t understand why she was watching him so closely.
“Now that it’s settled, you’re leaving, right?” Cedric muttered, feeling a little relieved. He didn’t want to think about it too much.
***
Cedric went to Lord Rotner to ask what had really happened. He realized that starting a conversation with Eileen without fully understanding the situation would likely lead to a disaster.
‘I’ll try to stay calm,’ Cedric thought.
But when he met Lord Rotner, he was faced with an unexpected situation.
“Rotner…” Cedric began.
“Oh, Lady Cashier must have mentioned it. I’m sorry for not explaining earlier,” Rotner said, embarrassed, but he didn’t go into detail about who Eileen had met.
“She must’ve visited quietly because of Lady Ribbonshire’s position. She doesn’t want to attract too much attention,” Rotner added.
“Wait, Eileen is going to Ribbonshire?” Cedric asked, surprised.
Rotner explained that Lady Ribbonshire had been staying at a nearby inn, not wanting to draw attention.
It turned out that Lady Ribbonshire and Eileen’s grandmother, Rowina, were very close, and Eileen had visited Ribbonshire often before.
Cedric’s mind raced. He hadn’t known about this. It made sense in some ways, but the timing felt off. “So she’s really going to Ribbonshire?” Cedric repeated, trying to make sense of it.
“Yes, I believe so,” Rotner confirmed.
Cedric thought to himself, ‘Eileen is going to Ribbonshire… why? She doesn’t need to be there. But, she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.’ It seemed like a natural conclusion, but Cedric didn’t fully understand it yet.
“Eileen’s grandmother and Lady Ribbonshire were like sisters, so it makes sense she’d go to her for help,” Rotner added.
Cedric was still unsure. He didn’t think Eileen needed someone else’s guidance. She was strong on her own. But maybe, this was the best choice for her.
“But I can’t stop her, can I?” Cedric thought aloud.
“She’s made her decision. You can’t force her to stay,” Rotner said, giving a sharp look to Cedric.
Cedric sighed. He didn’t want to force Eileen, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
***
Cedric stepped outside and asked Aaron, “Do you think Eileen will be okay living in Ribbonshire?”
Aaron, the silent knight, answered firmly, “It won’t be easy.”
Cedric frowned. “Have I made things difficult for her?”
Aaron hesitated but said, “Not directly, but maybe… indirectly.”
“I never gave her a reason to feel burdened, did I?” Cedric muttered to himself.
Aaron was careful not to get involved too much. But his response made Cedric realize that, even if he hadn’t meant to, he might have made Eileen feel pressured.
Cedric continued to think about it. “But if she goes to Ribbonshire, it’s no different. She might still feel the same pressure there.”
Aaron couldn’t answer that. Cedric paused and finally said, “I guess I never really asked her what she wants.”
Aaron spoke cautiously, “Have you asked her opinion?”
Cedric paused. “I don’t need to stop her. If that’s what she wants, then I’ll let her go.”
But Cedric was still unsure. He didn’t want to seem like he didn’t care, but he couldn’t force Eileen to stay.
***
Just as Cedric was about to move on, a knight came up to him urgently.
“There’s a problem,” the knight said.
