Chapter 28
The laughter that had echoed loudly in the warehouse abruptly ceased.
Cedric looked at me with certainty, his confusion palpable. It was evident he was struggling to come up with a plan.
“No one saw anything.”
I spoke slowly, opening my lips. Then, I repeated the same words Cedric had uttered after pushing Celly from the second floor.
“There’s no evidence, no witnesses.”
Cedric’s face, realizing what I was implying, began to pale.
“How did you… How could you…!”
Cedric’s lips trembled.
“We just have to keep quiet. After all, she’s not dead.”
I tilted my head slightly as Cedric realized my grip on his neck.
“You didn’t think there would be no evidence or witnesses, did you?”
“You… You…! How could you!”
With a shocked expression, Cedric forcefully pushed away my hand gripping his neck. I looked down at my reddening palm and turned away.
The rest of the group watched Cedric and me in silence, pretending to be uninvolved bystanders.
I scanned them lightly and smirked.
“Why pretend to be uninvolved bystanders? It was you who made a bet about Celly, Don’t act innocent.”
“…!!”
As I spoke precisely, they all looked at each other in astonishment.
‘A bet involving a person.’
Cedric, who had suddenly b
Every time Celly’s heart opened a little, Cedric and his companions laughed at her.
“Trashy bastards.”
Their claims of debt forgiveness were lies. They hadn’t forgiven any debt, yet they deceived Celi.
They hadn’t taken good care of her siblings; it was all a cunning ruse.
The food they brought for her siblings was scraps from the Hilos family, yet Cedric laughed as they enjoyed it.
“You play with people’s feelings, drink without a hint of guilt?”
I nudged the bottle with my foot. It toppled over, spilling its contents onto the floor.
“My drink…!”
Someone exclaimed with a pained voice, I turned my head towards the voice.
“It’s so quiet when someone falls from the second floor, But spilling alcohol on the floor is a pity.”
Celly was cautious. She didn’t easily accept Cedric’s advances, and the wager ultimately ended that way.
Cedric’s companions, who had summoned Celly to the southern annex, revealed that this was all a bet.
Celly cried in shock, unable to forgive Cedric for teasing even her siblings. But she couldn’t match Cedric’s strength as a knight.
Cedric easily dodged Celi’s rush towards him as if to kill him, unable to contain his anger at losing the bet, and pushed her from the second floor.
“…Were you there then?”
Cedric nodded as if understanding now, glaring at me.
“I thought nobody was there…?”
“Even with your skills, you couldn’t find me?”
To that jerk. I had barely told him to be happy with someone else.
I should have intervened more. Instead of trusting that Celly would be happy with someone different from me, I should have confirmed that bastard’s memory.
“…Even if you saw everything, it’s best to keep your mouth shut. If I say I pushed her from the second floor, it won’t look good for you and your friends.”
“Why me?”
“Didn’t I clearly tell you to keep it a secret? It would be bad for you and your friends if it came out?”
Cedric gritted his teeth as if restraining himself from hitting me right away.
“The expulsion of an elite knight and a mere maid. …Who do you think will be driven away? Can’t you even think of such a trivial thing with that brain of yours?”
“The one being driven away?”
“Yeah, If you’re expelled from here without a recommendation, it’ll be hard to find another job. Can you take responsibility for your friends for the rest of your life? Ah. You’ll be expelled too, won’t you?”
Become affectionate towards Celly. Cedric, who catered to Celly’s every whim.
All of it was because of their casual amusement.
Celly, who worked tirelessly for her younger siblings.
The knights had bet whether Cedric could seduce someone like Celly. Cedric poured all his passion into winning the bet and opened Celly’s heart.
“I didn’t respond, As I remained silent, Cedric, perhaps thinking he had won, smirked openly.’’
“Do you understand me? Just act like you’re not there, pretend you don’t know anything. Wouldn’t that be beneficial for you too? I’ll keep quiet about what you’ve seen.”
Cedric lightly tapped my shoulder and walked past me to open the warehouse door.
“Pathetic.”
My brief scoff caught Cedric off guard, I turned to give him a cold glare.
“Who says a servant gets kicked out just because a knight and a mere maid overheard something?”
Even Cedric, about to leave the warehouse, halted in his tracks. He chuckled in disbelief.
“Cedric Helios. If you’re so confident, shall we test it out?”
“What?”
“Whether I get kicked out or you do. I doubt you’ll ever hold a sword again.”
“This is real…”
Cedric was about to say something when someone rushed in through the open warehouse door.
“Ugh, ah!”
It was a maid I hadn’t seen before. She seemed to have followed some commotion.
“Uh, um… Well, you see… I was looking for someone and…”
Seeing the serious atmosphere before her, the maid hesitated with a flustered expression.
Something serious had happened. I rushed past Cedric towards the maid.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s bad, really bad.”
Recognizing me, the maid glanced around at Cedric and the other knights before whispering in my ear.
“Selly’s gone.”
“……!!”
“While everyone was briefly away, she just vanished! What do we do? The steward said he’s going to report it, so soon the Duke will know… We’re all searching secretly right now!”
The thought of what Laches would know didn’t matter at all. Selly had disappeared voluntarily.
That one statement shook my heart.
The image of Celly crying and closing her eyes in despair came back to me from Cedric’s memories. Her warm hand extended to him in the cold world, and the expression she had when she pushed him away from the second floor remained unforgettable.
At that moment, she cried and closed her eyes. Like someone who had given up.
“Hey? Le, Leah! Where are you going?”
I rushed leaving the maid behind, It didn’t feel right. A thick sense of unease wrapped around my ankles like a snake creeping up, its mouth wide open, trying to swallow everything.
“Celly…!”
The night felt too dark, as if the end was approaching.
I quickened my pace, not even sure where Selly was. Strangely, it felt like I knew exactly where to go.
Because when I wanted to betray Détor and Delia and give up everything, when I wanted to give up just like that…
“No, it can’t be, Selly is different from me. It can’t be because Celly is different from me.”
I wanted to disappear to where no one could see, and where I couldn’t see anyone.
Despite my desperate pleas, as I reached the vast lake, I saw Selly far away.
“Celly!”
As soon as I saw Selly standing precariously at the edge of the lake, I shouted her name loudly. I hoped my cry would reach her, but Selly didn’t even flinch.
“That idiot…!”
There was no time to think of anything else. Seeing Selly standing so dangerously close to falling, I ran as if I were about to die.
It was the first time I had run so fast in my life, Even when I ran to escape death, it didn’t feel like this.
Thud!
“Celly!”
I ran fast and grabbed Celly’s wrist, pulling her forcefully. Selly, who was standing precariously, leaned towards me with a wobble.
Thud!
Overpowered by the recoil, both Selly and I fell onto the ground.
My breath was caught at the tip of my throat, and my heart was pounding.
“Huff, huff…”
My hand trembled as I held onto Celly’s hand, Through her labored breaths, her memories flashed before me.
The despair and sadness of being betrayed by Cedric.
And the exhaustion and desire to give up along with the anger.
Every emotion Celly felt at that moment seeped into me.
“Ha.”
I got up trembling and grabbed Celly’s shoulders, She realized what she almost did moments ago and was trembling with fear.
“L-Lea…”
“Ha, Selly.”
“I-I didn’t mean to… to die. I was just… just too tired…”
Celly rambled on with excuses, rolling her eyes in every direction. I put all of that behind me and pulled her close, wrapping my arms tightly around her.
“I’m so glad you’re not late. I… I was worried sick about what would happen if you were late.”
“Leah…”
“It’s really lucky, Celly Really.”
I sighed with relief repeatedly, patting her back with my palm. Then Celly nestled against my shoulder, hugged me tightly, burying her face in my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Leah.”
“What are you sorry to me for?”
“You, you warned me to be careful… and I was stupid…”
“Why are you the one being stupid? It’s not the person who got hurt who’s stupid, it’s the one who messed up. Why blame yourself, Celly?”
“Cedric, Cedric…”
“I know. It’s okay, CelIy t’s not your fault. How can you deal with people who had bad intentions from the start?”
My shoulder became increasingly wet with her tears. It was the first time in my life that I had hugged someone crying and tried to comfort them.
“Celly’’
“Sob, Yeah?”
“Take revenge on Cedric.”
Since I got involved in this mess, I should take full responsibility until the end.
Celly looked surprised at my suggestion, her tear-streaked face suddenly looking up.
“R-Revenge? Me against Cedric?”
It was an idea she hadn’t even considered.
“Then who should? Should I do it?”
“But how could I…?”
“I’ll help you.”
With a firm answer, Celi looked at me with hopeful eyes, biting her lip. But soon she shook her head.
“Cedric is an elite knight and a noble. If I make a mistake, both you and I could be expelled, and even worse, someone could die without anyone knowing.”
After reconsidering, Celly wiped her tears with the back of her hand and then quickly grabbed my arm.
“I can’t let you suffer because of me, Leah. Please don’t, Leah. I… I’ll be fine.”
“It’s not fine, That’s why you almost made the same mistake as a little while ago, risking the lives of your siblings whom you love as much as your own.”
“That’s… that’s…”
“Cedric was so confident, He said that if the rumor of a nobleman and a maid spreads, it would be us who would be expelled. … Celly do you think the same?”
“Well… we are replaceable people, and elite knights like Cedric are irreplaceable.”
Although she didn’t directly answer, Celly intention was clear.
“No, Cedric will be the one leaving here. It’s normal for the person who caused more trouble to leave, not the one who can be replaced or the poor.”
“Huh?”
“I promise, Cedric will be the one expelled from here.”
