Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 30

Belinda narrowed her eyes into angry little slits and glared at Cedric, but he had already concealed his laughter and maintained his usual firm expression with his tightly shut lips.

“Uh, mom and dad to you, you rat?”

“Tell me, if piglets have parents, what’s wrong with Ratchet having parents?”

“Seems like not a very mature response,” someone commented wryly.

“What did you just say?” Belinda elegantly replied to the interjecting Cedric.

As clueless as Cesar could be, his instincts were as sharp as ever. His instincts told him that if he didn’t match Belinda’s tempo, he would deeply regret it later.

“I didn’t say anything, madam.”

Heiron, who overheard their conversation, muttered in confusion.

“Are they really your parents?”

Leo glanced up at Belinda. When Belinda nodded, Leo mimicked her, crossed his arms and said firmly.

“That’s right.”

“But earlier, you said ‘master’……..”

“My name is Master. Do you have any complaints, little piglet Heiron?”

The look on Belinda’s face was so murderous that Heiron could only shake his head without snapping.

Cedric, who sighed secretly at the sight, called out to the stall owner, who had remained silent.

“Owner.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Can you make a bigger portion of the cloud candy for my son? I will pay accordingly.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Belinda interrupted him belligerently. “Hey, make the cloud candy my son will eat as big as possible, enough to crush all the other guys here.”

Of Belinda and Cedric, Cedric was the more fearsome-looking of the two, but the owner somehow managed to make a hesitant excuse to Belinda.

“Well, even if you’re willing to pay me, this is a job requiring a lot of skill, and I can’t make anything bigger than this…….”

Belinda expectantly held out a gold coin. The shiny coin glimmered in the stall-owner’s eyes. 

“It’s not impossible, and since your son is so cute, I’ll make a special effort to make it huge!”

***

The highlight of the first day of the festival was, of course, the parade that stretched from the square to the city gate along Gold Street.

Belinda’s purpose, too, was to witness that parade.

However, since there was still some time left until the start of the parade, they decided to pass the time by watching a puppet show.

To be precise, it was only Leo who wanted to watch it.

The puppet show depicted the life story of the kingdom’s former king and was a performance for young children.

Under the clock tower in the square, dozens of small wooden chairs were placed, and in front of them was a carriage turned into a small stage for the puppet show. Many children gathered to watch.

In the end, Belinda and Cedric found a spot in an open-air coffee house among the many shops surrounding the square and sat down to wait for the puppet show to end.

While replenishing her tired body with caffeine, Belinda intermittently scanned the central part of the square to check on Leo.

Suddenly, she heard something slurping and looked back at the table.

While Belinda had a cup of strong coffee in front of her, Cedric had ordered a coffee with milk.

He put a sugar cube in his coffee and tasted it, then added another sugar cube and tasted it again. Cedric repeated this process several times until he finally threw in five sugar cubes and tilted the cup satisfactorily.

‘You have a sweet tooth.’

No, maybe this is just the right amount for him?

Come to think of it, it was Cedric who ate the last piece in silence on behalf of Leo, who was exhausted from eating a cloud of sweets the size of my upper body.

Somehow, Belinda sensed a hint of sugary sweetness on her own palate, so she rinsed her mouth with black coffee and then awkwardly opened it to speak.

“Sir, please do not report what happened earlier to the Grand Duke.”

“When you say ‘what happened earlier’…”

“I mean, pretending to be a couple. The Grand Duke might be displeased, so there’s no need to report it.”

“Ah…….”

Though she was caught up in the excitement earlier and didn’t realize it, she now realized how embarrassing her actions were.

‘An adult intervening in a children’s fight.’

‘But still, that audacious act was for my Leo!’

While Belinda internally ignited a battle with herself, Cesar, who had been hesitant to answer, spoke up.

“Before that, there is something I must tell you. I couldn’t tell you this because you wanted me as an escort, but the truth is that I’m…….”

“Don’t.”

“Huh?”

“I have a feeling that you’re about to say something very indiscreet.”

“…That’s not the case.”

“Think carefully about when would be the best time to say it. I’ll patiently wait until then.”

“…Fine.”

In the end, Cedric couldn’t confess that he was the Grand Duke of Baluasten.

In retrospect, it was a bit of a stretch.

It wouldn’t be possible to hide it forever, but as Belinda said, it would be best to choose the right timing to reveal the truth.

So instead of telling the truth, Cedric brought up a different topic.

“May I ask what you plan to do once the contract is completed?”

When the contract is completed.

After a nominal marriage in the northern region for one year, followed by a divorce, he was asking about what would happen then.

Belinda replied dryly.

“I will leave for the south.”

“If it’s the south, is it the Brutan Territory?” 

The Brutan Territory, located at the southern end of the royal capital, with a large lake nestled within it.

It was a popular holiday destination, with the villas of the nobility lining the lake.

“No, further than that.”

“If it’s further than that…”

You’re crossing a border. 

She was implying that she would be going to another country. Brutan was already at the southernmost edge of the kingdom.

After quietly scanning the surroundings, Cedric spoke in a calm voice.

“To escape the threat of assassination.”

Belinda didn’t answer.

She simply gazed quietly at Leo, who was watching the puppet show.

When Terry told her that there was an image of her circulating among the assassination guilds, Belinda didn’t seem particularly surprised. She must have known there would be an assassination attempt on her life.

‘That’s probably why she asked me to escort her.’

If she was planning to emigrate to escape the risk of assassination, Cedric was willing to give her a place on his estate and some private guards.

She would be the talk of the town, but the harsh nature of the north would protect her from such rumors.

As Cedric was contemplating these thoughts, he was about to speak up, but Belinda beat him to it.

“I just want to go somewhere where no one knows me.”

“But this is your homeland, isn’t it?” he asked. 

“Homeland.”

Belinda’s tone as she said that seemed somewhat bitter.

“To me, this country is no different from any other distant continent. It’s equally meaningless.”

That couldn’t be true.

For a noble, especially someone like Lady Belinda, to leave her home and go to another country was to give up unimaginable comforts.

However, Belinda seemed indifferent, as if this country had nothing to hold her back.

“If I leave safely, I will give you my necklace. It’s not exactly your style, but I’ll respect your taste.”

Cedric’s gaze was fixed on Belinda’s choker.

He had deliberately refrained from mentioning it, but he had never forgotten it for a moment.

She seemed to think that the jewel on the pendant was a ruby, but in fact it was a sealing magic stone with the power to seal mana.

A magic stone with the power to seal magic.

Just having it would have adverse effects on the body, as it sealed off magic power.

While not fatally harmful, chronic fatigue, headaches, and lack of stamina were some of the side effects felt by the owner.

As such, they were often used to incapacitate and imprison criminals with dangerous powers.

It is usually an ominous blackish red color, but in rare cases it can be a vivid red.

At first glance, it might look like a top-grade ruby, but Cedric, who owned a magic stone mine on his territory, could instantly recognize that what Belinda had was not a ruby, but a magic stone.

The stone was so rare that its sale was strictly recorded, so it was rare for someone to mistakenly obtain one without knowing it.

But the problem was, she was in possession of it without being aware of it.

After a long pause, Cedric spoke up.

“I know you wear that necklace all the time. It seems to be a precious item to your Ladyship……. Would it be alright if you gave it to me?”

Cedric hoped that it would be of no value to her.

If not…

“It was given to me by someone precious. But what’s the use of having this when I’m leaving?”

Then to her, finding out that this precious item was actually harming her would be as if she had been betrayed by someone she trusted.