Chapter 19 – Cedric’s Request

About two weeks passed since Alicia’s first meeting with Dekis.

Since Mikael hadn’t yet become a villain, time flowed peacefully.

Mikael seemed to brighten, trying hard to express himself—adorably so.

He still blushed and stammered, but with Alicia, Mikael showed pure, innocent sides.

He truly seemed like a six-year-old child.

Nina, Lucy, and Marzena, Mikael’s maids, had become close to him.

They repeatedly apologized for not protecting him while following Celia.

Mikael understood their situation and accepted their apologies easily.

He even empathized, saying he knew they were afraid of Celia.

Despite his youth, Mikael comforted the girls maturely.

Where could such an angel exist?

He was still young, yet showed remarkable empathy.

But Mikael hadn’t had a chance to get close to Cedric.

Maybe Cedric’s emotionless face scared him, or maybe Mikael was just frightened of Cedric.

He clung to Alicia’s dress, trembling, whenever Cedric appeared.

He always watched Cedric, waiting for him to leave.

Did Cedric find Mikael’s chick-like behavior cute?

Such a lovable child, but Cedric only glanced coldly and disappeared.

Each time, Alicia sighed inwardly.

Would it hurt to say one warm word to the scared child?

To say “I love you.”

To hold him and explain that fathers aren’t scary.

But Cedric always passed by coldly.

If only Dekis were Mikael’s father—he’d probably do better.

His gentle, warm demeanor left a strong impression.

That memory still lingered in Alicia’s mind.

Mikael wasn’t outstanding in combat, but showed talent in magic and science.

Especially in potion-making and applying various spells.

His abilities probably gave him the power to become a villain.

Without those talents, he’d have died early as a minor boss.

Alicia was determined to help Mikael use his power for good.

It was her only way to survive and live long.

Today, Mikael would study math with his favorite chocolate cookies.

Nina, Lucy, and Marzena would help Mikael study.

Alicia suspected they were helping just to eat cookies.

Still, it was better than watching Mikael alone.

She thought positively, and got a basket of cookies from the chef for the girls.

Steam rose from the basket lid—freshly baked cookies.

The scent of chocolate filled the room, making Alicia’s mouth water.

Alicia wanted to try the cookies right away, but she held back for the sake of the lesson.

Of course, it would taste like chocolate, but the quality always depended on the skill and ingredients.

While she was feeling her hunger rise from the aroma, Mikael appeared, holding the girls’ hands.

Alicia stood up and greeted Mikael politely.

“You’re here, Young Master?”

“Yeah!”

“You look especially happy today.”

Alicia smiled, and Mikael grinned brightly.

“Yeah! Today Nina, Lucy, and Marzena are studying with me. I’m so happy.”

Seeing Mikael so excited made Alicia smile without even realizing it.

The timid Mikael was nowhere to be found.

He was truly enjoying the situation of studying together.

Alicia showed the basket of chocolate cookies.

“Here. Today, the chef made these special chocolate cookies.”

“Wow…!”

Both Mikael and the girls’ mouths dropped in awe.

The sweet chocolate scent tickled their noses.

Lucy took a deep breath and smiled.

“The chef’s chocolate cookies always smell the best!”

“Yeah. I want to eat them soon, Lucy.”

Mikael, blushing, squirmed as he answered.

Nina and Marzena, caught up in the cookie aroma, smiled at Mikael’s cute reaction.

Alicia cleared her throat and called the children who were still standing around.

“All right! Let’s start the lesson now?”

“Yes!”

Lucy answered loudly.

The children sat together on the long sofa, looking at Alicia like baby birds waiting for food.

‘Even with all four sitting together, they’re adorable.’

Their ages were different, but Alicia saw them all as young and lovable.

She began the lesson with a fond smile.

“Today, Nina, Lucy, and Marzena will help Young Master Mikael with his math. Are you confident, Young Master?”

Mikael stared blankly at Alicia and nodded.

Alicia took two cookies from the basket.

“Here. There are two cookies. If I promised to give Nina four cookies, how many more do I need?”

“Um…”

Mikael rested his chin, lost in thought.

Alicia placed the two cookies on a prepared plate and waited patiently for Mikael’s answer.

Mikael counted the cookies on the plate one by one.

“One, two.”

He took another cookie from the basket and placed it on the plate.

Then, frowning, he counted the cookies again.

“One, two, three. Hmm, something’s missing.”

Mikael’s face scrunched up as he thought deeply.

Seeing that face reminded Alicia of Cedric when he was troubled.

Just like father, like son.

In such small ways, they were surprisingly similar.

Alicia waited calmly, watching how Mikael solved the problem.

Nina and Marzena waited for Mikael to find the answer himself.

But impatient Lucy, already knowing the answer, tapped her fingers on the table.

‘Heh. Lucy really has no patience.’

She probably wanted to say the answer was ‘2.’

Her lips twitched as she bit them, itching to speak.

Mikael’s forehead gradually relaxed.

He took another cookie from the basket, placed it on the plate, and smiled brightly.

“I needed two more. So the answer is 2.”

“That’s right. Well done, Young Master!”

Alicia clapped, and the girls joined in, applauding Mikael.

Nina, the eldest, spoke softly.

“You really are smart, Young Master. Well done.”

“Right. You just started learning, but you’re amazing.”

Marzena quietly praised him.

Mikael, embarrassed by all the praise, fiddled with his fingers.

Alicia continued, preparing the next problem.

“Now I’ll give cookies to Lucy. Young Master…”

Knock, knock.

As Alicia was giving the next problem, a knock sounded in the room.

Everyone turned toward the sound.

“Come in.”

Alicia paused the lesson and spoke.

A young maid entered, greeting Alicia and Mikael formally before speaking.

“Sorry to interrupt the lesson. His Grace has ordered for you to be summoned, Miss Alicia.”

Me?

Why now, of all times?

The lesson was just getting fun.

Alicia answered calmly, hiding her disappointment.

“Please tell him I’ll be there soon.”

* * *

Alicia left Mikael’s math lesson to the girls and hurried to Cedric’s office.

The girls had confidently said to leave it to them, but Alicia still felt worried.

‘Surely they won’t just eat the cookies and finish…’

But worrying now wouldn’t help.

She could only trust them to manage.

It had been a while since she visited his office.

He hadn’t called her for days, so she felt nervous.

She took a deep breath and knocked slowly.

Knock, knock.

The clear sound echoed, and Cedric’s low voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

Alicia carefully opened the door and entered, seeing Cedric sitting in the warm sunlight.

He looked so handsome, the sunlight made him seem like a statue of David.

He was busy, holding stacks of papers in both hands.

His neatly arranged hair was slightly out of place from his intense concentration.

Even the fringe on his forehead couldn’t hide his stunning looks.

He looked more dashing than usual, making Alicia’s heart pound.

‘Why am I like this?’

No matter how handsome he was, she shouldn’t be swayed.

Alicia tried to hypnotize herself to keep calm.

She put on an emotionless expression.

She bowed deeply and greeted him with proper etiquette.

“You seem to be doing well these days. It’s good to see.”

Cedric spoke indifferently, not looking up from the papers.

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Your Grace.”

He didn’t reply to her thanks.

He was busy with paperwork.

Sometimes he made polite greetings, but always acted uninterested.

Alicia was used to it.

Still, being summoned after a while made her nervous.

Did she do something to upset him?

Or was there another reason?

As negative thoughts started to rise, her heart raced again.

Unable to contain her curiosity and anxiety, Alicia broke the silence.

“May I ask why you called me…”

As she trailed off, Cedric set down the papers and finally spoke.

“I want you to help organize the upcoming banquet.”

“What? A banquet… That’s not something I can do. Isn’t it supposed to be handled by the lady of the house?”

“Unfortunately, there’s no lady of the house here. So I need you to fill in for the Duchess and help.”