Chapter 4 – 【 By a Stroke of Chance 】  (Part 5)

Yuria often heard Cedric say, “The princess doesn’t know what luxury is.” Even on days when she bought ten pieces of jewelry, she never received his acknowledgment of it as luxury.

But this time, he had to acknowledge it. Her triumphant face seemed to say so.

“Ha, haha.”

Cedric burst into laughter. The princess, who had married a bastard to live comfortably and indulgently, was now enjoying herself over spending just four silver coins frivolously.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because it’s cute.”

“What, what do you mean?”

Yuria’s face turned even redder than before. 

Cute? Did he mean me? Or was it a compliment for the girl earlier? But the girl had already run off at someone’s call.

Cedric pulled the embarrassed Yuria closer to him. She came without resistance. It felt strange. They were already married, yet it felt like they had just become lovers.

Ah, is this what a honeymoon feels like? 

A honeymoon after three years was ironic and sweet. She had caused Cedric a lot of trouble with misunderstandings, and she wasn’t sure if she deserved such sweet compensation.

How could Cedric forgive her? She didn’t know. If the situation were reversed, could she forgive him? The mere thought made her anxious, and she gripped Cedric’s arm more tightly. She didn’t want to lose the hard-won happiness she held.

“Shall we rebuild the count’s estate while we’re at it?”

“The count’s estate? Why?”

“It’s old. I’ll build it bigger than the palace. You can fill the inside, extravagantly.”

Yuria tilted her head in confusion. She couldn’t understand.

“That’s not extravagance; it’s waste.”

He almost said that extravagance and waste were a fine line but ended up laughing instead. Yuria tried to keep from laughing but soon gave in. Watching a bird fly by at the perfect moment, she smiled, and Cedric thought to himself that this was true extravagance.

The very existence of the princess, who smiled at someone like him, was the ultimate luxury. His heart tightened. It was an emotion akin to pain, but he didn’t want to avoid it. If this kind of pain was what he had to live with, he was fine with it.

“You can see the sea from here, Cedric. Let’s go quickly.”

“Are you really going into the sea? The water’s cold.”

“I’ll just dip my feet.”

The sea in June is warm. On the sandy beach where the June Festival was held, energetic men and women gathered to showcase their charms. There were swimming competitions and seashell necklace contests.

People walked along the sand, where the waves tickled their feet, watching the events. Yuria had only seen the sea from afar, and she wanted to dip her feet in it this time.

“I’ll get a towel, so wait here for a moment.”

Cedric left Yuria on the sandy beach and took a few steps toward the servants following behind them. Lost in the sight of the sea, Yuria turned her head at the sound of an argument louder than the waves.

Not far away, there was a carriage. It was the same carriage with red tassels that she had seen at Cedric’s office earlier. A man who seemed to be a manager was shouting at the coachman, saying the carriage couldn’t come in here.

The carriage door opened. Despite knowing it wasn’t polite, Yuria stared. 

Who could it be? 

She was curious. Holding down the hem of her dress fluttering in the sea breeze, the owner of the carriage descended gracefully.

It was a familiar face.

“…….”

The red tassels on the carriage corners fluttered in the sea breeze, as did the woman’s lush red hair. Lesia Eastwood. Cedric’s first love had appeared in Ritano.

* * *

She couldn’t even remember how the seawater felt. She did not know if it was as warm as she had imagined. The waves tickling her ankles were gentle. Yuria was preoccupied with hiding her troubled thoughts.

Lesia had come to Ritano. Cedric’s first love. The woman he almost married. And Cedric knew. Whether he invited her to the office or Lesia came on her own, he had even had Howard see her off.

Her mouth felt dry. 

What were they to each other? 

At the former Duke’s funeral, they had known each other’s news well, despite being apart for a long time.

‘So, you’ve taken over the Viscount’s merchant guild after all.’

‘Father still hasn’t given up on his dream of a son-in-law, so we’ll have to wait and see.’

Their casual conversation revealed that they hadn’t met but were very interested in each other’s lives. How else would Cedric know that Lesia had returned to her father’s merchant guild unless he sought out the information?

‘By the way, I heard you bought up all the tea leaves from Cantone. Why did you do that?’

‘Our guild deals in tea leaves too.’

‘Is that really your answer? I’m genuinely curious about the real reason.’

At that moment, Cedric and Lesia were having a conversation only they understood. Though it wasn’t in a foreign language, Yuria couldn’t grasp what they were talking about. She wondered what was so special about Cantone’s tea leaves.

She could at least understand one thing from their demeanor. Cedric was blatantly avoiding the question, and Lesia was aggressively trying to pry out his true intentions. Both seemed very intrigued.

And Yuria couldn’t get involved at all. At that moment, she felt like a third wheel. The feeling of alienation was brief, though. She comforted herself with the thought that Lesia would return to the Kingdom of Rinover, and such moments wouldn’t happen again.

But Lesia didn’t go back to the Kingdom of Rinover. Instead, she came to Ritano, right where Cedric is.

Why hadn’t Cedric told me?

“I told you to let me know if your legs hurt, Princess.”

“It’s not that bad. I’ll be fine if I lie down for a bit.”

Yuria glanced at Cedric and cautiously spoke.

“Um.”

Rather than agonize alone, she decided to ask directly. There might be a reason why Lesia had to come to Ritano. Perhaps it was for business, or maybe she had acquaintances here. Reasons that had nothing to do with Cedric.

“I saw Lady Eastwood earlier.”

“Lesia? You remember her face from that brief encounter?”

“She’s an unforgettable beauty.”

“Is she?”

Though he tilted his head, the way he said “Lesia” sounded very familiar. 

Had he ever called me by my name? 

Yuria desperately tried to recall.

But all she could remember was him calling her “Princess.” Even when he called her “Lady” it was only a few times at formal events.

“Did she come to Ritano to see you?”

“No way.”

Of course not. It was just a coincidence.

“Then why?”

“I don’t really know. I was surprised when she suddenly came here.”

So, Lesia had come to Ritano and decided to visit Cedric? 

That could be. They were acquainted, and Cedric practically managed Ritano. Yuria tried desperately to convince herself.

They must be nothing more than old acquaintances. At this point, it wouldn’t be wrong to call them just friends. 

She tried her best to ignore the alluring face that smiled, hair blowing in the sea breeze.

“Do you know when she’s leaving?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t expect you, Princess, to be so interested in Lesia.”

“I, I just thought since Lady Eastwood is your friend, we could invite her to the estate once.”

Because she’s a friend, it’s possible, right? 

Yuria wanted to see Lesia and Cedric together, to confirm if there was any lingering tension between them. It seemed like the only way to put her mind at ease.

“There’s no need for that.”

“Why? Your friend is staying in Ritano; we could at least invite her for a meal once….”

“We’re not that close.”

It wasn’t a bad answer. If only his voice hadn’t turned so cold, Yuria would have thought it was the best response.

“Stop worrying about it, Princess.”

Would it be an exaggeration to say it sounded as if he was uncomfortable with her interest in Lesia? Yuria bit her inner lip and grabbed Cedric’s shoulder as he tried to get into bed.

“I’m a bit tired today.”

She wasn’t in the mood to do anything with him. Her mind was a mess. Waves of endless irritation came and went.

“I just want to roll around in bed and sleep deeply.”

“Alright then.”

Cedric stood up cleanly. She wasn’t in the mood for anything, but he was leaving too easily.

Shouldn’t he at least press me about seeing an old lover at the beach?

Was that what I wanted? To cling to Cedric? 

Yuria asked herself and sighed. She genuinely wanted to sleep, but it didn’t seem like she could.

Cedric was openly uncomfortable with her showing interest in Lesia. 

If it was just an old connection, why would it matter? Was he still hung up on her? Or had new feelings started to develop, making him feel guilty?

She knew she didn’t have the right to feel this way, she who had been enjoying affairs for the past three years. If Cedric brought that up and asked for three years of freedom himself, then…

“That’s not possible.”

Once seeded, doubt grew branches. Despite having no concrete evidence, she kept pairing Cedric and Lesia together in her mind. Yuria hugged the blanket tightly and forced her eyes shut.

She decided to sleep and think about it with a clear mind. Any decisions could be made then. 

But how deep had their relationship been? 

She was too curious to sleep. Knowing might bring peace, but ignorance might be bliss.

Regardless of her intentions, Yuria ended up hearing about Lesia and Cedric’s past from an unexpected person in an unexpected way. It happened on a day when Cedric was locked in his office for the third day, dealing with urgent matters.

* * *

Yuria was very anxious, fearing that Cedric might be doing something other than work in his office, like chatting with Lesia or having a midday tryst.

Just as she was about to fall ill from the stress, she heard that Charlotte was genuinely sick and bedridden. Despite everything, Charlotte was her only friend in Ritano, and she couldn’t ignore her. Yuria got up with a heavy heart. On her way to Charlotte’s estate, she remembered the cake Charlotte liked.

Impulsively, Yuria turned the carriage around, deciding to buy the cake herself, and ran into an unwelcome face.

“Greetings, Princess.”

“Fancy meeting you here, Lady Eastwood.”

Lesia was still beautiful up close. Subtly, people’s gazes shifted. Once to Yuria, then to Lesia. Yuria couldn’t miss the meaning behind those wandering eyes. She had experienced such looks countless times when standing next to Cristal.

They must be praising Lesia’s beauty while comparing her to me. 

Unintentionally, Yuria’s shoulders slumped, and her head dropped.

“Since we’ve met like this, I’d like to treat you to some tea.”

“No, I, I….”

“Can’t you spare the time it takes for the cake to be prepared?”

Unable to refuse, she was led to a table. Fortunately, it was a quiet spot. Yuria let out a small sigh.

“I didn’t expect to see you in Ritano, Lady Eastwood. Are you here for a vacation?”

After the usual pleasantries, Yuria subtly inquired. Her tone was gentle and natural. No one would suspect she was doubting the relationship between Lesia and Cedric.

“I’m here on business.”

“Ah, I heard you were taking over your father’s merchant guild.”

“Yes, my father runs a small guild.”

Lesia smiled wistfully.

“Actually, I’m just a temporary manager. My father still dreams of having a capable son-in-law.”

She lightly criticized her father for being old-fashioned and conservative. But from what she said, it seemed the guild was quite large.

“He can’t give up on the dream of a capable son-in-law because I’m still young.”

Was it too much to associate the term “capable son-in-law” with Cedric?

Yuria’s lips trembled.

“But I didn’t see the Viscount at the last funeral.”

“He’s not well, so I came in his place. I’ve known Henry since childhood.”

Lesia started sharing unsolicited information. Her mother was a distant relative of the duchess, so they maintained regular contact. She and Cedric were childhood friends, or something like that.

“…I heard there were even marriage talks.”

Yuria couldn’t hold back and asked. Regret immediately followed. 

She sounded like a wife obsessing over her husband’s past.

“Marriage talks?”

“The Duke of Spencer mentioned it.”

“Oh, the Duke.”

Lesia burst into hearty laughter. 

What was so funny?

“It wasn’t serious. We joked that if neither of us were married in a few years, we’d marry each other.”

They had similar interests and got along well, so they thought it wouldn’t be bad to live as friends even if they married.

“Cedric has always been interested in managing a guild. Now that he’s running one, he’s found his calling.”

Why did Lesia look so proud of Cedric becoming a businessman? Did she think even her father would approve of Cedric now?

“I used to teach him things, but now I find myself learning from him.”

Every word from her mouth showed how much she enjoyed meeting Cedric again. Yuria’s hand, hidden under the table, crumpled her dress. Just when she couldn’t bear to listen anymore, the shop assistant arrived to inform her that the cake was ready.

“I should get going.”

“Thank you for your time, Princess. Next time, I’ll invite you to my salon.”

“Salon? Here, in Ritano?”

“Yes. I don’t have one yet, but I’m thinking of opening one.”

It was a shocking announcement, implying she planned to stay in Ritano, near Cedric, for a very long time.