My Husband was Switched - Chapter 19

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess has arrived, and Jis Highness has changed a lot. He’s become more human, shall we say.”

“That statement is quite open to misinterpretation, isn’t it?”

“Isn’t it true? He used to have no expression and just silently did his work……”

I propped my chin and looked at Aiden as he spoke.

“His Highness the Grand Duke is fortunate. To have someone think of him this way.”

“There’s no need to be envious.”

“I don’t have anyone like that?”

“His Highness’s ally is also the Grand Duchess’s ally. So even if the Emperor comes here, nothing you fear will happen.”

“You’re late in getting to the point.”

I smiled faintly. It felt strange to receive such unselfish kindness for the first time and to think that I had someone on my side.

“We also welcome the Grand Duchess. So, Your Highness, there’s no need to overexert yourself for us.”

“Thank you.”

I meant it. I felt genuinely warm as if they truly acknowledged me.

“Then, please rest. Whatever happens, we will protect Your Highness, so there’s no need to worry.”

“……Well, I wasn’t worried about that, but I’ll accept your sentiment.”

Aiden blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head. He seemed somewhat embarrassed.

“By the way, Kaven mentioned something else about the Imperial family.”

“What is it?”

“It seems Princess Isabelle’s marriage has been arranged.”

“A marriage, huh, Father moved quickly.”

“……The partner is the King of Narancas, and it seems she’s being forced to go for diplomatic reasons.”

“Thank you for letting me know.”

Why did she meddle in others’ affairs, only to end up going in my place?

This is why being nosy doesn’t pay off.

Isabelle probably avoided marriage with Cedric, but the result was even worse.

Feeling uneasy, I stood up, thinking I might write Isabelle a letter.

“It did seem strange that things were so quiet.”

If she followed Father, I would talk to her, but we weren’t close. If Father came to find the divine beast, he’d be too busy to have a proper conversation.

“I need to send Zeno away quickly.”

Once I started feeling uneasy, I couldn’t stop the anxiety from flooding in.

But I couldn’t move from my spot. I saw a carriage running towards the Grand Duke’s estate, cutting through the snow in the distance.

“Why do things always happen all at once?”

I should have known from the peaceful times that something was off. Luck like this doesn’t come to me, so why did I feel relieved?

No one would come looking for Cedric. So, there was only one person who could be coming.

Thinking about it quietly, it felt strange.

“……Father said he would come in a week, right?”

There were about four days left until the day Cedric mentioned.

If it were Father, he wouldn’t come on an unscheduled day.

Suddenly, a person came to mind. Someone I didn’t want to come and never wanted to see again.

Isabelle.

In the end, she came to meet Cedric.

As the carriage got closer, my suspicion was confirmed. It was because of the imperial crest that was clearly stamped on it.

“Whew!”

I urgently signaled to the birds. A hawk flew in the sky, responding.

‘Please buy me some time……!’

The bird that responded to my call quickly disappeared towards the approaching carriage. It would buy me a little time.

It was too dangerous to call animals. Isabelle might notice something different. So, I had to use a small force to stop her.

“Hurry, hurry…….”

I ran straight to Cedric’s office. I fell, messing up my clothes, but got up again. There was no time to feel pain.

‘Zeno is still in the Grand Duke’s estate.’

If Isabelle saw Zeno, she would surely recognize him. If that happened, she would also realize that I had contracted with him.

Everything would be ruined.

‘My powers must not be revealed.’

I would be stepping back into the cage I had barely escaped from.

My legs sank into the snow as I ran, making it hard to move. Even so, I didn’t stop running. The vast grand ducal estate felt frustratingly large today.

Bang.

Huff, huff.

I was panting, my face a mess and drenched in sweat.

Grasping the office door, I couldn’t catch my breath and looked up.

Cedric and Zeno, who were startled, looked at me.

“Huff, huff…… Zeno.”

I gestured, unable to catch my breath. Zeno leisurely sauntered over to me.

“Wooo.” (What’s wrong? Your face is flushed.)

“Y, You need to go quickly.”

“Claire, what’s going on?”

Cedric stood up from his chair. Well, it was no wonder he was surprised since I came running without knocking.

“I’ll call the knights immediately.”

“No, no. It’s not an attack; I just ran here in a hurry…….”

Cedric approached and examined my complexion. Seeing my pale face, he frowned deeply. He wiped my sweat with a handkerchief and then looked at my bruised knee as he sat me on the sofa.

“I’ll call a doctor immediately.”

“This can be treated later; it’s fine. Instead of this, Zeno, quickly!”

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Zeno bristled his fur and stepped back warily.

“Woowooowoo.” (She’s here.)

Zeno hurriedly hid under the desk.

It was clear that Isabelle was very close. Soon she would burst through the door, and the only way to hide the divine beast under the desk was to distract her.

Even if he hid his presence, she would likely sense it faintly, so I had to make sure she didn’t think of anything else.

“It seems an uninvited guest has arrived.”

Cedric’s gaze slowly shifted from me to the desk.

Slam.

I grabbed his face and spoke immediately.

“Cedric, from now on, look only at me. Don’t look anywhere else. We need to deceive Isabelle, so please understand.”

I grabbed his face and pulled him closer. Perched precariously on the sofa, I closed the distance between us, trapped in his arms.

I alternated between looking at Cedric and the closed door, then placed my finger on my lips.

“Shh. Cedric, Isabelle is quick-witted. So you need to act sincerely.”

“……Understood.”

The situation became amusing. But it was too late to send Zeno away, so hiding him out of sight was the only option.

Knowing this, Zeno must have hidden under Cedric’s desk.

“I’m quite good at acting.”

Cedric smiled faintly.

He tidied my disheveled hair and wiped my sweat. Then he picked me up and moved me from the sofa to the desk.

Cedric straightened my disheveled clothes.

“This feels more like a game of hide-and-seek than a play, don’t you think? You’re the one being chased, and the seeker is probably Isabelle, who’s coming now.”

“……That’s right.”

“It feels like a game. If I win this game, what will you give me?”

“Anything! Whatever Cedric wants, I’ll do it!”

“Don’t forget those words.”

He pushed aside the documents on the desk and bent down.

“Ce, Cedric?”

“I’m trying to protect you from the seeker, as you said.”

Somehow, he seemed sincere.

Watching him smile with his eyes, I wrapped my arms around his neck with a resigned expression. As I maintained a precarious distance, listening to my pounding heart—

Knock, knock, knock.

I heard a knock.

“Your Highness. You have a visitor.”

“Come in.”

With those words, Cedric hugged my waist tighter, acting as if he would kiss me at any moment.

The butler, seeing the scene, was startled.

“I, I’m sorry! Please come out when you are ready.”

Seeing Cedric and me, the butler stammered and turned around hastily. But Cedric, without taking his eyes off me, smiled kindly and spoke.

“That’s why I said not to disturb me in the office.”

“I, I didn’t see anything.”

The butler hurriedly tried to close the door.

I turned my head, feeling relieved, and watched the closing door. Isabelle seemed to be waiting downstairs.

‘Thank goodness.’

As I sighed in relief, the closing door opened again.

Through the gap, I saw a colorful skirt. Then, with a graceful hand holding the door, Isabelle entered the office with a bright smile and said.

“What could be more important than the arrival of a princess?”

With an innocent voice, she appeared, covering her mouth in surprise.

“Oh my, it seems I’ve come too suddenly.”

Isabelle still smiled brightly with a resonant voice. She clearly wasn’t flustered at all.

Instead of leaving immediately, she calmly watched Cedric and me.

At her words, Cedric narrowed his eyes and spoke.

“As you can see, I feel interrupted.”

Cedric hugged my waist tightly. His rough voice seemed to reflect dry emotions.