Chapter 40
#40 Servant Cedric (6) - The Direction of Effort
Cedric looked at Claudia.
Her face, full of malice and a faint sneer, was provocative, as if daring him to solve it if he could.
And yet, on the other hand, it was also plaintive, as if begging him to help however he could.
It was a contradictory expression, but it wasn't really that strange. Emotions are complex, after all.
‘Hmm.’
And Cedric was no different.
The feelings he harbored were quite complex as well.
From a noble's perspective, Claudia's words were little more than childish whining.
From the start, why had she been able to enjoy so many things as a noble young lady? Because her surname was Redbell.
Luxurious food, expensive clothing that a commoner could never hope to touch in an entire lifetime, even a cozy, comfortable bed—all of it had been a gift from her family.
After enjoying all those privileges, she still wanted to refuse the 'duties' she ought to bear as a daughter of the Redbell family. Where else would you find such childish nonsense?
But if you accepted it as one human being speaking to another, it was also a completely understandable complaint.
Is it fair for a parent to spend a fortune on private tutoring for their child and then insist, 'You were able to get a good education because of my money, so you have to take the job I want you to have'?
Is it the right attitude to hand the child a bunch of things according to your own wishes without ever asking for their opinion, then demand payment as if it were a debt?
Cedric's origin was the Crown Prince.
In other words, he was absurdly high-ranking—but his memories of being the Crown Prince were hazy, like something from a dream.
So Cedric answered like this.
“Hmm, that's a bit much. The Marquess is being harsh as well.”
“……!”
Claudia's eyes widened.
She couldn't help it.
She could never have imagined that in Redbell's territory, there would be a servant openly criticizing the Marquess of Redbell.
Seeing Claudia dart her head furtively left and right as she checked her surroundings, Cedric actually smiled.
“Why are you so scared? You've been complaining nonstop until now.”
“T-that and you saying it are totally different!?”
“At any rate, my master is you, young lady, not the Marquess, so what does it matter?”
“…….”
At Cedric's words, spoken as if he truly didn't understand, Claudia swallowed involuntarily.
Before Claudia truly started acting out, there had been many servants around her.
The servants who had said they'd help however they could and urged her to tell them about her worries all looked troubled the moment Claudia revealed what was really on her mind.
-The Marquess didn't mean it that way, young lady.
-Marriage isn't necessarily a bad thing. Please try to think positively.
-Young lady. You mustn't say such childish things. As a daughter, it is only natural to follow your father's wishes.
Trying in every way to soothe Claudia, offering hollow words of comfort, or even suddenly turning stern and changing their attitude.
Only then did Claudia realize.
That the servants who had always seemed to care so much for her were, in truth, only her father's people, not hers.
In a way, it was only natural.
A girl who merely lived in the Marquess's shadow, while he was the master of the vast power of Redbell. It was obvious which side had to come first.
But the servant in front of her now said this.
That, for him, Claudia was more important than the Marquess.
Claudia fidgeted, not knowing what to say.
Leaving her like that, Cedric shrugged.
“I understand why you've become so twisted, young lady. But I can't say this was a very good choice.”
“…What, you're telling me to just quietly obey my father's words too?”
“It's not a matter of the goal, but of the means. To put it bluntly, what you're doing right now won't affect the Marquess's plans at all.”
“What?”
Claudia blinked.
It was a line she had never expected.
“What do you mean?”
“Let's say the Marquess wanted to take a new wife. If it became known that he had a hobby of beating commoners for fun, would there really be no families rushing to marry into his house?”
“That…”
Claudia faltered.
Not because she didn't know the answer, but because she had at least dimly realized what it meant.
“Whether or not the Marquess had such a bad reputation, there would probably still be more than enough families trying to tie themselves to him. Beating up a few commoners? Treating servants carelessly? So what? Their opponent is one of the core families spoken of as the kingdom's number two.”
Cedric's expression and tone were calmer than usual, and there was no smile on his lips.
“Of course, the person who has to marry the Marquess might hate it. But what does that matter? If the head of the other house judges that 'this marriage benefits the family,' they'll force it through anyway. The same applies to you, young lady.”
Any family wanting to connect itself to the Redbell house wouldn't care about Claudia's petty flaws.
After all, what mattered to them wasn't Claudia, but the fact that she was connected to Redbell.
“If your goal is to make the Marquess click his tongue and think, 'Tsk, what a pity, I could have sold you for more,' then what you're doing now is enough. But if you're trying to avoid the marriage itself, then what you're doing now has no meaning. That wouldn't stop the Marquess from making use of you anyway.”
Claudia's fingertips trembled.
He had wrapped it up somewhat gently when speaking to Cedric, but from the start, Claudia's rampage had not been an action based on such thorough calculation.
Rather, it had been closer to a protest meant to tell Marquess Redbell, 'I'm this angry' and 'I'm this dissatisfied.'
Maybe it really was meaningless.
Nothing would change even if she did this.
Now that the fact she'd been vaguely sensing yet choosing to ignore had been shoved in front of her face, Claudia lashed out in a fit of irritation.
“Then what am I supposed to do? If doing well or badly both don't matter, then what on earth am I supposed to do!!”
Cedric replied.
“Well, it's simple. If merely doing well or badly has no meaning, then you just have to do exceptionally well or exceptionally badly.”
It sounded almost like a pun.
But perhaps because she'd already heard enough by then, Claudia stared at Cedric with watery eyes.
“Go on.”
“Doing exceptionally badly is easy. Just cause an accident so bad the Redbell family name can't cover it up.”
“What kind of thing is that?”
“Hmm, if you shredded your face with a grater, no matter what, that should block off any chance of marriage, shouldn't it?”
“Hic.”
Claudia involuntarily hiccuped and put distance between herself and Cedric.
If he'd tried to scare her by deliberately giving off an eerie vibe, maybe she could've understood, but talking about it as casually as if he were reading off the dinner menu was twice as horrifying.
“N-no, a different one! Another kind of accident!”
“We could shave off your hair and use some sort of drug so it never grows back! I'll see if I can find something that won't hurt, somehow.”
“Don't say horrifying things! Any others that involve doing something to other people?”
“Hmm. But the nobles of the kingdom, to speak plainly, don't they have trash personalities? Even if you ran out into the middle of the street and held a beheading contest for commoners, I think the nobles here would just say, 'Oh dear, that's a bit barbaric.'”
Claudia fell silent.
Because she thought that sounded about right.
Cedric went on.
“Well, as you can see, doing 'extremely badly' is easy, but the side effects are no small matter. You'd end up with permanent damage to your body, or your reputation would plummet straight from 'brat' or 'bitch' to 'utter trash nobody can associate with.'”
“You're kind of implying that the current me is a 'brat' or a 'bitch,' aren't you?”
“I did say that. Is that a problem?”
“…….”
Claudia opened and closed her mouth, then let out a sigh.
“Fine. It's not like this is the first or second day you've been looking down on me like a dog, so why make such a fuss now.”
Cedric frowned.
He spoke in a very serious tone.
“Young lady, I have never looked down on you like a dog.”
“Ha, so what if you say that? It shows in your usual words and actions.”
“That would be an insult to dogs.”
“You little bastard!!”
At last, Cedric had driven a noble young lady to blurt out curses fit for a tavern adventurer; after casually catching the teacup and cake plate Claudia threw at him, he went on.
“It's true that your situation is somewhat pitiable. It's also true that the Marquess is being excessive. However, to stop there means you've caused too much trouble to the people around you. You have to admit that.”
Claudia frowned, but she didn't interrupt Cedric.
“That's why the way to 'do exceptionally well' will be a very difficult road. You'll have to rebuild, from below zero, the achievements and reputation you've voluntarily chipped away at.”
“If I do that, will my situation change? Either way, I'm still going to be sold off, aren't I?”
“That's the story if you only do moderately well. If your achievements and reputation surpass a certain level, the Marquess will begin to worry.”
“Worry about what?”
“Whether it would really be more profitable to sell you off, or to just keep you.”
Marquess Redbell was a cold man.
To him, his daughter's personal happiness didn't matter; he cared only whether she was useful to him or not.
But precisely because Marquess Redbell was that kind of man, it was actually easier to persuade him with results rather than emotions.
“Win the servants' support. Win the support of the subjects. Make everyone recognize your abilities. Enough that the Marquess would think it a waste to hand you over to another family.”
“Does that even make sense?”
“It is possible.”
Cedric's attitude was unwavering.
Even Claudia herself couldn't believe in her own potential, yet he was convinced of it with utter seriousness.
“Outstanding looks, abundant assets, a special servant, and a territory with great potential. Young lady, you already have all the necessary pieces.”
“What, exactly, am I missing?”
“The will to do it. And faith in me.”
As if waiting for her answer, Cedric looked straight at her.
Claudia hesitated.
No matter how she looked at it, it sounded absurd.
But still.
「My master is you, young lady, not the Marquess, so what does it matter?」
That casual, unassuming attitude, as if it wasn't even worth making a grand declaration about, had hit her right in the heart.
“─Okay. I'll try. It's not like I have a choice.”
At her answer, a smile formed at Cedric's lips.
“Good. Young lady. I, Cedric, will devote myself wholeheartedly for the rest of the time so that you may become worthy material for a great ruler.”
Claudia swallowed unconsciously.
For once, he no longer felt like some unreadable weirdo she usually couldn't make sense of, but rather like a knight from a story.
Come to think of it, it had always been his peculiar, bouncy way of speaking and his habit of blatantly disregarding his master that were the problem; his actual movements themselves had always been elegance itself.
Up until now, Claudia herself had shown plenty of shortcomings as a master, so he had probably kept up that rough attitude—but conversely, if Claudia showed proper conduct, he would surely treat her accordingly.
Claudia's eyes went hazy.
She pictured herself elegantly enjoying tea beneath the warm sunlight, with Cedric standing guard at her side.
Not bad.
Without thinking, she nodded, feeling that it truly was not bad.
“Then, what should I do first?”
At Claudia's cautious question, Cedric answered.
“For now, let's have you bow and apologize to every servant in the manor. Let me make this clear in advance: no attitudes like 'I couldn't help it' or 'I already said sorry, isn't that enough?' are allowed.”
“…….”
“Young lady?”
“O-okay.”