CH 57

"Your Highness, Miss Mariabelle has come here from the Berkeley Territory."

"Thank you for the report. Please make sure everything is ready to welcome her."

The boy, who was looking out the window at the dusk-tinted sky, said so and turned around.

He had soft golden curls and sky-blue eyes. His cheeks are rounded and, though still young, his expression is mature.

His name is Cedric Realm. He is second in line to the throne of the kingdom and is a memento of his late royal brother, who bears the royal surname of "Realm".

"The crown prince of the Galleria Empire... I wonder what kind of person he is."

"I have heard that he is a very sharp man. I also hear that he is very handsome."

"If that is so... I hope he's someone who can make Miss Mariabelle happy."

Cedric, who lost his father soon after he was born, was raised as a member of the royal family under the guardianship of his uncle, the King.

He should have been the heir to the grand dukedom, but many members of the royal family, including his father, had died in the plague ten years earlier.

The king arranged for a first-rate teacher to ensure that Cedric would also receive an adequate education.

The teachers that Edward kept away also taught Cedric because there were no better teachers.

The teachers imparted all sorts of knowledge to Cedric, who learned voraciously.

Like his late brother, Cedric was a genius.

He had already learned what he needed to learn, and was just about to pursue his hobby of botany when Edward suddenly broke off his engagement to Mariabelle.

For Cedric, Edward was someone he loved like an older brother, and Mariabelle, to whom he was engaged, was like his older sister.

When he was little, he could not call her Mariabelle and so he called her "Marie-Nee-sama."

Mariabelle was worried about Cedric, who was always studying, and often took him out for walks.

When Cedric told her what he was learning, she would pat him on the head with her sparkling green eyes and compliment him on how well he knew everything.

His mother, the Grand Duchess, was busy ruling the Grand Duchy in his father's place, and Mariabelle was the only one who would pat him on the head.

Edward taught Cedric how to use the sword.

Even as a child, he was impressed by his swordsmanship.

Cedric loved them both.

Soon Edward would marry Mariabelle and they would be a real family, or so he thought...

How are things at the Marquis de Berkeley?

"He seems to be doing quite well for the moment."

"I'm glad to hear that. Please continue to keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

"Yes, sir."

Bowing his head was Kane Coleridge, once a candidate for Edward's inner circle.

He is the eldest son of the Coleridge family and was considered the future prime minister until he was kept away by Edward.

As a result of his repeated advice to Edward, he was removed from his entourage.

After being told that he no longer had to come tomorrow, Kane left and stood at the door for a while, biting his lip in frustration.

Then the young Cedric happened to pass by and said with a grown-up look on his face.

"Brother Edward doesn't like to be told off, so why don't you use kinder words to guide him so that he doesn't notice?"

Kane was admonished by a child who had not lived half as long as he had, but he certainly thought Cedric was right.

As the only child, Edward had been spoiled by the King and Queen for a long time.

Therefore, instead of throwing only harsh words, he should have used gentler words to guide him.

Kane was ashamed of himself, but at the same time, he was fascinated by Cedric, whose calm, adult-like insight into people made him a pushover squire.

The future king Cedric, however, could not marry until Edward had a legitimate son, and the Earl of Coleridge was furious that Kane had taken the liberty of becoming Cedric's squire, which was a halfway house, but he came to the Grand Duchy as if he had been half-disowned.

"Even so, your brother is completely at Simon's beck and call."

Cedric, sitting on the wine-coloured sofa away from the window, crossed his arms and let out a sigh.

"Edward is as confident as ever to believe that Miss Mariabelle still has feelings for him after all he's done to her."

"Cedric... I know you don't like your brother, but you should choose your words a little more carefully. You will be in big trouble if anyone hears you.".

"You and I are the only two here."

Cedric, who smiled wryly at Kane with a clear face, was so calm that it was hard to believe he's still eleven years old.

In Cedric's appearance, Kane superimposed the shadow of the King's deceased brother.