Chapter 52
A Natural Thing for a Married Couple
“Devon, please allow the two of them to spend a night in this village together!”
The village chief, Devon, blinked in surprise at Bianca’s sudden shout.
I was equally startled.
‘Cedric and I… together… in this village?’
I was admittedly caught off guard by this unexpected plan, but a thought crossed my mind—it might actually be an opportunity.
It would give us time to win the villagers’ favor.
‘Besides, Cedric and I will probably use separate cabins anyway, so it’s not a big deal.’
I slowly nodded and spoke toward Devon.
“I’d be happy to. I’d like to stay here for a bit and help with village matters as well.”
“…….”
“Of course… if you, Chief Devon, and the villagers permit me to stay here.”
Then Bianca wrapped her hands around my skirt and added,
“Hehe, then I want to stay here with the two of you too!”
Seeing the child smile so innocently, Devon couldn’t hide his awkwardness.
Ignoring me, he turned his attention solely to Bianca and continued,
“Everyone in the village will surely agree to Your Highnesses staying here. You’re always welcome and appreciated. But, Princess……”
“Yes?”
“Do you think His Highness the Duke would accept such a proposal? Staying here with Princess Bi…? I don’t think he would……”
Devon’s confident tone suddenly faltered.
He seemed momentarily confused, caught between the old Cedric who would have recoiled at Rebecca and the one he had just seen.
Cedric’s next words poured fuel on the fire of Devon’s bewilderment.
“I’m fine with it.”
“Eh……?”
“I said I’m fine. So if it’s because of me, there’s no need to worry.”
Devon blinked, as if he couldn’t believe it.
“B-but Your Highness… this place might be very uncomfortable for a young princess to stay in……”
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, as if making an excuse with Cedric and Bianca. Clearly, he wasn’t entirely pleased with the idea of me staying in the village.
Yet again, words that crushed Devon’s inner protest came out one after another.
“No, I’d love it!”
“P-Princess…!”
“Traveling outside my family estate with my family has been my lifelong wish in my eight years of life!”
Seeing Devon’s troubled expression, Bianca pouted and made a pitiful face.
“Grandpa Butler knows… I only have those two as my family since birth. I’ve always envied friends who travel with their families……”
Her transparent eyes seemed ready to fill with tears at any moment.
Immediately, the villagers’ sharp gazes turned toward Devon.
‘It’s Princess Bianca’s wish! What are you waiting for, Chief!’
Every glare seemed to say just that.
Yet the one truly flustered by Bianca’s pleading was none other than Devon himself.
He sighed long and hard, finally nodding.
His gaze shifted to me.
“Well… I suppose there’s no helping it.”
His eyes were still full of doubt, but with a half-resigned expression, he kept sighing.
“I suppose I should offer you some tea first.”
“……”
“Please, both of you, follow me to my cabin for now.”
After the Duke and his wife headed to the chief’s cabin,
Bianca wore a mischievous expression, while Mina had an oddly sly smile.
From a distance, they exchanged glances and slowly approached each other.
Like spies quietly sharing information, they began whispering.
“Staying here wasn’t part of the plan, but this actually works out better, Princess.”
“You think so too, Mina? I’m so excited!”
“Me too. This is our chance to help the two of you! In order to do that……”
Mina trailed off, her gaze landing on Chief Devon.
With a sly smile, she surveyed the surroundings and approached Devon.
“Devon, I have a small favor to ask. It’s nothing major.”
Devon eyed her cautiously but eventually gave in, quietly lending an ear.
Mina giggled and whispered into his ear,
“This is something Princess Bianca really wants too, so you have to do it exactly as I ask. Understand?”
Inside Devon’s cabin.
As soon as the door closed, I turned to Cedric, frowning.
“Cedric, since when have you been following me?”
Cedric fiddled with his thick eyebrows, looking sheepish, before speaking slowly.
“…Since you left the Dark Mansion by carriage.”
So he had been following me from the very start.
I pressed my temples, shaking my head.
‘There’s no way I’ll let you see me off nicely anymore.’
In his eyes, I remembered a strange desperation.
Cedric seemed to feel the same; he fixed his gaze outside the window, looking embarrassed as he spoke.
“At that time, I saw nothing. I really thought you were running away.”
“……”
“Adrian leaving the Dark Mansion today on top of that made me want to go crazy.”
I blinked in confusion.
“Adrian went to the main family in the Demon Realm today. He told me it was regarding succession matters.”
“……”
“Then why are we talking about Adrian here?”
Cedric blinked several times, like someone caught revealing their true feelings.
After a few awkward coughs, he continued.
“By the way, why did you decide to apologize to them? I thought the villagers had forgotten.”
“You knew about Greyzone Village?”
Cedric nodded.
“Of course. Ever since they settled here, our family has supported them. I’ve stayed here several times myself.”
“……”
“As the leader of the half-demon tribe, it’s our duty to protect them.”
“That’s… a relief.”
He looked at me with a small smile.
Then Cedric, uncharacteristically, said something so unlike him.
“So you don’t have to risk insulting yourself to apologize to them.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“…What?”
Cedric, who in the past would have demanded immediate apology—or perhaps wouldn’t have even given Rebecca the chance—was now worried about my feelings.
Not only that,
“If you’re really concerned, I’ll do my best to win them over. If that fails… I could even send them all back to the Demon Realm.”
Cedric’s mission had always been to help half-demons adapt to the human world.
He was seriously suggesting sending them all back to the Demon Realm?
Thinking it was a joke, I smiled faintly and looked up.
“You’re really not yourself saying that…”
Then a sudden thought stopped me.
‘Vincent sometimes pretends to be Cedric… could it be…?’
I squinted at Cedric and took a small step back, asking,
“Who are you?”
“I’m not anyone else.”
“Surely not Vincent Norman?”
“…I’m Cedric Twins.”
Cedric shook his head, muttering about why everyone keeps calling him Vincent.
There wasn’t a trace of playfulness on his face.
“So, right now… you’re really Cedric, and everything you said is genuine?”
He simply nodded silently.
‘If Cedric actually said that… he could really send all these villagers back to the Demon Realm.’
I quickly waved my hands.
“No, absolutely not! If you do that and they harbor more resentment, what am I supposed to do?”
If the half-demons grew angrier, even if I avoided the Tower of Hell, my end would surely be death.
Shivers ran down my spine just imagining it.
At that moment, Devon entered the cabin, carrying a tray with teacups.
“Please, have a seat, Your Highness.”
Placing the cups on the table with refined, elegant movements that clashed with the humble surroundings, Devon moved like a true butler of the House of Light.
I quietly observed his movements, unnoticed.
“Your Highness, please come and sit. And… Your Highness too.”
A long, awkward silence settled around the table as the three of us faced each other.
“Your Highness, are you really sure you can stay in our village? What about your duties?”
Devon’s worry came from years of experience.
But Cedric merely shrugged, as if it were nothing.
“Being away for a day won’t cripple my work. I still have excellent subordinates.”
“Of course, but……”
“As long as it doesn’t inconvenience you, I want to take a little break here.”
Devon smiled kindly at Cedric’s words.
“Inconvenience? Your Highness, you are always welcome in our village, are you not aware?”
Devon’s bright smile faded awkwardly when his gaze reached me.
‘The ones always welcome are Cedric and Bianca, not me.’
Feeling a little embarrassed, I pursed my lips.
“Then I shall show you the cabin where you will be staying.”
Devon unrolled a leather map on the table, showing the village in detail.
“Both of you…”
His finger moved toward the outskirts of the village on the map.
“You’ll be staying here.”
The cabin was secluded, closer to the forest than the village center.
“Here… just the two of us?”
I asked, hiding my astonishment.
“Yes… that’s what they said……”
Devon spoke as if passing down someone else’s decision.
Even Devon seemed as puzzled as I was.
At that moment, Cedric leaned back and nodded leisurely.
“I suppose so.”
I turned to him slowly, whispering in mild reproach,
“Cedric, what are you doing right now?”
But he made no effort to lower his voice.
“What do you mean? The chief said so. The village head, that is.”
“That may be, but……”
“Rebecca, there aren’t many empty cabins here. If we stay separately, Bianca and the maids will have nowhere to stay.”
Cedric shrugged, as if it couldn’t be helped, and continued calmly.
“So we have to give in, what else can we do?”
“…Huh?”
“Moreover……”
He paused and looked at me silently for a moment.
Then the corner of his lips curved smoothly into a smile.
“Sleeping in the same space is only natural for a married couple.”
