WHM | Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Cedric looked toward the man stepping out of the carriage.

He had a slim build and faded reddish hair—much younger than Cedric expected an imperial administrator to be. Cedric had vaguely imagined a typical middle-aged nobleman, but this man didn’t look much older than Cedric himself.

“My lord. It is an honor to meet you.”

The man’s gaze finally met Cedric’s. He approached with confident strides and gave a polite but minimal bow—just enough not to be rude. His manner alone showed he was not someone easy to deal with.

“I am Kess Dorian, newly appointed baronet.”

“A baronet. Pleased to meet you. Though it seems you arrived later than expected.”

A baronet was someone newly granted a title, but the air around him made it obvious he wasn’t from commoner origins. Without a doubt, he was from a noble family.

“The snow delayed us quite a bit.”

But even while Cedric tried to get a sense of him, the man seemed uninterested in Cedric. His eyes slid past him, toward someone behind.

“Where is Lady Aileen Casier? I carry a message that His Majesty ordered me to deliver to her personally.”

“She is… difficult to meet at the moment.”

“Is she ill?”

“No, but—”

Cedric cut himself off mid-sentence. Kess raised an eyebrow slightly. Cedric didn’t want outside involvement in this matter.

I don’t know whether this man is friend or foe…

Aileen had almost no real connection to the imperial family. There was no guarantee this imperial official would be on her side.

Plenty of noble families want the duchess’ seat. If he hears anything, he might take the chance to declare Aileen a suspect.

“An unfortunate incident occurred,” Cedric said stiffly.

Chester, standing several steps behind, immediately stepped forward to interfere.

Cedric turned sharply toward him, as if warning him to keep quiet.

“Uncle.”

“What unfortunate incident?”

Baronet Dorian showed interest the moment Chester spoke.

“I seem to have become the prime suspect in a poisoning case,” a voice called clearly from the staircase above.

It was a voice Cedric knew instantly—bright, cool, and unmistakable anywhere.

“Lady Aileen.”

Aileen descended the stairs gracefully. She didn’t spare Cedric a single glance; instead she walked straight toward the baronet, extending her hand.

The baronet took her hand and kissed the back of it—a smooth, practiced motion as if they’d known each other for years.

And the subtle smile—the first Cedric had seen from him—made it even clearer they were indeed familiar with one another.

“…You’re the only one who recognizes my hard work, now or then,” the baronet said.

“Which means you’re still causing trouble,” Aileen replied coolly.

“I admit it feels freer since the Countess of Casier isn’t in the capital.”

For Cedric, the exchange was shocking.

They seemed to share an entirely different world—one he wasn’t part of.

Their closeness was strangely uncomfortable.

It wasn’t betrayal, but it certainly didn’t feel pleasant.

Aileen always became someone unfamiliar whenever she showed a side Cedric didn’t know.

***

Aileen’s perspective

The moment Aileen saw the imperial carriage—and the man stepping out of it—she made her decision.

“A person from the imperial family came. That means they’re here to see me. Unless you intend to defy the Empire, move aside.”

The knights guarding her door had no choice but to let her through.

Prince Lennard had clearly sent Kess—both to get rid of his annoying advisor for a while and to check on Aileen. Whatever formal reason he put on the order was just an excuse.

There must be a scheme behind this, Aileen thought, narrowing her eyes.

Kess Dorian was a calculating man—not in a bad way, but in a practical, realistic way. He could be selfish and cold when needed.

And his loyalty was solely to the crown prince—making sure he would safely become emperor.

Which meant… he could be on Aileen’s side.

And right now, that was exactly what she needed.

“What do you mean by suspect?” Kess asked.

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Aileen replied.

“A person close to the Lowell heir was poisoned. And my maid got tangled up in it. So I was confined.”

As she answered, her gaze finally moved to Cedric. His subtle frown told her clearly—

he didn’t like that she had come out on her own.

“I did not confine you. I simply needed to conduct a thorough investigation, Lady Casier.”

Cedric’s tone had gone stiff again. He clearly expected her to quietly follow his lead, but Aileen had stepped forward.

“You confined me. Let’s not pretend otherwise, Lord Lowell.”

If Cedric insisted on handling things his way, Aileen had the right to do the same.

After all, he was the one who shut her away without explanation.

Kess Dorian interrupted them in a neutral tone.

“Until clear evidence is found, it does seem unfair to restrict the lady.”

“Are you suggesting I would conduct an unfair investigation?” Cedric asked coldly.

“Of course not. I simply mean that unless the other noble houses lodged a complaint, this level of restriction could be excessive.”

Cedric’s jaw tightened.

Aileen knew very well—Cedric was the highest authority here.

If she used an imperial official to pressure him, it could undermine his position in his own household.

Kess continued politely,

“Whatever the family involved, I will speak with them. His Highness would not want Lady Aileen to suffer humiliation in such an uncertain situation.”

“She’s still just a common-born girl. Isn’t invoking imperial authority a bit excessive?”

Chester interjected again.

Aileen inwardly cursed. Chester’s interference never led to anything good. She tried to step forward to stop Kess before this spiraled further.

Kess ignored Chester completely.

“Then it really is a meaningless argument. And frankly an insulting one toward the lady.”

“Diana is important to me,” Cedric snapped.

“Whoever this Diana girl is, Lady Aileen Casier is your fiancée. And though distant, she is royalty. She stands in a special position.”

This wasn’t the direction Aileen wanted the discussion to go.

But she should have expected this from Kess—he had interpreted the situation exactly as it appeared:

Aileen and Cedric were clashing because a girl Cedric liked was poisoned.

“And the Lady I know is not someone who would stoop to poisoning,” he added.

To him, everything was simply Cedric pushing Aileen aside and showing favoritism to Diana.

He wasn’t entirely wrong—but it wasn’t the truth either.

Cedric’s face hardened dangerously.

“So that’s what you think too, Lady Casier—that you matter more than Diana?”

“Of course not,” Aileen shot back.

“That’s already been settled. I’m not trying to compare the two of us. I don’t want to.”

Again, they were going in circles.

She looked him straight in the eyes.

“I came out here because I want Diana to get better. Because the investigation needs to be done correctly. Diana didn’t even eat—”

“Then do what you want,” Cedric cut in abruptly.

It was clear—this wasn’t the time for this argument.

Aileen had other priorities.

But before she could even properly explain, Cedric suddenly took a step back, sounding exhausted.

“If you think your way is right, then handle it yourself.”

“Cedric—”

“Cassel. Go with her. Watch and report back to me.”

And with that, he turned sharply and walked away.

Aileen finally got what she wanted—

but it came with a whole set of consequences she never wanted at all.