Cedric’s gaze, sharp as a beast’s claws, swept across the young noble ladies like flying sword qi.
“Is there anyone else here who dared provoke my wife, not knowing their place?”
The noble daughters, who had lost themselves for a moment watching Camilla crumble, quickly returned to their senses.
They were not mere bystanders.
Even if Camilla and Luchen had been the instigators, the rest had still stood by, slandering the Grand Consort and helping to spread rumors.
‘What do we do now…?’
‘We were completely deceived by them…’
The truth was nothing like what Camilla had claimed.
The Grand Consort of Leontheim was not a hollow title.
‘We’ve made a terrible mistake…’
Cedric clearly loved Iris.
It was obvious in the way he stood close to her, how naturally their presence intertwined.
And now, Camilla’s past words echoed mockingly in the noble ladies’ minds:
“I’m the Grand Duke’s first love… What if I manage to tear them apart?”
In hindsight, it was a laughable delusion.
Their bond wasn’t one of shallow political marriage—it was a cultivation of deep trust and affection, tempered over time like twin blades forged together.
‘How could we ever believe such nonsense about them?’
Cedric wasn’t the kind of man who could be swayed with mere seduction.
He was like a lone wolf cultivator—aloof, untouchable, and uninterested in worldly vanity.
And the way he looked at Camilla now made the other noble daughters feel it in their bones.
“…We have committed a great offense, Grand Consort. Please forgive our disrespect.”
“We’re truly sorry. We swear such a thing will never happen again.”
The remaining young ladies, unable to bear Cedric’s piercing gaze, hurriedly scattered from the scene.
Even Luchen disappeared among them, slipping away in silence.
With that, all the guests who had stirred up trouble were gone.
Cedric crossed his arms, watching their retreating backs, then let out a low whistle.
“Well, that wraps it up nicely.”
He turned to Iris with a glint of amusement in his eyes.
“Now that they’re gone, this time belongs to me, doesn’t it?”
Indeed, despite all the disturbances, Iris had still set aside this time for the tea gathering—and Cedric had every intention of claiming it.
He escorted her back inside the manor. Though it was a greenhouse within the castle, the air was still brisk enough that her skin tingled.
“You should have held it indoors. You’re cold.”
Cedric looked at her with regret as he gently cupped her cheeks with both hands.
Iris couldn’t bring herself to say that she hadn’t been in the mood to welcome them into a warm place.
Then Vincent appeared behind her, drawing Cedric’s ire.
“When did I give permission to let
that woman
in? I don’t recall it.”
“I’m sorry, Master,” Vincent replied swiftly.
It was Iris who looked surprised by Vincent’s sudden submission.
She quickly lifted her head.
“No—it was my request.”
She hadn’t known that Camilla was banned from entry.
And perhaps even Vincent couldn’t outright refuse the Grand Consort’s order to deliver a letter.
After all, this was the first formal correspondence she had sent since her ascension.
“If anything, knowing the truth now has made it easier to deal with.”
Iris stepped forward to shield Vincent, and Cedric didn’t press further.
Though his crimson eyes still burned fiercely in Vincent’s direction.
“If anyone dares insult you again, just strike first, my wife.”
“…What?”
“They won’t exist in this world any longer, anyway.”
Cedric said it with an eerie calmness.
Iris placed a hand on her hip, her face pale.
“You can’t joke like that!”
It wasn’t a joke—he meant every word. But seeing Iris’s stern expression, Cedric fell silent.
‘Being scolded by her… doesn’t feel so bad, actually.’
As Iris patiently explained why one shouldn’t simply go around striking people, a strange thought kept nagging at her.
‘Come to think of it…’
Cedric had acted as if he didn’t know Camilla. But from his words, it was clear he remembered her.
“You did know, didn’t you, my lord?”
At her question, Cedric raised a brow and let out a nonchalant “Ah.”
“Well. It’s hard to forget someone like that from the academy.”
In truth, he
had
forgotten.
But seeing her face again… brought the memories back.
Very few people in Cedric’s life had been as persistently irritating as Camilla—
Not even Ludwig could compare.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Because of that one woman, Cedric had rushed his cultivation and graduated from the academy in just six months, escaping her like fleeing from tribulation.
Though his face soured with the memory, Iris found her thoughts wandering somewhere they shouldn’t.
‘I shouldn’t be thinking about this…’
Clearly, Cedric had no fond memories of that time.
And yet—
‘I wonder… what had they really been like back then?’
Curiosity about Cedric from that time gnawed at Iris, and she found herself wanting to know more. She already knew his future—she had seen it countless times, and once even ended early, sharing the same final fate. But Cedric’s past was on a timeline she could never reach, no matter how much effort she made. Even within the novel, his past was left vague. This only deepened her sense of regret and sorrow.
“What troubles you?” someone asked.
“Hm?”
“You looked troubled.”
“Oh, it’s just… I was thinking he must have witnessed Cedric’s childhood,” Iris answered honestly rather than hiding it. She felt no point in concealing it since even if Cedric knew, he wouldn’t be able to change it. After all, even the protagonist could not turn back time.
Yet Cedric remained silent, as if he truly were someone who could manipulate the flow of time.
“Well then, I suppose I’ll show you,” he finally said with a faint smile, taking her hand gently. “As soon as possible—I’ll reveal my days at the academy.”
After the Leontheim tea party ended, the northern social circle was thrown into chaos.
“Are you saying the Lady Yordin of the Yordin Barony committed such acts?”
“Heavens, I never imagined…”
The noble houses involved in this incident were no insignificant clans. Hearing of the scandal caused shock among the northern aristocracy. Since the Leontheim Grand Ducal House had officially submitted a complaint, there was no way to evade responsibility.
“Spreading such baseless rumors without any proof?”
“The mere existence of such ladies is a disgrace to the northern social circle. I wonder how the Grand Duchess of Leontheim views this circle now…”
“We’ll have to see how strictly that house handles their own.”
Lucien and Camilla, the ringleaders, were expelled from society.
Especially for Camilla, the exposure of her letter by the resentful Lucien blocked her marriage prospects entirely.
“Camilla! What are you going to do now?”
Camilla’s mother, the Baroness of Yordin, arrived at her daughter’s chamber clutching the stack of rejection letters.
“If you’re going to cause a scandal, at least choose your targets carefully! Why be so reckless before the Grand Duchess herself?”
Camilla lay listlessly on her bed but raised her head stubbornly.
“Mother, you said it was fine as long as I could win over the Grand Duke!”
“That was only when you claimed you could win him over!”
Camilla’s parents had supported her plan, but that support relied on the truth of her claim—her closeness to the Grand Duke.
“Now because of you alone, the entire Yordin Barony is on the verge of being cast out of society! What will you do?”
Other implicated houses banded together to demand compensation set by the Leontheim Grand Ducal House. Yet none would associate with the Yordin Barony, the source of the deceit.
In an instant, the Yordin Barony became a pariah among all noble clans.
“I didn’t know it would come to this. No one in the capital said the Grand Duchess of Leontheim was like that,” Camilla lamented.
No one in the northern social circle had foreseen the new Grand Duchess would be so beloved by the Grand Duke—and so difficult to face.
That was the root of this disaster.
“What are you saying? Even then, there were rumors about the Grand Duchess inventing the Helice Wheel.”
The Helice Wheel, first developed in the North, was already spreading to the capital, sparking a new trend.
Perhaps that alone was enough to hint at how formidable Iris truly was.
“Is all this really my fault? Mother never said such things before!”
Tears streaked down Camilla’s face as the thought of losing her chance at marriage darkened her vision.
“I only loved the Grand Duke for a long time,” she said, unaware of her own lies.
The Baroness’s face flushed with anger at her daughter’s excuses.
“Camilla, how can you still not come to your senses after all this?”
“Enough.”
The Baron of Yordin appeared and silenced his wife.
“You raise your voice despite failing to properly educate your daughter.”
“But, husband—”
The Baroness looked at him helplessly.
“Being expelled from society might affect future guild dealings,” she warned.
“Hmph! No need for rash actions. This is only temporary. Women are always like this…”
The Baron clicked his tongue and tried to comfort Camilla.
“You don’t need to despair so much. Even the Grand Duchess of Leontheim won’t take this any further.”
“Father… but—”
Facing his calm demeanor, Camilla bit her lip anxiously.
If Father finds out, it’ll be a disaster.
The Grand Duchess of Leontheim had threatened to revoke the Barbadia family’s business license.
Father often boasted about investing heavily in that business...
There was no way the Yordin Barony would be removed from it so easily.
“Is this all because of some petty compensation? Don’t worry. I’m the head of the Yordin Sect—what is there to fear?”
Camilla’s mouth felt dry as she subtly avoided her father’s gaze.
He still didn’t know.
‘How do I even explain this?’
For now, it hadn’t interfered much with her father’s affairs, but it was only a matter of time before it caught up.
‘The only one who can change this situation is the Grand Duke.’
But the Grand Duke—
Recalling the cold touch of a blade’s edge, Camilla’s face paled. A cold sweat trickled down her back.
“Camilla, are you alright? Darling, can we really get through this? Our noble allies are disappearing one by one...”
“I told you, it’ll be fine! Do you know what kind of sect the Yordin Sect is?”
Baron Yordin raised his voice confidently, oblivious to Camilla’s inner turmoil.
“Our family’s wealth alone will force forgiveness.”
Though rumors circulated about their expulsion from the social circle, in truth, the Yordin Sect’s financial power was indispensable.
The Baron had always handled matters with such bold assurance.
“I’ll go plead our case soon, so everyone just stay calm.”
Camilla was left speechless.
The next day, an official notice arrived: the Yordin Sect was stripped of its northern trading rights.
From that moment, the Yordin Sect’s partners began severing ties one after another.
The news reached the Yordin Baron family late, already after the damage was done, due to their exile from the northern social circles.
Chapter 47