The Whipping Maid of House Calley - Chapter 87

“What?”

“Of course, only for the first year.”

“Ha…!”

Every last one of them was completely obsessed with money.

Now, whenever the word “money” came up, Sheila came to mind automatically. But this time, what surfaced instead was her older brother, who enjoyed gambling small sums.

Even if gambling was strictly prohibited, that meant professionally operated gambling houses or wagers above a certain amount were forbidden. It didn’t include individual, recreational acts with small stakes.

At the tavern her brother frequented, gambling happened regularly, but the stakes were low. In other words, even if someone reported it, it would be caught, but it wouldn’t lead to any serious punishment. Given the nature of the city, it also wasn’t the sort of place where people reported that kind of thing in the first place.

While Cedric wore an unpleased expression, Sylvia spoke, “If Cedric isn’t going, then I’m fine too. I’ll just move to a hotel, stay a few more days, and look around the count’s territory before I leave.”

“Tch.”

Marquis’s face immediately fell into a pout.

Watching that expression, Cedric asked, “By the way, what exactly did you say to Alfonso?”

“Oh, that?”

Marquis smiled mischievously, as if recalling what happened then.

“You were about to have your appointment ceremony, so I decided to test your little brother.”

At Marquis’s words, Cedric’s expression hardened. Regardless of how much affection he held for each individual family member, matters of House Calley were under his jurisdiction. Marquis had trespassed into that territory on his own accord.

“And who do you think you are?”

At Cedric’s voice, now cold as ice, Marquis put on a pitiful tone and brought up the status Cedric seemed to have forgotten.

“Crown prince?”

“Pfft.”

Sylvia sprayed out the crumbs of the snack she was eating. She’d failed to hold back her laughter at the ridiculous exchange unfolding in front of her.

“Seriously! What the hell are you two doing?”

“Sorry. Heh.”

Honestly, they were all so immature….

Cedric let out a sigh and said, “Whatever. So what exactly does Alfonso think I am?”

At Cedric’s words, Marquis mulled over his conversation with Alfonso and replied, “Hmm… maybe a sodomite?”

“What? Hahaha!”

Once again, Sylvia was the one who reacted most strongly.

That was understandable. Given Cedric’s disposition, being a sodomite didn’t suit him at all.

Unlike Marquis, who was pansexual, Cedric was unquestionably heterosexual. The same went for Sylvia.

That didn’t mean Cedric treated pansexuals or homosexuals like Marquis with prejudice.

He didn’t even harbor particular hostility toward Marquis, who’d openly come onto him despite knowing full well that Cedric was straight.

In any case, only after hearing Marquis’s words did Cedric finally understand all of Alfonso’s behavior. Even the way Alfonso looked at him that day.

“I’ll promise you this one thing. After me, your son will become the next-count.”

“Brother….”

As a reward for running an errand well, he’d even laid out plans for the future successor, which only poured fuel on the misunderstanding.

‘Well, is it really any different?’

Since he had no intention of producing an heir, in that regard, he wasn’t much different from a sodomite anyway.

So Cedric felt no need to clearly explain or correct his perverted sexual preferences to his younger brother.

Cedric was a typical Beloican man. He had no intention whatsoever of discussing what happened in bed with his family.

As long as his younger brother, who shared similar values aside from sexual preferences, understood things that way and let it go, Alfonso wouldn’t ask further questions.

“He’s not giving you trouble or anything, right? If he is, tell me. I’ll take care of it immediately—”

“That’s enough. I’ll handle it myself.”

No matter who caused it, Cedric still had no intention of allowing outsiders to interfere in his family’s affairs.

And at Cedric’s cold dismissal, Marquis’s eyes shifted again, taking on the same look he wore when they played together.

Watching him, Sylvia thought Marquis really was a hopeless perverted masochist.

He showed that side not only during play, but even in moments like this. Of course, that was only among those who shared such inclinations. In public, the marquis appeared to be a completely different person, and that contrast amused Sylvia in its own way.

As the three of them chatted companionably, a knock sounded, and the snacks Cedric had ordered earlier arrived.

The one who entered carrying the tray was Sheila, Cedric’s personal maid.

As soon as the maid entered, Marquis switched to speaking in Lotas, making sure the maid wouldn’t understand their conversation.

After offering a silent bow, Sheila moved like air, careful not to draw attention to herself, and set the snacks down on the table.

Her demeanor was flawless for a maid.

“Thank you, Sheila.”

Once Sheila finished setting the table, Sylvia opened her clutch and handed her a silver coin.

“Thank you, miss.”

Sheila bent at the waist and accepted the coin politely with both hands.

Cedric’s gaze sharpened as he watched the scene.

Then, as always, Marquis, who’d been observing everything, spoke up.

「You even know the maid’s name?」

「She’s Cedric’s maid. She’s been helping me a lot lately.」

「Come to think of it, this maid kind of looks like you, Sylvia.」

Understanding Marquis’s words, Sheila instinctively glanced at Sylvia, checking her reaction.

“Right? I was thinking we might be like sisters. What do you think, Sheila?”

“That’s far too much. How could someone like me compare to you, miss. You’re truly elegant and beautiful. Even if the goddess of beauty herself appeared, she couldn’t compare to you.”

Given the chance to speak, Sheila hurried to reply and even added some flattery at the end. She’d learned those skills while serving Judith. Unlike with Judith, though, these words came from the heart.

From the moment she understood Marquis’s comment about them looking alike, she’d been anxious that the noble young lady’s feelings might be hurt.

“There you go again. Even I can see we look a bit alike. Which means we’re both pretty!”

Sylvia lightly eased the atmosphere.

Listening to their exchange, Marquis looked at Sheila and said,

「You can speak Lotas.」

From the flow of the conversation, it was clear the maid understood what he’d said about her resembling Sylvia.

「No. Just a little….」

After starting to answer in Lotas, Sheila faltered and switched back to her native language.

“I only understand very simple phrases, Your Highness.”

“Oh? Where did you learn it?”

“By listening along during Miss Judith’s lessons….”

Cedric cut Sheila off sharply. ‘That’s enough, just leave.’

“Yes…, Young Count.”

I only answered because the crown prince asked me…..

With an aggrieved look, Sheila replied to Cedric, then glanced toward the crown prince as if to say, ‘You saw that, right? I couldn’t help it….’ before disappearing from the room as quietly as air, just as she’d entered, carrying the empty tray and the tip Sylvia gave her.

Sylvia watched her go with a pleased expression, while Cedric picked up the glass in front of him and drained the whiskey in one gulp.

The high-proof liquid, carrying the scent of oak, burned pleasantly as it slid down his throat.

He originally planned only to accept the glass without drinking it, but that resolve was shattered uselessly because of Sheila.

Other people’s attention toward Sheila displeased him.

No, more than that, Cedric had been restless from the moment she reappeared carrying the tray of snacks.

He wanted to grab that slender wrist as she set the plates down, drag her into the punishment room that belonged only to them, tear open the maid’s uniform that climbed all the way up her neck, and bare that pale nape….

Cedric consciously swept a hand back through his black hair, cutting off his thoughts there.

It was to suppress the perverse desire he’d never once felt even while looking at noble young ladies with their chests openly bared.

‘It’s built up.’

In just a few days since he last held Sheila, he’d turned into a pervert brimming with frustration.

And Marquis, having shed his perverted air for a moment, looked at Cedric with a serious expression.

***

“That idiot, seriously. He got dragged all the way to a factory, greased up from his face to his whole body, and worked until he was barely rescued. Hahahaha!”

Having drunk a fair amount, Marquis burst into loud laughter as he talked about a collateral noble who’d been kidnapped not long ago.

“What was he doing, running his mouth?”

“Who’s going to believe a drunkard who was living like a beggar on the streets? His family already abandoned him. It was someone who still called himself a friend who reported it, and that’s how they finally found him.”

The one who’d been kidnapped was a collateral noble of the royal family, but he’d squandered his fortune on luxury and gambling. After his divorce, he’d sunk into alcoholism.

Marquis had been irritated, worried he might miss Cedric’s appointment ceremony because of someone like that.

While other nobles insisted it was the work of traitors, Marquis focused not on that possibility, but on human trafficking rings connected to factories.

Recently, more factories were forcing people to work in abysmal conditions, and compared to the speed at which they were expanding, there was a shortage of labor. As a result, cases of people being secretly kidnapped and put to work had been occurring. Most victims had no family or connections, so no one paid attention.

In any case, thanks to Marquis changing direction, the case was resolved swiftly. Once even nobles were affected, the enraged king took the opportunity to issue an edict banning human trafficking. At the same time, he didn’t forget to praise the crown prince, who’d made great contributions to solving the incident.

For all that, Marquis, unlike the former crown prince, had earned his father’s trust.

In front of friends, he acted frivolously, but externally, he handled matters well and was sharp-minded.

“Let’s get up now.”

At Cedric’s prompting, Marquis and Sylvia checked the time and rose sluggishly from their seats.

That afternoon, the men’s tournament was scheduled. The event was jousting.

Cedric still hadn’t finished his first glass.

Once the two drunks left the room, Cedric pulled the bell cord.

Sheila, his personal maid, hurried in.

“Help me put on my armor.”

“Yes, Young Count.”

The jousting match included in the program was a traditional event. Since the heir appointment ceremony itself was a traditional occasion, it was part of preserving tradition as much as possible.

The armor Cedric was to wear was armor his grandfather Solomon had personally used in battle when he was young.

Anyone could tell it was impeccably maintained, showing no sign of its age.

Sheila handed him the gleaming silver armor, polished so brightly her face reflected in it, and helped him put it on.

Once fully armored, Cedric exuded raw masculinity.

‘To think I’d even get to see him in armor.’

Cedric usually looked best in a suit, but his appearance in armor exceeded her expectations. It was rare attire to begin with, and Sheila found herself stealing glances at him without realizing it.

Then she subtly tapped just under her nose with a finger.

‘No nosebleed.’

Relieved to confirm her nostrils were fine, Sheila picked up a dry cloth, worried she might leave fingerprints on the gleaming armor, and began rubbing his chest plate.

At that moment, Cedric roughly grabbed her wrist.