I’m the Future Crazy Male Lead’s Mother – Chapter 61

Author: isuzuuy

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

Miya nodded with a startled expression.

The count had realized early on that Linba was a strange man and had vehemently opposed the engagement.

But the count, who doted terribly on his only daughter, eventually couldn’t win against her. Miya, completely infatuated with Linba, had gotten engaged without even realizing she was being deceived.

Once he was reassured, Linba finally revealed his true nature. As it happened, I was the very first person on the receiving end of it.

‘Once I become the count, I’ll make you my mistress. So, how about you and me today? Ah, don’t worry. Once you become my mistress, I’ll wait for the right opportunity and make you my wife, too. The woman who’s going to be my wife is an absolute idiot.’

Linba had whispered with a snicker, and he had been so disgusting that I didn’t even want to remember it.

The Cilia who had actually experienced it firsthand must have felt even more strongly.

‘So that’s why her hand must have flown.’

Ahem. Of course, as a Confucian girl, I couldn’t justify violence just because of that.

But even now, thinking about it made me feel refreshed.

This body had a bit of girl-crush appeal, didn’t she?

“Th-that… Did he really…?”

“Yes. I guess he really thought I was completely out of my mind. Judging by how shamelessly he said something like that.”

I continued speaking as I straightened Miya’s disheveled hair.

“And the reason he broke off his engagement with you and ran away was probably because I punished him and threatened him afterward. I told him I’d expose everything.”

“……!”

“So, this wasn’t Lady Miya’s fault. And even more importantly, it wasn’t my fault either. It worked out for the best, so please use this as a chance to start over.”

With those words, I stood up.

As I slowly moved away from her, a small voice came from behind me.

“Th… thank you.”

And I’m sorry.

Her trembling voice was filled with guilt.

I lightly shrugged my shoulders and crossed the ballroom.

I walked as though nothing had happened, but inside, I felt incredibly cringed out.

‘Aaargh. What was that cheesy line I just said?’

I’d gotten swept up in the atmosphere and said it, but somehow, it felt like a line straight out of a superhero movie.

And then there was the fact that I’d made myself stand out in front of so many people.

I needed to hide somewhere no one would look at me, so I hurried along.

Tap tap tap tap.

I am faster than light. Faster!

I repeated that ridiculous self-suggestion to myself while walking so quickly that my legs were practically invisible, but I made sure not to lose my elegance and attract attention.

‘Phew.’

And finally, I reached the corner of the ballroom.

Thanks to the commotion that had just taken place, no one was looking this way.

With a relieved expression, I casually picked up a glass of wine from the nearby table.

And right then—

“As expected, Cilia.”

An unexpected voice rang in my ears.

I was so startled that I nearly dropped my wineglass.

I creakily turned my head.

“…Cedric?”

I saw Cedric standing there with that same gentle smile of his.

“I saw everything earlier. Quite an impressive performance.”

“Uh, y-yeah…”

For some reason, that was the last thing I wanted to hear from you.

“How do you feel? Now that you’ve come to a banquet for the first time in a while, don’t you feel more refreshed? Loosened up a little, too?”

Cedric’s smiling face was the very picture of kindness, but having understood the hidden meaning behind his words, I couldn’t simply smile along with him.

He’d seen everything earlier.

He called it an impressive performance.

And then there was the part about loosening up.

Ah.

He was basically asking if I’d felt better after coming here and beating someone up.

‘Because that guy thinks I come to banquets to hunt people down.’

I stared at the smiling Cedric with a sullen expression.

This guy was seriously strange…

‘No, no.’

Wasn’t I ultimately the one who had made Cedric this way?

My shoulders grew heavy beneath the weight of sins I hadn’t even committed.

“Cilia? What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

When I shook my head, Cedric came over and stood beside me, holding a wineglass just like I was.

Shoo, shoo.

Aren’t you the Prime Minister? I’m already trying to hide, so don’t come over here and attract attention.

When I took a step away from him, he came the same distance closer.

We continued sidestepping like crabs until I was almost half-hidden behind the window curtains. Only then did I feel safe enough to speak.

“So. What brings you here all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean? Do I really need a reason to come see a friend?”

“You’re the Prime Minister. Aren’t you supposed to appear together with His Majesty the Emperor?”

That was what I understood from this body’s common sense.

And judging by the surprised expressions here and there as people discovered Cedric, I was apparently right.

Then they would see me and hurriedly turn their heads away…

‘That bastard isn’t using this body’s infamous reputation like Dazar did last time, is he?’

Maybe he’d come out early for some reason and planned to hide behind me because the other people were annoying.

“It’s not like that, Cilia.”

Cedric spoke as though he had read my thoughts, then smiled.

“I suppose we really are friends. Sometimes, I feel like I can see what you’re thinking.”

“……”

What kind of creepy thing was that supposed to be?

Ugh.

When I twisted my lips into a strange expression, Cedric chuckled.

“Actually, I came because I was worried about you. You used to come to the Hall of Rest with Silvestain every year. You’ve never come alone before.”

“That… is true.”

It was true. According to Cilia’s memories, I seemed to have followed closely behind Silvestain like a duckling following its mother duck.

Huh? But I didn’t remember ever running into Cedric at the Hall of Rest. How did he know that I’d always come following Silvestain?

The question briefly crossed my mind, but—

‘Ah. He’s the Prime Minister.’

As the Prime Minister, he must have known quite a bit about the participants of the Hall of Rest.

And as for why I’d never encountered him at the Hall of Rest…

‘…Could it be that he was avoiding me, too?’

I seemed to remember hearing that they were reuniting after seven years.

Maybe he’d spent all those years running away so he wouldn’t run into me at the Hall of Rest.

Considering Cilia and Cedric’s past, it was certainly possible.

Cedric, who had no idea I was thinking any of this, began explaining the schedule.

“So I came to share the schedule with you. First, today, along with the banquet, His Majesty will give an opening address for the Hall of Rest.”

Hmm. Only a Prime Minister would bring a sheet filled with the entire Hall of Rest schedule just to explain it to me.

“And tonight, there will be a presentation along with the ball.”

“A presentation?”

“Yes. I heard that Duke Siaster will also announce some news about the Siaster ducal family at the presentation today. Didn’t you hear?”

No. I hadn’t.

‘We only fought on the way here.’

If we hadn’t fought, perhaps we might have had a constructive conversation about something like that.

But considering how rare it was for us not to fight whenever we met, Dazar and I hadn’t exactly had many normal conversations.

“What news is he going to announce?”

“He’ll probably announce that Lady Vanilla has become a new member of the Siaster ducal family.”

“Isn’t that already known?”

Cedric nodded.

“That’s right. But the presentation at the Hall of Rest is an official occasion where each family announces the things that happened within their household over the past year. Duke Siaster probably deliberately let the news spread when he brought Vanilla into the family, but this time, he’ll officially announce that she is his daughter.”

So he deliberately let the news spread.

Vanilla must have suddenly appeared at the ducal estate, after all. So Dazar himself had intentionally let the story circulate.

“Do you have anything to announce? Officially, you’re the head of the family right now. Evanroar.”

“…Hmm.”

Until now, Silvestain must have attended the Hall of Rest and reported on the family’s affairs over the past year as its head.

I thought about Cedric’s words for a moment, but no matter how much I thought about it, there wasn’t really anything I could say.

‘Axion being my son is still a secret…’

But.

‘How long can I keep it a secret?’

And was it even the right thing to do?

Carl had said that it wouldn’t be too late to officially reveal everything once Silvestain returned, but there was no way of knowing when Silvestain would come back.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to announce it when Lord Silvestain is here? That way, Lady Cilia would have at least a little bit of a shield.’

‘A shield?’

‘Yes. Nobles like to tear other people down. If Lord Silvestain stands in front and shields you, Lady Cilia, you’ll be hurt less.’

I didn’t think I would particularly be hurt.

Still, considering the family’s honor, it did seem better to reveal it when the actual head of the family was present rather than having me, whose credibility was already at rock bottom, make the announcement myself.

That was why I’d been keeping quiet for now, but it still left me feeling uneasy.

‘Dazar must have it nice. He can proudly announce Vanilla as his daughter.’

So perhaps that was why, for once, he’d agreed without much fuss to bring Vanilla to the banquet.

While I was silently thinking about Axion, the doorman shouted loudly,

“His Excellency Duke Dazar Siaster is entering!”

Everyone’s attention turned in that direction.

Then the doorman shouted once more.

“Lady Vanilla Siaster is entering with him!”

Everyone’s eyes immediately widened.

It was only natural.

This was Vanilla’s official debut in high society.

Vanilla was holding a lollipop in one hand—clearly one Dazar had given her—and walked in while repeatedly looking around her.

The extravagant ballroom seemed fascinating to her.

I could hear people whispering that she looked like Dazar.

Dazar entered slowly while holding one of Vanilla’s hands, wearing the dignified expression of a great nobleman that concealed his usual rotten expression.

For some reason, watching him left a bitter taste in my mouth.

‘Where’s Axion?’

The plan had been for me to enter the ballroom first, and then Carl would enter separately with Axion through the room prepared for the children.

There was another entrance over there.

I had planned to go straight to Axion after entering, but thanks to those three traffic-light sisters earlier, that plan had been ruined.

Now that everyone’s attention had finally shifted away from me, I decided to go to Axion.

“Cedric. I’m going somewhere for a moment.”

“Hm? Ah, Cilia. Then take this with you.”

Cedric handed me the Hall of Rest schedule.

I looked at the densely packed schedule with a tired expression before quietly accepting it.

“Thanks. Well, then.”

Leaving the still-gentle Cedric behind, I headed toward the door in the corner.