The next day, once the room was organized, Cedric immediately began using his new room on the third floor. Fortunately, there were no incidents where Sheila got deeply entangled with him. He seemed very busy.

Just once, late at night, while carrying a load of laundry to her room, she ran into him in the hallway. Sheila bowed her head so low into the laundry pile it was practically buried, waiting for him to pass by. He didn’t pay her the slightest attention and walked straight past. At this rate, it might’ve been just Sheila being overly conscious. There was no reason for him to care about some maid wandering the halls…

Still, Sheila decided not to let her guard down. To be honest, she didn’t even need to try—it came naturally.

Starting with Cedric’s appearance alone, he had a way of making others tense for no reason. Whether in a good way or a bad way.

For Sheila, it was certainly not in a good way. Just like four years ago, when he marked her for no reason, she never knew what could go wrong and get her fired from her position as a maid.

While she continued to cautiously keep her distance, a breakfast gathering was arranged to celebrate Cedric’s return.

“Miss, it’s time to wake up. Miss!”

On the day of the breakfast gathering, as expected, Sheila took the lead instead of Molly in waking Judith, and this time she ended up slapped twice while her hair was being pulled.

It was precisely when the words “Young Master Cedric” left her lips.

Damn it. From now on, mentioning Cedric in front of Judith is banned.

But… is that even possible?

In any case, seeing as her reaction to the name Cedric was two or three times more explosive than to the word betrothed, it was clear that extreme caution was needed.

Now that someone had appeared whom Judith couldn’t defy, it was only natural for her to throw a tantrum. Though she was spoiled under her parents’ favor, the one person the Count and Countess of Calley deferred to was none other than their eldest son, Cedric Calley.

So Sheila couldn’t completely fault Judith’s foul mood. She herself wasn’t thrilled about Cedric’s return either.

Hadn’t she just been slapped twice on one cheek because of him? She could already feel the sting spreading and her delicate skin swelling up from the blow.

But there was no time to check her reddened cheek; she had to get Judith up and dressed.

Even while getting ready, the hypersensitive Judith threw objects and nitpicked everything, causing them to run late for breakfast.

When the dining room door opened and the last to arrive, Judith, entered, the eyes of the five seated family members turned simultaneously toward her and her attendants.

Unlike the three sons’ disinterested expressions, the Count and Countess of Calley’s eyes turned heart-shaped at the sight of their youngest daughter. Countess Marisa’s high-pitched voice pierced the wide dining room.

“Now that the flower of House Calley, Judith, is here, the whole table lights up.”

At the unbelievable praise directed toward the tardy youngest, Alfonso and Allen both turned their gazes toward their mother.

“Ahem, hem!”

Bernard Calley, the Count, who had been about to agree without thinking, suddenly coughed awkwardly. Caught by his sons’ stares, he hastily swallowed his words and ended up choking slightly.

Meanwhile, Cedric, who hadn’t taken his eyes off Judith’s group the entire time, gave a short command.

“You’re late. Sit.”

Judith lifted her skirt and gave a shallow curtsy, then looked around before heading toward Alfonso’s side.

At the head of the long table sat Count Bernard. To his right were Marisa and Allen, and to his left sat Cedric and Alfonso.

So Judith, hoping to avoid the gaze of her eldest brother as much as possible, was about to sit on that side.

“Over there.”

It was a short, firm order.

As Sheila, trailing behind Judith, instinctively lifted her head, her eyes met Cedric’s squarely.

Bathed in sunlight from the window, his good looks were working in full force.

His jet-black, immaculately combed hair, his striking forehead, and the charisma radiating from his straight nose made Sheila’s breath catch.

In that moment, Cedric’s brows knit together.

Ah…! He said not to get noticed.

Sheila hastily clapped her hands over her mouth and dropped her gaze.

Following Cedric’s instruction, Judith jerked her skirt angrily and changed direction toward Allen’s side.

Forced to sit across from Cedric, Judith looked thoroughly displeased, and so did Sheila. Since she had to stand behind Judith until the meal ended, she had hoped to stay out of Cedric’s line of sight.

Once Judith was seated, the Calley family’s meal began.

While the masters ate, Molly gave Sheila a small nudge. Seeing Sheila’s swollen, red cheek, Molly silently moved her lips.

‘I’ll take over once I’m married.’

Sheila easily read Molly’s lips. It was something Molly had been saying constantly these days.

Sheila gave her teary-eyed colleague a reassuring look that said she was okay. Just then, Judith’s voice rang out.

“Sherry.”

‘Sherry’ was the nickname Judith had supposedly given Sheila in honor of five years of service… but in truth, it was just a name she came up with to shorten Sheila’s name however she pleased.

“Yes, miss.”

Sheila quickly stepped forward and unfolded the napkin onto Judith’s lap.

Even without being told, Sheila instinctively knew what her mistress needed. It was a veteran move befitting a maid who had long served a young lady who never lifted a finger for herself.

Just then, a tsk came from diagonally across. It was Cedric.

Sheila pretended not to notice and returned to her spot beside Molly.

To avoid even the slightest chance of accidentally meeting Cedric’s gaze, she focused all her attention on Judith’s meal.

As if to meet expectations, Judith kept dropping her fork, spilling water, and spitting out food that didn’t suit her taste, repeatedly summoning the maids.

“Sherry, fork.”

“Molly, water!”

Anyone in the Calley household was used to this behavior. So no one paid it any mind.

Or so they thought.

Not long after Molly stepped away, Judith opened her mouth again.

“Sherry!”

The moment Sheila took a step forward at her mistress’s call, a cold voice cut through the dining room.

“As always.”

Even amid the noise, it was a voice that strangely drew attention.

Sheila’s eyes involuntarily turned toward the source of the voice, despite her earlier resolve.

Cool gray-blue eyes were fixed on Sheila.

“A mess.”

Sheila froze.

“M-mess? That’s a bit harsh, Cedric.”

Marisa, seated directly across from Cedric, quickly leapt to defend her youngest daughter.

Ah… he meant Judith. That startled me.

Their eyes had met, and for a moment, Sheila thought he was talking about her. Of course, that couldn’t be the case.

At Cedric’s single word, Judith’s shoulders slumped. She wasn’t one to be so easily discouraged, but… tsk tsk.

Sheila clicked her tongue inwardly. With that icy face, it was no wonder.

Like when she had tried to wake Judith that morning, Sheila couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of solidarity with her, at least when it came to Cedric. Normally, a lowly maid and the youngest daughter of a count’s house would have no reason to share any sentiment.

This can’t be a good sign.

Cedric resumed eating with elegant grace, as if the matter wasn’t worth responding to. Marisa shot a look at Bernard, demanding to know why he wasn’t siding with her, but the count focused on his meal, pretending not to notice.

“Judith is about to be engaged soon, you know. You shouldn’t treat her like a child.”

At Marisa’s remark, Allen, seated beside her, gave a loud mock gag in Judith’s direction. Judith shot him a fierce glare. If they had been alone, she might have thrown punches at her third brother.

But she held back because Cedric was present. Knowing this all too well, Allen leaned close and whispered in Judith’s ear.

“Hey, your face is super red. Like a roasted sweet potato.”

Judith’s eyes flared as she raised her fist. What prevented disaster was their second brother, Alfonso.

“Allen, stop it. You’re eighteen. What do you think you’re doing to your little sister?”

Among the haughty and self-centered Calley family, Alfonso was considered the most decent.

Unlike Cedric, he had wavy brown hair and wore glasses, as if he had come straight from reading a book before the meal. To Sheila, he looked gentle and intelligent.

In terms of sculpted looks, Cedric had the edge, but Alfonso wasn’t far behind. While Cedric was away, Alfonso had remained the maids’ number one in their secret popularity rankings.

Speaking of which, every member of the Calley family had looks that stood out. That was only natural, considering Bernard and Marisa looked like a couple who married based on appearance alone.

Thanks to Alfonso, the worst was avoided. Sheila let out a silent sigh of relief. If things had gotten any worse, it would’ve been the powerless maids who bore the brunt.

“Now that our eldest has returned from studying abroad, it’s time to start arranging a marriage for him. There are so many families vying for Cedric’s hand. Cedric, what do you think?”

“Let’s do it.”

Cedric answered Marisa’s comment with a concise reply.

Once the eldest son married, it would be Alfonso’s turn next.

As the eldest, Cedric wouldn’t leave the household even after marriage. Which meant another lady of the house would soon be added to the mix.

More masters to serve. A sigh would’ve been understandable, but Sheila, being who she was, decided to worry about it when the time came.

***

After finishing the meal with his family, Cedric returned to his newly prepared room.

Or rather, the room he had arranged for himself.

Timed with his return from studying abroad, Cedric had ordered renovations to shape the space exactly to his liking. That way, he could store his belongings in ‘that room.’

His eyes shifted from the tightly closed door of the annex that could only be accessed from his room to the desk.