As a prince from a neighboring kingdom, Cedric came to represent his kingdom and attend Cecilia's funeral. He came with his knights. But at that time, Cecilia only saw Cedric, who was standing not far from her.
"...."
In all of Cecilia's lives, that was the first time Cedric looked at her differently. Cedric usually looked at her with annoyance, anger, or even hatred in her previous life. But at that time, there was only innocent curiosity when Cedric tried to see who was hiding behind the mask.
Cedric then stepped forward to approach Cecilia. He only stopped his steps when he was right in front of Cecilia.
"Cedric Blaine from the Blaine Kingdom, Prince Cecilion," he said flatly, almost expressionless. Even so, his eyes could not lie. Cedric observed Cecilia as if he was putting together the missing puzzle pieces in his mind.
Cecilia nodded slowly. "Thank you for taking the time to come to my twin sister's funeral, Prince Cedric."
Silence. Cedric did not speak again after that. But he turned his head slightly to the right to look at the place where 'Cecilia's' coffin had been and frowned clearly in front of Cecilia.
"Strange. I've known Cecilia for quite some time. But it's the first time I have known she had a twin brother."
Cecilia almost slipped in her attitude, but she held her breath and smiled faintly behind the mask that covered her face.
"That's how power works, Prince Cedric. Secrets are better kept than shared."
Cedric stared at her again, long and deep. Cecilia almost frowned. Cedric had always been a hot-headed man who never thought before he spoke. But for some reason, the Cedric in front of her seemed to think a lot before he spoke.
It took a few moments before Cedric finally smiled. Compared to his previous blank face, Cedric seemed more alive after he had spoken a few words with her.
"You're right. It wouldn't be a secret if everyone knew about it."
Cecilia narrowed her eyes. She didn't know if Cedric had hidden meanings between his words or not.
"Even so, I hope you're not a secret that will bring disaster, Prince Cecilion. None of us want that kind of thing, do we?" Cedric continued seriously. The man bowed and then walked away after that, leaving Cecilia in the middle of the crowd, who furrowed her brows even more after hearing Cedric's words.
Cecilia thought the trouble should have started when Fiona, the female lead, arrived in the capital. Now, the 'game' had not started. Cecilia still had plenty of time to rearrange their game in the future.
Cecilia stood up straight. Cecilion had been introduced to the world. From then on, she had shouldered a heavier burden than when she was Cecilia.
"Cecilion."
Arkadion called out to her. Cecilia nodded. She intended to approach Arkadion, but her steps stopped in the middle of the road.
"...."
Cecilia was sure it wasn't just her feeling that someone was secretly observing her. There were only two people that Cecilia knew who could disguise themselves in the middle of the crowd. One of them was her teacher, while the other was Damian, who was also supposed to attend her funeral.
Cecilia tried not to bother about Damian. Unlike Cedric, Damian usually wouldn't act up unless something happened to Fiona.
Cecilia continued on her way. Compared to taking care of the two crazy male leads, Cecilia had a tough task ahead of her.
***
The armored carriage creaked slowly down the cobblestone road, leaving the large gates of the Magenta Kingdom. The Blaine family crest—a sword crossed with an eagle—was displayed majestically on the carriage door.
Inside, Cedric sat back in his chair, one hand propping his chin, while his eyes stared blankly out the window. No one knew what the man was thinking. But every now and then, one could see his brow furrow before he seemed to regain his composure again.
"Prince," a polite voice interrupted his thoughts. One of his knights, Sir Alvis, sat across from him, frowning. "You've been daydreaming ever since you left the Magenta Kingdom. Is something bothering you?"
Cedric looked away slowly, like someone who had just been pulled out of deep thought. He paused for a moment before finally answering in an odd tone. "That man named Cecilion..."
Sir Alvis raised an eyebrow. It was the first time Cedric had ever shown interest in someone from the Magenta Kingdom.
"There's something strange about him," Cedric continued. "The way he speaks is too calm for someone who, according to stories, has been locked away from the palace his entire life."
Sir Alvis chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Perhaps because he remains a royal descendant, he easily adapted when great responsibility was placed upon him after his twin sister's death."
Cedric just sighed. "Maybe."
But his mind refused to calm down.
Cecilion was too... aware. Aware of his position, and aware of other people's reactions. His gestures, posture, and even how he chose to remain silent when everyone was making a fuss was like a carefully prepared show. His attitude was even better than Cecilia's. Who in Cedric's eyes, was just a childish girl who was unaware of her position.
Cedric's mind recalled the gaze behind Cecilion's iron mask. A gaze that was too heavy, too mature, like the eyes of someone who had lived longer than his own body.
That gaze was not like the gaze of a boy who had just been freed from exile.
Sir Alvis seemed to read the doubt in Cedric's eyes. He leaned back casually and said, "But why bother thinking about him? He is not part of the Blaine Kingdom. Their business, not ours."
Cedric stared at Alvis for a moment, then smiled faintly. True. There was no benefit for him to think about a small and weak kingdom like the Magenta Kingdom.
Cedric's gaze dropped. Yes. He shouldn't care about what he's been doing all this time.
"You're right. I'm just thinking too much."
Finally, Cedric admitted as he closed his eyes, letting his body sway following the shaking of the carriage.
"Let Cecilion live in his own world while we live in ours."
Sir Alvis nodded, seemingly relieved to see Cedric return to his usual attitude.
Closing his eyes, Cedric was busy forcing the image of Cecilion to disappear from his mind. There was nothing special about that 'man'. Just because he was a little smart, it didn't mean that Cedric would care about him from now on.
The Magenta Kingdom was a small Kingdom, a kingdom that he didn't even need to take into account. He could destroy it with his strength. There was nothing special. Therefore, Cedric should forget about it immediately.
Or, at least, that was what he thought until Cedric witnessed 'Cecilion's' breakthrough.