The Crown Prince Who Raises a Side Character-Chapter 36: Servant Cedric (2). Clear Eyes

When he said he’d create a clone to act as a servant, Lucidra raised a question.

“But this new clone you made—didn’t you say the memories from your time as the Crown Prince only feel like a vague dream to it, and that its personality differs from the original to suit the job?”

“That’s true. But is that a problem?”

“Your goal is to reform that vicious young lady and raise her into a capable ruler, right? But can you do that in the role of a ‘servant’ who has to obey their master’s every command—even the unreasonable ones?”

Lucidra suggested that if reformation was the goal, something like a tutor would be better. Alondre tilted his head.

“Why do you assume servants follow their master’s orders unconditionally?”

“Well, because... they’re servants?”

“The servants here in Golden Cloud Palace don’t, though?”

“What?”

Lucidra’s eyes went wide.

Surely he wasn’t talking about some worn-out attendants serving a fallen noble with no authority. These were the attendants of the Empire’s Crown Prince, and they refused his orders?

“I once ordered that their daily working hours be reduced because they were too long. I even said I’d bring in more help to make up for it if they were short-staffed. But then they all came to me together, begging me not to take away their work. After intense negotiation, I had to settle for a compromise—failing to implement my original goal of a 6-hour, 3-shift rotation, and barely managing a 9-hour, 2-shift schedule.”

“......”

“I also once said that having a full-course meal during every shift was too time-consuming and asked if they could just make me a sandwich or a burger instead. The head chef roared like a lion. Said there was no way he’d serve me such food and insisted on it as a matter of pride. We ended up having a cooking competition. In the end, we agreed I’d only have free rein over lunch.”

“......”

“Servants usually assert themselves just fine with their masters. So there’s no reason ‘Cedric’ can’t be the same.”

“Uh...”

“I’ll base him on the servants here, of course, but there has to be some flexibility. Fortunately, I’ve got a good model—Renya. I’ll use him.”

Lucidra opened her mouth.

She looked like she had a lot to say, but Alondre ignored her.

It wasn’t the first time this category of being—Archdemon (former succubus)—reacted that way.

The Crown Prince calmly began drawing on his magic.

The multicolored mana transformed into an enormous bundle of hair-thin threads, which responded to his will by weaving themselves together, constructing intricate systems and structures.

As bones, muscles, and nerves were layered one after the other, Lucidra felt a wave of disbelief.

The clone magic she’d given him was supposed to just pop! and produce a result with a snap.

It was designed to copy the features of the original as a template, so the user didn’t need to understand the clone’s detailed structure at all.

But here he was, manually running the entire process.

Even more astounding was that he was also weaving together the invisible elements—like the mind and soul.

As an archdemon with dominion over souls, Lucidra could easily grasp the result he was shaping.

An innocent-looking boy with eyes like a puppy, who spoke in a smooth, sycophantic tone like Renya, but could clearly say “no” when something didn’t sit right with him, and had the elite-level competence of the Golden Cloud Palace staff—utterly, unbelievably capable...

‘...Wait. Isn’t this just a clear-eyed lunatic?’

The realization struck Lucidra with a shiver.

Still, she made no move to stop him.

It wasn’t like she was the one who’d have to deal with the consequences.

***

Claudia blinked.

No matter how many times she closed and reopened her eyes, the scene before her refused to change.

Her servant was lying on the floor, whining.

And a massive two-headed wolf had suddenly burst into the room—yet the servant, instead of panicking, had merely shooed it away.

Leaving the frozen Claudia to herself, Cedric calmly set up a table in the room, laying out food, utensils, and napkins.

“I lack the skill to serve a proper course meal like the head chef, so I’ve prepared a simpler dish. I humbly ask for your honest opinion.”

Pulling the chair out slightly, Cedric gestured for her to sit.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Only then did Claudia snap out of it with a gasp. She glared sharply at Cedric, but he only looked back at her with wide, clear puppy-like eyes.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“You...”

Grinding her teeth, Claudia nonetheless sat in the chair as he indicated.

It was too late to ask how he’d dealt with the twin-headed wolf, and complaining that he wasn’t reacting how she expected would just feel like admitting defeat. Her pride wouldn’t allow it.

She looked over the food that had been prepared.

Just as Cedric had said, calling it simple, the table wasn’t particularly loaded.

One bright yellow omelette, two unfamiliar cuts of meat that looked like steak but with a different texture, and a single plate each of soup and salad.

With a disinterested expression, Claudia scooped up a bit of the omelette.

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‘Rice?’

It looked puffed up for an omelette, and sure enough—inside was stir-fried rice with vegetables and meat.

‘Whatever. Doesn’t matter.’

She had no intention of actually eating it anyway.

Her plan was to pretend to take a bite, then slam the plate into Cedric’s face, demanding how he dared try to serve her this garbage.

Chew.

“...?”

Claudia’s mind blanked.

Almost on autopilot, she took another spoonful of the omelette—no, the omurice—this time scooping up more, including the red sauce on top.

Chew.

The rice was fluffy, releasing a nutty aroma with each bite. The finely diced, perfectly stir-fried vegetables added a sweet layer, the salted chicken had a satisfying chew, and the egg brought it all together in a soft, moist embrace.

A twitch ran through the corner of Claudia’s eye.

‘Why... why is this good?’

Her mind screamed to stop eating and throw the plate, but her hand and mouth ignored her, moving on their own. It was almost like demonic sorcery.

Her gaze slid to the other dish—the two cuts of meat that had been giving off a tempting aroma from the start.

She brought a knife to it, and it sliced easily with almost no effort.

Cutting it into a bite-sized piece, she stabbed it with her fork and took a bite.

“...!!”

It felt like a flood had erupted in her mouth.

Juices burst forth without restraint, mingling with finely minced meat and some other unidentified ingredients, all enveloped in a bold, rich sauce that rolled heavily across her tongue.

The salad and soup weren’t particularly special—familiar flavors, really—but even those seemed to taste several times better when paired with the other two dishes.

Claudia continued eating in silence, her utensils moving nonstop, until the plates were completely clean.

If any of the other servants had seen this, they would have been shocked.

The amount of food Cedric had prepared wasn’t particularly large by objective standards, but Claudia was notorious for barely eating and flipping the table in fits of irritability.

Even Claudia herself seemed confused by her own behavior, glaring at Cedric with eyes full of growling suspicion.

“You, what the hell is this?”

“Omelet rice, hamburger steak, salad, and soup!”

“I wasn’t asking for the menu!! What kind of trick did you pull to make me—?!”

“A trick? Hahaha. I’m so humbled that you praise it so highly, my lady.”

What nonsense was this lunatic spouting now?

Whether he knew she was dumbfounded or not, Cedric continued speaking with a bright smile.

“Doesn’t your suspicion of trickery mean the food was good enough to warrant it? As the temporary head of the kitchen, I can’t imagine a greater honor!”

Something boiled up inside Claudia.

“A lowly servant dares to mock me!?”

With something like a fit, Claudia hurled the knife in her hand at Cedric’s face.

But Cedric, without flinching, caught the knife midair and responded with a smile.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed! I, Cedric, have a well-earned reputation for my discretion! The fact that you were so absorbed in the meal will be buried forever in my heart!”

“Y-You little—!!”

What followed could only be described as chaos.

Forks, spoons, and plates flew wildly through the air, but Cedric didn’t dodge. Instead, as if showing off some skill, he caught and stacked each item smoothly.

He even moved with such delicacy that not a drop of sauce or food scrap fell to the floor, a level of precision bordering on madness.

Claudia, face twisted in fury, stomped toward him and raised her hand to slap him—but Cedric dodged with ease.

Even when she started swinging her arms furiously, trying to grab hold of him, it was the same.

“Would you stop standing there and hold still!?”

“Hm? And why should I do that?”

“Because you’re a servant!!”

Claudia shouted in frustration.

When she used violence, servants were supposed to take it quietly. That was the unspoken rule. For this man to so blatantly ignore it—it enraged her.

“My, it seems the lady is under a misunderstanding.”

A look of mild regret crossed Cedric’s face.

Claudia expected him to start making excuses. But instead, what he said was completely unexpected.

“There is no clause in my contract stating I must quietly endure being hit by my master for unjustified reasons. Furthermore, such reckless acts of violence # Nоvеlight # can tarnish your dignity as a noble lady, so I respectfully advise you to refrain.”

Claudia’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

Without waiting for a response, Cedric calmly tidied the tableware and meal setup once more, and just before exiting the room, gave a deep, polite bow.

“Then I shall take my leave! If you require anything, please do not hesitate to summon me again!”

Click.

The door closed, and silence fell over the room.

Claudia stood frozen for a long time, unable to move as if turned to stone.

—Kkiiing...

The pitiful whimpering of the blood demon beast echoed sadly throughout the room, the creature still groaning and watching its master for cues.

***

“C-Cedric. Are you alright? You’re not hurt anywhere?”

“Not at all! Everything’s perfectly fine. The young lady seemed quite satisfied!”

“Phew, what a relief. Judging by the empty plates, it looks like she enjoyed your cooking.”

“All thanks to the Redvell estate’s well-stocked food stores! The quality and variety exceeded my expectations.”

“Well, even if this is just the villa, it’s still the Redvell family. One of the wealthiest houses in the kingdom—of course the ingredients would be top-tier.”

“Just as the head chef says!”

“Haha, yes, yes. I’ll be counting on you moving forward. If the young lady continues eating so peacefully, it might not be a bad idea to make your dishes the main meals.”

“I’m confident my cooking isn’t bad, but I do admit the number of dishes I can prepare isn’t all that broad. I could never compare to your vast knowledge of cuisine, so if I’m entrusted with this responsibility, I’d be honored to learn under you.”

“But of course! That goes without saying! Now I see—your tongue is as smooth as your cooking. I can understand why the young lady took a liking to you!”

“Hahahaha!”

“Hahahaha!”