Chapter 350: Kanade Has the Lowest Status in the Family
Before anyone realized it, the sun had already set and night was about to fall.
After parting ways with Alexia, wandering around aimlessly, and spending the rest of the day at a leisurely pace, Cid returned to Christina’s mansion.
Just when he thought nothing major would happen next and all that remained was some simple killing, he opened the front door and was immediately greeted by something outrageous.
“I’m sorry, Lady Christina! Please forgive this despicable, shameless, lowly turncoat! I’ll do anything!”
Kanade was kneeling on the floor in a perfect dogeza facing the entrance. The instant she heard the door open, she pressed her forehead to the ground, squeezed her eyes shut, and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“…Should I tell you to rise, say ‘as expected of you,’ or just tell you to lift your head, open your eyes, and see who I am?”
Several agonizing seconds of silence passed before the familiar voice reached Kanade’s ears, making her jerk her head up.
Once she saw who was standing at the door, she let out a sigh of relief mixed with disappointment, then looked at Cid unhappily.
“Why is it you, Cid? Shouldn’t Lady Christina and Lady Alexia be coming back around this time?”
“Them? One’s probably lost her mind, and the other’s probably shut herself away.”
Cid thought back to the scene where he had thoroughly torn into Alexia, as well as Christina hiding nearby after realizing things were getting out of hand. After a moment of thought, he answered casually.
“Huh? I have no idea what you’re talking about. Did something interesting happen?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it interesting. I had a pretty good time, though.”
Cid spoke teasingly. He had done a little research into how to create the greatest possible psychological contrast for someone like Kanade and make her burn with envy, so he immediately told her about his day, polishing the story slightly while leaving out anything he couldn’t talk about.
“You bastard! Why did I have to spend the entire day scared out of my mind because of you while you, the culprit behind all this, spent your day eating, drinking, and having fun?! No way, Cid. You owe me proper compensation!”
Just as Cid expected, ever since he had put her through the wringer that morning, Kanade had spent the entire day wavering between anxiety and the urge to flee the royal capital. She was terrified that Christina would discover her betrayal and send her straight to the gallows.
Compared to Cid’s leisurely day spent meeting people and enjoying himself, the difference was simply too much for Kanade to bear.
And when she remembered that Cid was the very source of all her suffering, she immediately started making unreasonable demands.
“Sure. What kind of compensation do you want?”
Cid simply smiled.
There was no problem at all.
“Huh? Really?”
Kanade froze.
Clearly, even she had not expected her thoughtless and unreasonable demand to actually be accepted.
She quickly recovered and looked at Cid with hopeful eyes.
“Really. How should I put this… After dealing with someone who loves throwing tantrums, is an exhausting tsundere, and is unbelievably self-centered, someone like you, who doesn’t have much room in her head, is stupid in a slightly cute way, and is at worst just a shameless turncoat who goes wherever the wind blows, suddenly seems a lot less deserving of death in comparison.”
“I appreciate you calling me cute, but can I draw my sword and slash you?”
“No. The consequences afterward would be too serious for both you and me.”
Cid answered solemnly.
“Instead of asking for something that’ll only hurt both of us, ask for something practical. I almost never make promises on this level, so be grateful I’m in a good mood right now.”
“Hah. Big talk. Can I become the king of the Kingdom of Midgar, Cid?”
Kanade sneered dismissively, clearly treating Cid’s words as nothing more than empty boasting.
“Sure. But I’ll say this in advance. I’ll handle the killing, not the cleanup.”
A wicked smile appeared on Cid’s face.
Even after Kanade said that, he still didn’t believe she would actually…
“An empty promise, then. Got it, got it. You really are shameless, Cid.”
See?
Exactly like that.
A mere lower-ranking noble like Kanade had no idea what she had just missed because of one tiny difference in wording.
Though technically, she hadn’t misunderstood him.
After all, he really would only handle the killing. There would be no follow-up service.
“Not exactly. I’d just find a few gullible people, have them establish another Kingdom of Midgar, then get them to support you as queen.”
“That’s even more shameless! Are you trying to get me killed? Forget it. It’s rare for a scheming sadist like you to offer to help me, so let me think about how I can make the best use of this.”
After complaining, Kanade sat cross-legged on the floor and began thinking.
Cid might look completely useless, but right now the only people Christina could really trust were Alexia, Kanade, and Cid.
Once Kanade’s betrayal came to light, Cid would undoubtedly gain even more of Christina’s trust.
So his help could still be extremely useful.
“First, when I kneel down and apologize to Lady Christina, you need to plead my case beside me… Actually, wouldn’t it look more sincere if we both knelt down together?”
“…And then?”
“Then, if Lady Christina refuses to forgive me no matter what and decides to execute me, you have to stand in front of me and say, ‘If you’re going to kill her, kill me first.'”
“……And?”
“And… once you threaten her with your own life, Lady Christina should forgive me no matter what. So after that, we’ll need to think about how to celebrate my narrow escape from death. Cid, you’ll have to help me prepare everything.”
“…Hah. I thought popping champagne at halftime was already the height of stupidity. I never imagined someone would start celebrating victory before the match even began. Who taught you that?”
“Great idea, Cid! I’ve actually never had champagne before. When this is all over, I’ll bankrupt myself treating you, Lady Christina, and the others to some.”
“Smack!”
Cid slapped himself hard across the face.
At some point, the smile had completely disappeared from his expression.
He stared blankly at Kanade, who had already become completely absorbed in her fantasy.
“Since you’re already planning the victory party, how about I give you the present I prepared in advance?”
“Huh? Really? Cid, you prepared a present for me?”
Kanade looked at him in delight, her gaze rapidly scanning his entire body.
All she saw was a stone in his hand.
“Where’s the present?”
“Right here.”
Cid spoke in a completely flat tone and raised the stone.
Purple Magical Power wrapped around it.
When the glow faded, a finely crafted figurine about the size of a collectible appeared in his palm.
The figure was kneeling on the ground, covering its face and crying.
Judging by its facial features, it had clearly been modeled after Kanade.
“Uh…”
Kanade stared in shock at the tiny crying version of herself.
For a moment, she couldn’t decide whether to marvel at how lifelike it was or complain that Cid hadn’t chosen a better pose and a cooler expression.
“Crack!”
Cid closed his fingers into a fist.
The figurine instantly shattered into powder, spilling through the gaps between his fingers.
“I take back what I said earlier. A turncoat like you, who gets carried away the moment someone gives you an inch, is just as deserving of a beating as a certain unpopular person. But there’s one difference between you and her. I can beat you without any hesitation whatsoever.”
“I’m sorry. I got too carried away. Please forgive my foolish offense and accept my compensation, Cid-sama.”
After being threatened, Kanade finally came back to her senses.
Cid might be a small fry, but he was unquestionably an elite among small fry. She had never beaten him even once, whether physically or verbally.
At last, Kanade understood the truth.
She was at the very bottom of the hierarchy in this house.
She immediately dropped into a textbook dogeza before Cid and offered him all sorts of sweets and fruit.
“That’s what I’m saying. Helping you put in a few good words with Christina is already more than enough. You seriously wanted me to kneel down and apologize with you, and even risk my life for you? You really know how to dream big.”
Cid crossed one leg over the other and looked down at Kanade’s resentful expression with something resembling admiration.
He casually picked up a piece of candy she had offered him.
“You were the one who said I could ask for anything. So I just got a little carried away…”
Kanade muttered aggrievedly under her breath.
Cid noticed immediately and shot her a sharp look.
“Still talking back? There’s getting carried away, and then there’s whatever you were doing… Where did you get this candy?”
Cid was about to continue lecturing her when he suddenly stopped.
His brows furrowed as he chewed the candy.
“Huh? The authorities were handing them out on the street. Is something wrong?”
Kanade raised her head from the floor and glanced at him.
“Nothing. It just tastes… a little sour? And the flavor is kind of… unusual?”
Cid sounded uncertain.
He carefully tasted the candy in his mouth, but the longer he did, the stranger it seemed.
“Does it taste bad?”
Seeing Cid’s expression and hearing the strange implication in his words, Kanade immediately went pale, thinking she might have given him the wrong flavor.
“I wouldn’t say it’s bad. Actually, I rather like it. But the flavor really is unusual. Want one?”
“No, no, no! If you like it, you can have all of them, Cid. Just please spare me.”
Even though Cid had already said there was nothing wrong with the candy, Kanade vigorously shook her head.
His earlier expression had scared her too much.
In hopes of receiving lenient treatment, she tearfully handed over every piece of candy she had received on the street that day, using sweets and pitiful expressions to beg for mercy.
“Uh… don’t make it sound like I’m forcing you. I’ll take the candy. But seriously, what’s wrong with you? Why were you kneeling down out of nowhere?”
Cid accepted the jar of candy and looked at Kanade in exasperation.
Out of the corner of his eye, his gaze seemed to casually sweep over a certain corner, but he asked as though he had noticed nothing.
“Me? It’s because of what you said this morning, Cid. I thought about it, and you made a lot of sense. I can’t just betray Lady Christina’s trust in me. All I did was get scared that the Nightsword Society would kill me, so I tried to run away. Then halfway through, I discovered all the roads were blocked and I couldn’t escape, so I came crawling back and pretended nothing happened.”
Kanade continued without hesitation.
“I believe that if I explain everything clearly to Lady Christina, someone as gentle, righteous, and beautiful as her will definitely forgive me.”
“The truth?”
“You, that evil, sadistic, scheming bastard Cid, already have the recording. Instead of putting my life in your hands, I’d rather confess directly to Lady Christina and beg for leniency. Besides, even if I eventually escape the royal capital, there’s nowhere I can really hide. As a traitor, Lady Christina would definitely track me down and kill me.”
“Seriously. Can’t you trust me and Christina a little more? We’re not the kind of people who casually throw away human lives.”
Cid rubbed his forehead helplessly as he defended himself and Christina.
Was this what you would expect from a background character?
That standard line where the resentful background character slandered the wealthy protagonist under their breath usually meant they were about to get proven wrong.
“So that means you’ll become that kind of person eventually. Just what I’d expect from the wicked Earl’s daughter and the princess’s lackey.”
Perhaps sensing that the oppressive atmosphere around them had faded and believing things had relaxed, Kanade stood up and began teasing him fearlessly again.
“…I was actually trying to save you.”
Cid fell silent for an unusually long moment before looking at Kanade as though she were beyond saving.
“Hm?”
After hearing Cid say something so strange and then watching him peer behind her, Kanade’s expression froze.
A terrible premonition surged through her.
Her neck slowly, mechanically turned around.
A horrifying possibility appeared in Kanade’s mind.
“‘Wicked Earl’s daughter.’ Someone who would hunt you down and kill you for trying to run away, then send you to the gallows. So that’s how you see me, Kanade?”
Leaning against the doorframe in casual clothes, her sword hanging at her waist with its tip nearly touching the floor, Christina stared expressionlessly at the dumbfounded Kanade.
“Thud!”
“I’m sorry, Lady Christina! Please forgive this despicable, shameless, lowly turncoat who dared slander your noble character in her heart! I’ll do anything!”
Kneel.
Forehead to the floor.
Apologize.
Add extra charges.
Repent.
All performed in one seamless motion.
Anyone could tell Kanade was a background character among background characters.
“Haah… What an unpleasant thing to hear the moment I come home.”
Christina spoke weakly, looking thoroughly exhausted.
Kanade, still kneeling on the floor, instantly turned pale.
Convinced that she really was about to die, she glared resentfully at the person she considered responsible for all this.
Cid, who was standing nearby enjoying the show.
You said you’d help me! Hurry up and plead for me, Cid! I don’t want to die!
What does this have to do with me? I already gave you a chance. You threw it away yourself. Also, could you stop assuming Christina is some kind of monster?
I…
Kanade wanted to continue their silent conversation through eye contact, but Christina had already walked up to her and gave her no opportunity.
It’s over.
I’m dead.
Through the shadow on the floor, Kanade saw Christina raise a hand.
As it began to descend, Kanade squeezed her eyes shut and waited for death.
“All right. Get up.”
“Huh?”
Christina took her hand and pulled her up.
Kanade looked at her in astonishment.
“If I actually killed you, wouldn’t that make me the wicked Earl’s daughter you described?”
See?
I told you not to assume the worst about people.
Cid watched silently as Kanade, overwhelmed by the sudden emotional reversal, collapsed into Christina’s arms and burst into tears.
Still…
Christina-san really did seem a little upset.
Cid noticed the sadness in her eyes.
It might not compare to the pain Gin would feel after discovering that Vodka was an undercover agent, but it probably wasn’t far off.
Cid watched as Kanade calmed down and explained everything from beginning to end.
Then Christina forgave her.
By the time the two of them had more or less reconciled completely, Cid glanced at the clock.
Mm.
Almost time.
“I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be back in a bit.”