The heavy atmosphere made it hard to think of something to say.
Cedric looked at me for a moment, then spoke quietly.
“That person seems to be very interested in you. He even visited the mansion recently.”
He knew about that? That was unexpected. I thought he didn’t care about the people around me.
I felt his persistent gaze and, after thinking for a bit, I replied.
“He just talked about the murder case.”
“Revril.”
His voice was low and spreading. I automatically looked up and met his eyes. He seemed calmer than before.
“Don’t easily believe what others say. There’s always a reason behind his words.”
“A reason?”
“Because you’re my wife, he’ll try to use you.”
It was something I hadn’t even thought about. Just being Cedric’s wife could be used against me?
While I couldn’t bring myself to answer, Cedric took my hand. I flinched, and he looked at me with an unusually deep gaze.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
It wasn’t uncomfortable—just very surprising.
“We should go inside.”
At the sudden voice, I looked up. He spoke again.
“We can’t just stand out here forever.”
Only then did I realize I had been standing there like I’d lost a screw.
I quickly turned around. It was the first time I held Cedric’s hand, and I felt confused. His big hand wrapped around mine, and the warmth felt unfamiliar and tense.
My hand started to sweat. When I tried to quietly pull it away, Cedric held tighter. I looked up at him, and he gently let go.
I awkwardly curled my hand into a fist and looked ahead. We were already in front of the room.
‘How did we get here?’
I must’ve been too focused on holding Cedric’s hand to notice anything else.
I spoke without looking at him.
“I’ll go in first.”
Just as I reached for the doorknob—
“Revril.”
I turned around and Cedric had taken a step closer. His face was very near. As I blinked, he asked,
“Did I miss something again?”
Now that he asked, I couldn’t think of anything to say. Looking back, it seemed like Cedric had done his part.
Maybe I expected too much. I couldn’t look at him and replied.
“No.”
After a moment, I heard Cedric’s voice.
“Good night.”
I nodded and went into the room. Strangely, I didn’t hear the sound of his door closing until after I had gone in.
‘He used to go in first before.’
Even lying in bed, I kept thinking about Cedric’s changed behavior. Was he finally starting to think of me? I had decided not to expect love from him, but now that he was acting differently, I didn’t hate it.
How long did I sleep? When I opened my eyes, the room was dark. My throat was dry. I turned on the lamp on the nightstand and saw it was 3 a.m. I reached for the water bottle, but only one drop came out. I got up, thinking I’d pull the bell rope.
But I didn’t want to wake a maid just for a glass of water in the middle of the night.
I grabbed the glass bottle, put on a robe, and stepped out of the room. The hallway was quiet. Only a faint light flickered, and no sounds could be heard.
I was going down the stairs without thinking when I saw light coming from the drawing room. As I got closer, voices became clearer.
“Explain.”
His calm and slightly sleepy tone had a sharp edge, revealing some emotion.
Curious, I quietly went down and peeked through the door. Inside, a maid and the butler were bowing their heads.
‘It’s the middle of the night.’
What could they be doing at this hour? Watching them, I noticed they were bowing so low I couldn’t see their faces. Cedric sat with his legs crossed, watching them.
“I’m sorry, sir. It was my fault. I didn’t understand what the lady wanted…”
Cedric looked at the maid next to the butler. The butler quickly nudged her arm.
The maid trembled as she bowed her head.
“I should’ve taken better care of the lady than anyone else. But she didn’t ask for anything…”
Cedric looked emotionless, but his gaze was sharp—very different from usual.
“Did you come all this way just to say something so obvious?”
At those words, the butler knelt down.
“Sir, I’ll make sure nothing like this happens again.”
“Really?”
As Cedric watched with interest, the maid also knelt.
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“You were the closest to her. You should’ve taken better care of her.”
The maid trembled and couldn’t raise her head. Cedric seemed strict with the mansion staff. I had never seen him act like this before.
“Do I really need to take care of things like this myself?”
Cedric looked at the butler. The butler seemed too nervous to meet his eyes. After a moment, Cedric stood up. I quickly turned around, about to hide behind a nearby statue.
“For now, I’ll pretend to be kind to Revril, so be more careful.”
My heart felt cold. Pretend to be kind?
I felt unsettled. Just then, I heard footsteps. I hurried behind the statue, not wanting to run into him like this.
Cedric’s scent passed by and faded. I stayed hidden behind the statue for a long time. I heard the butler and maid walking away until it became completely quiet.
My hands felt heavy. Only then did I realize I was still holding the water bottle. I slowly stepped away from the statue, went to the kitchen to get water, then returned to my room.
As I climbed the stairs, strangely, my heart began to calm. In a way, nothing was new.
‘Cedric doesn’t even like me anyway.’
Everything he had done so far wasn’t out of love—just kindness. I bit my lip and went inside the room.
There was a scent. The one that always came from Cedric. That dry, woody scent. It made me feel calm, yet a little tense, and I opened my eyes.
As soon as I did, I saw someone familiar.
“Cedric.”
Cedric was sitting next to me. He was holding a white cloth.
When I looked at him in confusion, he calmly said,
“They said you had a fever.”
“A fever?”
“It’s gone down a bit now. Sleep more.”
Was this real? A dream? It felt strange. Why was Cedric suddenly taking care of me? As I stared silently, Cedric smiled and met my eyes.
It looked playful. I had never seen him smile like that before.
It felt unfamiliar. The real Cedric wouldn’t nurse me or come this late at night. He had always treated me politely, but never showed real feelings.
And suddenly, I had a fever? This must be a dream. Once I thought that, everything around me started to feel clearer.
Since it was just a dream, I asked without thinking.
“Why did you marry me?”
That was what I was most curious about. Why did he marry me? The Jedburgh family didn’t need someone like me.
Cedric answered naturally, as if it wasn’t surprising.
“Because I liked you.”
It was the phrase I had always wanted to hear. But he had always kept a distance and rejected me. Even now, it felt like a lie.
“You don’t even like me. Why say that?”
Since it was a dream, I said whatever came to mind. Cedric rested his chin on his hand and looked at me.
“I mean it.”
“You’ve never said that to me before.”
Cedric smiled.
“Do I have to say it with words?”
“Yes.”
“I love you.”
The moment I heard those words, something deep inside me overflowed with emotion. I couldn’t even understand it myself. I thought I had already given up on him.
