“Cedric is just worried about me.”
“The doctor said you’re perfectly fine.”
It was completely unexpected. As I stayed still, frozen, Cedric’s mother spoke.
“Cedric has never cherished anything before. Not his brother, not things. He just took whatever he wanted. But this time, he’s acting very strange.”
“……”
“A girl like you, if he wanted you, he would’ve taken you already. The fact that he’s hesitating means he doesn’t want your child.”
It felt like something was stabbing my heart. I couldn’t stay silent anymore and tried to speak. But Cedric’s mother spoke first.
“Cedric will tell you this: he’s doing it because you’re precious.”
“……”
“But the Cedric I know isn’t that kind of person. If he doesn’t need something, he throws it away without a second thought. Even the wardrobe I treasured—he threw it out without a word.”
As I looked at her in shock, Cedric’s mother spoke with intensity in her eyes.
“He did it just because you were kicked out of that room.”
“……”
“The reason Cedric hasn’t touched you until now isn’t out of kindness. It’s because the blood of your lowly family is dirty.”
“But I have a condition…”
“A condition? Are you talking about the fireflower disease?”
“How did you know…?”
“That’s a convenient excuse, isn’t it?”
Cedric’s mother gave a sharp smile. Her expression looked almost cruel. When I took a step back, startled, she turned her gaze away.
“You should stop clinging to Cedric now.”
Her words were sharp like a blade. It felt like she was cutting my heart out. I couldn’t bring myself to speak. I sat there, still, almost forgetting to breathe. Then Cedric’s mother smiled faintly and said,
“Before you die, that is.”
Die. The word chilled me to the bone like the blade I saw in my dream. Without hesitation, I opened the door and walked out.
I walked without thinking and returned to my room. As soon as I got in, I locked the door, afraid someone might enter. My whole body was tense, and my legs gave out. I sat down right in front of the door and stared into the darkness. I tried to calm my breathing and look ahead, but the deep darkness still covered my vision.
‘There’s no way Cedric would kill me.’
Cedric couldn’t be that cruel. He even said he could control his impulses easily with me. I just couldn’t believe what Cedric’s mother said. And she said Cedric didn’t want a child with me?
But Cedric seemed very interested when we were in the mansion—he even planned a nursery. Even though I’m taking medicine for my health now…
Without thinking more, I walked over to the bed and lay down. The big bed felt very empty, but I closed my eyes anyway.
The next morning, I woke up to a gentle touch. Cedric was brushing my cheek. When our eyes met, he smiled and pulled his hand away.
“You’re awake.”
Suddenly, it hit me—Cedric had never slept beside me. Thinking about it, he was always gone late at night. Whenever I woke up at night, he wasn’t there.
“Cedric.”
His eyes were warm, with no trace of coldness. He looked calm, as if ready to listen to anything I’d say.
“Where were you last night?”
“I went hunting for a bit.”
“Late at night?”
“There are strange animals around the estate. If we leave them alone, they might ruin the farms later.”
“So you went to take care of those dangerous animals?”
Cedric nodded. He seemed completely unrelated to the curse or cruelty his mother had mentioned.
‘Cedric isn’t a brute.’
Cedric’s mother even called him a monster and acted like he was crazy. As I fell into thought, Cedric’s hand touched my face.
“What are you thinking?”
His deep blue eyes held me completely. His curious gaze was quite charming. Yesterday, his mother was so strange—almost like she was obsessed, even a little mad.
Her words were probably all lies. Especially the part about Cedric avoiding me because my blood was dirty. That just didn’t seem true.
“Revril, you took your medicine yesterday, right?”
I nodded. Cedric kissed my cheek and looked at me softly. His gaze stayed a bit too long. Before I could ask why, he spoke first.
“How about you go back to the Bestine mansion first?”
“You want me to go back?”
Cedric nodded.
“You seem really tired. And there’s no real reason for you to stay here.”
I hesitated. He was right. There was nothing for me to do here. I wasn’t helping Cedric either. If anything, I just made more trouble for him.
“Then how long will you be here?”
“I’ll probably stay another month. I need to finish things I couldn’t before.”
When I stayed silent, Cedric gently held my cheek and smiled.
“I’ll visit you every weekend.”
That promise made me feel a bit better, but I was still anxious.
“Cedric… about that strange crying sound—will it be okay?”
“What sound?”
“I heard it here too. It sounded like someone screaming in pain. Like an animal… or a person.”
“There are animals that cry like that sometimes.”
“What kind of animal?”
“Endevil deer make that sound. Especially when they’re caught by wolves or other animals.”
Cedric answered casually. It didn’t seem like a serious issue, which made me feel a bit silly.
‘So the scary sound I heard was just an animal getting eaten.’
I thought it might have been a ghost. Knowing it was just an animal made me feel a little safer.
At least it was something I could see—something with a shape.
I relaxed and nodded.
“I’ll go back to the Bestine mansion first.”
Cedric smiled and nodded.
“That’s a good idea.”
Just then, someone knocked. A servant came in and brought several dishes to the table. But there was only one plate.
“Cedric, aren’t you eating?”
“I already ate. I had something urgent this morning.”
I checked the clock. It was later than I thought. As I quickly tried to get out of bed, Cedric laughed and held my hand.
“Revril, there’s no need to rush.”
“But aren’t you busy? You can go ahead.”
“Will you be okay?”
“Yes, I’m feeling fine, so don’t worry.”
“Then make sure you take your medicine.”
Medicine. Suddenly, I became curious why Cedric was so focused on me taking it.
“Will this medicine really make me better?”
I pointed at the white pills on the nightstand.
“Your condition got worse than before. And fireflower disease can be cured someday. That’s why it’s good to take it regularly.”
“I know, but I don’t really feel any different after taking it. I still feel the same.”
“Then I’ll ask them to change it to a different one.”
“What if I just stopped taking medicine altogether? I don’t feel much different than before anyway.”
Cedric’s face stiffened slightly.
“Revril.”
His serious tone made me a little nervous. When I looked at him with a tense expression, Cedric calmly held my hand. His large hand wrapped around mine, and it felt warm. I stared at our hands blankly. Then he spoke.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for you before. I just want you to keep taking the medicine and get better.”
“I understand how you feel, but…”
I couldn’t finish my sentence. I didn’t understand why he kept delaying being with me because of my illness. Cedric’s mother already planted doubts in my mind.
“Cedric, I really don’t mind.”
He looked at me. I wanted to tell him—I want to sleep with you. But I couldn’t say the words.
Cedric stared at me, as if trying to understand my thoughts. His face was serious.
I bit my lip, then looked at him. His sharp yet attractive eyes, straight nose, and well-shaped lips—just having him look at me like this made me feel like I had everything in the world.
So this time, I needed to be the one to speak first.
“I really don’t mind… Can we sleep together?”
As soon as I finished, my face flushed red. Cedric stared at me in silence. It was so quiet that I felt like my face must be as red as an apple. Embarrassed, I looked away.
Then I heard a soft laugh. Before I knew it, Cedric kissed my cheek and stood up.
“Revril, ask me again when you’re fully healthy.”
In that moment, the hope I’d felt faded completely.
