Cedric’s face turned cold. I was so shocked that I asked,
“How could you do that?”
“Revril.”
“I never thought you’d go that far. And the medicine you gave me—wasn’t that to break your curse?”
“Are you doubting me now?”
Cedric’s face looked frighteningly calm. I stepped forward and picked up my fallen bag. But Cedric snatched it from me and loaded it onto the horse.
“What are you doing?”
“You misunderstood. I was just—”
“It’s true that you were trying to have me admitted to a hospital, right?”
Cedric turned to look at me. He spoke while staring at me.
“Then are you saying you want to stay in that condition?”
“……”
When I stayed quiet in shock, Cedric stepped closer to me.
“Revril, do you even know what condition you’re in right now? You’re in danger if you don’t get treatment immediately.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, that’s just what you believe. Right now, you’re—”
“Then what are you planning to do once I’m in the hospital? After locking me up in that place, what are you going to do?”
“Revril.”
“At this point, I’m starting to wonder if this ‘heat syndrome’ is even real. Now that I think about it, it makes sense—you rejected me over and over just to avoid having a child with me, didn’t you?”
As I spoke with tears in my eyes, Cedric let out a sigh.
“Don’t think like that. I was trying to—”
“If it was really for me, then shouldn’t you at least listen to what I have to say? I don’t want to be locked up in a hospital like that.”
Cedric said nothing more and grabbed my hand. His grip was stronger than before, so I braced myself to avoid being dragged. But he pulled me along without hesitation.
“Let go!”
“Let’s talk at the mansion. You’re not in your right mind right now.”
“You’re the one who’s not thinking clearly!”
Cedric stopped in his tracks and turned to face me. His icy blue eyes stared coldly at me.
“Revril, are you serious?”
His voice was low, as if he was trying to suppress his emotions. He looked straight at me. I pulled my hand away and said,
“Just like your mother said. You’re the real monster.”
Cedric looked at me with a hardened expression. For the first time, I saw a subtle but dangerous glint in his icy blue eyes. I stepped back and quickly ran away. It was hard to see in the dark, but I just ran without thinking.
Because of that, I tripped over a branch and fell. My knee hurt so much that I couldn’t get up. Just then, someone gently grabbed my arm and helped me up with a soft touch.
I gasped and tried to pull away. But Cedric looked at me gently and held my hand tightly.
“After everything I’ve done for you…”
There was no trace of kindness left on his face. He stared down at me with a deep, intense gaze.
“You really think of me that way?”
Cedric gripped my hand so tightly, it felt like he could strangle me at any moment.
“Ce-Cedric…”
I couldn’t speak properly. Cedric didn’t let go of my hand and lowered his head. His warm breath touched my skin, and I tried to pull back, but my knee hurt too much to move. Cedric met my eyes and lifted my chin.
“Say it was a lie. That you didn’t mean it.”
When I stayed silent, Cedric furrowed his eyebrows. His sharp eyes grew even colder.
“Revril.”
I pushed his arm away, trying to escape. But Cedric came even closer.
“You really think of me that way? Even after just hearing a few words from my mother?”
“If you never planned to lock me in that hospital, I wouldn’t have run away like this. Please let me go now.”
“You said you trusted me.”
Cedric wrapped one hand around my neck. I pushed against his shoulder. But he didn’t move. Instead, he pressed even closer. His breath brushed against my lips. I turned my head to avoid seeing him.
“You said you were the only one who trusted me.”
“……”
“You were the only one.”
Cedric tightened his grip on my neck. I hit his hand and struggled. I couldn’t breathe. Still, I kept hitting his arm.
“Ce… Cedric! Stop… please, stop…”
My strength faded. Tears streamed down my face and fell on his hand. Only then did Cedric let go. He looked at me with a dazed expression. I quickly got away from him and ran. After running for a while, I couldn’t hear the sound of hooves behind me.
I ran without thinking. Cedric’s handprint was still clearly visible on my neck. Just like his mother said, he seemed to have gone mad—turned into a monster.
Even though he let me go…
I wiped away the tears and kept walking. My injured knee hurt, and my ankle throbbed, but I just wanted to get far away from that place. The more I walked, the weaker I felt. My hands were trembling from the stress, and my vision blurred. As I wandered aimlessly, my head spun. My whole body lost strength, and everything went black.
When I opened my eyes, I was in a small house. It felt familiar, and I remembered—my father once stole things from here in secret. Unlike back then, the place now felt lived in. As I looked around, an old woman turned to me.
“You finally woke up.”
She brought me a glass of water. My throat was dry, and as soon as I drank it, I felt a little better. As I held the cup, the woman gently took it from me and said,
“My name is Lublin. I used to work at the young master’s mansion for a long time, but now I’ve retired and live here.”
As soon as she mentioned Cedric, I tried to get up from the bed. Lublin quickly grabbed my hand.
“I won’t tell the young master, so please rest a bit more here.”
The way she still called him ‘young master’ showed how loyal she was to him. When I stayed quiet, Lublin fixed the blanket and said,
“The young master won’t come looking all the way out here. People rarely visit this place.”
When I looked at her silently, she added with concern,
“If I hadn’t come by, you would’ve been in real danger. There are still wolves in this area.”
I looked around. Dried herbs I hadn’t noticed earlier were hanging on the walls. Noticing my gaze, Lublin explained,
“I gather herbs from nearby and sell them. Since this land belongs to the young master and others can’t enter, there are plenty of herbs.”
“How long have you lived here?”
“I worked at the young master’s mansion for a long time. But now that I’m old and not much help anymore, they gave me this house to live in.”
I remembered how this place used to be abandoned. It was strange to see it feel so lived-in now. Then Lublin placed something on my knee. It felt familiar—it was the crushed mushroom I had picked before.
“That’s a mill-leaf mushroom.”
“How do you know that? Not many people recognize this mushroom.”
I answered absentmindedly,
“I picked it once before.”
“Is that so? Then you must know how amazing this mushroom is. Keep it on for a while—it’ll help your wound heal faster.”
Lublin busily applied the crushed mushroom to both my knee and ankle. Where it had dried, she replaced it with fresh parts.
“Why are you helping me so much?”
After being betrayed by someone I trusted, it was hard to believe in anyone now. Lublin applied the last of the mushroom and replied casually,
“Would I just leave someone passed out like that? And since you came from the young master’s mansion, of course I care.”
“You know Cedric well, don’t you?”
Lublin paused her hands. She sighed and looked at me.
“Do you know he’s under a curse?”
I nodded, and she looked at the wall, lost in thought.
“He suffered a lot because of it. Though he seems a little better now…”
“Has Cedric acted cruelly before?”
Lublin nodded.
“He once did something terrible to Lord Batis. That’s why their relationship is still strained.”
“What happened back then?”
“Lord Batis used black magic on a wolf Cedric cherished. Just because he believed the crown prince’s words.”
