Lublin covered the wound with a thin cloth and continued speaking.
“That day was a total mess. Especially Lord Batis—he was badly injured. When the young master lost control and looked like he was really going to kill him, Madam stepped in to block him. Fortunately, the young master lowered his sword and left.”
“……”
“After that, the young master left the mansion for a while, and his relationship with Lord Batis completely fell apart.”
I knew Cedric had been away from the mansion for a while. I had heard he went to another region for work, but I never imagined this kind of story was behind it.
Lublin’s eyes looked a little watery, but she didn’t say anything more. Instead, she looked closely at my wound and said,
“The wound will heal quickly, but the banhwa disease looks severe.”
“Banhwa disease?”
Lublin looked at my collarbone. I wondered if something was on it, but nothing seemed different.
“I’ve heard that some people with this disease don’t show any symptoms at all. But sometimes, red marks appear on the collarbone, which is how people find out they have it…”
“So, you’re saying I have banhwa disease?”
“Yes. When I was treating your wound earlier, I saw the marks clearly. This disease becomes obvious when there’s a wound.”
She lifted the white cloth that was covering my injury. Underneath, a yellowish, pus-filled area was visible among the red, bloodstained skin. I stared at it silently. Lublin gently covered it back up.
“Still, it seems you’ve been taking good medicine. It’s better than what most people experience. In severe cases, the blood turns yellow and there’s no hope.”
I was speechless.
“Is this disease fatal?”
“With how much you’ve recovered, it’s not at a deadly stage. I’ll give you medicine separately. If you keep taking it regularly, you’ll get better.”
Lublin added,
“Thankfully, from what I see now, you’ve managed it quite well. It looks like you took some good medicine…”
“So, I’ve passed the critical point?”
“Yes, at this stage, it seems like your banhwa disease is almost healed.”
As I stared weakly at the cloth on my wound, Lublin quietly held my hand. Cedric came to mind for a moment. But I quickly pushed the thought away and clenched my fist.
“Don’t worry. Since you’ve taken good medicine, you’ll be fine now.”
“Thank you.”
At least the banhwa disease was real. At that moment, Lublin pulled a blanket over me.
“For now, get some rest. Resting is the most important thing.”
I slowly lay down. Anyway, I couldn’t leave right now. My mind was a mess, but I needed to treat my wounds.
When Cedric returned to the mansion, he headed straight for his mother’s room. As he opened the door, darkness seemed to surround him. He walked up to the bed where his mother was sleeping. The moment he stood beside it, she opened her eyes. Cedric stared at her and calmly asked,
“You’re not asleep?”
His voice was low and heavy. Without answering, his mother pointed to the drawer of the nightstand.
“If you want to find that foolish girl’s trace, look there.”
Cedric opened the drawer. Inside was a single white envelope. He quickly opened it and pulled out the letter. As he read it, his expression gradually twisted. After finishing it, he threw the letter at his mother.
“What is this?”
When she glared at him, Cedric let out a dry laugh.
“You’re saying Revril wrote this letter?”
“Yes. You’d know better than anyone, wouldn’t you? You know her handwriting.”
“I just don’t get it. Why would she go so far as to leave a letter like this?”
“It clearly says how terrifying and monstrous you are, doesn’t it? She’s human too. She must have run away out of fear.”
Cedric looked at his mother coldly.
“You didn’t even read the letter, yet you seem to know it well.”
“Cedric, get a grip. Now that it’s come to this, forget about that woman and—join with the Verdin family…”
Cedric didn’t listen to the rest. He left the room. As soon as he walked out, he said to a servant,
“Investigate all the maids who were around my mother. Find out who forged Revril’s handwriting.”
The servant nodded and left.
Six months later, the banhwa disease was almost gone. It was mostly thanks to the good medicine Cedric had provided. Because of that, I recovered without spending much money.
Looking back, I regretted running away back then. I thought he was using me because of the curse, but later I found out he had broken the curse in another way. It turned out I was never the solution at all.
That realization left me heartbroken. I had once said I trusted Cedric, but then I called him a monster like I was out of my mind.
Even if Cedric cursed me, I would have nothing to say. I felt guilty for a long time and wrote everything in a letter. Even to myself, I sounded selfish and cowardly.
After finishing the letter, I endured the shame of seeing my former mother-in-law and went to Cedric’s territory. But at the time, he was in the capital for matters concerning the crown prince.
I didn’t have the courage to go to the capital to meet him, so I just left the letter. I never got a reply, but I figured that was to be expected and naturally moved on with life.
I sighed and looked around my room. Moldy walls, chipped bowls, and a bed that creaked every time I lay down.
It felt like I had returned to the beginning. Back before my father’s business had flourished.
In the end, marrying Cedric was just a small illusion. Neither the social circles nor the people around me truly accepted me. Maybe this kind of room was where I was always meant to be.
Though this place was far from the capital, there was a nearby factory that made scented pouches, so the job prospects weren’t bad. Rent was high in most places, but this room was the cheapest. The reason was obvious.
I was barely getting by, selling the dresses and accessories I brought from Cedric’s mansion, but things weren’t going well.
Near the table were scattered herbs and a pile of court documents about lawsuits.
After my father’s business repeatedly failed, he passed away from the shock. My younger brother tried to make a big profit with a risky deal but failed and ran away. He never even thought of paying the debt. Because of that, everything fell on me. My father and brother had used my name, so every day I got threats and legal documents demanding payment.
Even though I worked while cutting back on sleep and food, there was no way to save money. And even if I did save, it all went to court fees.
With a hardened face, I kept stuffing the scented pouches. I had just finished one when—
Knock, knock.
This door always shook as if it would collapse whenever someone knocked. I got up weakly and opened it. A man with neatly combed hair smiled brightly as soon as he saw me.
“Miss Revril, the latest trial ended well. The previous lenders all said they’d drop the claims without taking the money.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Now, only one trial remains.”
I sighed with relief. The only thing that had gone right lately was how strangely well things worked out before every important trial. Even though I was exhausted, hearing good news like this gave me a little strength.
“I’ll come back tomorrow to finalize everything. I just came today to give you the trial result.”
“Thank you for always taking care of things.”
“Not at all. I should be thanking you for trusting me even though I’m new to this.”
Felix smiled brightly. He was a young lawyer. He had recently opened an office nearby and didn’t have many clients, so his fees were low. Thanks to that, I saved a bit of money. The main reason I hired Felix was because he was affordable.
I couldn’t say all of that out loud, so I just smiled in return. Still, Felix worked harder than expected for someone new. I was always grateful for that.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
Felix bowed and left. As I was closing the door, something caught it. I looked down and saw a crumpled newspaper. Someone must have thrown it in the hallway. I bent down to pick it up—and froze when I saw a familiar face.
Bright blue eyes, slightly upturned lips, neatly styled jet-black hair. A face that stood out anywhere. It was Cedric.
Cedric still appeared in newspapers now and then. Articles about his successful business, his contributions to the empire, grand parties at his mansion…
Now, the days I had lived with him felt like a dream.
Cedric seemed to be doing well. At least that was a relief.
Living here, I realized just how much effort Cedric had put into me. Strangely enough, I thought of him whenever things got hard.
‘Back then, I didn’t even realize.’
I sighed and threw the newspaper in the trash. Whether I heard good news or had a heavy heart, I still had to make scented pouches. Now that the trial had gone well, only one more remained. If that one ended well, I wouldn’t have to deal with threatening letters or unpaid debts anymore.
