People whispered beside me.
“Why is the Duke of Jedburgh here?”
“Right? He usually doesn’t come to these kinds of places.”
I was curious, too. Why had Cedric come all the way here? Did he come to see how far I would fall? I didn’t look at Cedric. I just stared at the ground. While I was blankly looking into the darkness, the judge’s voice rang out.
“This trial is concluded with a compensation ruling of two million crocks.”
I looked at the judge with a blank face. While everyone stood up, Felix came over to me.
“Lady Revril, did you talk with the Duke of Jedburgh?”
“We didn’t really talk well…”
“Then, since there’s still time, I think you should talk to him again. If the result turned out like this, maybe the Duke could do more and help you avoid paying the compensation.”
At that moment, Cedric came closer. When he stood right in front of me, I flinched and looked up. When our eyes met, Cedric gave a faint smile.
“Revril, you did well in court.”
As soon as Felix saw Cedric, he bowed his head. Cedric slowly turned his head. His gaze toward Felix didn’t look very friendly.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“I’m only doing what I should.”
Cedric nodded without expression. As the atmosphere noticeably became heavier, Felix bowed again and stepped back.
Before I knew it, the courtroom was almost empty.
I felt like I had to explain something, so I opened my mouth.
“I didn’t do this. My younger brother used my name…”
“So, can you afford to pay the money now?”
“…”
“You can’t even pay the money, but you still care about your pride?”
Cedric stepped closer. His scent washed over me, and his sharp gaze burned low.
His clear blue eyes fully captured me. I flinched and stepped back. But Cedric didn’t take his eyes off me. I had no idea what he was thinking, wanting me in such a way.
“Cedric, even if I have nothing but my body…”
At that moment, Cedric cupped my cheek with one hand. I felt his warmth for a moment before he leaned in close to my ear. His deep scent brushed past my nose.
“This is the last chance I’m giving you.”
I could only breathe. Then Cedric slowly removed his hand. He gave me a slight smile and walked past me. The warmth of his touch lingered on my cheek.
I slowly raised my hand to the cheek he had touched. His voice had been calm and gentle, but his eyes were cold. With a heavy heart, I left the courtroom.
As soon as I stepped outside, someone approached. It was Felix.
“Lady Revril, could we talk for a moment?”
I nodded. We sat on a nearby bench, and Felix sat beside me. He set some documents beside him and spoke with a serious expression.
“Lady Revril, I think this will be really hard this time.”
“Why? Didn’t it already come out that my name was just used without my knowledge?”
“Even so, the amount of money involved is huge. If it were a smaller case, I might be able to handle it somehow, but this time, even I can’t manage that amount.”
Two million crocks. It was less than the original eight million, but still far more than I could handle. I sighed, thinking of my brother. He had already fled to another empire. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find him. My father had already passed away and left only debts behind.
As I sat with a hardened expression, Felix spoke carefully.
“You should talk to the Duke of Jedburgh properly.”
When I looked up, Felix continued.
“From what I saw earlier, the Duke doesn’t seem like someone who would completely ignore you.”
That was true. At least he said he would give me a chance. It was a relief, in a way, that Cedric was still offering me that.
Even though I once called him a monster and probably couldn’t stand to look at him.
“Lady Revril?”
Felix looked at me with concern. I quickly asked,
“What happens if I lose the next trial too?”
“You’ll have to pay the full two million crocks. Within a year.”
“Within a year?”
Felix nodded.
“I didn’t see that part on the statement before.”
“I was just guessing, but if you lose the next trial, they’ll probably set a repayment period of one year. That’s usually how it goes.”
“When is the next trial?”
“In two days.”
It was sooner than I expected, and my thoughts became more complicated. I was thankful Cedric gave me a chance, but spending the night with him was not a decision I could make easily.
Still, I had to make a decision by tomorrow. As I sat in silence, Felix stood up.
“Then, Lady Revril, please think it over and contact me here.”
He gave me the name of the inn where he was staying. It wasn’t far from mine. After a polite farewell, Felix hurried off. I put the note in my pocket and got up.
Two million crocks. With the deadline of one year, I had no real options. And Cedric said this was his last offer. The answer was already clear. I couldn’t avoid it any longer. I had no way to repay such a huge amount.
If I didn’t pay it off in a year, I’d surely fall into even deeper debt.
I walked back to my inn. As soon as I entered the room, a damp smell greeted me. Even after opening the window, the smell didn’t go away. A cockroach scurried across the wall. I put my bag on the bed and lay down on it. A cockroach climbed quickly up the ceiling. I stared blankly at it, then closed my eyes.
As soon as I woke up, I put on the same dress I wore yesterday. It was the cleanest one I had. I walked from the inn to Cedric’s mansion. It was much better to walk during the day than at night. The breeze gently blew through my hair.
Maybe this was my punishment for the cruel words I had said to him in the past. Cedric hated being called a monster, and yet I had said that to his face.
Besides, Cedric was never the kind of person to go back to something he had thrown away.
‘He’s doing all this for me, and yet…’
I tried to calm my heart and finally arrived at Cedric’s mansion. There were guards standing in front of the large iron gate. I hadn’t thought much of them before, but now they looked threatening.
One of the guards spoke first.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to see the Duke of Jedburgh.”
The guards talked to each other for a moment, then one looked at me.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No… I don’t…”
“Then please go back.”
His voice was firm. I couldn’t leave just like that, so I said,
“Could you call the butler for me?”
The guard sighed as if annoyed and motioned to another guard. At that moment, I felt terribly small and embarrassed, like I had said something foolish.
I forced myself to stay composed and waited for the butler to come out. After a few minutes, I saw someone walking from afar. As he came closer, the iron gate slowly opened. I walked straight to the butler.
“Hello. I’d like to see Cedric.”
“This way, please.”
The butler kindly guided me inside. At least he treated me like a guest, which was a relief. Unlike yesterday, he led me through the front gate. The mansion inside was clean and tidy. Only now did the familiar image of the old mansion come back to me. I looked around and quickly followed the butler. Before I knew it, we had reached the large parlor. The fancy paintings and scattered swords were all so familiar. This was where guests were usually welcomed. I felt emotional. It seemed like nothing much had changed.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
I nodded right away at the butler’s voice. He bowed calmly and left the parlor. I looked around a bit more and then sat down on a chair. As I looked across the room, I thought of Selena. I remembered her sitting across from me, laughing brightly with Herder.
‘What is she doing now?’
I was lost in pointless thoughts when a maid brought tea. It wasn’t the maid I used to know. Come to think of it, most of the staff here seemed new—just like yesterday, I didn’t recognize anyone.
