“Why does it have to be Selena?”
By now, I couldn’t understand Cedric. But I wasn’t in a position to understand. After all, I had left the place, even saying harsh things to him.
I looked at the scarlet tulips, thinking about the past that would never come back. The green and scarlet colors always looked good together. Like a bond that could never be broken.
As soon as I arrived at the mansion, I looked for Cedric. I had something to say about the trial. And about Selena. I didn’t dare ask him directly, but I was curious about what he was thinking.
I was also bothered by whether the cookies had peanuts in them, and why he kept staring at me so closely. I wanted to know if I could think whatever I wanted. Of course, even though it was shameless, thinking about Selena made me feel tight in my chest.
Just then, the butler came out of the parlor. I hurried up to him.
“Where is Cedric?”
“He’s in the bathroom right now.”
“Could you please tell him I’m waiting in the parlor on the first floor? I have something to say.”
“I will pass on the message.”
The butler bowed kindly and stepped back. I felt a little relieved and went into the parlor. The table was clean, as if the servants had already cleared it. I remembered Cedric was looking over documents here earlier. And Selena was beside him.
“Why on earth is Selena here?”
No matter how much I thought, I couldn’t understand Cedric. Feeling nervous, I looked at the table, then turned my eyes to the garden. The green lawn looked very fresh. It was well maintained and neatly kept at a glance. Suddenly, I thought of the Bestine mansion. For three years, watching the garden from the parlor there had been my routine.
While staring blankly at the garden, I heard footsteps and the sound of a chair being pulled. When I turned my head, Cedric was looking at me. He was wearing a robe. His hair, damp with water, lay calmly and looked seductive.
“You said you were waiting for me.”
Under his wet black hair, his blue eyes were very deep. I didn’t look at the space between his robe and just said,
“Did you know the trial was postponed?”
“I heard. They said it was delayed by four weeks.”
The result of the delay had already come out. It was unexpected, and I couldn’t say anything right away. And maybe because Cedric kept watching me, everything felt annoying. My mouth was dry, and my throat was parched. I wished I had some tea.
“What do you want to talk about?”
His calm voice had a slight frustration in it. I barely managed to say,
“The trial.”
“There’s still time.”
When I looked up, Cedric gave a small laugh.
“Is there any need to rush?”
“It’s not that…”
“You seem to want to ask if I will help, but I only do what I want to.”
Hearing that, I had nothing to say. As I lowered my head, Cedric stood up.
“I’ll be going now.”
As he turned around, I said without thinking,
“Cedric.”
He stopped and looked back at me. His gaze was deep. I wondered if calling him was a mistake, but my heart said no.
Since things were already like this between us, there was no reason to worry.
“Why is Selena here?”
Right after I said that, it suddenly got quiet, as if I had said something wrong. Cedric looked down at me and then smiled slightly.
“She’s asking me for help because they want to sell the mine.”
Mine. The unexpected answer made me feel small. Cedric sat calmly in front of me. His eyes looked at me as if watching something interesting.
“Why are you so curious about that?”
I couldn’t say anything. But staying silent felt awkward, so I said one thing.
“I’m surprised Selena is here. Before, you didn’t seem to welcome her much…”
“That was before.”
“Huh?”
“Before.”
Cedric smiled calmly. Hearing the same words twice made me feel worse inside. I felt embarrassed, thinking I had been meddling with Cedric for no reason.
“Is he really going to get engaged?”
His hand on the table still didn’t have a wedding ring. I wondered if he threw it away. I hadn’t been able to throw mine away yet.
“Was that what you wanted to say?”
I had nothing more to say. If I said more, it would only hurt. When I nodded, Cedric stood up.
“Revril.”
His low voice was quite sweet. When I looked up, Cedric said calmly,
“Time has passed. I can’t feel the same way as before.”
It sounded like he had no regrets. His face showed no smile, as if there was nothing left to regret. Only then did I slowly feel reality.
I was dazed, like something had hit my head hard. Cedric turned and left the parlor. I didn’t dare even look at his back.
The next day, Cedric’s words from the day before wouldn’t leave my mind.
“Time has passed. I can’t feel the same way as before.”
He seemed to have more left than me. His family was noble and honorable, nothing like mine. The attention he gave me seemed like just old attention. Besides, I had called Cedric a monster and left him, so it was natural for him to think badly of me.
I sighed with a heavy heart. No matter what, I hated imagining Cedric wearing a wedding ring with Selena.
Then there was a knock on the door. After a moment, a maid opened it. She greeted me and placed a silver tray on the table.
Even though it was morning, the food looked quite fancy. It was still full of my favorite dishes. It was strange. Even as I thought that, I wondered why Cedric looked at me that way and why he didn’t let go of my hand quickly.
If he had no feelings for me, shouldn’t he not care at all? Besides, he said he wanted my body.
I looked stiffly at the food. Then the maid came closer and said,
“Revril, aren’t you going to eat?”
Her voice broke my thoughts, and I quickly picked up my fork. Still, I wasn’t completely hopeless. He cared this much. I took strength from that and ate the food diligently.
After I finished, the butler came. He handed me a white paper envelope. Wondering what kind of letter it was, I quickly opened it.
[To Revril,
Hello, this is Felix.
I wanted to inform you that the trial has been postponed by about four weeks.
You must have been quite anxious, so I hope you can have a little more patience.
If there is any other news, I will contact you again anytime.
Sincerely, Felix]
Felix’s letter was neat. I had already heard it from Cedric, but it had been almost a month. The trial date was delayed quite a bit, but it wasn’t a short time. I thought I could persuade Cedric as much as possible during this time to get a result. Suddenly, I remembered what Cedric said when he first saw me.
“I at least like your body.”
Anyway, as long as I stayed here, I had to spend nights with him. But since the day I lost, Cedric seemed uninterested. Still, the fact that I had to stay here meant Cedric had some thoughts.
I wanted to talk properly with Cedric now. After all, I had promised him, so I had to keep it.
I left my room immediately and looked for the butler. While going down the stairs and looking around the parlor, someone came.
When I turned my head, the butler bowed.
“Can I see Cedric now?”
“The master has gone out.”
“Where did he go?”
“He went to the capital for business at the royal palace.”
The capital? I was speechless for a moment. But I wanted to know properly, so I asked.
“When will Cedric come back?”
“It will probably take about a week.”
“A week?”
My voice naturally got louder.
“There is also a matter with the crown prince, so it will probably take longer.”
I felt hopeless for a moment. I had to wait a whole week. But there was still a lot of time until the trial date. I nodded, comforted by that.
With nothing to do, I walked around the mansion. The manor in the territory was not much different from before. The library where I usually read books was still the same. Looking at the pile of books, I suddenly looked out the window.
A carriage was coming this way, kicking up a cloud of dust.
