I couldn’t say anything and just stared at Selena. Her eyes shone like madness was pouring out of them. She seemed to be enjoying this situation very much and even walked over to Meli and asked,
“Meli, do you want to say it? That getting scolded badly by me was all an act too.”
Was it true? Was her kindness to me all just acting? When I looked at Meli, she was still crying silently. Selena grabbed a handful of Meli’s hair and said,
“Say it.”
Meli barely opened her mouth.
“Yes… sob…”
Selena smiled slightly and let go of Meli’s hair. The sound of crying echoed even louder in my ears. While I stood there blankly, Selena walked up to me.
“So, there’s no one on your side in this mansion. Even if you’re kicked out, no one will take you in.”
“…”
“You should’ve tried harder when that naïve lawyer first came, shouldn’t you?”
I couldn’t say anything back. I could only see Selena’s slight smile. Nothing else.
“You think you can go against me? With your lowly background?”
I had nothing, so I had no words to say. The only thing I could rely on was Cedric’s affection. I barely managed to breathe and calm myself down. I had to say something.
“Why are you so angry at someone like me who has nothing?”
Selena scoffed as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Because you’re acting above your level. It’s disgusting.”
Before, her words sounded educated and elegant. But now, she just looked desperate, like someone showing their lowest side.
“If you hate seeing me that much, why don’t you leave?”
Selena looked at me in disbelief.
“Revril, I knew you were vulgar, but I didn’t expect you to say something like that. No wonder Cedric rejected a woman like you.”
A woman like me? I couldn’t understand what she meant and asked,
“What do you mean?”
Selena looked at me with a smile.
“Well, I did put in quite some effort. I guess you wouldn’t know. Right?”
Her words sounded sarcastic. Just as I was feeling down, Selena continued with a smile.
“You remember Selaine, right?”
It was a name that sounded similar to hers. I felt like I had heard it somewhere before. As I was searching for what to say, Selena went on.
“I even convinced Duke Ludrid to introduce Selaine to Cedric, but it didn’t go well. I didn’t expect Cedric to destroy everything around him like that.”
“What are you talking about?”
Selena frowned.
“You mean you never heard the rumor that Cedric had a mistress?”
“Then that mistress was…”
“She was a plan made by the crown prince and me. But Cedric threatened her so badly that Selaine couldn’t even come near him. The rumors disappeared right away too.”
Selena looked displeased.
“I thought if Duke Ludrid was involved, Cedric wouldn’t touch her. But he even threatened to cut off trade rights.”
She looked stiff for a moment, then turned to me.
“Who would’ve thought Cedric would care so much about you? You stuck so close to him, you didn’t believe the rumors either.”
Hearing that, my hands started to tremble. I tried to act like I was fine and asked,
“Then, did you come here on purpose? To take Cedric?”
“That’s right. Luckily, Lady Nancy had a good opinion of me too.”
Selena raised the corners of her lips slightly. If I didn’t know what she was really like, I would have thought it was an elegant smile anyone would fall for. I couldn’t say a word. So everything had been planned by her from the beginning. I felt sick. I didn’t want to see her anymore, so I turned and left the drawing room.
I heard someone calling me, but I didn’t look back. Then, I heard a scream. It sounded like Meli. But I didn’t care and went upstairs. Maybe even getting scolded by Selena had been her plan to get close to me.
A bitter laugh came out. What did she want to take from me by going that far? I didn’t have anything to begin with.
As soon as I got to my room, I locked the door. Even lying on the bed, I could still hear screams from outside. Since Cedric wasn’t home, it seemed like Selena was doing whatever she wanted.
I covered my ears with a pillow and tried to sleep. But I couldn’t fall asleep. I remembered the sound of a crying deer from before. And even the corpse, bleeding so much.
I closed my eyes with a heavy heart. Even in this situation, I thought of Cedric. If he were beside me, I’d feel at least a little better.
But Cedric didn’t come, even after morning arrived.
The next morning, as soon as the sun came up, someone suddenly threw open my door. I got up in surprise and saw an unexpected person standing there.
“Revril, do you even know what you’ve done?”
It was Herder. She glared at me as if she was very angry.
“What do you mean?”
I couldn’t speak kindly either. She barged in early in the morning and started accusing me—it put me in a bad mood. What could be so urgent?
Herder gave a short laugh, then spoke in a sharp voice.
“Selena is sick and lying in bed. And Cedric went to her as soon as he arrived late at night.”
As soon as I heard Cedric’s name, my heart sank coldly. Herder gave a mocking snort and said,
“You should’ve left earlier. You kept hanging around, and now all that’s left is for Cedric to throw you out.”
“Did Cedric tell you to tell me to leave?”
Herder snorted and spoke with a sneer.
“Soon, Revril. Very soon.”
She walked away without even closing the door. I stepped out into the hallway and looked around. All the servants avoided my eyes and hurried along their way. As if I had done something terribly wrong, none of them met my gaze.
From the stairs, I saw some unfamiliar people standing with serious faces. In the center stood Cedric.
His usual cold and indifferent look stood out on his face. At that moment, Cedric looked up. He spotted me right away.
His eyes were the same as before. Cold and emotionless. I turned around and went back into my room. I didn’t do anything wrong. Wasn’t it Selena who brought Meli and did all those things?
All I did was speak.
What is going on?
As I sat weakly on the bed, I heard a knock at the door. It didn’t sound like a servant—it was too firm. When I didn’t answer, the door opened. The air felt cold and tense. When I slowly looked up, Cedric was standing there.
“Selena collapsed.”
Hearing it from him made my heart ache a little.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Selena said she started feeling unwell after talking to you. Did something happen?”
Cedric’s clear blue eyes stared right into mine. His voice was gentle, but his gaze was sharp.
“I didn’t lay a finger on Selena. I only talked.”
“What did you say?”
The way he pressed me made my chest feel tight.
“I just spoke like usual. She’s talked like that to me before too…”
“This time, it’s serious. Even Selena’s father came…”
“So, should I apologize to them?”
“…”
“A maid named Meli stayed close to me. But she was Selena’s maid all along. And Selena…”
I was about to say that Selena and the crown prince had used Selaine as a mistress, but he cut me off.
“Revril, what does that matter now?”
His voice was cold and sharp. Surprised, I looked at him as he said,
“Selena is seriously ill, and you’re talking about some maid?”
His cold eyes made me feel like I had done something terribly wrong. I was speechless, and he continued.
“I’ll take care of Selena, so don’t see her for a while and just be careful.”
Be more careful? I hadn’t even done anything.
I was upset, so I said something.
“I’ve been quieter than Selena in this house. I didn’t even complain when the whole mansion was decorated with pink roses…”
The words almost burst out, but I barely held them in. I didn’t want to cry in front of Cedric. He stared at me intently.
“Was marrying me really that terrible?”
“No. I just…”
“Then why do you hate those roses so much?”
Cedric looked at me like I had done something wrong. He seemed angrier than before, and his eyes were sharp.
