When I stayed silent, the maid asked again.
“Lady Revril?”
When I looked up, the maid hesitated before speaking.
“Do you need anything else?”
I shook my head. What would I need now? Cedric had already turned his heart away from me and was getting engaged to Selena.
The maid bowed and left the room. I felt empty. After all this time here, I had gained nothing except the trial. I was so sure of Cedric’s feelings. But it looked like he had just kept the wedding ring and the photo frame with me in it stored away.
They weren’t on his desk but in a drawer, so maybe he had already pushed me far from his thoughts.
Selena’s words echoed in my head.
“You’ll be thrown away without mercy.”
She had told me to attend the banquet after the trial. It was clear she wanted to show everyone my true place in the mansion.
I bit my lip as I packed my things, holding back tears.
On the day of the trial, I got into the carriage Cedric had prepared for me himself. Cedric said he wouldn’t be at the trial because of urgent business. I felt bitter. It really seemed like he had lost all interest in me. I also felt it was truly over between us.
There was no reason for me to stay in that mansion anymore. Even if I stayed beside Cedric while being looked down on for coming from a poor family, all I would gain was the painful realization of how low my status was.
“I don’t care if Cedric makes you his mistress.”
Selena’s words floated through my mind. If I let myself be dragged along by Cedric, who only wanted my body, I would end up broken and miserable. If he had really cared about me, he wouldn’t have ignored me like this.
I was ashamed that I once mistook the way he looked at me and his breath near me as signs of love.
“We’ve arrived.”
Startled by the sudden voice, I looked up and saw the large courthouse building. I quickly got off the carriage, carrying my small bag. The bag was light. I didn’t bring the dress I wore at the wedding reception. I felt it was better to leave it behind than take it with me.
I didn’t want to be tied to Cedric anymore.
Unlike before, the trial ended quickly. The lawyer Cedric had prepared was indeed skilled. Everything written in the documents and everything he said was clear and to the point, making it easy to understand. As Cedric had said, he seemed more capable than Felix.
The result of the trial was completely in my favor. I didn’t have to repay the 2 million crocks, and Cedric’s side would handle the remaining debt. I didn’t owe anything. In fact, I even received some money.
A court staff member handed me a document and said,
“50,000 crocks. Your younger brother already repaid this amount.”
“Then why are you giving this to me…?”
“Duke Jedburgh said he wouldn’t accept the money.”
It felt bitter, but to Cedric, 50,000 crocks was probably nothing more than the cost of an apology. I took the money without a word. It felt like a reward for all the hard work I had done.
The staff member stamped a paper saying the trial was officially over and handed it to me.
At last, I was free from the awful trial and all the debt. Without thinking further, I put the documents in my bag and left the courthouse.
As I walked quickly down the street, someone called out behind me.
“Lady Revril!”
When I turned, it was the coachman from the carriage. I looked at him, confused, and he ran over to me.
“Please, get in.”
“Why?”
“You have to return to the mansion. There’s a banquet tonight.”
What good would it do me to be there? So I could watch Selena officially become Cedric’s wife? My hand trembled as I held my bag. But I couldn’t show the coachman what I was feeling inside.
I took a deep breath and said,
“I have something to do here. I’ll come later. Go ahead first.”
“Then I’ll wait for you.”
“No. I have a lot of things to catch up on. It will take a while.”
The coachman seemed unsure, then said,
“If you let me know what time you’ll be done, I can come back to pick you up.”
“I should finish around 5 p.m.”
“Then I’ll wait here at that time.”
I nodded slightly and walked away. I had no intention of going back to Cedric’s mansion. I would not ride in that carriage again.
As night fell, lights lit up the Jedburgh mansion. Under the black sky, the glowing lights brightened the green garden. One by one, carriages arrived in front of the mansion. People dressed in fancy dresses and neat suits smiled brightly and admired the garden.
Cedric had just returned to the mansion. He had been delayed by paperwork needed to officially take on the role of acting ruler. He got off the carriage and immediately called for the butler.
“You called, sir?”
“Where is Revril?”
“Well…”
Cedric stopped walking. His icy blue eyes turned cold. The butler hesitated, so Cedric said,
“Bring the coachman.”
A servant nearby nodded and left quickly. The butler kept watching Cedric nervously.
“How are you doing your job?”
“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t expect this either…”
“No excuses. Just find Revril now.”
“But what about Lady Selena?”
“She’s been tormenting Revril all this time. Of course she should be dealt with.”
“But she’s really looking forward to today. If Lady Revril shows up…”
Cedric stopped and looked at the butler. The butler lowered his head under Cedric’s sharp gaze.
“Didn’t I tell you before?”
“…”
“This banquet is to show Selena’s position.”
“That’s true, but I don’t think the Verdin family will take this lightly.”
Cedric calmly looked down at the butler. The pressure of his silent presence made the butler bow deeper. Laughter echoed nearby, but silence surrounded them.
“I heard you cleaned my office yesterday.”
The butler bowed even more at Cedric’s low voice.
“What did you clean?”
His voice was cold. The butler had no choice but to answer.
“Nothing else was removed. Especially…”
“So you reported everything to Selena?”
The butler looked up in surprise. Cedric gave a short laugh and looked down at him.
“I told you to take care of Revril. But I guess you only served Selena.”
“I-I’m sorry. I just…”
“Go tell Selena this—if she thinks her family can protect her, she’s very wrong.”
The butler quickly left Cedric. At that moment, an aide rushed over.
“Sir, Lady Revril is missing. The coachman said he went at the appointed time, but couldn’t find her.”
“Search everywhere. Bring her back no matter what.”
The aide bowed and left. Cedric turned around, trying to control his rising anger.
Until now, when people left or abandoned him, he never looked for them. He had no reason to. He didn’t regret it. But Revril disappeared just when he thought he had her in his hands. As if she was criticizing him.
Cedric cursed under his breath and went up to Revril’s room. When he opened the door, the empty room greeted him. It was as clean as if no one had ever lived there.
She was gone—the girl who used to look at him with quiet hope, who had blushed and leaned into him as if she had no one else.
He opened the wardrobe angrily. Only the dress he had particularly liked remained. Nothing else.
Just then, the aide came running again.
“Sir, it’s time for the banquet to start.”
“Where is Revril?”
The aide frowned and bowed his head. Cedric looked at him with emotionless eyes. When the aide didn’t raise his head, Cedric spoke in a low voice.
“Expose all the Verdin family’s corruption with the mines, and also the temple’s money laundering.”
The aide quickly nodded.
At that moment, a voice called him from afar. The aide bowed and left. Footsteps rushed toward him.
When Cedric turned around, Selena ran up to him with a surprised look.
“Cedric! Everyone’s waiting. What’s going on?”
Selena looked around, but Cedric calmly stared at her. His gaze was icy. Selena seemed flustered.
“Is something wrong?”
Cedric raised one corner of his mouth.
“Selena, I remember clearly.”
“Why bring that up now?”
“You said if I let you stay here, you’d behave and not bother me anymore, didn’t you?”
Selena gave an awkward smile at his question.
