“Whose child is this?”
The voice was calm but had a sharp edge to it.
“I already said, it’s not your child.”
I didn’t want to say it was Cedric’s child so easily. If I said it was his, he might trap me even more. Seeing how he was trying to take me by force now, I was scared of what he might do.
Vincent stayed close to me, watching carefully. He seemed scared of Cedric’s sharp gaze.
Cedric smiled slightly and said,
“Is your name Vincent?”
Vincent nodded.
“It’s okay to call me Father.”
Surprised, I shouted without thinking,
“Cedric!”
Cedric chuckled quietly and looked at me.
“Your child is my child. So naturally, I am the father.”
“I clearly said before, it’s not your child.”
“That doesn’t matter. Like I said at the temple, he will be my child.”
Cedric smiled. I knew there was no way to argue with him.
“Daddy?”
Vincent spoke cautiously. I immediately held his hand firmly and said,
“Vincent, don’t say that carelessly.”
Vincent pressed his lips together and bowed his head. Cedric looked at Vincent with a calm expression.
“Revril, the child looks like he might cry any moment. Are you okay with that?”
At that moment, Vincent suddenly burst into tears. I patted his back, but he cried even harder.
“Vincent, I told you not to say that…”
Cedric picked up Vincent and sat him on his thigh. I was so surprised I couldn’t speak. He gently patted Vincent’s back and spoke quietly.
“Call me Daddy. That way, you’ll get used to it little by little.”
With Cedric’s soft voice, Vincent leaned on him even more. His natural attitude confused me deeply. And the ring on Cedric’s hand looked familiar. The silver wedding ring caught my eye—it was the same ring I had seen many times five years ago. Seeing him wear it so naturally, I couldn’t help but stare.
Then I looked at Vincent. He clung to Cedric as if he were really his father, like it was completely natural.
While raising Vincent all this time, I had thought he was my child alone. I immediately reached out to Cedric.
“If you leave him like that, Vincent will cry more. Please give him to me.”
But Vincent had almost stopped crying. Cedric looked down at the now quiet Vincent and then looked at me.
“He seems to be sleeping now. Won’t he wake up if he comes to you?”
I forced down my rising anger and said,
“Vincent is my child.”
“……”
“I gave birth to him and raised him.”
Holding back tears, I said this. Though many people from the temple like Chartine and Floren had helped me a lot, raising a child alone was not easy. Still, I endured it. The memories of laughing together with Vincent were so precious, worth more than money, and I did not regret giving birth to him.
During that time, Cedric was nowhere to be found. Even though he had separated from Selena, I could not accept Cedric.
Cedric still held Vincent and looked at me.
“He is our child, right?”
Cedric seemed almost sure. He looked at me calmly. I avoided his eyes and turned my head.
“No.”
A silence fell. Only Vincent’s breathing could be heard. Occasionally the carriage shook a little, but since it was a very good carriage, it didn’t move much. Cedric’s dry, woody scent still drifted through my nose.
Holding back my churning feelings, I stared hard out the window. The world outside was gloomy and wet after the rain.
“We are going to the Bestine estate.”
His tone was so dry that it showed no emotion. I didn’t turn around and only watched the raindrops on the window. As the carriage sped up, the drops slid and disappeared quickly.
“When we return, you will have a lot to do. You’ll be busy for a while.”
He spoke as if it was natural. That annoyed me. When did he stop caring about me, and now why was he so eager to take me? I couldn’t accept it and looked at Cedric.
“Why are you doing all this?”
“Because I have to do this for you to stay by my side.”
His calm voice held a quiet strength. But I felt nothing from him anymore.
“I don’t love you anymore. I will never give you my heart again.”
Cedric smiled low. He looked at me with deep eyes.
“The more you say that, the more I want you.”
I was speechless. Staring blankly, he muttered quietly.
“When I think I have you completely, you pull away and run.”
“……”
“You drive me crazy.”
His bright blue eyes shone more than ever. Was this his true self? A look full of desire. But I knew who Cedric really was.
“You said if you threw me away once, you’d never see me again.”
“I never threw you away.”
“……”
“I never forgot you either.”
Cedric chuckled and tilted his head slightly as he looked at me.
“Even if I try to forget, I just can’t. I keep thinking about you like a fool.”
At that moment, Vincent frowned and moved his head. He was still asleep but seemed disturbed by the noise of our voices. Cedric naturally patted Vincent’s back again. Vincent soon fell asleep peacefully.
I couldn’t watch anymore and looked away. I felt Cedric’s gaze but didn’t look back.
How many hours had passed? I woke up, leaning against the window. It felt warm because a blanket covered me. Slowly, I pulled the blanket down and looked ahead. Cedric was still holding Vincent and reading papers.
Vincent was four years old, but holding him for a long time must be tiring. I said as I lowered the blanket.
“Please give Vincent to me.”
Cedric looked at me briefly, then returned his gaze to the papers.
“Keep sleeping. We still have a long way to go.”
“No, I’m fine. Please give me Vincent.”
Cedric looked at me calmly. His gaze was persistent, and I said without thinking,
“Holding Vincent for so long must be heavy.”
One side of his mouth curled up strangely.
“Are you worried about me now?”
His words made me wonder what I was saying, so I closed my mouth. Cedric kept smiling at me.
“Don’t worry about me. You should sleep more.”
When he forced me to come to the temple, he was harsh. But now his voice was very gentle, like he really cared about me. I said no more and looked away. Outside the carriage window, a wide green meadow spread out. I couldn’t see the sea, but the scenery looked familiar.
Memories of my cruel stepmother, Herder, and Selena came one after another.
“I don’t want to go back.”
It was true. Not because of Cedric, but because of those people. I never wanted to go back there again. I still clearly remembered how they made walls between themselves and treated me like I was worthless. Back at the temple in Yurhen village, even though we were poor, we were happy. Everyone was in the same situation, helping each other, building strong bonds.
Thinking about it, the upper-class world I experienced with Cedric didn’t suit me at all.
“They still won’t accept me there.”
I kept that thought inside. I couldn’t say it to Cedric before. I was afraid he would worry too much or get tired from caring so much. I didn’t want him to fuss over me because of me alone.
But now, I didn’t care. It was the truth, and Cedric was trying to force me back into that world.
“There are no such people anymore. I already took care of them.”
His voice was cold, almost emotionless. I wondered if I heard it right and looked back at Cedric. Holding Vincent, he said calmly,
“The people who hurt you won’t be there anymore.”
“How do you know them?”
“They were all people around me. I didn’t go to social gatherings much anyway.”
“……”
“Mrs. Jenkins was dealt with earlier, and Herder will stay quiet because of Batis. The others who talked about you all left the city.”
Cedric was very calm.
