Cedric was not so foolish as to miss the signs. No, he must have already known. Vincent’s bright blue eyes looked a lot like Cedric’s to anyone who saw them.
“There’s no point in you just sitting there like that. You need to stop.”
“……”
“I’ll call the maid, so please get up now.”
At that moment, Vincent stirred. I touched his forehead in surprise, and he opened his eyes and looked at me.
“Mom?”
“Vincent, it’s mom. Are you okay?”
Vincent nodded. Then the door opened and the doctor and maid hurried inside. Cedric stood beside me and said,
“I told you, you don’t need to worry so much.”
I stared blankly at Vincent. The doctor came closer. Cedric gave a subtle nod, and the doctor bowed his head before checking Vincent. I stepped aside and looked at Vincent in a daze.
After a while, the doctor came out and said to Cedric,
“Right now, the young master’s fever has completely gone down. If he rests for a while, he will be fine.”
I could hardly believe it and went to Vincent.
“Vincent, are you okay? Do you feel uncomfortable?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But Mom, are you not sick anymore?”
“Mom isn’t sick anymore. That’s why I can see you like this.”
Vincent smiled brightly at me. Holding his hand calmed me a bit, but then the doctor came close and whispered quietly,
“The young master needs to rest now. Although his fever is down, he still needs plenty of rest to fully recover.”
I had no choice but to let go of Vincent’s hand. Soon two doctors gave him water and medicine. Within minutes, Vincent fell asleep quietly. The maid cleaned up around him.
Then Cedric took my hand. He pulled me and said,
“Let’s go out. Vincent needs to rest.”
I followed him reluctantly, and as soon as we stepped outside, Cedric covered one side of my cheek with his hand. I pulled back in surprise, and he looked at me quietly.
“You seem to have a fever too. Take some medicine.”
Before I could even react, Cedric gave a sign to the doctor nearby. The doctor came over carefully and said softly,
“Madam, may I check your wrist for a moment?”
The doctor was very cautious, so I gave him my wrist. He held it quietly for a moment and then slowly let go.
“I will give you some medicine. You seem to have a slight fever too.”
I looked at Cedric, and he let go of my hand.
“Take your medicine and take care of your health.”
His calm voice reminded me of the old him. I stayed quiet, and Cedric urged me,
“Don’t be late to the banquet.”
Then Cedric walked past me.
As soon as Cedric left, the maid asked,
“Madam, would you like to rest for a moment?”
But I knew resting wouldn’t help. I hadn’t even put on my dress, and the banquet preparations were far from done.
“No.”
The maid was surprised again.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nodded. The maid hesitated briefly, then spoke carefully,
“Then I will guide you to the dressing room.”
Following the maid, I came to the room I used before. It was mainly used for getting ready. The room was just as it had been before, and that gave me a special feeling. Several maids handed me a chair and lifted the dress for me.
“Madam, this is the dress we chose. Do you like it?”
The dress was a deep green color. As I had said before, it was not a fancy design, but the sleeves sparkled as if they had diamonds or some bright gems.
The maid smiled brightly, noticing my gaze.
“This dress was specially made for you by Gienne. It was inspired by your beautiful eye color, made with rare green shades taken from the shells of rare Galdegi insects. It is a one-of-a-kind dress, made only for you.”
She looked excited as she spoke. I looked away and stared at the dress for a moment. Now that I thought about it, the color shimmered strangely. The soft light made it look very elegant.
It was surprising that Gienne had sent the dress specially for me and had made a unique dress.
I suddenly felt that the social world really accepted me. But I didn’t think more about it and turned my head.
Without me saying anything more, the maids helped me change into the dress. While I was getting ready, I thought of Vincent. After the boring preparation was over, I planned to go back to him.
I really did not want to attend the banquet, but if I stayed still, only the maids would have trouble, so I followed their lead. They seemed to watch Cedric closely. Even the doctor was cautious when looking at me.
Several hours passed. The maids gradually stepped back from me. The last touch brushed against my lips and then moved away.
“It’s done!”
Her voice was full of emotion. Slowly, I looked into the mirror. A woman with a strange atmosphere was looking back. My face was lively because of the makeup on my cheeks, but my eyes were so hardened that they looked very gloomy.
Still, overall, the maids’ work was excellent enough to say that no time was wasted.
I spoke sincerely,
“Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s our duty to take care of you, madam.”
At that moment, one maid opened a small box on her palm and showed it to me.
“This is the ring the master gave you. He said you must wear it to the banquet.”
It was a small ring box. Inside, a familiar ring sparkled and looked at me. I stared at the ring with a stiff face.
The wedding ring.
It was the ring I had lost once before, and Cedric found it again for me. I never had the heart to throw it away.
I stayed silent, and the maid said carefully,
“The master said that since madam usually doesn’t like heavy accessories, he prepared a simple ring.”
I couldn’t believe it and asked,
“Cedric prepared this ring?”
The maid nodded brightly.
“Yes, the master specially prepared it.”
I felt special.
‘I have seen this wedding ring before.’
The maid looked at me carefully. Since they had done their best, I obediently held out my hand. The maid smiled happily as she put the ring on my finger. The wedding ring shone brightly on my fourth finger.
It really felt like I had come back. Just by looking at the ring.
I lowered my hand with a stiff face and left the room immediately. When I didn’t go to the stairs, the maid hurriedly asked,
“Madam, you need to take the carriage now…”
“I want to see Vincent first.”
The maid didn’t say anything more and left me alone.
Because I walked fast, I soon stood in front of Vincent’s door. When I hurried inside, the doctor who had been beside Vincent’s bed stood up. Without paying attention to me, she went to the bed.
Vincent was sleeping soundly. I gently held his hand—he didn’t have a fever. Thanks to Cedric’s good medicine, the effect was fast.
I was still worried since he was sleeping so long, so I looked at the doctor, who spoke calmly,
“The young master is resting now. He should be completely fine by tomorrow.”
“Is it okay for him to sleep this long?”
The doctor nodded.
“The more he sleeps, the better his body will get.”
Seeing how fast his fever went down helped me feel a little relief. But I was still worried and couldn’t leave easily.
The doctor glanced at me and quickly said,
“Madam, the young master is improving well now. You don’t need to worry too much.”
At that moment, a soft knock came at the door and it opened slightly. The maid quickly came in when she saw me.
“Madam, you need to leave now.”
The maid looked very anxious. Her face showed even more worry than mine.
There was nothing I could do staying in this room. I didn’t know as much as the doctor, and Vincent was asleep.
I had no choice but to leave the room. The maid followed quickly, saying,
“Madam, the master said he will be a little late.”
“Why?”
“Something difficult happened for a moment.”
I nodded lightly. I secretly hoped the banquet would be canceled, but it seemed it would happen no matter what today. I just hoped Cedric wouldn’t be too late. Meeting all those social people alone in a big banquet hall was very tiring.
