The next day, the maid opened the door and came in. Even though someone had come, my mind was still blank. Yesterday, Cedric’s behavior seemed really strange, so I felt even more tired.
“Ma’am?”
I turned my head at the sudden voice. The maid looked at me worriedly.
“Are you okay?”
Her big eyes looked over my face carefully. I nodded as if nothing was wrong. After a moment, she spoke brightly.
“Ma’am, many letters arrived from several places again. Would you like to see them?”
I looked at the envelope she handed me and took it slowly. The maid explained carefully by my side.
“This time, the Countess of Montain sent a letter in a quite thick envelope…”
The envelope was definitely thicker than the others. Curious, I opened it and found a long letter inside. As I looked carefully, the maid said,
“The Countess of Montain is a rising figure in the social circle these days. Her family is good, and her personality is not harsh, so others don’t dislike her much.”
But still, I did not want to become too close to the Countess. There was a strange feeling like a wall; people in the social circle seemed like they would never share their true feelings. Besides, if I told them everything inside, they would just spread gossip, so I had to be careful.
I was too tired to read the long letter all at once, so I set it aside for a while. The maid looked at me curiously, but I asked what I was most curious about.
“Is there a letter from the Yurhen Temple?”
The maid shook her head.
“There was no letter from the temple. The distance from here to Yurhen Temple is quite far, so letters don’t arrive quickly. Also, there was a big flood recently in Kellabird, and many roads for carriages are closed.”
“Then is Yurhen okay?”
“It seems the flood didn’t affect Yurhen much. The newspapers didn’t mention anything about Yurhen.”
That was at least a relief. After a moment of thought, I said,
“Can you bring me some newspapers too?”
“If you want, I can bring you a week’s worth.”
Hearing her clear words made me feel a little better.
“Thank you, please.”
The maid smiled and bowed her head. Then she looked at me as if she had something to say. When I met her eyes, she kindly spoke.
“This time, the master said you can spend time with the young master together with the nanny.”
“Cedric said that?”
The maid nodded firmly.
‘What on earth is going on?’
Yesterday, Cedric left after locking the door. The door had been locked the whole time until the maid came in now. I was puzzled, but the thought that I could be with Vincent made me feel a bit better. When my expression softened a little, the maid asked carefully,
“Ma’am, would you like to eat with the young master?”
“I will. Where is Vincent?”
“He’s in the playroom. I was about to bring the young master…”
“No, I’ll go myself.”
I got up from the bed immediately. I definitely felt stronger than when I first woke up. The thought of seeing Vincent lifted my spirits. At the same time, I worried if I was okay with this fever.
As soon as I arrived at the playroom, Vincent’s voice rang out.
“Mom!”
Vincent ran to me at once. Worried he might fall, I quickly went toward him.
“Have you been well?”
Vincent smiled brightly and nodded. Wondering if he still had a fever, I touched his forehead. But he seemed to have played well, with just a little sweat. At that moment, Sahel stood next to me and greeted.
“Ma’am, have you been well?”
I tightened my face slightly but nodded. I hadn’t been well, but I didn’t want to say that honestly. As I watched Vincent, Sahel said,
“The young master just woke up and is playing with wooden blocks. Earlier, he was running around playing a butterfly game.”
I smiled and looked at Vincent.
“Vincent, aren’t you hungry?”
Vincent shook his head and said,
“I want to play more.”
I asked Sahel with worry.
“He didn’t eat breakfast, right?”
“Yes, the young master has been skipping breakfast a lot lately.”
Worried, I said to Vincent,
“Vincent, Mom said you have to eat three times a day to grow up fast.”
Vincent lowered his head and murmured,
“But I don’t want to eat breakfast.”
“No, you have to eat breakfast to have the energy to run and play.”
Vincent still didn’t raise his head and pouted. Then Sahel gently said,
“Ma’am, should I ask to bring food here?”
I nodded. I didn’t want to go all the way to the dining room because Vincent would pull me and refuse. There was no choice but to eat here.
Before, when Vincent refused to eat, Floren made special foods to catch his curiosity. They once made dishes from locusts and mealworms common at the temple, which surprised Vincent.
I sighed inside and held Vincent’s hand tightly.
After a while, several maids brought a silver tray with food. It looked like they had prepared carefully: well-cooked pork, corn soup, and fresh salad. Sahel bowed her head and said,
“Ma’am, I will feed the young master. Please eat comfortably.”
“No, I will feed Vincent. You rest for a while.”
“I’m okay…”
“But you’ve worked hard taking care of Vincent.”
Vincent seemed calm but was full of energy once he started playing. When we were at the temple before, I was often exhausted from taking care of him all day. Luckily, Floren, Chartine, and the priests helped, but taking care of Vincent was not easy.
“Ma’am, are you really okay?”
Sahel asked worriedly, and I nodded.
“I’ve raised him for four years, so it’s okay.”
I smiled and held Vincent’s hand. Sahel looked worried but then saw me talking with Vincent and spoke carefully.
“If you feel it’s too much, please ring the bell here. I will come right away.”
The bell was on the wall, probably made for emergencies. I nodded, and Sahel bowed before leaving the playroom.
Vincent kept gathering and fitting the wooden blocks here and there.
“Vincent, come here. You have to eat.”
“I don’t want to.”
As expected, he was stubborn at times like this. I spoke in a slightly pitiful voice.
“Vincent, Mom came after a long time. Will you leave me alone?”
At that, Vincent looked at me quietly. Holding a fork, I said gently,
“You know Mom can’t eat all this alone. You have to help a little, right?”
Not taking my eyes off him, Vincent slowly came over, as if he had no choice. I cut a tomato into small pieces and gave it to him. He hesitated but ate little by little. He was more obedient than before. I thought maybe he had grown up a bit, and seeing him eat well made me smile naturally.
Soon, Vincent’s appetite opened up, and he ate the meat and salad I cut for him without hesitation. Then he naturally started talking about Cedric.
“Dad said he will take me hunting later.”
My hand stopped cutting the meat.
“Vincent, the duke is…”
“While Mom was sick, Dad gave me tasty food and held me.”
I couldn’t believe it and looked at him. Vincent smiled and continued.
“Last night, he told me fun stories and kissed me here.”
Vincent covered his forehead with his small hand. Cedric seemed like a good father to Vincent now. When I looked serious, Vincent asked carefully,
“Can I go hunting with Dad?”
“Vincent, hunting is dangerous. When you’re a little older…”
“He said he would show me guns and knives too.”
Vincent muttered quietly. Cedric must have said all kinds of sweet things to Vincent. Otherwise, Vincent wouldn’t be so disappointed.
I knew how big the disappointment would be if hopes were raised but not fulfilled, so I couldn’t say anything easily.
Then Vincent looked up and asked,
“Can I go hunting with Dad?”
