ELND Chapter 56

Chapter 56

The Beginning of a Long Night

“Shake me more, Rebecca.”

His voice was endlessly seductive.

At that moment, the distance between the two of us was close enough for our noses to almost touch.

I slowly let my eyes roam over Cedric’s beautiful face.

Those ocean-like blue eyes, the bewitching shape of his gaze, the proud curve of his nose, and… his sweet lips.

My gaze lingered for a long time on the corner of his lips, curved so alluringly upward, unable to pull away.

“Rebecca?”

It was then that I suddenly threw myself toward Cedric’s lips.

A reckless action, like someone trying to quench unbearable thirst.

But Cedric moved with me, as though he had been waiting for this very moment.

For a while, we moved together, until ragged breaths escaped the narrow space between our joined lips.

“Cedric…”

I gently pulled back and looked up at him.

Moonlight streamed in through the crack of the window.

It traced shadows and highlights over Cedric’s face, descending with a soft glow.

The sight was so beautiful that I felt my eyes sting with unshed tears.

“…Rebecca.”

Cedric cupped my face and murmured lowly.

“When tonight ends, you’ll be the only one who can either save me or completely ruin me.”

I felt his gentle touch over his broad shoulders.

“Even so…”

The deep timbre of his voice echoed in my ears, and my heartbeat grew wild, uncontrollable.

My breath escaped in a trembling rush.

“I’ll never regret this moment.”

With those words, he once again pressed his lips against mine.

Under the moonlight, the movements of our two silhouettes grew more and more intense.

It was the beginning of a long night.

The time that flowed as one between us only ended when dawn finally broke.

Rebecca exhaled raggedly, closing her eyes, while Cedric hurriedly studied her face.

It seemed she had simply collapsed into sleep from exhaustion.

Her face, however, remained flushed.

Only after confirming her steady breaths spilling softly through her lips did Cedric let out a faint sigh of relief.

He gazed at Rebecca with tender eyes, then leaned down and placed a soft kiss upon her cheek.

Rebecca slept in his arms.

He didn’t know whether her breathtaking loveliness in that moment was because of the bond of the imprint or not.

But Cedric thought it no longer mattered.

Even before the imprint, and even now… his thirst for her had always been the same.

“…So thirsty.”

Rebecca mumbled in her sleep, and a smile spread across Cedric’s lips again.

He brought her some water, holding it in his mouth.

Slowly, he let the water flow into her lips, and in her sleep, Rebecca instinctively clung to him.

Cedric let out a small laugh, even as his face twisted in slight difficulty.

Then, unable to resist how lovable she seemed, he showered her cheeks with tender kisses.

They looked like nothing less than a pair of perfect lovers.

The morning sunlight poured gently across their faces.

The strong sunlight streaming in through the window made me frown.

An unbearable thirst and a headache that felt like my skull might split.

Was there a more perfect combination for a hangover?

‘Damn it, this isn’t just any hangover. It’s a monster I haven’t faced in ages.’

I barely pried open my eyes and checked the clock. It was already past noon.

Clutching my throbbing head with both hands, I slowly pushed myself up.

A painful groan slipped out as aches shot through my back.

“Ow, my back… what the hell happened last night…?”

Even my lower abdomen felt sore. Was my period coming?

I grumbled, and then realization struck.

‘Right, yesterday I spent hours sitting on that low stool cleaning fish.’

And then, memories from last night flickered by like a lantern show.

‘After the village work ended, Jacqueline dragged me to the welcome banquet. The honey mead was so delicious I basically inhaled it, and then…’

That was when things grew blurry.

I vaguely remembered venting with Jacqueline and the village women, but the exact details were gone.

‘I remember Cedric carrying me back here, but…’

I suddenly lifted the blanket—and felt the blood drain from my body.

‘Why… why am I wearing different clothes?’

As far as I recalled, all the maids were just as drunk as I was last night.

There was no way they would have followed me out to this remote cabin just to change my clothes.

‘Then… does that mean Cedric changed me?!’

I bolted upright like I’d been burned.

A sharp stab of pain shot through my skull, forcing me to clutch my head.

Through the haze, Cedric’s face flickered—

The serious expression as he called my name. And then…

“You could… completely ruin me…”

Ruin him? Me? What on earth…

I slowly blinked, covering my mouth with both hands.

Only one thought came crashing in.

‘I’m doomed.’

I must have done something unforgivably stupid.

At the very point when Cedric’s feelings had softened enough for him to break his usual coldness—how could I do something that might “ruin” him?

‘I’ve lost my mind. Completely lost it!’

I smacked my head with my fists, then cautiously peered outside the bedroom.

“Cedric…?”

At that very moment, Cedric was making his way back to the cabin.

Both his hands were full—fresh white bread, food, a bottle of milk.

An hour earlier, he had quietly slipped out while Rebecca was still asleep, heading straight to the village center.

He had worried that she might wake up suffering from hunger and hangover.

Finally arriving at the cabin, he called softly toward the bedroom.

“Rebecca, are you awake?”

He had recently learned that Rebecca talked in her sleep—quite a lot.

If you teased her with a question while she was asleep, she often mumbled back as if answering.

He had found it so cute that he spent half the night teasing her that way. But strangely, now, there was no response.

“Rebecca?”

He pulled the curtain aside to peek into the bedroom.

His once bright face slowly darkened.

Rebecca was nowhere to be seen.

Cedric stood frozen, staring at the empty bed that had been so alive with them just last night.

‘Where could she have gone?’

Maybe she had gone for a walk. Or to see Bianca, or her maids.

Surely she wouldn’t have left the village by carriage.

Leaving Grayzone, a mountain village, on foot was nearly impossible.

His head calculated calmly.

But no matter how much logic he applied, the gnawing unease spreading from his heart wouldn’t go away.

Biting his lip in frustration, Cedric suddenly lost his composure and dashed out of the cabin.

Barely minutes had passed since he discovered her absence.

I was walking down the trail behind the cabin, trying to piece things together.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t recall the events of last night.

“This is crazy. I need to remember, or how can I even apologize properly?”

I scolded my alcohol-soaked brain, but nothing changed.

All I could do was speculate on what mistake I might have made.

‘Cedric said I’d ruined something… my clothes were changed…’

As I pieced it together, the ‘worst-case scenario’ hit me.

‘Wait… could it be…’

Chills ran up my spine.

I dragged both palms down my face, blinking slowly.

‘Did I… vomit on Cedric?’

I prayed desperately that it wasn’t true, but honestly, no other explanation fit.

‘That has to be it. Oh God, I’m doomed!’

Overwhelmed with despair, I pounded my head.

Immediately, my headache flared back up like wildfire.

“Argh, my head…”

I lowered my face into my hands—

“Rebecca!”

The familiar voice rang out.

I whipped my head around.

There he was, Cedric, further down the mountain path, scanning around frantically and shouting my name over and over.

Thankfully, he hadn’t spotted me yet.

But his expression was far too desperate, and the urgency in his voice was undeniable.

‘Why is he looking for me like that?’

As I bit my lip, a terrifying thought crossed my mind.

‘Did he think about it again this morning and get even angrier…?’

Goosebumps prickled up my neck.

‘I have to think of an excuse before he finds me.’

But he was already getting closer.

And still, last night’s memories refused to come back.

Within moments, Cedric reached the entrance of the trail where I stood.

‘What do I say? Should I hide? Apologize? I don’t even know what I did…’

I spotted a bush big enough to cover me, but it was too late.

“Rebecca!”

Cedric’s eyes locked onto me, and he strode toward me in long, determined steps.

His face was dark, his brow furrowed dangerously, sweat glistening on his forehead as if he’d been searching frantically.

“C-Cedric… haha…”

I forced a clumsy smile.

But his brows only drew tighter, his face fierce.

“Where were you? Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been looking for you?”

Cedric shut his eyes tightly, exhaling a long breath.

He seemed to be holding back his temper, or perhaps steadying his nerves.

“W-why… why were you looking for me…?”

“…Why do you think?”

His eyebrow twitched sharply, arching upward.

‘So it was anger. He’s holding back his fury.’

All I could think was, I’m screwed.

‘At this rate, I’ll die earlier than the original Rebecca ever did.’

My chest pounded painfully with dread and despair.

Then Cedric’s burning eyes fixed on me as he suddenly raised his arms and approached.

What—what was he going to do?!

I flinched and shouted reflexively.

“Do you know how worried—”

“I-I’m sorry, Cedric! From start to finish, every last bit of it—it was all a mistake!”

Cedric said something, but my panicked shouting drowned it out.

When I cautiously raised my head, Cedric was staring down at me, eyes wide in shock.

His lips parted and closed a few times, as though he couldn’t find his words.

Finally, slowly, he spoke.

“You’re saying… everything that happened last night… was all a mistake?”