Chapter – 14
Theodore Thistledown.
The eldest son of the family, who was six years older than Davion, was more often called by his nickname, “the Thistledown family’s prodigal son,” than by his actual name.
At the age of eighteen, he had been expelled from military academy after causing an incident. He then left home and wandered the streets before eventually ending up in prison.
“Don’t worry about Theodore. He acts like he’s the boss even in there. He’s doing so well that sometimes he seems less like a prisoner and more like someone who came on vacation.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
Davion rubbed his forehead and let out a deep sigh that seemed to come from the bottom of the earth.
“Why would I worry about my brother? I’m only concerned that he might bring shame to the family name even inside prison.”
“Your mother must be under quite a lot of pressure. Her husband has left her, and you’re the only son she has left.”
“Given how things have turned out, there’s nothing I can do about it. I have to accept it.”
Colonel Hamilton looked at Davion with sympathy and lightly patted him on the shoulder.
After giving him a salute to express his thanks, Davion staggered out of the banquet hall. He had only drunk a few sips of wine, but the alcohol was beginning to take effect.
The atmosphere had already become lively enough, so it seemed fine to leave the rest to Blake and Liam.
But for some reason, as he stepped outside to get some fresh air, the image of the woman he had seen at the inn suddenly flickered through his mind.
The back of her figure had looked so much like Cecilia…
Ah, should I have just pretended I was crazy and grabbed her?
It was at that moment, as the belated regret washed over him, that the voice of the man who had called her “Honey” brushed past his ear like the wind.
Davion’s face quickly twisted.
He had ignored it at the time. But now he was certain he had heard that voice somewhere before.
‘One of Mother’s acquaintances? Or… military academy?’
A woman who reminded him of Cecilia and a man with a familiar voice.
The more Davion thought about that strange situation, the deeper the wrinkles between his brows became.
Before he knew it, he had left the open area filled with expensive cars and was walking across the vast field stretching toward the hills. The stream that had been frozen until only a few days ago had thawed, and water flowing down from the mountains trickled along its course.
After walking upstream for quite some time, a modest two-story wooden cabin appeared.
Only then did Davion stop in surprise and turn around.
The lights of the distant mansion shone like tiny dots in the pitch-black darkness.
‘…When did I come all the way here?’
The effects of the alcohol vanished in an instant, and his mind cleared.
He should return to the mansion now.
Yet his feet refused to move, as though they had been glued to the ground. His gaze remained fixed on the cabin.
That cabin was where Cecilia had lived with her grandmother before she got married.
It was a place filled with many memories, but after their marriage, Davion had never visited it even once.
Perhaps because of that, cobwebs covered the eaves.
The inside would undoubtedly be even worse.
Even though he knew he shouldn’t, Davion eventually opened the door and stepped inside.
A small living room with a fireplace on the right, a kitchen, and upstairs, the room that appeared when he opened the nearest door—Cecilia’s bedroom.
Apart from the thick layer of dust accumulated over the years, everything remained exactly as he remembered it.
“……”
The moment Davion entered Cecilia’s old bedroom, he leaned against the door and stood there absentmindedly for a long while.
He felt as though Cecilia might suddenly jump out from somewhere and surprise him at any moment.
Beyond sorrow or longing, an indescribable emotion churned deep within his chest.
Davion moved his numb legs as though they belonged to someone else and barely managed to sit on the bed.
Beside the bed was a narrow desk with drawers and a shelf.
Something sparkling caught his eye at the very top of the high shelf.
It was a tin case that had once held tea leaves.
Cecilia used to carefully save the coins brought by the mice inside that tin case.
As Davion searched through his old memories, a gentle smile crossed his lips.
But then he sensed something strange, and his expression quickly hardened again.
‘She demanded so much money for traveling expenses. There’s no way she would have left that behind…’
After hesitating for a moment, Davion stood up and grabbed the tin case.
When he forced open the stiff lid, the lighter inside rattled as though welcoming him.
‘This…’
Had Cecilia been carrying this?
He never imagined that he would find the oil lighter he had lost so long ago in a place like this.
Davion stood there dazed for a moment before noticing the paper lying underneath it.
It was a letter Cecilia had left behind.
Hello, Honey.
If you’ve found this letter, then it means you’ve come to the cabin after I died.
Don’t. Forget about me now. You should. You’re young, handsome, and you have a lot of inheritance. You’re far too perfect a man to spend your life carrying me in your heart.
I remember when I first met you. Back then, I thought some frightening-looking man was smoking by the stream. I never imagined that we would end up like this.
Looking back, we fought so much. I regret it now. I should have pushed you away more. If we had never come together in the first place, we wouldn’t have been able to hurt each other this deeply.
Why did you break the promise you made to me after we got married?
You said you would never forgive me for abandoning you. But you left my side as soon as we got married. I know it wasn’t your fault. I know circumstances forced things to turn out that way. And I know I was partly to blame, too.
So I’ll forgive you. Sometimes, there are things even God can’t do anything about.
I love you.
You enormous fool,
I really loved you.
Davion folded the letter as it was and put it back inside the tin case.
Running his thumb over the surface of the tin case, its coating worn away by the passage of time, he stared blankly into the air for a long while.
“Cecilia…”
But the whisper ultimately failed to reach anywhere, scattering into pieces in the darkness.
1-4. The Temptation of Peanuts
“Count.”
Davion slowly awoke to the touch of someone shaking him.
“Count.”
He had been sleeping curled up on Cecilia’s bed.
When he lifted his heavy eyelids, he saw Liam’s worried face looking down at him.
Liam supported Davion and spoke.
“I almost reported you missing.”
“Sorry. I got a little drunk yesterday.”
He felt as though he had dreamed about Cecilia, but he couldn’t remember what the dream had been about.
His head hurt as though he were suffering from a terrible hangover.
The tin case he had fallen asleep holding was now rolling around on the bed.
Davion stared blankly at it before eventually sitting on the edge of the bed and covering his face with both hands.
“I really am pathetic…”
The moment his mind cleared, he craved a cigarette.
He took one out of the inside pocket of his coat and checked the time.
It was only around seven in the morning.
No wonder the birdsong sounded unusually clear.
Come to think of it, he hadn’t even seen the departing guests off.
He felt guilty realizing that he had left Liam to handle everything related to the charity event, including what had happened last night.
Liam lit his cigarette for him and spoke first.
“Early this morning, a mailman left a travel bag behind. He said it was lost property and assumed the owner would be at the mansion.”
“Lost property?”
Davion looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Liam swallowed dryly before whispering into his ear.
“The travel bag we put in Madam’s grave.”
Yet even then, Davion couldn’t understand what Liam meant and continued frowning for a long while.
Only after the nicotine entered his system did his brain finally begin to work.
Davion suddenly shot to his feet in shock, and Liam nodded as he added,
“I put it in your office.”
Davion rushed out of the cabin and ran toward the mansion as fast as he could.
