Chapter 90
It had been one week since the incident happened.
Cedric was sitting on the edge of the bed, deep in thought, while leaving the wound treatment to the physician.
Then a blunt, nagging voice flew at him.
“You shouldn’t keep moving around. Training is absolutely out of the question. It’s a miracle your wound hasn’t gotten worse yet.”
“When will I be able to move again?”
The marquisate’s personal physician, who had been changing Cedric’s bandages, looked like he had just heard a dangerous question.
“What kind of standard are you asking based on?”
“Based on when I can ride a horse.”
“It will take weeks for that. This is not a minor injury, young master.”
“But even now, I can walk around without problems.”
“There’s a difference between being able to do it and being allowed to do it. You’re already pushing yourself too much.”
The physician let out a sigh, like he had no idea what to do with such a stubborn patient.
But Cedric barely listened.
Even the way he threw on his shirt and stood up immediately after the treatment showed it.
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
As usual, he strapped his sword at his waist and rolled his shoulders, checking his own condition.
The pain had faded enough to endure, but his sluggish movements still irritated him.
“Are you… going to the duke’s estate first…?”
The moment Cedric left his room, Jeon hurried over as if he had been waiting.
“How did you know?”
“All the duke’s knights are checking their armor and swords, so…”
Jeon’s way of speaking had completely returned to how it used to be.
The reason he was being cautious was obvious.
Lately, Cedric had been walking around with an icy presence, like he didn’t want anyone to come near him.
And Aileen had also locked herself in her room and never came out.
So it was only natural that Jeon didn’t know what to do.
Cedric sighed and softened his voice as much as he could.
“Yeah. There’s something I need to confirm.”
“Tomorrow morning right away? Aileen noona won’t be okay with that.”
Cedric stopped suddenly.
Jeon, who had been hurrying after him, bumped into his back and let out a small cry of pain.
Cedric looked down at Jeon adjusting his glasses again and asked,
“Why would Aileen not be okay with it?”
“She looked sick.”
“Aileen is sick?”
“I just saw her maid bringing her medicine. So I went to the place where they prepare medicine and asked what the ingredients were. It’s typical cold medicine… but it’s kind of strong.”
Jeon calmly explained his reasoning, then stared at Cedric like he was expecting a special reaction.
But Cedric’s answer was not what he hoped for.
“……Then you two should take the carriage and come slowly, separately.”
“Ah…”
If it were Dianara, she might have asked at this point whether Cedric should go check on Aileen.
Or she might have wondered if something was so urgent that he was leaving her behind.
But perhaps because Cedric’s stiff, hardened face made him feel even more distant, Jeon only rolled his eyes in confusion and nodded.
“I’ll tell noona that too…”
Jeon was quick to understand.
Even just from this, it was clear he immediately realized Cedric had no intention of speaking to Aileen directly.
Jeon hesitated, lingering there for a while, but eventually gave up and left.
It seemed he had decided this wasn’t something he should get involved in.
‘He’s still a bit soft…’
But that was only because he had no experience with the outside world.
Jeon Ribbonshire was unbelievably smart for his age.
If he learned how to use his knowledge and how to deal with people, he might someday take a place in the imperial palace just like his grandfather.
‘That’s not the problem right now.’
This wasn’t the time to worry about five or ten years in the future.
Cedric also headed outside to finish preparing for departure.
He had decided to leave at dawn tomorrow, and once he made a decision, he had no intention of changing it.
He had already sent the fastest messenger bird to Kassel.
If his body had been in better condition, he probably would’ve mounted his horse and left for the duke’s estate immediately—on that rainy day one week ago.
“……It’ll be fine.”
The moment he thought, If I leave like this, I won’t see her face for a long time, his steps naturally turned toward Aileen’s room.
But when he finally stood in front of the tightly shut door, he couldn’t bring himself to knock.
He only hesitated.
Even when he listened carefully, there was almost no sound inside.
Only his sharp hearing barely caught a quiet cough.
So she really was sick.
‘Why? Didn’t she see the future that she’d catch a cold too? She can see the future, can’t she?’
Then why did she chase after him into the freezing rain?
Why didn’t she just stay inside?
And in the first place, why did she even call for rain?
Why did she ask Theorn Arwin for help?
In the end, the fact that she stood in the rain for so long and caught a cold was something Aileen brought on herself.
Cedric never asked her to worry about his safety.
“Cough, cough.”
But all the sharp, rough feelings that had been pouring out like sand were swept away after hearing her coughing so clearly, even once.
“Aileen.”
In the end, he knocked.
Suddenly, complete silence filled the room.
That meant she heard him.
But there wasn’t even the slightest movement inside.
Like she was waiting for Cedric to give up and disappear.
“Aileen.”
Cedric stepped back and waited.
If she told him to come in…
As always, if she reluctantly held out her hand first, then he could just grab it.
But no matter how long he waited…
Minutes passed.
Then tens of minutes.
Aileen never did.
Even though she definitely knew he was still there.
“About your uncle…”
Then Cedric was willing to respect her decision too.
If she didn’t want to talk to him, then he would act the same way.
He was confident he could keep doing that from now on as well.
In the end, Cedric hardened his resolve, left one final sentence, and walked away.
“I’ll prove your suspicion is wrong, so don’t worry.”
It felt painful, like he had to choose between Chester Lowell and Aileen Cashier.
That was what tormented him the most.
So the conclusion Cedric reached was simple:
He would prove that Chester Lowell would never betray him.
He would prove that Aileen’s suspicion was wrong.
‘There must be a reason. No matter what it is, there has to be a reason.’
Even if Chester really did move troops, there had to be a reason.
There had to be.
But Cedric had a strong instinct.
An instinct that had saved him again and again.
The kind of instinct people praised as proof that he was born to survive.
The kind of instinct that made them say, Isn’t this what it means to have the qualities of a head of the family?
‘If… really, if everything isn’t what I think it is…’
Then he would have to retrace everything, starting from Eden hyung’s death.
Maybe even go further back than that.
Maybe it would be something that turned his entire reality upside down.
Was he ready for that?
That was a question even Cedric himself couldn’t answer easily.
—
Cedric moved.
Aileen watched the duke’s knights leaving early at dawn on horseback, and she fell into thought.
Cedric was at the front.
“Even though he’s not even fully healed…”
He was stubborn enough to leave anyway.
Because he wanted to prove that she was wrong.
‘And the reason I can’t truly get angry…’
…was because she knew the truth Cedric would discover would never be what he wanted.
Once he started doubting, he would dig into it until the end—
and realize a painful reality.
So Aileen hated Cedric, and resented him…
but at the same time, she couldn’t erase the feeling of pity she had for him.
“Who are you pitying?”
She shouldn’t be feeling this way.
Not toward someone who left while saying cold things until the very end—
someone who kept saying words that made it obvious he wanted her to be hurt.
Wasn’t that why she refused to answer yesterday?
So she wouldn’t get weak again?
Mary approached and spoke carefully.
“Will the young master be alright? They said his injuries were serious.”
“He’ll handle it himself.”
The cold words she said on purpose came out firmly.
Yes.
Cedric Lowell said he had his own plan.
So she would just let him handle it.
“Then what about us?”
“We…”
Normally, she thought maybe she should just stay at the marquisate no matter what Cedric said, and let time pass.
For an entire week, she kept telling herself:
Just ignore everything.
Ignore all problems.
Don’t care what happens to Cedric.
But…
“We should get ready soon and leave too.”
In the end, Aileen couldn’t ignore Cedric.
Even though she knew this was her fundamental problem.
—
But their departure from the marquisate kept getting delayed again and again.
“This time the carriage wheel broke?”
“Yes. They say it’ll take at least two days to fix.”
“Then bring another carriage.”
“I don’t think there’s a large, comfortable carriage suitable for Lady Aileen.”
Aileen pressed her forehead.
Even though her cold was almost completely gone, it felt like a headache was coming.
“I don’t care what kind. Jeon and I can even split into two carriages.”
Every time they tried to leave, something like this always happened.
Last time, all the horses escaped the stable at once.
Because of that, the horses were injured, and they had to delay their departure for several more days.
“Ruth. Could someone be interfering behind the scenes?”
Ruth had chosen to stay behind since the other knights had already left, and since Aileen didn’t really help as combat strength.
So he had ended up becoming something between a guard, an assistant, and a servant.
He had been handling the errands and instructions that Aileen couldn’t give to Mary—and he did it quite well.
So it started to feel natural for Aileen to give him orders.
Of course, it wasn’t good to get used to that.
Because it meant they were being held back at the marquisate.
“……That can’t be. Isn’t it just coincidence?”
Ruth answered quickly.
Aileen looked at him, wondering if he knew something.
“Did you see any suspicious movement?”
For a long time, he just stared at Aileen without replying.
It looked like he had something he wanted to say… or maybe not.
Either way, his fingers on the sword hilt kept moving restlessly, like he was thinking deeply.
He lowered his head and let out a deep sigh.
Then he raised his head again, and spoke in his usual light tone, as if nothing happened.
“No. I didn’t see anything like that at all. That much I’m sure of.”
“Alright. Then anyway, please make sure the carriage is ready by the day after tomorrow. You’re the only person I can trust not to do anything unnecessary.”
She truly meant it.
Aileen didn’t trust people easily, but she could read their nature well.
Ruth was a good person, and someone she could trust as a human being.
“Yes. Understood.”
“Thank you.”
Strictly speaking, Aileen wasn’t even his direct superior, and he didn’t have to follow her orders.
So she felt like she had been making him do too much for her, again and again.
That was why her thanks contained a bit of apology.
Ruth lingered around her for a moment after hearing that—then left before Aileen could turn back and question him.
