Obsession Beyond the Wall of Courtesy - Chapter 103

He looked genuinely upset. I had no choice but to stand on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek. In that moment, Cedric tried to wrap his arms around my waist, but I quickly stepped back.

“Then I’ll see you in a bit.”

Writing the letter was going to take a lot of time. The things Cedric had done for me were as many as the trees in the forest, and the good things about him were as countless as the grains of sand in the sea.

I quickly ran up the stairs. As soon as I got to my room, I sat down at the desk. There were already pens and paper laid out.

Since they had been prepared beforehand, I didn’t need to call a maid. I also had some special paper set aside for the letter. It was decorated with several flowers, thicker than regular paper, and had a lovely, elegant design.

Instead of writing on the final paper right away, I started drafting the letter on a separate sheet. As I wrote, I found parts I needed to fix and places where my handwriting looked strange, so copying the letter over took quite a while. I also ended up writing more than in the previous letters, which made the rewriting process even longer.

By the time I finished the letter to Cedric, it was almost dinner time. I quickly pulled the bell cord.

“My lady, did you call?”

“Where are Cedric and Vincent?”

“They’re currently walking through the estate’s forest.”

“No one went with them?”

“No, my lord said he had a lot to talk about with the young master, so he didn’t take anyone else.”

From the way he was spending time with Vincent like that, it really seemed they had a lot to talk about. They hadn’t seen each other properly for a week, so it made sense. Cedric often spent time alone with Vincent before, too.

“And, my lady, Madam Durtin has finished all the decorations.”

Everything seemed to be coming along smoothly. It was just about time for dinner anyway. I put the letter, now sealed in a pretty envelope, into my pocket and left the room.

The maid walking beside me said,
“Madam Durtin is checking the formal dining room one last time.”

As we walked down the stairs, I saw the elegant pink rose decorations standing out. They were a little different from the ones Cedric had requested, but they were eye-catching and not bad at all.

This wedding anniversary felt especially meaningful. Seeing Cedric’s decorations and mine side by side made everything look harmonious and beautiful.

Feeling happy, I entered the formal dining room. Madam Durtin, who had been busy checking the room, smiled brightly and rushed over when she saw me.

“My lady! I was just about to come find you since we’re done. It’s such an honor to have you visit first.”

“No, I’m the one who’s grateful you managed to come despite your tight schedule.”

Madam Durtin quickly waved her hands.

“Not at all. I had already started preparing the decorations you requested. Honestly, just being asked to work on this has been an unforgettable experience for me.”

I smiled and looked around. The room was beautifully decorated, just like we had planned.

Watching my expression, Madam Durtin asked carefully,
“Do you like it?”

“It’s even prettier than the design you showed me before.”

“I’m so relieved to hear that. Just as you mentioned before, I made sure everything could be ready an hour in advance. It’s only natural since Lady Jedburgh asked me personally.”

In the past, compliments like this would’ve made me feel embarrassed or awkward. But now, maybe I had gotten used to it—because I felt perfectly fine.

As I naturally looked around, Madam Durtin asked,
“Is there anything that still needs improvement? I asked the chef about the food too, so you can taste it if you’d like.”

The wall decorations were perfect, so I didn’t feel the need to try the food. Madam Durtin had done an excellent job.

“I don’t think we need to check the food. The decorations are perfect.”

“Really? Then may I take my leave?”

“You may.”

After saying a few more flattering things about me and checking the time, Madam Durtin left the house in a hurry. It really was getting close to dinner.

I glanced outside. The sun had already dipped behind the mountains. A soft breeze brushed against my hand.

I looked around happily—and then I saw a black horse coming from the forest. Cedric was clearly visible on its back. I smiled brightly and walked toward him.

Cedric skillfully rode over to me, smiling as he came. Holding Vincent in his arms, he got off the horse. Vincent grinned as soon as he saw me and waved his hand.

“Mom!”

I waved back at Vincent. Then Cedric came to stand beside me and asked,

“Did you wait long?”

“No. But what were you two doing until now?”

Vincent quickly answered,
“We were playing a game where we tracked prey!”

The word prey made my eyes widen.

“Cedric, hunting…?”

“We didn’t use guns. I just taught him how to track prey. He’ll need to know someday.”

Even so, I was still a little worried. But Vincent spoke energetically, trying to ease my concerns.

“It was really fun riding horses with Dad. He answered a ton of my questions in way more detail than the nanny ever does. And tracking prey was super fun too!”

Vincent talked so excitedly that he could barely stop. I was just glad he enjoyed it. I felt a little guilty for worrying earlier.

“And Mom,” Vincent added, “I won’t go to the library during naptime or late at night anymore.”

As soon as he said that, I remembered the sound of someone knocking on the dining room door earlier. Cedric had said he went to spend time with Vincent right after leaving the dining room. I asked just to be sure.

“Did you go to the library again today?”

Vincent glanced at Cedric, then nodded. When I looked worried, he replied in a small voice,

“I’ll never disobey you again. I even promised Dad.”

“What kind of promise?”

Cedric answered for him.

“I told him that if he disobeyed you, he wouldn’t be allowed to play tracking games with me anymore.”

Vincent leaned against Cedric’s shoulder and smiled. He must’ve really loved the tracking game, considering how serious he was about the promise.

Then Cedric spoke in a firm voice,

“You’re never going to disobey Mom again, right?”

Vincent nodded quickly, as if he had made up his mind. That made me feel much more at ease. With a lighter heart, I went back into the mansion.

Cedric looked at the wall decorations and smiled softly. He kissed my cheek and said,

“They’re even prettier than the ones I requested.”

“No, yours were beautiful too.”

Cedric smiled calmly and walked with me to the dining room. When we entered, he set Vincent down on a chair and looked at me with a slightly worried face.

“You weren’t too busy with all this, were you?”

“No. I just made the request and picked out the decorations. I barely did anything myself.”

Still, Cedric looked a bit concerned. He glanced at the wall decorations, then at the dining table. When he saw the mistletoe, his expression softened.

“Mistletoe. Like our relationship coming back to life.”

I smiled naturally at how quickly he recognized the meaning.

“That’s right. Our marriage wasn’t exactly perfect before. So I thought of it as a fresh start. Do you like it?”

“The fact that you think about our relationship like this makes my heart flutter.”

Cedric gave a soft smile and sat down. I tried to hold back my wide smile and took a seat at the table too. Vincent ate well, accepting food from the nanny. But after a while, he started to whine, probably because he was full. I signaled to the nanny with my eyes.

She bowed and took Vincent out of the dining room. Meanwhile, Cedric hadn’t even touched his food. He just kept looking at me, full of anticipation.

I took the envelope from my pocket. Cedric noticed right away and spoke.

“A letter.”

“I realized I haven’t really expressed my thanks or feelings properly before. My letters were always short. So this time, I really wrote everything I wanted to say.”

It had taken me almost half a day to write it, so it was pretty long. Cedric accepted the envelope eagerly and opened it right away. His handsome eyes quickly scanned the letter.

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