Obsession Beyond the Wall of Courtesy - Chapter 93

Even after the maid left, my heart was beating fast. I was already tired, and this sudden event made me feel bad. Then I heard a knock on the door. Curious, I got up, and a different maid than before asked carefully,
“Madam, should I bring dinner here?”

Maybe because she saw the bloody sack, I didn’t really want to eat.
“I don’t feel like eating, so you don’t have to bring it.”
“Are you sure? The master said you…”
“I’ll just tell Cedric I ate.”

I said firmly, and the maid nodded as if she had no choice. Suddenly, the room grew quiet, so I got up and looked out the window. It was getting dark, and no one was around the garden.

Who sent this, anyway?

The address was clearly from Kellabird. When I heard about my younger brother before, the news said he had run far away to another empire. So I had to pay off all his debts myself.

But if the letter was true, then my younger brother must have been near Kellabird. My hands were shaking. I had already blocked his name, so why was he causing trouble and coming to me? My brother was like this until the end.

Even if I were at the temple, those debt collectors would have been persistent and found me somehow.

At least I’m here, so maybe it’s a little better.

Cedric’s mansion always had soldiers guarding the door. I bit my lip and looked out into the dark, then turned and lay down on the bed. I didn’t want to eat, and I wasn’t feeling well, so I tried to sleep. But strangely, I couldn’t fall asleep easily.

When I closed my eyes, I kept thinking about the red-stained sack. I couldn’t be sure if it really held the severed finger, but just thinking about it was horrible. I tried hard to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come. Then, suddenly, I thought of Vincent.

I was uneasy already, and worried about Vincent, so I got up.

I hurried to the playroom. Vincent was playing well with a new nanny. Even when I came in, he didn’t notice me and kept playing with the nanny, stacking wooden blocks.

When I came closer, the nanny quickly stood up and bowed her head.
“Hello, Madam. I was going to greet you, but I was with Vincent and couldn’t say hello first.”
“It’s okay.”

At that moment, Vincent turned his head and saw me.
“Mom!”
“Vincent, did you eat dinner?”

Vincent nodded and told me what he ate one by one. It seemed like he ate well, so I felt a little relieved.

“Madam, I heard the news earlier. You must have been very shocked.”

Rumors seemed to spread fast in the mansion. When I didn’t answer right away, the nanny spoke carefully,
“The Duke sent someone urgently, they said.”

Anyway, it was about my younger brother, so Cedric had nothing to do with it.
“You don’t really need to tell Cedric.”
“No! The master should know too. Because Mrs. Jedburgh received that threatening letter.”

Mrs. Jedburgh. That name I didn’t want to accept kept ringing in my ears. When I said nothing, the nanny continued,
“It will probably take some time for the master to arrive here.”
“Is Cedric far away?”
“I’m not sure of the exact place, but I heard he went to the mines. He seems to have a lot of work to catch up on.”

I didn’t feel good about adding more work for Cedric. He already seemed stressed because of Chartine and Floren.

While I kept a stiff face, Vincent hugged me tightly. Only then did I relax and comfort him. At that moment, the nanny said cheerfully,
“Madam, don’t worry about Vincent. He’s been learning letters well lately, and he even started reading!”

I smiled and looked at Vincent. Then the nanny looked at me with concern and asked,
“Madam, you look very tired. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”

But my face didn’t look good, and the nanny lightly held my arm.
“Madam, I will take care of Vincent. It’s almost time for him to go to sleep, so leave him to me.”

Vincent looked at me and said,
“Mom, are you sick?”
“No, I’m not sick.”

But I was actually tired. I had been under a lot of stress from Cedric for two days straight, and my body was not in good shape. The nanny naturally took Vincent’s hand and said,
“Master, shall we greet Madam and then stack more blocks?”

Vincent was playing with blocks, so he waved at me. I was glad he didn’t grab my hand. The nanny nodded to me and bowed.

When I left the playroom, I suddenly felt weak all over. I went to my room and lay on the bed without strength.

When morning came, I felt even more tired. I barely opened my eyes when a soft hand touched my cheek. Before I could look, lips pressed on my forehead and then left. When I raised my eyes, Cedric was looking at me and said,
“I heard you got a threatening letter yesterday in your younger brother’s name.”

Then I remembered yesterday’s event.
“It’s not clear yet…”
“It’s been found out.”

His unexpected words made me look at him. Cedric sat down beside me.
“Your younger brother lived in Kellabird, but he couldn’t stop cheating. He swindled money from a wandering mercenary.”
“How did you know that?”
“Last night, when I heard about that letter you got, I tracked it immediately. Your brother is already dead, and I dealt with that mercenary.”

His calm voice had a hidden sharpness. Above all, my brother was dead. I was stunned and only sighed.

How could the end be like this?

Cedric gently held my hand and asked softly,
“Should I arrange your brother’s funeral?”

I shook my head. He never did anything good for me, only caused trouble. The aftermath was huge. If my brother and father hadn’t borrowed my name, maybe I would be living more freely now.

As my expression hardened, Cedric said,
“I called the doctor.”

Before I could ask why, the door opened. The doctor came in and greeted Cedric, then carefully spoke to me,
“Madam, may I check your wrist for a moment?”

I looked at Cedric, wondering why the doctor was called. He quietly came over and stood beside me.
“I heard from the nanny that you’re very tired. And because of yesterday.”

The doctor glanced at both of us. I had no choice but to let him check my wrist. The doctor touched it seriously for a moment, then slowly took his hand away.
“It seems your body is very weak from stress. If you rest and eat well, you will recover.”

At least it wasn’t a serious illness. The doctor gave me some medicine and left. When they left, the room became quiet again.

Cedric didn’t leave and watched me. He was wearing a black uniform, perfectly clean without a speck of dust. His face looked fresh, showing no sign of tiredness.

But he looked at me seriously, as if I had a serious illness. Feeling he was overthinking it, I said,
“Aren’t you busy?”
“I am, but I can’t just stay still.”

If it weren’t for Cedric, yesterday’s problem wouldn’t have been solved so quickly. Cedric even came to the mansion early to look good to Chartine and Floren.

“…Thank you.”

Since he did help, I couldn’t avoid being thankful. I didn’t want to look at Cedric, but I could feel his persistent gaze. I stared at the blanket to avoid eye contact.

Then Cedric sat next to me and smiled.
“Are you serious?”

His serious face from before was gone, replaced by a happy look. I nodded without wanting to say more. I was really thankful.

“Then, what about payment?”

I looked at him, wondering what he meant. Cedric looked into my eyes and suddenly leaned close. Surprised, I leaned back, but my back touched the bed, so I had nowhere to go. Cedric stared deeply into my eyes.

“I just finished the backlog of work and finally came home.”

His low voice touched my ears. His arm lightly brushed against me, making me nervous. I crossed my arms, but Cedric came even closer.

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