Obsession Beyond the Wall of Courtesy - Chapter 97

Over the past year, Cedric had been quite careful. Maybe he was worried we might fall apart again because of small mistakes, so he paid a lot of attention to me. He double-checked if there was any food I didn’t like when we ate, asked if I wanted any gifts, and carefully watched how the people around me were.

At first, I wondered why he asked such small things, but now I was used to it. Later, I told him it was okay. Actually, Cedric’s attitude toward me was always what I wanted. Even when I denied or ran away, my feelings for him did not change. Slowly, they began to shine.

When I accepted everything, I felt calm inside. A smile slowly started to appear on my face. And in a few days, it would be our wedding anniversary.

Cedric had sent me flower gifts whether he was far away or close by, mostly pink roses. I had seen those flowers so much that I was almost tired of them, but still, I liked the flowers he gave. Cedric always sent a note with the flowers, and the note was full of beautiful words like a treasure, always saying he missed me.

“Meeting you, a precious jewel, makes my life always shine.
Thank you for always being by my side.
With love, your husband.”

I stared at the note Cedric wrote for a long time. His neat and sharp handwriting was always the same whenever I saw it. But I hadn’t seen his face for a week. Even though the royal family disappeared and a year passed, Cedric still had a lot of work.

Some systems disappeared and new ones appeared, so he had many tasks to organize and give orders. On top of that, a gold mine was found near the territory, so Cedric had even more things to care about.

It seemed like the palace work was almost done, but because of the territory, he still had not come back to the mansion.

I looked at the note Cedric gave me for a moment. Thinking of him like this was a small joy for me. Then I suddenly checked the clock. It was 4 p.m.

It was the time I usually took a nap. Cedric always sent flowers at this time. If it were a year ago at this time, I would have felt very lonely, and the quietness of the mansion would have made me feel suffocated and sad all at once. But now it was different.

I missed Cedric because I hadn’t seen him for a week, but since he sent flowers instead, I looked forward to the flowers and felt happy when they arrived. I smiled and looked at the pink roses, then thought deeply.

I wanted to celebrate this wedding anniversary properly. Cedric had taken care of almost everything until now, but this time I wanted to take more care so he could be a little less busy. Also, I hadn’t properly celebrated the previous anniversaries.

Especially before Vincent was born, those days were dizzying enough to make me shake my head. From Herder’s rude gift to Cedric’s mother’s humiliating tone, and my younger brother’s huge debt.

“How did such things happen one after another?”

It was amazing. These were days I didn’t want to think about again, but maybe because of those times, I felt stronger now.

At that moment, I heard a soft cough. I put the note into my pocket and looked up. The maid greeted me with a bright face as soon as our eyes met. Since nothing usually happened at this time, I wondered what was wrong. The maid ran over to me. Her face looked a little serious compared to before.

“Ma’am, young master went to the library again today.”

“Again?”

“Yes, I think he went secretly without Mrs. Sendry knowing.”

Mrs. Sendry was the nanny who took care of Vincent these days. She kept a good balance of rules and was not too lenient with Vincent, but she praised him when needed and took good care of him. Of course, she cost a lot, but she was famous for taking care of the royal children for a long time.

The maid glanced at me and seemed cautious. Vincent was supposed to be napping at this time. But lately, he had been so absorbed in books that even though he should nap, he read all night or secretly went to the library, causing the servants some trouble.

I stood up quickly and asked,
“Where is Vincent now?”

“He’s in the playroom.”

Without hesitation, I started walking, but stopped for a moment and turned around. The maid blinked her eyes in surprise.

“Ma’am, is there anything else you want me to do?”

“Our wedding anniversary is coming. This time, I want to prepare it properly. And I don’t want Cedric to know.”

The maid’s face relaxed soon. She agreed with me and said,
“I will help you. Also, the master will probably come back around that time. He always returned before ten days passed after leaving the mansion.”

“Then, please take care of it.”

“Yes, and please tell me anytime if you need anything.”

I smiled and walked toward the playroom. It was not far, just down the hall from the living room.

When I arrived and opened the door, Vincent was reading a book. Mrs. Sendry came quickly when she saw me.

“Ma’am, it’s my fault. I should have watched young master more carefully…”

She could not finish her sentence and bowed her head. Her face looked full of worry. Especially under her eyes, there were dark circles, as if she had not slept well.

Vincent had often pretended to sleep but secretly acted, so I did not want to blame the nanny.

“Vincent would have gone to the library no matter if he was with me.”

Vincent was very clever these days. If he wanted something, he would get it no matter what. He especially was obsessed with reading books and had amazing focus, staying up all night without naps. I knew the nanny had cared for him carefully, so the words just came out.

“I will talk to Vincent well. Please rest a little.”

Mrs. Sendry once searched for Vincent all night inside and outside the mansion. In the end, he was in the library.

Mrs. Sendry hesitated for a moment and answered,
“Ma’am, are you sure? Vincent has become a bit stubborn recently.”

“It’s okay. I want to talk to Vincent for a while now.”

Vincent had broken his promises with me many times. He was still staring hard at the book. I was standing at the door, so he probably couldn’t hear me well, but I felt a little sad.

Then Mrs. Sendry came closer and said softly,
“Ma’am, thank you for caring so much. If you need me, please call anytime.”

She politely bowed and left the room. Vincent never looked back at me once. He was so focused it made me a little worried.

I took a deep breath and went closer to Vincent. He was just a step away, but his eyes were still on the book. I sat close beside him.

“Vincent.”

Only then did Vincent turn to look at me. He smiled brightly and hugged me. A big book was in his hands. I grabbed the book to take it, but Vincent held it tight as if his life depended on it.

He seemed to care about the book like his life. I was worried but spoke calmly.

“Vincent, did you forget your promise with mommy?”

“No.”

“Then why did you go to the library?”

Vincent snuggled into my arms and said,
“I wanted to know why it rains.”

“You don’t have to read a book for that. You can ask people around you.”

“But nanny gives only simple answers, and I feel frustrated. I want to know how rain happens.”

I had no words. Vincent wanted to learn deeply like a child who was not just a child. Still, the fact that Vincent broke his promise and secretly went to the library did not change. I had worried so much about him not sleeping well; I lost count of the days.

“You don’t have to read books at that time. You can learn later. You should nap at nap time.”

Vincent pouted sadly. He looked hurt by my firm words, and tears filled his eyes. Seeing that was not easy for me. I never knew what to do at times like this.

Vincent had been missing his naps and had many small illnesses lately. He caught colds often and had fevers without reason many times.

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