Chapter 25

Still, I thought I had to tell the truth, so I said it without hesitation.
“I threw it away. Your desk was really messy, so I thought it was just some paper you didn’t need.”

Cedric made a firm gesture to the servant standing nearby. The servants quickly bowed and left the office. The door closed completely as they exited. Once they were all gone, the atmosphere grew so quiet it felt heavy.

“Cedric, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that paper was something important. There was nothing written on it, so I thought it was just trash…”

At that moment, Cedric gently held my hand. His warmth made me look up, and he spoke calmly with a smile.
“Revril, it’s okay. It’s something you wouldn’t know.”

His gentle reaction made me feel even more sorry.
“I’m really sorry. I won’t touch any papers like that again.”
“I actually feel more at ease knowing it was you.”
“What?”
“If a servant had done that, I wouldn’t have let it slide.”

I looked at Cedric blankly. He looked at me for a moment, then kissed me on the cheek.
“Aren’t you hungry?”

Cedric tilted his head slightly to look at me. I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes. When I stayed still, Cedric held my hand and gently led me.
“I’m hungry, so let’s go quickly.”

Cedric’s light tone helped ease my guilt a little. Still, I couldn’t feel good because I knew I had done something foolish.

As we walked to the room, I asked Cedric,
“Cedric, about that paper… what kind of paper was it? It looked like a blank sheet to me.”
“It’s a document where letters appear when you use a certain magic powder.”
“Then is it dangerous if someone else sees it?”
“It could be dangerous, but I’m the only one who has the magic powder to read it, so no one else can see what it says.”

That was a relief, but I still felt awful. I had acted thinking I was helping Cedric, but instead, I caused a big problem.

While I stayed silent, Cedric squeezed my hand and smiled.
“Revril, you didn’t do anything wrong. I should’ve told you about it in advance.”
“No! I’m the one who—”

Cedric suddenly stopped. I looked at him blankly, and he gently cupped my cheek.
“It’s not your fault, so don’t worry about it so much.”

He was so kind—it made me feel even more sorry. But since Cedric was saying that much, I nodded.

Cedric smiled slightly and led me into the room. The table was already full of food. As soon as we sat at the table, Cedric asked,
“Revril, did you take your medicine?”
“Yes, I did.”

Cedric smiled and picked up his fork. It felt like the best choice was to just take the medicine Cedric gave me. That was probably the best I could do right now.

Cedric asked me some small questions. How my day was, what book I read, and if his mother or the Batis couple asked to meet me.

I answered all of them in detail. Cedric looked pleased with my answers and ate calmly. Just as we were almost done eating—

Knock knock. A short knock at the door.

Cedric must have expected someone, as he put down his fork.
“Revril, I have something to take care of. I’ll go now.”

I nodded. Somehow, I felt like I knew why he was leaving in such a quiet hurry.
‘It must be because of my mistake.’

I had thrown out an important document, so of course there would be work to do.

Cedric didn’t say anything, but I could sense it. He smiled and kissed my forehead. I forced myself to keep a bright face until he left. Then I sighed and put down my fork.
‘I wanted to help Cedric.’

But all I did was cause more work for him. There was still a lot of food left, but I had no appetite and got up from my seat. I didn’t like how things kept going wrong.

The next morning, I found a small note on the bedside table.

[Revril, I have to go to the nearby mine for work for a while.
It’s not because of you, so don’t worry too much.
With love, Cedric]

With love?
It was the first time Cedric had expressed himself so directly. I stared at the note for a long time.

Then I heard a knock at the door. When I said “Come in,” the door opened and a maid came in.

She greeted me kindly and said,
“Miss Revril, the madam would like to see you for a moment.”
“Mother?”

I was surprised because it was the first time this had happened. The maid nodded calmly. The sudden request made me nervous. My hands started to sweat when the maid stepped closer.
“Are you okay?”

I nodded. The maid looked at me for a moment and asked,
“Should I bring your breakfast here?”

I didn’t really want to eat, but because of the medicine Cedric told me to take, I nodded. I wasn’t sure if I could eat properly because I was so nervous.

The maid quickly left and returned in just a few minutes with food. Though it was breakfast, the amount was too much. I stared at the food without eating, and the maid beside me said,
“The master paid special attention to this meal. And he said you must take the medicine after finishing all the food.”

I had no choice but to pick up the fork. A large salad, well-ripened fruits, perfectly toasted bread, and roasted pork that made my mouth water just by looking at it. It was a heavy meal for breakfast, but I ate a moderate amount.

But I couldn’t taste much because I kept thinking about the sudden meeting with Cedric’s mother. I had expected to meet her someday, but not like this.

I had told Cedric I was okay with meeting his mother, but now that he wasn’t here, I was a bit worried. She might throw me out like last time.

As I picked at my food, deep in thought, the maid gently said,
“Miss Revril, you should eat a little more.”

I had no choice but to eat more. I felt like I might get indigestion, but I forced myself to eat because of the medicine. Once I finished eating, the maid gave me a white pill. After taking the pill, I stood up from my seat.

When I suddenly stood, the maid looked surprised.
“You’re going now?”
“Why? Is Mother still having breakfast?”
“No, the madam always finishes breakfast early, so she’s probably having tea now.”

That was a small relief. I just wanted to get the meeting with Cedric’s mother over with. As I stood up, the maid didn’t hesitate to guide me.

I had been to her room before, but today felt different. Maybe because Cedric wasn’t here.

Cedric had told me not to meet her even if she called me… But honestly, I wasn’t in a position to refuse. Besides, Cedric wasn’t here now anyway.

I nervously played with my hands as I followed the maid. Before long, she stopped in front of a familiar door. Coming here alone made me think of Cedric again. I realized just how much strength I got from having him beside me.

Then the maid turned to me.
“Please wait a moment.”

I nodded, and she knocked on the door. There was no sound from inside, but the maid opened the door and entered. Soon, she came back out.
“You may go in now.”

I took a deep breath and entered the room the maid had opened. It looked just like it did before. The smell of medicine, the empty feeling, and a cold gaze I could almost feel. As soon as our eyes met, I lowered my head.

“Come closer. Don’t just stand there.”

Her voice wasn’t as sharp as last time. That made me feel a little more at ease, and I slowly walked forward. When I stood next to the bed, Cedric’s mother pointed to the chair in front of her. I carefully sat down.

“I heard you made a big mistake.”

The first thing she said pierced deep into my heart. Before I could answer, she looked at me sharply.
“I knew it. Someone like you can’t be fixed.”

I couldn’t lift my head. It was true that I made a mistake and caused trouble for Cedric.
“No matter how sly you are using Cedric, once he’s not beside you, that’s your limit.”
“Mother, I…”
“I didn’t call you here to listen to your excuses.”

Her sharp words stopped me from saying anything else.
“Do you know how much Cedric lost because of you?”
“……”
“I heard it was 5 million crocks.”

I bit my lip hard. Cedric hadn’t told me, so I didn’t know it was such a big loss.