Chapter 4

My face immediately stiffened. Cedric spoke with the same smile on his face.

“Anyway, you’re the only wife I have.”

I couldn’t understand exactly what he meant by that. Did he really want to have a child with me, or was he just being polite?

But then I remembered the woman in the photo. And also what Cedric said yesterday. Telling me to leave was clearly a rejection.

“We haven’t had any interaction for three years.”

In the end, I said it. It was silly to admit it only now.

Cedric laughed. It was a subtle smile—half amused, half baffled.

“That’s true. Hard to believe it’s already been three years.”

He naturally picked up his wine glass. He drank while looking at me. I couldn’t take my eyes off him either.

His gaze was different than before—more direct. His Adam’s apple moved slowly as he blinked lazily.

He looked at me with a calm, observant expression. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. When we were apart, he talked as if we were close, but when I got near, he pushed me away like I was a bother.

Looking at him, I recalled a conversation I had with my father.

“I heard there’s an investigation going on at Father’s mine.”

“There are a lot of things that go against the law.”

Cedric replied casually. Just changing the ownership under my name wouldn’t have triggered an investigation.

Maybe there really were many problems with how my father ran the mine. He was someone who only cared about making money.

Still, something didn’t sit right with me. It felt like not only were there rumors about Cedric having a mistress, but now even my family was being targeted.

“Cedric.”

“I heard you didn’t eat dinner properly yesterday either.”

We spoke at the same time. Cedric calmly lifted his head and looked at me.

“You go first.”

His tone was gentle and composed. For a moment, my heart stirred.

Should I still try not to be abandoned?

As soon as I thought that, I remembered his cold voice.

“Could you please leave?”

I went to him, hoping for something, but he rejected me as always. I had lived for three years clinging to Cedric’s feelings, only to be constantly disappointed.

I clenched my trembling hand and took a deep breath. There was no more reason to hesitate.

“I think we shou—”

Just then, the formal dining room door burst open. As Cedric turned his head, the butler bowed and rushed in. When the butler finished speaking, Cedric looked at me, waiting for me to continue.

Both Cedric and the butler focused their attention on me. As I hesitated to speak, Cedric checked his watch. Then he looked at me and spoke gently.

“Dear, if you don’t mind, I’ll excuse myself.”

“Cedric.”

He looked at me expressionlessly. I had grabbed him out of instinct. The butler glanced at Cedric nervously.

When I didn’t answer right away, Cedric asked,

“Is it urgent?”

His voice sounded cold. He wasn’t even smiling. The butler stood nearby, clearly uneasy. Judging by his expression, it seemed like Cedric really had something urgent going on.

I had no choice but to shake my head. If something important had come up, I couldn’t bring myself to hold him back. After all, I could tell him I wanted a divorce another time.

Cedric politely said goodbye and turned to leave the dining room but paused at the door. He looked back at me.

“The Batis family is planning to visit for vacation soon.”

Around this time of year, Cedric’s brother usually visited.

His family didn’t like me, but the one person who treated me kindly was Cedric’s older brother.

His name was Batis. He was similar to Cedric in some ways but also quite different. Most of all, Batis had a friendly smile and was truly a warm person.

Normally, Batis should’ve inherited the title and duties of the Jedburgh family, but he said such rigid responsibilities didn’t suit him. He left the mansion early on to become a painter.

His wife came from a noble, prestigious family. They mostly lived on the support of her family. Her name was Herder. For some reason, I didn’t like her. She always acted kind to me, but there were times she subtly got on my nerves.

Batis got along well with Herder, but not with Cedric. I never once saw them talk alone, even at the wedding.

“They’re just dropping by, so you don’t need to worry. My brother’s always been that type of person.”

Though the visit was sudden, I didn’t mind since I liked his brother. Cedric looked at me for a moment, then left the dining room.

Just then, a servant approached.

“Madam, Master said you don’t need to worry about the cleaning and decorating. He already called someone to take care of it.”

I nodded. Honestly, if he hadn’t called anyone and made me do it myself, I would’ve left this mansion already. The way he kept pretending to care—it made my chest ache.

“Madam?”

The servant looked at me worriedly. I said nothing and got up from my seat.

If Cedric had clearly shown he disliked me, I wouldn’t be hesitating like this. I wouldn’t have heard rumors about him having a mistress either.

What hurt the most was how his actions kept giving me hope. That was what truly broke my heart.

I stood blankly, watching the people busy at work. They were dusting the walls and hanging white flower decorations. The mansion, which once felt so empty, now looked a little livelier.

One of the maids glanced at me. When I didn’t avoid her gaze, she carefully asked,

“Madam, we have light pink and red roses. Which color would you prefer?”

Light pink roses were the flowers used to decorate my wedding. I was so happy back then, but now, the memory only brought sadness.

I pointed to the red roses. The light pink ones were quietly discarded, and the red roses were hung on the frame.

I stared at the discarded pink roses. I could almost hear the soft music from our wedding day.

Though our marriage came from a proposal letter, I had actually seen Cedric before. It was at a ball held at a grand mansion.

It was a duke’s ball, so I had high hopes. But that day, the ball was annoyingly noisy. The guests’ laughter, the orchestra’s music—everything felt grating.

That same day, Father scolded me harshly. He said I needed to marry quickly, but I wasn’t good enough, which is why no one made a proposal.

Honestly, even our noble status was bought with money, so most noble families looked down on us. Given Father’s personality, I thought he was mostly to blame, but whenever I said so, he just shouted back at me.

I had hoped that the ball would help me escape that pressure, but even the duke’s ball disappointed me.

To make matters worse, the duke’s second son, who was at the right age for marriage, had just returned to the mansion, so the ball was especially crowded.

In the end, I got tired of the noise and crowd and went out to the garden. I had been to the mansion before, but never stepped into the garden.

I walked toward the garden and stood in a spot where I could see the sunset. Watching the sun go down made me feel calm inside.

Then I heard someone hiccupping. It came from somewhere in the garden, but I didn’t see anyone. As I looked around, someone suddenly jumped out from the bushes.

Startled, I stepped back, but he was faster. As soon as our eyes met, he grabbed my arm and pulled me.

He smelled strongly of alcohol. I tried to resist and step back, but his strength was too much.

“Let go of me!”

I shouted, but he only gripped my arm tighter.

“Selien, I’m sorry. I…”

“You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not Selien.”

But he kept his head down and tightened his grip. I wanted to escape, so I stepped back farther.

Just then, I must have stepped on a loose rock, because I lost my balance. That’s when someone gently grabbed my shoulder.