Chapter 5 – 【 What Misunderstanding Brings 】 (Part 1)

Yuria finished her visit to the sick Charlotte with a face even paler than Charlotte’s. The perceptive Charlotte had urged her to talk about Lesia, and Yuria ended up spilling everything. Charlotte instructed her to do absolutely nothing until she met Lesia herself soon.

Yuria had no intention of doing anything anyway. Honestly, she wanted to rush to Cedric and unreasonably demand he stop seeing that woman. But how could she, with her conscience?

Regardless of the reason, Yuria had met another man while being with Cedric. They hadn’t been physically intimate, but it couldn’t be said that it wasn’t an affair. Yuria had no right to be jealous.

But the jealousy didn’t go away, and Yuria was tormented by guilt. Jealousy, guilt, and regret overwhelmed her. As tears welled up in her eyes, a maid knocked on the bedroom door.

“The Count is here.”

“Now?”

“Yes, he came in without notice. He’s gone straight to the bathroom.”

Since the maid was holding a tray, Yuria gestured for her to take it back.

“Didn’t I say I had no appetite?”

“It’s a cake the Count bought, ma’am. Please try a little. You skipped dinner earlier.”

Cedric? 

Yuria slowly got up.

“It’s from a place famous for its strawberry crepe cake, and he brought exactly that.”

If it’s a place famous for strawberry crepe cake, it’s Charlotte’s favorite cake shop. The one Yuria visited earlier. And Lesia had also been there.

Is this a coincidence? Or a silent message? 

Yuria, led to the table by the maid, stared blankly at the cake. She didn’t know how to interpret this.

Could Lesia have bought this cake? Did she give it to Cedric, who doesn’t like sweets, and he brought it because it was too good to throw away? Or did Lesia tell him to ‘give it to your wife’? If so, it would be a declaration of war.

Sitting in front of the appetizing cake, she gradually lost her appetite. Yuria didn’t think she could beat Lesia. Even in her imagination, she shrank pathetically in front of her.

“Why aren’t you eating? Were you waiting for me?”

After a while, Cedric walked in, wearing a bathrobe.

“…You bathed today.”

Normally, he would look for her as soon as he came in.

“I thought you might say I smelled, Princess”

What smell? Lesia’s perfume? Were they close enough for the scent to linger?

“This cake, I heard women like it.”

Who told him that? Lesia?

“Is it not to your taste, Princess?”

“I’m just not in the mood for sweets today.”

She wanted to ask. 

Did Lesia come to your office today? Did she mention meeting me? What’s with this cake?

She wanted to throw away her conscience and interrogate him.

But she was afraid. Afraid he might say he was swayed by Lesia. What if he asked for some time alone? Yuria knew she couldn’t wait three years for a wandering Cedric like he had waited for her.

She was already going crazy, feeling as if her blood was drying up. Hearing that might truly break her. It seemed better not to know.

If she closed her eyes and covered her ears, convincing herself that Lesia and Cedric were nothing, at least their current relationship could be maintained. Maybe one day, it wouldn’t matter anymore.

“You must want something other than cake.”

Leaving her alone for three days and offering only cake, Cedric completely misinterpreted Yuria’s gaze, which was fixed on him instead of the cake.

“That’s not it.”

“Isn’t it?”

Cedric stood up and moved next to Yuria. Before she could grasp the situation, he lifted her chin.

“Ced, mm…!”

Their lips met. Cedric pried open her closed lips with his tongue, cupping her nape. His soft tongue swept through her mouth before retreating. Yuria gasped for breath she had been holding.

“Your c*nt must be lonely, right?”

“That’s not….”

As Cedric carried her to the bed, Yuria wrapped her arms around his neck. She wasn’t in the mood for intimacy, but she wouldn’t push him away. She knew she’d feel more miserable if he left now.

It was better to crumble into ecstasy in his arms and sleep exhausted. At least then, she would sleep well. Yuria quietly accepted Cedric’s hands naturally undressing her.

“If that’s not it, why are you so cooperative in undressing?”

Her chest was fully exposed. Cedric kissed her nape briefly and fondled her white br*asts. Despite not being in the mood, a tingling pl*asure spread whenever her n*pples brushed against his palm.

“Ugh….”

Yuria let out a soft moan at the unfamiliar sensation of his tongue licking her tender skin. Her rational mind, constantly chattering, was slowly pushed aside, making room for her instinctive desire for excitement.

“If it’s not because your lower part itches, why are you so cooperative, Princess? Is there something you’re guilty of?”

“No, no….”

Yuria’s dress fell to the floor. With his experience of undressing her countless times, Cedric pulled off her underwear along with it.

“You’re unusually quiet today; it’s making me uneasy.”

Her legs spread open in an instant. His eyes burned with desire as he looked at the exposed area. Yuria swallowed hard.

“You haven’t been doing anything foolish, have you?”

“Ah….”

He buried his head between her legs, biting and nibbling on the tender flesh of her inner thighs. He alternated between biting with his teeth, soothing with his tongue, and sucking with his lips. He seemed intent on leaving marks again.

Usually, she would cry and tell him not to leave marks because they were noticeable, but today he was doing it in a hidden area. It was a place only he could see. 

Was he worried someone might see? Could that someone be Lesia?

As soon as the name Lesia crossed her mind, the spark of excitement died down. Yuria bit her lip and tried to focus on Cedric. His breath, his wet hair, the broad shoulders revealed by his open robe, and the nail marks on his back.

…Nail marks?

“What are you thinking about with your p*ssy wide open?”

Cedric lifted his head. 

The ankle he held in his hand was Lesia’s. Cedric burying his face between Lesia’s legs. Filling her and bringing her to cl*max in one swift move, while she scratched his shoulders in ecstasy.

It was a hellish vision. Yuria had fallen into a forbidden realm she should never have entered.

“Do you wish it was another man sucking your p*ssy?”

“……”

Cedric’s words were inaudible. Her hands and feet trembled with betrayal. 

Had he been with that woman?

“Maybe if I got you pregnant, you wouldn’t think about other men.”

Pregnant? In this situation, pregnancy was—that was—

“No!”

Yuria struggled and broke free from his grasp.

“I don’t want to.”

She hugged the blanket to cover her n*ked body. Cedric froze at her fierce rejection, something he had never seen before.

“…You don’t want to?”

She didn’t want to get pregnant? And suddenly, today?

“Why?”

He grabbed her ankle again, pulling her back. Yuria clung to the blanket as if it were a lifeline, not even glancing in his direction.

“Just, just…”

“You think you can get away with just saying ‘just’?”

If that were the case, Yuria should have said from the start that she wasn’t in the mood today. But she had accepted his affection until the mention of pregnancy. He didn’t know how to interpret this.

“You visited Lady Mowbray’s house, right? Is it related to that?”

“W-what are you trying to say?”

“I’m asking if you met someone there who gave you a reason not to want my child.”

Yuria looked completely baffled by his question.

“I heard Lord Edward is back in Ritano.”

“I didn’t know.”

“You ran into him at the last funeral, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but Lord Edward has nothing to do with this.”

Yuria didn’t want to have a child until this situation was resolved. Logically, a baby would be the best solution to resolve this situation. That’s why she had chosen pregnancy even when her relationship with Cedric was at its worst.

But now, Yuria didn’t want that. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t pretend everything was fine and embrace Cedric.

“We’ll see about that.”

“It’s really not. I’m just not in a good mood today.”

“…”

His silence weighed on Yuria. She couldn’t bear to look at Cedric’s face. She just quietly felt his warmth through her trapped ankle.

“Cedric…”

When Yuria finally spoke, unable to endure the silence, he let go. Then he stood up without hesitation. There was no kiss on the forehead, no goodnight greeting. Expecting such things in this situation made her feel foolish.

The door closed. Her heart crumbled. She burst into tears pathetically. She couldn’t confront Cedric, nor could she pretend everything was fine. Instead, she had only planted doubt in his mind.

Fool, idiot. So frustrating. 

The moments she had dreamed of a happy future with him felt like a dream. Yuria buried her face in the blanket. She wanted to suffocate and die like this.