“What about his inability to speak?”

“He spoke when he first awoke, so he’ll likely be fine soon.”

At Samuel’s calm response, Catherine suddenly remembered hearing Saul’s voice at the cemetery. She had been anxious about his continued silence, but the thought that it might simply be due to his recent awakening somewhat eased her restlessness. For now, it seemed there was nothing to do but wait and observe.

“We should give him some time. He needs rest… it would be best to keep people away from him for the time being.”

Catherine nodded readily at Samuel’s advice. This wouldn’t change much from before—Saul had never particularly enjoyed having people around him anyway. While discussing Saul’s condition further with Samuel, Catherine suddenly realized that David had grown quiet at some point.

When she turned to look where David had been standing, she blinked in confusion at the empty space. How did he leave without her noticing? Seeing her reaction, Samuel spoke up.

“The young master left a moment ago… My lady!”

A foreboding sensation crept up her spine.

“As long as Saul is here, I suppose that’s true.”

Surely not. Catherine rose abruptly before Samuel could finish speaking. David’s muttered words from earlier echoed in her mind. She burst through the door and hurried to Saul’s bedroom next door, moving so quickly she nearly ran. In her haste, she flung open the door without even thinking to knock.

“My lady?”

She stopped short upon seeing the butler looking at her with surprised eyes. Still gripping the doorknob, Catherine scanned the room. There was no sign of David. Saul, too, had his eyes closed, seemingly having fallen back asleep.

Contrary to her expectations, everything was peaceful.

“Where’s David?” Catherine asked absently, turning to the butler who was setting down fresh towels and a basin.

“The young master? After he called for me to come up…”

The butler paused briefly, apparently trying to recall David’s whereabouts. Fortunately, he continued after only a short hesitation.

“Come to think of it, he seemed to be hurrying somewhere.”

“…Where to?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know that much…”

Sensing something amiss in Catherine’s reaction, the butler cautiously asked, “My lady, is something wrong?”

Catherine shook her head. Something felt wrong, but even she couldn’t identify what it was.

“No, it’s nothing,” she replied, shaking her head once more.

She exhaled deeply, trying to calm her racing heart. Saul had awakened despite her worries, and contrary to her concerns, David hadn’t harmed him. She couldn’t understand why she suddenly felt so anxious.

* * *

A faint red light filtered through the curtains.

Catherine sat by the bed, watching Saul’s steady breathing as he slept, contemplating David’s incomprehensible behavior.

When she first met David, Catherine thought he might be Saul’s contingency plan. Later, during their conversation in the reception room, she suspected he had some hidden agenda, which David didn’t deny when she pointed it out. And then at the cemetery when Saul awoke…

Her hand was troubled as she smoothed the disheveled hair on Saul’s gaunt face. She gently caressed his pale cheek. When Saul had opened his eyes… why had David looked so terrified? Catherine suddenly found herself wondering about this.

“When he wakes, you will be unhappy.”

David’s attitude had changed whenever Saul opened his eyes. His warning to Catherine had been the same—that she would become unhappy when Saul awoke. Despite those concerns, Saul had awakened, and David had disappeared. Only then did Catherine realize she could no longer postpone the issue she had been putting off.

She needed to know. She had to understand where the strange behavior of the Cavendish brothers originated.

A soft knock sounded from outside the room. Catherine looked up. Everything seemed ready. Instead of answering, she removed her hand from Saul’s cheek and placed a kiss where it had been. She gazed at him for a moment, as though committing his image to memory, before rising from her seat.

“My lady.”

The butler waiting outside the bedroom greeted Catherine.

“What about David?” she asked, wondering if they had discovered his whereabouts. The butler slowly shook his head in denial. Having half-expected this answer, Catherine simply nodded.

She figured he would return when the time was right. After David’s disappearance, when she had searched the estate for him, all his belongings remained in his room. Catherine thought he probably hadn’t gone far.

“Then I’ll leave him in your care.”

“Don’t worry, my lady.”

Not knowing when David might return, Catherine had asked the butler to watch over Saul while she was away. She then nodded to a young maid who had been quietly waiting beside the butler.

“Let’s go.”

The girl followed behind Catherine.

Catherine headed straight for the stairs. Like most ancestral homes of distinguished families, Cavendish was a maze of corridors and passages. To go from the third floor to the lower levels, one had to traverse a long hallway.

Catherine and the maid passed through this corridor and continued along an extended gallery flooded with red light. The crimson glow spread across the floor like crushed pomegranates and clung to their bodies.

The faintly warm light stuck to their exposed skin like syrup. The brightness pouring in from the sides made Catherine’s vision seem to blur. At the end of the gallery, where it led directly to a landing, she paused briefly.

“Will the master really wake up?” came whispered voices from below the landing.

“Even if he does, what difference will it make? He was always sickly. What if the young master really…”

“Shh! She’s coming.”

“But you know, I saw something strange this morning.”

The hushed whispers continued.

“I mean about the lady and the young master, in the master’s bedroom…”

At these words, Catherine heard the soft intake of breath from the maid standing half a step behind her. However, it seemed only Catherine had heard it. With a burst of low laughter, the voices from the stairwell continued casually.

“Come on, you must have seen wrong. Would the lady do such a thing? Right?”

“Yes, she’s so devoted to him.”

“Hey, let’s go. We’ll be late for dinner.”

Then, after a brief commotion, the overlapping footsteps of several people echoed away.

“M-my lady…”

Catherine, who had been quietly listening to the receding sounds, turned to the maid and said, “What are you doing? We’ll be late.”

Feigning composure, she stepped onto the landing.

She could clearly feel how completely the atmosphere within the estate had deteriorated while Saul remained unconscious. David had been right. He truly was making things difficult for Catherine.

Had his deliberate move to the window that morning been part of his plan too? It was fortunate that the servants, familiar with Catherine’s usual demeanor, didn’t seriously suspect anything between them.

She couldn’t count on such luck again. Swallowing a bitter smile, Catherine thought it would be wise to be cautious around David for a while—at least until she announced that Saul had awakened. Once this news spread throughout the estate, the strange rumors surrounding Catherine and David would naturally diminish. As she descended the stairs, Catherine struggled to maintain her composure.

She and the maid reached the hall. Everyone had apparently gone to dinner, leaving the hall empty. Red light silently draped over their heads as they crossed the vacant space. Since Catherine was unfamiliar with the path from here, the maid quickened her pace to lead the way. Catherine quietly followed behind her down a corridor.

The maid passed through the corridor and headed outside, walking across the stone floor that led to the annex. Through the sparsely placed colonnade, Catherine caught a glimpse of the path leading to the chapel in the distance. Her steps faltered as she absently gazed in that direction. She thought she saw a shadow moving through the darkened shade.

When the footsteps behind her stopped, the maid turned to look at Catherine. The cool winter wind swept through their skirts, making them flutter.

“My lady?” Catherine, who had been narrowing her eyes to peer between the swaying leafless trees, turned her head when she sensed someone approaching.

“What’s wrong?” asked the maid, looking in the direction Catherine had been staring. However, at least to the maid’s eyes, there was nothing there.

When she turned back with a puzzled expression, Catherine shook her head.

“Let’s continue.”

After briefly looking toward the chapel, the maid obediently turned around when Catherine urged her again. Catherine lingered for a moment, glancing back toward the chapel before quickly catching up to the maid before the distance between them grew too great.

“My lady!”

Catherine heard the maid calling for her as her pace had slowed. She thought she had glimpsed Samuel among the shadows a moment ago. She must have been mistaken, Catherine decided, turning away. He should have been shut away in his research room by now.

Catherine quickened her step toward the waiting maid, soon burying what she had seen from her thoughts.