My Former Lover Didn't Die And Came Back - Chapter 18

When I was on the slave ship, it was terrible. My hands and feet were bound in chains and I was beaten every day. Even for someone who had grown up as a mercenary in an orphan village and experienced all sorts of hardships, each day was a struggle.

Cedric referred to the person who trapped him as ‘A.’ He didn’t know their identity, and he didn’t even want to consider the possibility of Blair being the culprit. He didn’t even want to think about it.

Every day, he thought about ‘A’ and harbored hatred. He vowed that if he survived and returned, he would surely seek revenge, to make them taste a hell worse than death. Without setting such a goal, he wouldn’t bear each day. Even now, he occasionally dreamed of the nightmares on the slave ship. Those were agonizing days. That’s why he harbored even more hatred towards ‘A.’

And now, he was repeating the same actions as the person he detested so much.

Injustice is one of the most intense emotions a person can feel, so Cedric didn’t intend to keep Adrian in prison for long. But he also didn’t plan to release him too quickly. It wasn’t time yet.

“How did it go with the one I told you to investigate?”

“Ah, yes. When divorcing in Eleanor…”

Cedric raised his head and listened.

“…It is said that both parties must visit the family court. Both of them.”

“Having a representative is not allowed?”

“No.”

“…Even if one of them is a prisoner?”

“Prisoners at Alatra Prison are not allowed any outings except for completing their sentence or parole.”

Alatra was where Adrian Cavendish was currently imprisoned, the only prison in the capital.

It was unavoidable. When he had just returned to the capital, Cedric was in a hurry. He had no choice since there was only one prison in the capital.

Hooh, Cedric put his hand on his head. It was frustrating.

Recently, there has been a series of exhausting events. Due to the orders of his adoptive father and His Majesty, he had to spend time with a woman he didn’t care for. Today, there were discussions about Alex Cavendish’s appeal. It wasn’t unexpected, but it wasn’t pleasant either.

“What will you do?”

“He won’t be in prison for long anyway.”

It wasn’t even a serious crime. But there was nothing to turn against him.

Her husband was an upright and diligent man. Unable to find anything incriminating, Cedric fabricated false charges to send him to prison. It was a fabricated crime at best.

The records at the merchantry of Cavendish were clean, except for a sloppy record from three years ago. Cavendish Merchants had a significant number of passes for a business of its size. There were records of excessive travel during a short period using these passes. Moreover, strangely, there were few traces of buying and selling during that period. Cedric added some details to the record to fabricate a crime—that during that period, instead of engaging in normal commercial activities, forbidden goods were smuggled and traded.

“…He was someone we couldn’t get anything of.”

Haha, Cedric chuckled at that thought. Eden’s face darkened when he recalled working overtime to extract fabricated charges. Eleanor’s soldiers have the authority to search and report suspicious individuals.

“Blair chose her husband well, didn’t she?”

Cedric said to Eden with a mixed expression, although it was a question mixed with jest.

…How should I respond to that?

The capable secretary’s already dark face darkened even more.

“…I’ll leave now.”

His boss’ large frame rose up, and then picked up his jacket. If he could go, so could Eden. Eden let out a sigh of relief.

Cedric left the office and walked towards the carriage. If he left now, he could reach her before evening.

Clunk clunk.

Sitting in the carriage, Cedric looked out the window with eyes heavy with fatigue. The bluish darkness descended over Blue Port like a picture-perfect sea after a storm passed. He placed his gloved hand on his throbbing forehead. A faint heat rose.

He briefly visited the Crown Prince’s Palace during the day, where the Crown Prince once again summoned Lady Elena so they could wait together. He had unwillingly wasted time there.

Today had been filled with nothing but troublesome events. He wanted to quickly smell Blair’s scent and rest.

* * *

Creak. Thunk.

In her drowsy state, Blair heard the familiar sound of Cedric’s carriage. She had fallen asleep, so she struggled to open her eyes, finding herself lying on the dining hall table. It seemed she had fallen asleep while preparing a meal.

‘I just wanted to take a brief nap while the stew simmers…!’

She quickly got up and turned towards the kitchen area. Was there chaos because the stew had boiled over? She hurriedly ran to where she had placed the pot and anxiously lifted the lid to check inside. Finally, a sigh of relief escaped through her red lips.

“…Phew.”

Surprisingly, the kitchen was intact. The pot containing the stew was as calm as a sea after a storm had passed.

Rustle.

At that moment, along with a familiar sound and a sense of presence from behind, a low male voice was heard.

“Are you awake?”

“…Cedric!”

Seated in a corner of the kitchen, Cedric wore an imperial military uniform over a white dress shirt, with his jacket draped over his shoulders. The large bowl in front of him emitted steam from the stew inside it.

“Did you do this? It’s delicious.”

Cedric said, stirring his spoon.

“…Then who else could have done it? Your subordinates outside?”

His hand stopped at her sharp tone. Cedric shifted his gaze from the soup he was poking at to her. His golden eyes sparkled, shining.

“…”

Ah, Blair regretted the impulsive words that slipped out.

“I spoke too sharply.”

Blair absentmindedly twirled her fingers and pushed back her stray hair behind her ear.

“…”

Contrary to her expectations, Cedric gave no particular response. He busied himself with his spoon again.

The disheveled Blair glanced at Cedric. The man with a sculpted face was sipping the simple soup she had made. A man dressed in luxurious attire from head to toe had entered the kitchen built of gray bricks. It was a scene that both matched and didn’t match. And just as she had realized three years ago, Cedric’s appearance was not ordinary.

Come to think of it, he came to see her today. Blair pursed her lips.

“When did you arrive?”

“Just now?”

“Why did you come just now?”

“It sounded like you were waiting.”

Ah.

…It was just a question about why he visited after a few days.

Did the tone of a former lover naturally slip out? Even as she thought about it, the words she just spoke seemed like a complaint.

“I was just curious because you didn’t come for a while. Have you been busy?”

“A little. I thought I would have some free time after the war ended, but there’s a lot to do.”

He sounded very capable. Blair was reminded that he was a skilled soldier who received accolades.

“That’s impressive.”

“…”

In the past, he came to her stable to do odd jobs. That was their first meeting. He was a tall and skinny young man. A naive young man from the countryside whose face would turn red all over when she spoke to him.

“…”

For some reason, Blair felt a little melancholic. She absentmindedly touched her arm through the fabric of her thin dress. She felt a bit chilly. The kitchen never felt warm since the sun didn’t shine in well.

She regretted leaving her shawl in the dining hall, so she changed her steps.

Upon arriving at the dining hall, the shawl was placed on the long table. She reached out to grab it but couldn’t.

“Ah!”

It was because a man came up behind her and pressed his body against hers. She hadn’t even noticed him approaching from behind. He was truly a soldier who had just returned from the battlefield. She found herself lying on the marble table in an instant.

“C-Cedric.”

A desperate voice escaped Blair’s throat. There was no time to be flustered. When the cold marble touched her back, she shivered.

“Just a moment, okay?”

Blair twisted her body in a small act of rebellion. Cedric reached for the marble surface near her waist and leaned in. His black hair cascaded, tickling her collarbone.

“…”

Blair closed her mouth. Cedric’s increasing closeness made her do so. His tongue touched her earlobe, neck, and chin.

‘Is this man really… only coming to me for this reason?’

It was something she already knew in her mind. But confirming it in this way felt different. It was absurd that she still had expectations of him.

When she stopped resisting, the man lifted his face, which was buried in her collarbone, with an expression of confusion.

“Blair?”

She simply stared into his eyes. Could he see the resignation and disappointment on her face?

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He asked. While Blair’s lips were still sealed like a clam, her mind was busy.

‘…He’s looking for me because it’s more comfortable than going to the red-light district. At least I don’t have an illness.’

With no response, he asked again.

“Blair?”

‘You already knew, didn’t you? Why Cedric is keeping me alive.’

When Blair turned her head to avoid his gaze, whether he understood it as acceptance or not, Cedric asked again, burying his face once more.

The chill from the marble table rose up her back. Soon, she felt the heavy weight of the man. It seemed like he was going to carry out the reason he came to the mansion today.

As the man’s lips slowly descended towards her chest, Blair placed both hands on his cheeks and lifted them up to meet his gaze.

“Blair?”

Cedric asked with a puzzled expression.

“…I need a maid to tighten my corset.”

Blair suddenly requested a maid, causing Cedric to furrow his brow.

“…Can’t you do it yourself?”

Blair once again realized that Cedric knew nothing about women’s clothing. He didn’t know how to loosen a corset and would always tear it off with force. It was strange, given that a soldier should be accustomed to unbuttoning uniforms easily.

“There’s no one to help pin my clothes, so I can’t even wear a dress. I can only wear thin muslin this season.”

This arrangement had been going on for a week. With winter approaching soon, it was certain that she would catch pneumonia if this continued.

The dress had a neckline that was just right and a blue satin ribbon under the chest. The fabric was thin, revealing her feminine figure, but it was not suitable for the current season.