My Former Lover Didn't Die And Came Back - Chapter 25

But even the warmth his current family provided was lacking. On cold days like today, he belonged to a safe and warm home, and even if it was fake, this heartwarming warmth was real.

Whooosh—

The window rattled in the snowstorm. Cedric stood by the frosty glass window, gazing at the roaring fireplace.

…I wonder if the hearth in the Cavendish Mansion is lit on a day like today.

He instructed his attendants to fill the fireplace with well-dried firewood, so they would have done so.

The man by the window rested his chin on his hand.

* * *

The fireplace in the Cavendish Mansion had been extinguished for several days. It was only natural since there was no one to throw in firewood.

Blair was huddled on the cold hall floor. She couldn’t remember how long she had been stuck here. The heat was stifling, and she breathed heavily. How many days had passed without her eating or lying in bed?

‘…Am I still alive.’

Her life seemed longer than she thought. Her cheeks froze from the cold rising from the floor. She wanted to go to her room, but she didn’t have the strength to lift a finger.

Occasionally, she regained consciousness only to slip away again.

That’s when it happened.

‘…What’s that? What’s that sound?’

She felt a presence outside the mansion door. After some rustling noises, the door creaked open. When bright light poured in through the crack, she squinted, her eyes had now grown accustomed to darkness.

‘…Is it Cedric…?’

Heavy footsteps approached closer. Struggling, she lifted her head towards the source of the sound.

“…Is it true that he abandoned this woman?”

“It is…! He left her for over ten days while she was dying.”

She could hear the deep voices of young men. …Among them, Cedric’s voice was absent. Theo’s voice was also missing.

Oh. A dreadful premonition enveloped her.

She saw mud-stained boots in front of her. When she slowly raised her gaze, she saw the faces of men filled with anticipation. Lust gleamed in their blurry eyes.

“….”

…They were a group of soldiers who always spied on her.

Her large eyes flickered, filled with fear. She wanted to run to her room and lock the door, but her body, sprawled on the cold floor for days, lacked the strength.

“Is it really okay to do this?”

Someone asked, feeling a mix of expectation and concern.

“I clearly heard it! The commander said he would sell this woman to the brothel.”

“I think I heard something about the brothel too.”

When they last overheard Cedric, it was true that he talked about sending her to a brothel. At that time, the mansion door opened, and Theo came in with the soldiers. Perhaps they overheard that conversation.

“Don’t come close…”

Blair tried to move back.

“Please… don’t come to me…”

The men stared at her as she stumbled to the floor on her elbows.

“Ah!”

At that moment, one man in the group swiftly climbed on top of her.

“No!”

She struggled with all her might. But her body, weakened from days without proper food, was easily subdued. Mark climbed on top of her and grabbed her wrists awkwardly, lifting them up.

“Mark, can you handle it from behind…? Maybe the woman hadn’t been completely abandoned yet.”

One soldier voiced his concern.

“Look at this woman! She’s been wearing the same clothes for months. Is there a man who would leave his beloved woman like this?!”

Mark retorted loudly.

“I agree with that. Besides, didn’t the commander meet with Elena recently?”

Someone chuckled in agreement. Blair could only hear the name ‘Elena’ in her ears. It was a name she had heard before.

So he’s still meeting with that woman… She didn’t even know if she was truly abandoned.

As despair filled her, Mark grabbed the hem of her skirt.

Riiip!

“Look. This worn-out fabric tears easily.”

She used her legs and struggled, but their difference in power was too great. Tears welled up in her eyes as rough hands moved up her thigh. She shuddered as they groped higher. But she had no strength to break free. Blair closed her eyes.

‘….’

A moment of silence passed. Her eyes, expecting unfamiliar fingers to touch her body, closed. But she didn’t feel any rough hands moving on her body.

There was a sound of something sharp brushing against her, followed by something hot pouring over her.

‘…?’

When she opened her closed eyes, blood droplets stuck to her eyelashes fell off.

The head of the man who had been on top of her body separated and fell off from his body. It rolled into a corner of the mansion.

“….Hah, hah….”

She raised her head, and she saw a man who was holding a sword with a severely distorted face. Blood dripped heavily from the long blade.

“…Cedric.”

Blair called out the man’s name. The voice, which had been locked away for a long time, was weak.

Cedric continued to cut the throats of his other subordinates. The bodies of unknown corpses piled up in the mansion.

Blair stared blankly at his movements. And she watched as the halls she had cleaned and polished for months were stained with blood again.

The massacre of the mansion servants happened while she was taking a nap. The bodies she encountered were those that had been dead for some time. So today, witnessing someone die directly was a first for her. It wasn’t as terrifying as she thought.

“Huh, huh….”

He breathed heavily after finishing the slaughter. When he looked at her weakly rolling eyes, he dashed towards her.

…Is this a dream?

Her head hurt so much that she couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality, but it was clearly a dream. If it were real, he wouldn’t have such a desperate expression on his face. He hated her.

—Thunk.

Blair’s head fell weakly to the side.

“…Blair…!!”

Cedric shouted as he picked her up and carried her inside. At that moment, Cedric’s expression hardened.

“…Damn….”

The body in his arms felt as light as a feather.

3. The Woman in the Townhouse

The whole world blurred.

Blair’s body temperature kept rising. She couldn’t distinguish what was in front of her. Amidst her confusion, she only felt herself being carried by someone. The body of the man holding her was thick and sturdy.

A loud and urgent voice echoed all around her.

When she opened her eyes again, she was on the bed. Her vision was still blurry. There were a few people around the bed. She vaguely sensed a large man closest to her.

That must be her husband, Adrian. Blair strained her voice and managed to speak.

“Adrian…? Is it you?”

The man with blurred features felt stiff and unyielding.

“It hurts… It hurts so much…”

“You’ll get better.”

The man replied. His low voice felt somewhat gloomy.

“Why do I have a fever… I don’t know why I have a fever. Call a doctor.”

“He’s here.”

The man led the doctor who was standing behind him closer to the bed.

“Doctor, please help me…”

She didn’t know what she was muttering in her feverish state. Tears streamed down her reddened eyes. The room looked hazy, making it hard to see clearly. After that, there was darkness.

When Blair lost consciousness, Cedric asked the doctor.

“What’s wrong with her?”

His voice was grim and biting. The doctor, intimidated by Cedric’s intensity, quickly responded.

“For now, the wounds on both of her palms are not good. They seem to have not healed properly after being exposed to water.”

Cedric turned his gaze to her palms. Yellow pus clung to them.

“…Haa.”

A deep sigh escaped him.

…He thought those were minor injuries.

After years of fighting on the battlefield, how many cut wounds had he seen? He and his comrades were unfazed by such injuries. They would roughly bandage their training wounds and head back to the battlefield. Eventually, they would heal.

Why didn’t he think of it? In physique and stamina, she was completely different from the people around him.

“Her high fever seems to be caused by inflammation in her hands. If it had been discovered late, her life could have been in danger. Prolonged fever can also affect memory.”

The doctor spoke, and Cedric’s expression darkened more and more. Blair almost died because of him.

“Now that treatment has started, her fever should subside, right? How long will it take? When will she regain consciousness?”

Cedric threw out a series of questions without pause, and the doctor, taken aback, replied.

“The patient’s physical condition is not good, so I can’t say for sure. Judging from her nutritional status, it seems she hasn’t eaten for at least a week. She should have enough strength to last tonight.”

“…Could she die?”

“…The next three days are critical.”

Cedric’s eyes flickered at that answer.

Thud!

The man rose abruptly, his chair rolled across the floor.

He turned his head towards the bed. The woman’s face was so gaunt he could have sworn she was already dead. But Cedric himself looked as pale and lifeless as a corpse.

She didn’t eat?

If you think about it, it was obvious. She hurt her hand. There were ingredients in the mansion, but she had to cook for herself to eat. That’s how she injured her hand in the process.

Cedric remembered the overturned pot in a corner of the mansion. It was infested with maggots crawling out with a rotten smell.

…She could die?

It was unthinkable. Why hadn’t he considered the possibility of her dying?

She had always endured his rough advances. She never questioned what she ate during the day or how she spent her time. Even if he didn’t care, she greeted him every night, gracefully. So he thought he didn’t need to worry.

He only gave orders to his subordinates to provide her food regularly. Yet she always seemed fine. She didn’t resist when he entered, and the bedding was always clean.

With her rosy cheeks, she was beautiful every night. So he thought she would always be like that.

“The patient’s stamina is too weak. If only her body had been healthy, there might have been a chance…”

The doctor muttered cautiously.

Cedric questioned himself.

…Why didn’t he assign her a maid?