My Former Lover Didn't Die And Came Back - Chapter 26

It was a punishment. She confessed to having been blinded by money and selling out her lover, and he thought such a punishment was justifiable. For her, a noblewoman, doing kitchen work herself would be humiliating, but compared to the hell he had gone through, it was nothing.

However, at least from the moment she injured her hands, he should have assigned her a maid. Since both her hands were injured, she wouldn’t have been able to wash or eat.

Had his brain hardened from rolling around battlefields with muscular men for three years? He and those who used their bodies were different from her. Why did he only notice now how fragile-looking her wrists are?

…No, it was just an excuse.

He knew. He knew that the shadows under her eyes were getting darker. The longer she stayed with him, the more that something sparkling about her was disappearing. He didn’t want to admit it, so he pretended not to know.

The woman he met after three years had become dazzlingly beautiful. Thinking that her husband had made her so infuriated him. That’s why he forced her to stay by his side. But the longer she stayed next to him, the more she wilted. He couldn’t admit that fact.

That’s why he had been avoiding it these past few days. Seeing her again made him uncomfortable, so he stopped visiting the mansion. Why was he scared?

“Save her.”

Cedric said to the doctor.

“If you can’t save her, I’ll destroy three generations of your family.”

“That’s…!”

The doctor turned pale and replied to his threat.

“I’ll do my best.”

The physician’s shoulders drooped as he went out to change the wet cloth.

After the physician and the servants left, the door to the sick room closed.

And so, only two corpse-like people remained inside. Among them, only the man could move. The man moved his chair closer to the bed and approached the woman.

“Blair.”

She didn’t speak.

“Don’t die.”

Don’t try to escape through death.

“You said you were sorry. You said you would repay me. How long has it been since you said that… Are you trying to break your promise already?”

Still, no response came back. She was wandering at death’s door.

“You haven’t repaid me yet. You think staying by my side for just those few months… settles everything?”

The man continued his unheeded confession.

“If you had repaid everything, I wouldn’t still be… this tormented.”

On the first day they reunited, he was tormented.

She stood in the middle of the grand mansion in a luxurious gown, fitting so in well with her surroundings. She truly looked like the mistress of a noble family.

Seeing her like that tormented him. He stripped her and made her do maid’s work. But his torment didn’t ease. Why.

He possessed her every night. Only during moments soaked in pleasure did he not feel the torment. But it was only covered up, not quenched. Nothing had improved since returning to the capital.

…He thought everything would be fine once the war ended and he returned to the capital.

The moment his military promotion started, he couldn’t stop. Position meant responsibility. He couldn’t just abandon everything on his shoulders and return home recklessly. He continued the long fight, waiting only for the moment to return to the capital.

But after returning, nothing went as planned.

It was always like that with her. He lost his rationality and discretion. Even now, in a position where he had nothing to fear, this woman still topped his mind.

He was angry about that fact.

“Just live. Blair.”

So you can repay me.

Cedric clenched his trembling fist. The woman before him still did not move.

* * *

Days passed. Eden greeted Cedric, who returned to his office with a tired face.

“Report.”

Cedric spoke curtly.

“…The compensation has been delivered in full.”

“Do you foresee any problems?”

“With the generous amount… it seems unlikely.”

Cedric had annihilated the men who were watching over the Cavendish mansion. Only Theo, who had been away visiting his own territory, was spared.

Cedric rubbed his head. Just thinking about that day made him shudder. His men were about to pounce on Blair, who lay unconscious.

…What if he had been just a little late?

He gritted his teeth.

Just imagining it was dizzying. Cedric recalled the moment he arrived at the mansion two days ago. Mark was on top of Blair, who was nearly dead, and her body looked like she had given up.

What nonsense had Mark spouted then.

「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?!」

His men could act so arrogantly because, ultimately, they were confident in their superior’s behavior. They were sure their superior did not cherish the woman in the mansion. No man would treat his beloved woman like that.

It was natural for him to act that way. Because Cedric hated her. No man would send silk clothes and jewels to a woman he hated.

But thinking that others took her lightly made him furious from head to toe. It shouldn’t have happened.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Cedric cut off his men’s heads. Most of them came from humble backgrounds, and he provided compensation for their families. Eden conveyed their condolences for being unavoidably harmed during their duties.

…If Blair just opened her eyes, this time he would bring her into his own mansion. Along with several experienced maidservants, she had luxurious dresses and jewels she couldn’t wear on her own.

The reason he hadn’t brought her into his townhouse until now was one.

…Because she was a married woman.

No matter how much hush money he offered to the maidservants, there are no perfect secrets in the world. People always found thrills over stimulating topics like young men and women’s love affairs, jealousy, and infidelity, especially now that peace had returned after the war.

If he, an unmarried man, brought Blair into his inner chamber, it was obvious how the maidservants would view her. A noble’s mistress. Keeping a woman hidden in the mansion meant just that.

“Eden.”

“Yes.”

His competent secretary answered.

“Look into some maidservants—ones with extensive experience serving noblewomen.”

“Understood.”

Cedric added one more thing.

“…Discreet ones.”

If Blair opened her eyes, he resolved not to send her back to the Cavendish mansion again.

He should have done this sooner. His townhouse was close to the palace, so it would save a lot of travel time and allow him to see her more often. Cedric no longer wanted to keep her at a distance.

“I, and…”

Eden hesitated before speaking up.

“What is it.”

“……Adrian Cavendish’s trial has been scheduled in two months.”

“……I see.”

It was a problem that had to be resolved anyway.

* * *

Blair was lost in a place surrounded by reeds. The landscape of white and long reeds was spectacular, but there was a limit to her appreciation. Blair could not remember how many hours she had been walking in this place.

“……Ah, it’s the end.”

At the end of the field, a dark blue river appeared. Blair tried to get closer to see what was across the river.

“……Can’t see.”

It had gotten dark, and she couldn’t see well.

“Ah, there. Is that a ferry?”

Far away at the mouth of the river, she saw a small docked boat. She quickly moved towards it.

That’s when it happened. The ferryman started rowing, and the boat began to move.

“Ah! Wait a minute!”

Blair shouted loud enough for the ferryman to hear. There were already what looked like two passengers on the boat. It seemed like it could take a couple more people, so why was it leaving already?

“Just a moment!”

She was half-heartedly giving up on getting on the boat, but she still called out since she had come so close.

“……Eh?……”

As she ran closer to the boat, she could see the faces of the two passengers. They were definitely……

“Mom, Dad……?”

Her parents were on the boat. The boat was already in the middle of the river, so she shouted as loud as she could. It seemed like her mother looked her way for a moment. She seemed to be saying something, but the boat had moved too far away for her to hear.

* * *

‘……?’

Blair woke up. She blinked several times, her eyes heavy from not being opened for a long time.

It seemed like she had a dream……

She seemed to have had a dream, but she couldn’t remember what it was about.

As her focus finally adjusted, the first thing she saw was a luxurious ceiling painting of angels. The ceiling was surrounded by cloud-shaped sculptures.

“……Ugh,”

She slowly sat up, and found herself in a grand bedroom. The goose-down comforter and pillows felt plush.

Where… am I……?

“Oh! You’re awake?”

Several maids surrounded her as she woke up. Dressed in black maid uniforms with white aprons, they looked experienced.

One of them asked Blair various questions and then took out a piece of paper to jot something down. Another one hurried out, saying they should call a physician.

“Excuse me…… where am I?”

Blair asked cautiously.

“This is General Cedric Fitzgerald’s townhouse.”

“What……?”

Cedric’s mansion?

Blair looked around the luxurious bedroom again.

Why did he bring me here?

She would only know when he returned.

“When will Cedric come back?”

“We, we’ve only been employed for a short while, so we don’t really know.”

The maids answered that they didn’t know either.

‘Just hired……?’

A lot had happened while she was lying down. Why……?

She felt grimy from not having bathed in a long time. When Blair said she wanted to bathe, the maids checked several times to make sure she wasn’t showing any symptoms of anemia before taking her to the bathroom.

* * *

Cedric returned to the townhouse around the time when the sunset stained the windows crimson.

As the man hurriedly opened the bedroom door and strode in, Blair, who was lying on the bed, opened her eyes.

“……Cedric.”

When he approached, she sat up and leaned against the bed’s headboard.

“No need to get up.”

He said as he sat down at the edge of the bed.

“I’m better now.”

“Let me see your hand.”

He extended his hand towards her.

“…….”

Blair placed her hands on his, and he carefully examined her hands wrapped in white bandages.

He heard from the physician immediately upon returning home. Her wounds were healing well. He wanted to unwrap the bandages to check but hesitated, thinking that unwrapping and rewrapping them might not be good for the wounds.