My Former Lover Didn't Die And Came Back - Chapter 5

Her heart was pounding as if it had malfunctioned. Blair and the red-haired soldier locked eyes. His mouth, as he held the gun, was shut straight. He seemed like a man with little change in expression, much like Cedric. At that moment, Blair had a somewhat random thought, ‘That man seems to be the type who commands subordinates like me.’

Blair stared blankly at the expressionless man. After a moment, her lips slowly parted.

“Did he order you to shoot me even if it meant shedding blood on my body?”

Blair asked, looking straight into the soldier’s eyes. A long red streak remained on her left cheek. The blood flowing from the wound gradually dripped onto the dirt floor.

“He said it like this, madam.”

The red-haired soldier spoke, his voice low like his superior’s.

“Even if it means she turns into a corpse,”

Several cypress leaves planted along the street danced down from the air.

“Prevent her from leaving the mansion.”

The voice that repeated his superior’s orders was cold. Oddly, the voice coming from the red-haired man sounded just like Cedric’s.

She couldn’t figure out what to say. She just felt it was difficult to breathe. Blair kept repeating biting her lips off and letting go.

As she breathed heavily, suddenly, the sound of carriage wheels reached Blair’s ears. The now distant carriage was heading towards the city center. Blair watched the empty road for quite a while after the carriage left.

Taking a deep sigh, she resignedly turned towards the mansion. She briefly met eyes with the red-haired soldier. The man, with tightly sealed lips, had turned back to his formal stance. His face gazing at her showed no expression.

‘…Let’s go inside.’

Thud, thud…

It was improper for a lady to make footsteps while walking. But at that moment, it didn’t matter to her. Since she didn’t lift her dress, the delicate lace hem painstakingly crafted by artisans swept up dirt.

Blair remembered three years ago when Cedric first taught her how to shoot. His shooting skills as a mercenary in the village were top-notch. They used to have picturesque dates roaming hunting grounds and forests together.

Though it was his subordinate who pulled the trigger, how was that different from him shooting her himself? Even though he aimed for her cheek rather than hitting her heart, she thought his skills hadn’t rusted.

The heavy and luxurious door closed with a clank. Cavendish Manor regained its silence. The soldiers guarding the entrance stood in their positions like a scene from a painting, as if nothing had happened.

The only difference was the sporadic red marks left on the dirt floor.

* * *

The sky of Eleanor was tinged with a deep purple hue.

The inside of the Cavendish Manor was dark. Blair had only lit the candles in the reception room where she sat. The corridor leading up to the second floor where Cedric would come up would be dark, but she didn’t feel like lighting a candle.

Blair sat on the mahogany sofa draped in dark green velvet. Her posture was upright, truly that of a noble lady. Her once perfect dress, was now stained with blood and dirt, and her hands were dirty.

Creak.

Cedric opened the reception room door and entered. Unlike yesterday, when he was wearing the uniform of the Eleanor Imperial Army, he was dressed somewhat comfortably in a white shirt with a red velvet vest and formal trousers. The slightly tight trousers revealed well-muscled thighs as he moved.

He approached her with determined steps.

But she remained motionless like a wax doll. Only the remaining red streak on her cheek and the swelling around it indicated that she was not made of wax, but blood and flesh.

Cedric looked down at Blair’s cheek for a long moment. Soon, his thick fingers moved up around the wound.

“… You’ve got a scratch.”

His voice was low as if he had just discovered a flaw in a toy he had been playing with. Blair raised her gaze from the floor to meet the man’s golden eyes. In the dimly lit room, tinged with gray, no emotion could be discerned from his golden eyes.

“… Do you feel regretful?”

He asked in a casual tone.

“Well, your face is your asset.”

He spoke as if she were an object.

Blair bit her lip tightly. The color drained from her red lips.

‘Prepare yourself.’

There was no room for being hurt by trivial things. The hem of the dress she clenched had become crumpled. She waited for his ear and brought out the prepared sentence.

“Release my husband. He is innocent.”

“I didn’t expect you to say that.”

Contrary to the unexpected topic, the man’s expression remained calm. Her former lover who returned from hell always had a similar reaction no matter what she said — no surprise, anger, or sadness.

Cedric’s fingers gently brushed over Blair’s wound.

“Please, I beg you. Release my husband. He is a good man.”

Blair added more earnestness to her plea. Her body leaned towards him.

“It sounds like you’re saying that I created a crime he didn’t commit.”

Cedric replied in a deep voice.

“I’m the one who actually ran the business.”

“…!”

Whether he was surprised by this statement, Cedric’s pupils dilated.

“So, if the business really committed a crime, it would be right to put me in prison instead.”

“You… ran the business?”

He looked truly surprised.

“……”

“I don’t understand. Someone like you, a ‘lady’? You who never cared about worldly affairs?”

“People change. Just like you did.”

Blair recited the truths that the world taught her, fidgeting with her fingernails while finding blood and dirt stuck in the crevices.

She recalled an incident from three years ago.

Her father’s health began to deteriorate after her wedding. Around that time, in the Eleanor Empire, it was fashionable to buy luxury goods from exotic places and resell them for profit. Was it too much for her elderly father to set out on a boat to raise the household? Her father collapsed. Blair’s mother sold all their possessions to cover her husband’s medical expenses.

Yet, even after three years, her father still lay in bed.

Was it a punishment from above? Misfortune came to her household like a curse. The family fortunes rapidly declined. Thankfully, her husband managed to pay off debts at the time of their marriage, preventing her from losing her parents’ mansion.

When her husband learned of her newfound interest in business, he handed over his operation to her. She was startled by the unexpected gift, but her husband reassured her that his recent work in the diplomatic corps was more suitable for him.

Blair loved her work. People began to take an interest in her abilities rather than her appearance for the first time. ‘Work’ brought life back to the once gloomy Blair. And the fact that she could support her parents without her husband’s help made Blair proud.

Cedric’s gaze scanned Blair’s dirt-stained nails and soon moved to her hands, which were clasped together. Both of her pale hands were completely dirty with blood and dirt.

“……”

Cedric’s knees touched the ground.

Swish.

Cedric moved his large hand to touch his chest and soon pulled out a thin handkerchief and began wiping her hands. Blair was momentarily surprised and shrank her shoulders, but soon adapted. He meticulously wiped her palms and each finger with care. He transferred all the blood and dirt stuck under her nails onto the small cloth. She let him handle her hand as he pleased.

The quiet reception room was filled with the sound of fabric brushing for a while. Step by step…

After a while, his gaze shifted to her face. Blair lowered her eyes and was staring only at her fingernails. Her slightly raised golden eyelashes were still lush.

Cedric’s lips parted.

“…Blair, tell me.”

“……”

Cedric knelt on one knee, the other held upright. If not for the busy cloth and his hands, he would have looked like a romantic knight.

“Why did you abandon me?”

His lips were slightly curved, posing a heavy question with a gentle expression.

‘I thought I already answered that question yesterday. Why is he asking the same thing?’

Blair bit her lip tightly. She couldn’t discern the intention behind Cedric’s question.

“Tell me, Blair.”

As Cedric urged her, Blair hesitated for a moment. His gentle expression reminded her of the time three years ago when they were deeply in love. It made her ponder.

Gulp. Blair’s throat moved. Sweat had gathered on her palm unnoticed.

‘Should I tell the truth…?’

In truth, she was angry at herself after knowing that everything was caused by her parents.

But much had happened during the day. Until she got injured on her cheek, Blair had planned to reveal all the truths. When Cedric returned in the evening, she vowed to tell the truth this time.

But her thoughts changed after his subordinate shot at her. Even though it was Cedric’s subordinate who fired the gun, it might as well have been Cedric himself.

「The General said, ‘Even if it means she turns into a corpse, prevent her from leaving the mansion.’」

That statement was a huge shock. Why did she think Cedric wouldn’t harm her no matter what happened?

‘Ah.’

Blair’s blue pupils trembled.

‘This man no longer has any feelings for me.’

She realized that fact suddenly.

Obedience to orders is paramount in the world of soldiers. He ordered her to be shot at. If the bullet had even grazed her, it could have taken her life.

In retrospect, it was natural for him to hate her. After suffering innocently for three years, there was no reason for him to have feelings for her. The reason he issued such an order was simple — he truly didn’t care if she died.

Realizing this, Blair’s face turned pale.

‘What difference would it make if I spoke the truth about what happened three years ago…?’

Blair glanced down at her emerald green dress. She’s been grasping it all day which caused it to have deep wrinkles. Now, no matter how much she tried to smooth it out, it won’t go away. Just like their relationship — the damage is done, and he has no remaining affection for her. It just couldn’t be.