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Chapter 43
Meanwhile, Seorn was pacing back and forth in front of Cedric’s room. Seeing Seorn hesitantly approach, one of the knights guarding the door called out to him.
“Hey, Seorn. What’s going on?”
At the sound of the knight’s voice calling him, Seorn brightened and trotted over.
“Haha, well, there’s no lady for me to attend anymore… so I thought I’d at least show my face.”
Seorn put on an innocent, clueless expression and smiled sheepishly.
“Ah, right. Since the lady’s gone, you really don’t have anything to do anymore.”
The knights looked at Seorn with pity. To them, Seorn was someone who couldn’t properly do a single thing. He had plenty of enthusiasm, but his execution was clumsy and inept.
“He’s inside, so go in and pay your respects. And don’t say anything stupid.”
The knight spoke as though doing him a favor.
“Oh, really? Thank you!”
Seorn looked deeply moved by the knight’s consideration and bowed at a full ninety degrees.
“If you’re thankful, buy us a drink later.”
Seorn flinched slightly at that.
Even though you earn twice as much as I do.
He wasn’t exactly living hand to mouth, since Cedric paid him generously in secret. But officially, Seorn’s salary was the lowest among the knights. He had never once treated them to a meal or a drink, which they disliked, but Seorn simply laughed good-naturedly and replied,
“Of course! I will, haha.”
As Seorn spoke awkwardly, another knight beside them scolded the first.
“Hey, are you really trying to freeload off Seorn, who barely gets paid anything? Forget it, Seorn. Don’t mind what this guy says.”
“Jeez, I was just joking.”
“Hurry up and go in.”
Seorn, who had been smiling vacantly at the meaningless exchange, nodded at the knight’s words. He knocked twice on the door and spoke loudly.
“It’s Seorn!”
“Come in.”
Following Seorn’s overly spirited voice came Cedric’s indifferent reply. Seorn bowed obsequiously to the knights and entered the room. The cheerful smile on his face vanished in an instant. The lively light in his eyes sank deeply. With an expression as blank as if he felt nothing at all, he strode straight toward Cedric and dropped to one knee before him. With his head lowered, Seorn looked like a completely different person from when he had been with the knights.
Cedric glanced briefly at Seorn, then turned his gaze back to the documents on his desk. His voice, addressed to Seorn, was utterly cold.
“What is it? Coming here before being summoned—have you forgotten what I said about not showing your face unless there’s something important?”
Cedric’s cold treatment wasn’t anything new, but it still left Seorn feeling bitter. With a strained expression, Seorn spoke quietly.
“I apologize. I came to ask who will be taking over the duties that Lady Gwen used to handle.”
The butler Gwen had served as a bridge between Cedric and Seorn. Whenever Seorn secretly reported matters concerning the Wens County household, Gwen had been the intermediary. Unaware that Gwen had been expelled, Cedric stopped what he was doing and frowned.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
What nonsense was this, when Gwen was perfectly fine? Rubbing his forehead tiredly, Cedric looked at Seorn. Seorn sensed something strange in Cedric’s reaction.
Did he not read the letter I sent?
It seemed Cedric didn’t know that Gwen had been expelled. Seorn slowly raised his head and cautiously spoke.
“By any chance… did you not receive the letter I sent?”
“A letter?”
At Seorn’s words, Cedric half-opened his eyes and trailed off. He thought of the piles of documents and letters stacked up in his estate.
I’ve been overwhelmed.
Eric’s wedding was tomorrow. With less than three days to handle everything, he had no time to spare for anything else.
“Did something happen while Gwen was away on leave?”
Cedric looked at Seorn with an irritated gaze. He was dismissing Gwen’s absence as nothing more than “vacation.”
…So he really doesn’t know anything.
At the word “leave,” Seorn was certain. Cedric had no idea that Eric had driven Gwen out.
“It was a letter regarding Lady Gwen’s situation.”
His voice, devoid of any emotion, echoed low in the room. Staring at Cedric’s cold gaze, Seorn spoke once more.
“Lady Gwen has left the county household.”
“What?! Why would Gwen—!”
Cedric’s voice thundered, as though he had never imagined such a thing.
“She was dismissed.”
“What on earth are you talking about? Who would dare dismiss Gwen!”
As Cedric shouted, one person came to mind. His eyes wavered with unease, and he bit down on his lower lip. Seorn answered quietly, looking at Cedric’s confused expression.
“The Count drove her out.”
Bang!
The sound of Cedric slamming the desk rang out the moment Seorn finished speaking. Cedric’s flushed face twisted with rage.
“That bastard, he finally…!”
To dare drive out Gwen, of all people! Unable to contain his anger, Cedric swept the items on his desk onto the floor. Objects scattered chaotically beneath the desk.
“Bring that bastard Eric here immediately!”
Eric came to Cedric’s room. The previously messy room had been neatly tidied, but the atmosphere inside was unbearably heavy. Present were Cedric, Eric, and Tersia. Cedric stood with his back to Eric, staring out the window. Eric stood silently, watching him. Tersia sat between them, fidgeting nervously as she watched Cedric.
What on earth is Cedric so angry about this time?
Cedric usually listened well to Tersia, but when he became furious enough to see red, no one could stop him. Tersia didn’t want the distance between Eric and Cedric to grow any wider. She didn’t even hope for a warm father-son relationship—she just wanted to dispel the murderous tension. Swallowing dryly, she looked at Eric with anxious eyes. Heavy silence filled the room, and Tersia felt as though she were walking on thin ice.
“Why did you summon me, Father?”
Eric broke the silence first.
“……”
Cedric didn’t respond. Eric stood quietly, waiting for Cedric to speak. After some time, Cedric finally opened his mouth.
“…It’s been three years since I passed the count’s title on to you.”
Eric frowned. Though he had inherited the title, the real authority still rested with Cedric. The hollow title didn’t satisfy him. He cast a cold gaze at Cedric’s chair. This room was where generations of family heads had worked. The desk, the lavish red chair—all belonged to the head of the Wens family. And all of it still belonged to Cedric. Eric’s dark brown eyes flashed coldly. Even after stepping down, Cedric still enjoyed everything, and it disgusted him.
Once I have a child… my position will be even more secure.
His reason for wanting a child was simple: a means to reclaim complete power from Cedric.
“And yet, you’ve never once satisfied me.”
Cedric’s low voice echoed through the room. Eric’s expression hardened instantly.
“But I respected you.”
Cedric slowly turned around and glared sharply at Eric.
Respected me?
When had he ever respected him? Eric twitched an eyebrow at the absurdity of Cedric’s words.
“When you brought that vermin of a girl as your bride, we respected your choice. And what was the result? Not only did she ruin over ten years of effort, she made a mockery of our family!”
“So I divorced her, didn’t I?”
“You little—! How dare you talk back! How dare you glare at your father! Do you have any idea how we raised you? We barely managed to divorce you from Rose, and then you went and got some lowborn girl pregnant!”
“What does it matter if she’s lowborn? By tomorrow, she’ll be the Countess.”
Eric didn’t care about Doana’s status. All that mattered was that she carried his child.
“Who said I’d accept that girl as my daughter-in-law! You’re going to marry the youngest daughter of the Marquis Dicar!”
“What are you—?”
Eric frowned and turned his gaze to Tersia, who had personally prepared the wedding. Meeting his eyes, she smoothly recited what she had prepared.
“Oh my, you misunderstood. Did you think tomorrow’s bride was Doana? I thought I’d told you everything, but this mother must have forgotten in the midst of all the chaos. You’ll be marrying the young lady of the Marquis Dicar, my dear.”
“Huh?”
Eric’s eyes twisted in disbelief. He felt utterly humiliated, as though both he and Doana had been toyed with.
“I really like that girl. But what can we do? Nobles must follow noble rules.”
“You’re holding the wedding without even telling me? A wedding the groom doesn’t even know about. I see just how lightly you both regard me.”
He was furious—not because he loved Doana, but because he felt disrespected.
“My dear, why speak so harshly? That’s not it at all. We’d been discussing marriage with the Marquis Dicar even before your divorce. They were the ones eager to hold the wedding as soon as possible.”
Though Tersia tried to soothe him, Eric’s gaze remained icy.
“All I can think is that you’ve been playing me. What was the point of calling Doana ‘my new daughter-in-law’ and even having her fitted for a dress?”
Tersia lifted her fan and lightly covered the twitching corner of her mouth. She felt sorry for Eric, but deceiving Doana was oddly satisfying.
“If I caused a misunderstanding, I’m sorry. I’ll explain things properly to Doana, so don’t worry. And must only the Countess be the ‘new daughter-in-law’? Even as your concubine who bears your child, she becomes part of our family. To me, both the young lady of Marquis Dicar and Doana are my daughters-in-law.”
Tersia shamelessly continued her lies, her eyes curving into crescents.
“And Doana must attend your wedding. As her mother-in-law, shouldn’t I at least provide her a dress? I can’t bear to see her skulking around in rags. No matter how lowborn she is, she carries your child. At the very least, shouldn’t we treat her no worse than others?”
Eric stared at Tersia, suspicion still unresolved.
“If you wish, I’ll persuade the Marquis Dicar’s daughter to register Doana’s child under the family name. Then making the child the heir wouldn’t be a problem—”
As Tersia focused on playing the role of a benevolent stepmother to dispel Eric’s doubts, Cedric erupted at the word “heir.”
“Who decides the heir! I will never acknowledge a bastard with filthy blood as my successor!”
“Cedric!”
Tersia shot Cedric a warning look, but he was too busy venting his rage.
“Choosing an heir is entirely my responsibility, Father.”
“Silence! Do you think I’d just sit back and watch!”
Cedric’s fury soared.
“There is nothing you can do for the Wens family! I decide everything! If I left the family to the likes of you, its destruction would only be a matter of time!”
Eric felt a nauseating twist in his gut. A vile energy writhed deep within him.
“Just look at how you dismissed Gwen, who cleaned up every mess you made! That alone shows how terrible your judgment is! What reason did you have to drive him out! Do you really think someone like you can find a replacement for Gwen!”
“I dismissed him for a valid reason.”
Eric glared back, refusing to yield an inch.
“You incompetent fool!”
Cedric hurled whatever was on his desk at Eric, spewing abuse unfit to be spoken. Books, fountain pens, and parchment flew through the air. Eric stood still, letting the objects strike him. Finally, Cedric grabbed the ashtray from his desk and threw it straight at Eric. Eric, head lowered, failed to dodge it.
Thud!
The ashtray fell beside his head with a dull sound. Eric’s vision blurred, and a piercing ringing filled his ears. Eeeee— The noise circled relentlessly. He couldn’t hear Cedric’s voice at all. Grimacing, Eric clutched his throbbing head, but he didn’t avert his gaze from Cedric’s furious eyes.
Cedric looked like a ferocious beast ready to tear out his throat. Suddenly, Cedric’s form began to wobble and lose its shape before Eric’s eyes. His arms and legs melted into black liquid, his face grotesquely collapsing. Eyes, nose, and mouth slid together into a horrifying mess. His human form vanished, replaced by a huge, amorphous monster writhing before Eric.
To Eric’s eyes, Cedric was no longer human—just a filthy, mangled monster. A strange light filled Eric’s eyes. With a dangerously unhinged gaze, he murmured,
“Monster…”
Muttering to himself, Eric approached the monster that looked like Cedric. His pupils had long since lost focus. He staggered with each step, the corners of his mouth curling into a grin.
“You’re smiling?”
Cedric was displeased by Eric smiling at him. How dare he grin instead of reflecting while his father spoke!
“This won’t do. Follow me to the basement immediately!”
Though he hadn’t intended to punish Eric further, Cedric couldn’t overlook such insolence. If words didn’t work, he’d have to resort to force. Violence was never justified, no matter the reason—but Cedric firmly believed his actions were “love.” He never imagined that his love was devouring his beloved son.
Cedric’s shouting didn’t reach Eric. Cedric still looked like a monster to him, and all he could hear was the piercing ringing. Yet strangely, the word “basement” rang clearly in his ears. That place was a nightmare for Eric. He flinched at Cedric’s voice and stopped. Head bowed, he stood silent. Cedric snarled at him.
“Your father is speaking, and you don’t even listen.”
His low voice was steeped in rage. Sensing the danger, Tersia rose and cautiously approached them. She gently patted Eric’s back, trying to comfort him—but froze at the sound of his voice.
“…I have to kill him.”
“Eric?”
A chilling voice, filled with murderous intent, echoed low—as though it didn’t belong to her son at all. And then, in an instant, it happened.
“Die.”
Eric grabbed the sharp scissors from Cedric’s desk and lunged at him. From Cedric’s room came Tersia’s piercing scream.
