Chapter 41
An Unexpected Variable
* * *
A short while ago, in the lounge.
“Haa…”
Yvonne’s body, which had been tightly tensed, finally slackened weakly.
The quiet lounge was filled only with the ragged breaths of the two who had just reached their peak.
Cedric Glaston pressed a kiss to Yvonne’s lips as she closed her eyes in exhaustion.
However, the kiss that had begun lightly, brushing and parting, quickly grew deep and lingering.
Sensing the heat, Yvonne subtly turned her head away.
It was a clear refusal.
Cedric Glaston ignored her reaction and lowered his head again to seek her lips.
Yet just before their lips touched, Yvonne spoke.
“Please let go.”
Staring into Yvonne’s resolute eyes, Cedric Glaston soon withdrew without resistance.
In an instant, he returned to the flawless image of a perfect gentleman.
Except for his hair, which Yvonne had ruffled.
Even that was neatly smoothed with a single sweep of his hand.
That sight felt strangely unfair.
Free from his arms, Yvonne forced strength into her legs that felt ready to give out.
She then began tightening the laces of her corset again.
But perhaps because her attention was elsewhere, her fingers kept slipping.
At that moment, Cedric Glaston approached and pulled the corset strings.
Startled, Yvonne froze briefly, then turned her body and slipped free of his hand.
She clearly stated her will as she looked at Cedric Glaston, who was gazing at her silently.
“I can do it myself.”
I don’t want to rely on you anymore.
Yvonne stubbornly finished adjusting the corset on her own.
Because she could not pull the strings tightly, it remained slightly loose.
Still, it was not enough to ruin her silhouette.
“I think I’ve paid a sufficient price for you keeping my secret, Your Grace.”
The woman’s eyes facing him were firm, without the slightest wavering.
Even though the rims of her eyes were still flushed red.
A cold scoff slipped between Cedric Glaston’s teeth.
But his eyes were not smiling.
That cursed word.
She had called it a “price” in the end.
The moment when you and I were entwined, sharing heated breaths.
You clung to me even as you cried, unable to handle the unfamiliar sensations.
And in the end, you accepted me.
“…I’ll be going now.”
Yvonne turned away.
She was desperately forcing strength into her legs as she walked, but Cedric Glaston could see how precarious she was.
In the end, Cedric Glaston grabbed her arm.
“Rest.”
“I’ll leave.”
He passed by Yvonne and left the lounge.
Left alone in the empty lounge, Yvonne finally collapsed onto a nearby sofa.
Only then did the dull pain become vivid.
As if erasing the sensations he had given her, Yvonne squeezed her eyes shut.
She needed to find her mother quickly.
Before she became even more deeply entangled with him.
* * *
When she woke up, it was already midday.
Yvonne blinked in surprise and looked at the clock.
‘I slept this long…’
She had gone to bed early last night as well, unable to fight off her drowsiness.
Yet she only opened her eyes close to lunchtime.
Even so, her body still felt heavy and sleepy.
As she found it strange that her stamina, weakened by the fever, had not recovered at all, Cindy entered after hearing the bell.
“Good morning, Cindy.”
“Did you sleep well, Miss?”
“Today is the day you’re visiting the Glaston estate, so I was just about to wake you.”
“When you didn’t get up at all, I was worried you might be unwell.”
After setting down the washbasin, Cindy left again, saying she would bring a light meal and the newspaper.
After finishing a quick wash, Yvonne sat at her vanity and tended to her skin while reviewing today’s plans.
‘On the way back today, I should stop by the detective agency.’
There still seemed to be no news of her mother’s whereabouts.
Even so, she thought there might be some clue if she went and spoke to them in person.
It was frustrating, but since that was all she could do right now, she decided to do her best.
That would be less anxiety-inducing than simply waiting.
‘And once I find Mother, I should also start looking into ways to escape, little by little.’
As she made various plans, her eyelids grew heavy again.
No matter how hard she tried to stay alert, her eyes closed as if by irresistible force.
It was Cindy’s voice that woke Yvonne, who had dozed off.
“Miss?”
“Ah.”
Yvonne abruptly lifted her upper body from the vanity.
She staggered as she did.
Cindy hurriedly caught the wobbling Yvonne.
“Oh my, are you all right?”
Only then did Yvonne barely regain her balance and sit properly.
A self-mocking sigh escaped her at her pitiful state.
“…Thank you.”
“I really don’t have my wits about me.”
Having finally steadied herself, Yvonne moved toward the table where Cindy had laid out the newspaper and meal.
On the table were salad, fruit, and bread spread with fragrant butter.
The smell of butter.
The scent that would normally whet her appetite hit her sharply.
Her stomach suddenly churned violently.
She had to swallow hard to suppress the urge to retch.
Suddenly, symptoms of pregnancy she had half-listened to during bridal lessons surfaced one by one.
Just then, Cindy’s voice came from behind her.
“Um, Miss.”
“Wouldn’t it be better for you to get an examination?”
“You missed your monthly cycle this month, and…”
Cindy hesitated briefly, then added cautiously.
“…Your strength has also weakened a lot since the banquet at the Count’s estate.”
Yvonne had fallen ill with a fever after the exposition.
Even so, there was only one reason Cindy would mention the earlier banquet.
It was because of the scandal with Derrick Glaston that had broken out then.
Only then did Yvonne realize what Cindy was worried about.
And it was the same possibility she herself had just considered.
The moment she realized it, her heart dropped.
“…No.”
Yvonne shook her head.
“No, that can’t be.”
She desperately denied it and moved toward the table.
But she could not get any closer.
The smell of butter was unbearable.
Horribly so.
* * *
“…Miss.”
“……”
“Miss Yvonne?”
“…Ah.”
Yvonne, who had been absentmindedly replaying the morning’s events, only came to her senses after hearing Catherine call her several times.
“I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t sleep well.”
“What were you saying?”
“That’s understandable when your wedding is just a month away.”
“I know how you feel.”
“Your heart feels unsettled and all.”
“Still, you shouldn’t let your health suffer.”
There was a strange hint of dissatisfaction beneath her words, rather than genuine concern.
But Yvonne did not notice it.
“It’s nothing major.”
“The wedding dress fitting is finished.”
“They suggested you try it on once this week.”
“Is that all right?”
Yvonne nodded with a habitual smile.
Before she knew it, the bridal lesson—whose contents she barely remembered—was over.
When she came back to herself again, she was inside the carriage on her way home.
Only after being left alone did Yvonne finally face the possibility she had thought about all day, yet tried to avoid.
‘It might be… pregnancy.’
Carefully, as if afraid of touching her belly by mistake, she brought her hands down to her lower abdomen.
Her hand trembled uneasily as it rested on her still-flat stomach.
It wasn’t that she had never considered the possibility of pregnancy.
But she had been bedridden recently.
With so many exhausting events, she had thought her weakened condition was simply the aftermath.
Perhaps she had wanted to believe that unconsciously.
‘What should I do now…?’
The unexpected variable plunged her vision into darkness.
As anxiety and fear surged, the nausea that had lingered all day grew violently stronger.
As if confirming the possibility she feared.
Yvonne pressed a hand to her rising chest and looked out the carriage window.
She hoped the fresh air might ease her stomach even a little.
That was when she caught a familiar scent.
‘…The smell of herbs?’
A nearby apothecary came into view.
Seeing it, Yvonne suddenly thought of something and had the carriage stop.
“I have something to buy nearby.”
“I’ll get off here, so you may return first.”
Since she also planned to stop by the detective agency afterward, she sent the coachman back.
Watching the carriage disappear, Yvonne entered the apothecary.
The thick scent of herbs greeted her.
Strangely, the herbal smell did not feel unpleasant.
To young Adel, the smell of herbs was a symbol of hope.
The hope of proving her worth by working in an herb shop.
And the hope of curing her sick mother with these herbs.
Breathing in the scent from her cherished memories, the nausea in her stomach seemed to subside slightly.
