/
Seventh, huh? I wonder if this is truly the number that existed in Cedric’s life.
As Isaac knew, Cedric had always been the first in everything. Whatever he learned, he mastered quickly, and with exceptional talents, he became someone who was unrivaled. Moreover, he had outstanding looks and came from a wealthy background, so he never had any reason to feel unsatisfied.
But now, it’s the seventh.
Isaac almost burst into laughter.
‘Is this why people say raising a child is necessary?’
Even those with remarkable achievements or high positions and wealth become equal in front of a child. No matter how fast someone can walk, they have to slow down their steps to walk with a child. No matter how complex one’s vocabulary is, sentences become simpler when speaking to a child.
Cedric had been holding Lilian for only about 30 minutes, not a particularly long time. The conversation that followed wasn’t extraordinary either.
– Who tied the ribbon on your hair? It looks lovely.
– Sally tied it for me. Sally is really good at braiding hair. So, I want to grow my hair quickly. What do you think, Your Grace?
– Well, do as you wish. Short hair suits headbands well, and long hair goes well with hair ties, so either way is fine.
Even with these simple words, the child looked delighted. As Isaac watched the faint blush on the child’s round cheeks and the slight curve of her small lips, Cedric also smiled back at her. Cedric’s smile appeared relaxed and ordinary.
In this way, Isaac could understand why other people were charmed by the child.
‘Ah, that’s why.’
It made sense.
Though the two individuals seemed quite dissimilar when observed separately, when together, they felt oddly similar. To someone who didn’t know about Maynard’s tragedy, seeing this scene would just appear as two ladies having a friendly conversation. They seemed close.
However, they themselves seemed unaware of this fact.
Cedric didn’t fully trust Lilian.
The reason was simple. She didn’t resemble his late wife, Agnes, in the slightest.
‘Even I can see that you cherish the young lady.’
Cedric had often said such things in the past.
―By looking at the child, you can recognize it. She must resemble Agnes somewhere.
It was a strange and oddly strong conviction, almost feeling like self-hypnosis.
But how could one be so sure that a child raised in a completely different environment must resemble her parents?
‘Even I resemble my aunt more than my parents.’
Regardless of Isaac’s thoughts, Cedric’s obsession with his lost daughter was evident.
Even Lilian, who brought the pendant, couldn’t be trusted and was delaying her arrival.
Of course, considering the certainty of the child being kidnapped, it was much better to be cautious and not believe anyone too hastily. But at the same time, it seemed challenging to change Cedric’s mind.
‘But returning as a co-author over just one note.’
A foreboding feeling arose. Hoping it would be a positive outcome, Isaac looked out of the carriage window.
The darkness of the forest path was gradually receding, and the lights of the Maynard mansion were getting closer.
However, something seemed off.
“…Your Grace, isn’t the mansion too brightly lit?”
Upon Isaac’s words, Cedric turned his head to look outside.
Beyond the carriage window, the Maynard mansion was visible with all its windows lit up. There had been only one other occasion recently when it was illuminated so ambitiously.
The day Lilian secretly went to the palace.
A sense of unease flickered through both of them. As the carriage stopped in front of the mansion, Cedric quickly jumped out of it.
However, the footman who should have been guarding the mansion was nowhere to be seen. Anxiety began to grip Cedric’s throat. Without hesitation, he opened the door and entered the mansion. As he stepped into the foyer, the busy servants looked at him with wide eyes.
“Your, Your Grace?”
“You were supposed to come tomorrow or the day after….”
“I had some business, so I came early. What is going on?”
“We don’t know the details, but it seems there was an intruder. We are controlling access to outsiders and conducting a thorough investigation of the mansion.”
“…What?”
An intruder.
Cedric’s expression stiffened at the words. There was only one reason why an intruder would appear at the mansion at this time.
“Then, where is Lilian?”
* * *
Lilian was lying in Cedric’s bedroom.
“Fortunately, she just lost consciousness, so there shouldn’t be any significant problems. She has some bruising, but it’s not a fracture, so with a little care, she should recover quickly.”
The physician of Maynard quickly took light measures to help her regain consciousness and stepped back. With a sigh, Cedric collapsed onto the chair next to the bed, finally closed off from everyone. His mind was filled with the explanation he had heard a while ago, about the situation when he was absent.
“The gardener had to take a leave due to health issues, so they brought in an outsider. It seems that person received a love fortune from someone… They say the young lady lost consciousness because of some medication… Perhaps it was all planned.”
“Portier, the toy workshop man, followed the young lord, and luckily, he was nearby. He heard the young lady’s cry for help and quickly brought people to her aid. If it weren’t for him, it could’ve been a disaster.”
Fortunately, there were no additional intruders in the mansion, and thanks to Damian’s quick response, the intruder was confined to the mansion’s basement. While some outsiders, including the toy workshop people, would stay at the mansion for a day to be investigated as a precaution, since they had targeted Lilian, there seemed to be no immediate additional problems.
Intellectually, he knew that.
However, Cedric couldn’t calm his mind.
‘Once again, the child was almost kidnapped.’
Lilian lay on the bed, seemingly lifeless. She appeared so small and delicate in his eyes that she might break at any moment. A child even smaller than Lilian would be unimaginable. The thought of someone trying to harm her made Cedric sick to his stomach.
If luck had been slightly worse and no one had heard Lilian’s cries around her.
‘If that had happened, I would never have seen this child again.’
He wouldn’t have been able to put Lilian on his knees and have a conversation with her. He wouldn’t have received presents like drawings from her anymore. The daily routine of tucking her into bed and helping her cut her clumsily sliced steak…
Suddenly, a conversation they had shared while putting Lilian to sleep came to mind.
— Um, Your Grace. May I ask you one thing?
— Sure. What’s on your mind?
— When you miss someone so much, what do you do?
The question was heavy, and there was a moment of silence. After some thought, Cedric answered.
—… Close your eyes. You might be able to forget everything that way.
— But when I close my eyes, things seem to come back even more.
— That’s how you forget. The more you bring back memories or things, the more they wear away.
— I see…
Lilian seemed to accept the answer and blinked her eyes slowly, then looked up at Cedric with a questioning gaze.
— So, if I miss you someday, I won’t try to recall your memories as much as possible.
— Why?
— Because you always give me good things. I don’t want to remember you as being worn out.
Cedric told her to forget, but Lilian said she would remember.
— I want to cherish the unforgettable memories, shining the brightest.
Her words caught in her throat. Cedric couldn’t clearly identify the sensation of warmth burning inside his chest.
He was certain of only one thing at this moment.
Unforgettable memories.
In the midst of them, there was the fact that Lilian existed.