CHAPTER~14
A Fleeting Hesitation
When Yvonne returned from touring the garden with Cindy, the Glaston family was all gathered in the dining room.
Catherine, Derrick, and Cedric, of course, and even Carlyle.
Yvonne, who had only briefly met Carlyle at the funeral, bowed politely.
“Thank you for inviting me to the dinner, Lord Carlyle.”
“Compared to the dukedom, the commoner’s table must seem utterly humble, but I hope it suits your taste, Lady.”
His words seemed superficially modest, but his tone was curt and unrefined. It didn’t seem like he even tried to hide his attitude.
“Father.”
Derrick looked at his grandfather in surprise, and Catherine glanced at Yvonne with a troubled expression, clearly trying to dissuade Carlyle.
However, Carlyle’s gaze toward Yvonne remained cold, much like Cedric’s sneer at her from the stairs.
Yvonne finally seemed to understand the source of Carlyle’s strange hostility.
It was his disdain for nobility.
Cedric watched the situation calmly while sipping wine. Meeting his indifferent eyes over the glass somehow gave her courage.
Yvonne replied nonchalantly, pretending not to know Carlyle’s intentions.
“Humble? You are being too modest. Even in my house, we rarely dress like this. I will enjoy the meal.”
She lifted the corners of her mouth slightly and smiled gently with her eyes.
It wasn’t difficult to act like a proper future granddaughter-in-law. Every moment of pretending to be the noblewoman Yvonne required it.
At that moment, Cedric’s mouth seemed to twitch slightly, but by the time he lowered the glass, his expression returned to perfect neutrality.
Finally, the meal began.
The conversation flowed mainly with Catherine leading and Yvonne responding. Occasionally, Carlyle cut off Catherine’s attempts at agreement with brief words, but Derrick responded adequately, fulfilling the role of a decent listener.
Even in the same space, it felt as if they existed in a different time, like characters in a painting.
Yvonne glanced sideways at Cedric sitting across from her while she served the food.
Seeing him not even glance back, she felt as though she, not him, had become the figure in the painting.
Amid this strange atmosphere, Catherine crossed a subtle boundary.
“Cedric, now that it’s spring, how about going hunting with Derrick? It’s been a while.”
Only then did Cedric’s gaze shift toward Derrick and Catherine. His eyes were no different than when he looked at the steak in front of him.
“Father worried until his last days. I hope you two can support each other as brothers.”
Even though Catherine acted the gentle stepmother, Cedric didn’t respond much. He simply chewed a piece of steak while looking as if to say, “Say what you want.”
“If it feels awkward for the two of you alone, how about inviting Lady Yvonne too? Of course, she shouldn’t be alone, so her friend should come as well.”
Yvonne, sensing Catherine and Cedric’s dynamics, was startled by Catherine’s suggestion.
She had kept her answer pending, intending to ask Nadia first. But now, Catherine spoke as if Nadia’s attendance was already decided, as if she and Yvonne had already discussed it with Cedric.
Unable to deny or agree, Yvonne anxiously met Cedric’s gaze.
At that moment, a sly smile escaped his lips.
“Hunting, huh.”
Two brothers and two women. Among them, two were engaged.
The reason Catherine involved Yvonne to complete the pair was clear, yet Cedric nodded lightly.
“That sounds nice. It’s been a while.”
Even just to see the impudent face of the woman cooperating with his stepmother’s plan.
Bang!
A sharp gunshot shattered the forest’s silence. Birds flew in panic, and the peace of the woods vanished.
Cedric lowered his gun after seeing a deer collapse, bleeding from the muzzle. He felt heat emanating from the barrel.
Derrick approached him.
“Next shot, why not let me have it? Anyway, it seems you’ve won again.”
The younger brother, always anxious to surpass his elder half-brother, always needed to take what he had and win the contest. Yet Derrick had never beaten Cedric. Not even once.
That Derrick didn’t care about the hunt’s result today probably meant he was confident in his own victory—the fiancée waiting at the forest’s edge would be the decisive factor.
“Well, I think I’ve already gone easy on you enough.”
Cedric stared at his half-brother’s stiffened face with dry eyes before striding ahead. Derrick followed.
The brothers ventured deeper into the forest. Derrick spoke first after a while.
“I think the two of them suit each other well.”
Cedric glanced sideways instead of questioning.
“You mean you and Lady Lopez? And Yvonne seems to like her too.”
Yvonne.
The way his half-brother addressed his fiancée had become as intimate as that of a loving couple.
“No? Too much for you, perhaps?”
Derrick muttered to himself, his malice clear in his gaze. Just like when he had been clumsy as a child.
Cedric responded leisurely, a cold smile curling on his lips.
“Too much. Just a card to use to beat you alone.”
A chilly wind blew between the brothers.
At that moment, the bushes rustled, revealing a small shadow hiding in them.
Derrick seemed to hope Cedric would go easy, but that was not in Cedric’s nature.
He quickly and skillfully reloaded his gun. While Derrick was a step slower, the prey appeared through the bushes.
It was a young rabbit, not fully grown.
The color of its fur reminded Cedric of a woman’s hair that had once tickled his chin.
The muzzle aimed at the rabbit hesitated for a moment. Cedric let out a crooked smile as he realized his momentary hesitation.
But the hesitation was fleeting.
He pulled the cold, merciless trigger.
Bang!
Yvonne shivered involuntarily at the gunshot from the forest.
Every gunshot made her heart sink as if she had been shot herself. Eventually, she even spilled the grape juice she had been drinking.
“Oh my, are you okay, Yvonne?”
“Ah, sorry. I’m fine.”
“Sounds like you’re not used to guns. Perhaps the duke didn’t take you hunting often?”
“I haven’t gone out much, as I haven’t been feeling well.”
The lie came easily now.
Yvonne concocted a plausible excuse and began cleaning the juice stains on her dress. But the longer she rubbed, the deeper the stain set.
Cindy, realizing the situation late, stepped forward to help. Nadia watched silently, then spoke.
“Thank you, Yvonne.”
Yvonne looked up at the sudden words, her green eyes blinking in surprise.
“You made this moment possible today. Thanks to you, I got a step closer to Sir Cedric.”
Nadia’s faint smile radiated the pure happiness of a young woman in love, brighter than Yvonne had ever seen.
Somehow, Yvonne felt uneasy. This moment had been created independently of her intentions.
“Not at all. The Glaston family made this happen.”
Before Nadia could respond with thanks or rebuttal, Yvonne stood up from her seat.
“I’ll just quickly remove this stain.”
“Why not leave it to the maids later?”
“It’ll only take a moment.”
Yvonne smiled gently, as if comforting Nadia who had to wait alone, and stepped into the woods with Cindy.
After walking a little, they reached the stream they had noticed earlier.
They began cleaning the stain by the water. Though it lightened somewhat, the deeply set mark wouldn’t easily come out.
“Sorry, Cindy. I’m troubling you.”
“No, it’s my job, really.”
Watching Cindy frown and struggle, Yvonne suddenly remembered something and let out a small gasp.
“Cindy, you brought lemon water today, right?”
“Yes, I think so… Ah!”
Cindy finally realized Yvonne’s intention. Lemon could remove the stain effectively.
“Right, the lemon! Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll be back in a moment, Lady. Please wait a little.”
Cindy quickly ran off.
Watching her leave, Yvonne realized she was now alone as the birds’ calls echoed.
“So quiet…”
The forest, filled only with the sounds of birds and water, was eerily peaceful.
It had been a long time since she felt such calm. Ever since coming to the capital, she always had to exist as ‘Yvonne,’ wherever she went, whatever she did.
‘I hope Cindy returns slowly.’
Yvonne stared blankly at the newly green leaves and the sliver of blue sky above, then lowered her gaze to the stream.
She had impulsively removed her shoes. Confirming that no one was around, she dipped her bare feet into the stream.
“Cold…”
Though it was spring, the stream was still bone-chillingly cold.
Until two years ago, she had managed to do laundry even in the harsh winter. Had she grown accustomed to the life of a noblewoman so quickly?
Yvonne mocked herself as she stirred the water lightly with her toes.
To prevent herself from becoming accustomed to this fragile yet cozy life. And to remember who she truly was.
At that moment, she sensed a presence, just as she had gotten used to the cold.
“Cindy?”
Yvonne turned around with delight, only to freeze.
Cedric, seemingly returning from hunting, was approaching her.
