CHAPTER~33
A Clear Answer
Cedric’s eyes sank into a cold stillness.
It was not particularly surprising news.
After all, the last place Milena Wood had been seen was the Royal Hospital.
If anything, it was the news he had expected.
Even so, the news was hardly pleasant, because the woman in front of him was smiling brightly at this very moment.
“Good work.
You may go.”
Cedric dismissed Blan and approached Adel.
She was waving back at the child who had waved at her first.
Milena Wood was dead.
The woman no longer had any reason to pretend to be Yvonne Leroy.
No reason to marry Derrick, and of course, no reason to remain in Lucerne.
What should he do now?
He could help her escape just like this, or he could hide the news of her mother and wait until she married Derrick, then reveal the truth.
Was he hesitating over such an obvious answer because of an ill-fitting guilt, or…
Cedric stopped walking.
Somehow, Adel’s figure—left all alone among the crowd—looked faint, as though she might disappear if he looked away for even a moment.
As he remained frozen there, unable to take his eyes off her, she turned and their gazes met.
Her eyes were not shedding a single tear, yet they were filled with tears.
Like a child who had lost her way and didn’t know what to do.
***
Rain hammered against the carriage window.
The rain that seemed like it would stop soon had continued for hours.
Adel, who had been looking outside, turned her gaze to Cedric seated across from her.
“Should we move somewhere else?”
The man who had draped his jacket over her suddenly suggested they relocate.
Shivering in her wet clothes, Adel obediently followed his suggestion and stepped into the carriage.
Since boarding the carriage, he had remained silent, staring only out the window.
Not wanting to disturb his thoughts, Adel stayed quiet—until she finally spoke carefully.
“But… where are we going right now?”
Only then did Cedric’s gaze return to her.
“You ask quickly.
What if I had bad intentions?”
Perhaps because removing his mask had slightly disheveled his hair, his impression looked even sharper than usual.
He was certainly a dangerous man.
When she first met him at the train station, and even now—her opinion had not changed.
But he was no longer simply frightening.
At least, not anymore.
“You’re not that kind of person.”
“Even dangerous people pretend to be good at first.
They wait for the decisive moment.”
“But people like that would never warn me of it.”
Caught off guard by the unexpected blow, Cedric halted briefly before laughing under his breath, as though conceding defeat.
The woman looked straight into his eyes without a flicker of hesitation.
She dared to say she trusted him.
A tiny thing that could disappear under his jacket, yet bold in strange ways.
She seemed innocent, yet oddly spirited.
And while that innocence was endearing, he did not particularly like it.
“From now on, be more suspicious of people.
It’s best not to trust anyone to begin with.”
Even after his warning, her eyes remained clear.
After staring into those eyes for a moment, Cedric added belatedly:
“We’re going to a hotel.
You should warm up, and… we need to talk.”
The carriage pushed through the strengthening rain until it finally came to a stop.
Cedric got out first, and Adel—about to follow immediately—saw the hotel building and hurried to put her mask back on.
Cedric watched her quietly but said nothing, simply waiting.
Once she finished putting on her mask, Adel accepted his escort as she stepped down from the carriage.
Because the hotel was near the exposition grounds—and because of the bad weather—they had worried there would be many people, but fortunately, the carriage had stopped at the back entrance.
“Welcome.”
When they entered the hotel together, the manager recognized Cedric and approached.
He did not even glance at Adel, speaking only to Cedric.
It wasn’t rudeness but rather a respectful indifference.
Had this proud man come here with other women before?
The thought crossed her mind, but she dismissed it.
It was meaningless curiosity—and unrelated to her.
After finishing his conversation with Cedric, the manager went somewhere and returned with a key, which he handed over.
Cedric took it and gestured to Adel.
She followed him into the elevator.
As it began moving, Adel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Huh—”
Startled by the vibration beneath her feet, Adel instinctively grabbed Cedric’s sleeve.
A primal fear of a device she had never encountered before.
Feeling the tug, Cedric looked back at her, and their eyes met.
“Ah… sorry.”
As Adel tried to let go in embarrassment, his voice fell quietly over her head.
“Is it your first time?”
Perhaps the elevator was simply too small—his voice sounded lower than usual.
“You can hold on.
If you’re scared.”
He turned his gaze forward again, seemingly indifferent.
But Adel did not grab him again.
It felt foolish to be frightened by something so trivial.
Instead, she sneaked a sideways glance at the man beside her.
Suddenly, his earlier words in the carriage surfaced in her mind.
“The thing we need to talk about… is it about my mother?”
The only important matter between them was that.
The thought made her heart pound with anxious expectation.
Soon, the elevator stopped.
Adel followed Cedric into the suite.
The room was as luxurious and large as the one she was currently staying in as Yvonne.
It felt wasteful to spend only a few hours in a place like this.
Sitting on the sofa, Adel removed her mask.
She watched Cedric light the fireplace, then cautiously spoke.
“The thing you wanted to talk about… is it related to my mother?”
Cedric turned toward her once the fire caught.
Expectation and anxiety shimmered visibly in Adel’s eyes.
“Yes.
It’s about your mother.”
“Did you find her…?”
Her voice trembled.
So did her green eyes stare at him.
He had to decide now.
Whether to help this innocent, pitiful woman escape, or use her as a card to drag Derrick down.
Either way, it was a choice without regret.
…Or so it had been.
At least until he saw her eyes reddening as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
Until another way to use her occurred to him.
“…No, not yet.”
The words flowed smoothly.
“The last sighting was at Sorento Station.
It seems we need a little more time.”
“Ah…”
“I thought you’d be waiting for news.”
It didn’t sound like a lie.
The emotions in her eyes drained all at once.
After lowering her gaze briefly, Adel finally spoke.
Her eyes were still wet.
Cedric watched her quietly for a moment before speaking.
“Take it off.”
Startled, Adel blinked.
He clarified:
“My jacket.
It’ll dry faster that way.”
Ah.
Only then did she realize she was still wearing his jacket.
As she took it off, Cedric handed her a towel.
“Thank y—”
But as soon as she accepted the towel, Cedric sat on the table directly across from her.
Close enough that their knees touched.
Adel looked up at him with startled eyes and met his gaze.
A shadowed darkness lingered in the blue eyes staring at her.
Like the deep sea.
“Do you trust me?”
Adel blinked blankly.
She had no idea why he was suddenly asking this.
His intention was unclear.
And the closeness of his leg against hers—his solid body even through the fabric—made it impossible not to be aware of him.
But she didn’t pull away.
It felt wrong to do so.
Looking into the quiet blue eyes waiting for her answer, Adel slowly nodded.
She trusted him.
She had to.
He was the only one who knew she was Adel, and the only person who had reached out a hand, promising to find her mother.
He let out a faint, humorless laugh.
“…It would’ve been better if you didn’t.”
By the time she realized his eyes weren’t smiling, their distance had already become far too close.
Close enough that their breaths touched.
“But it’s too late now.”
His large hand cupped her cheek.
In an instant, their lips met.
