CHAPTER~35
Fever
She thought she couldn’t refuse him.
Because he knew her secret, and despite that, he pretended not to know and helped her.
But…….
‘Is it really because of Mother?’
Her worry for her mother, whose whereabouts—let alone life or death—were unknown, and her memories of Cedric Glaston tangled together and squeezed her chest tight.
Even in this moment, the heart pounding at the thought of him was already answering that question, but she didn’t want to know.
‘Horrible. I hate it.’
Unable to handle her own emotions, Yvonne curled up on the floor where she had collapsed.
Her whole body ached and burned as if she was being punished for forgetting her mother.
That day, Yvonne fell ill.
It was a fever.
Yvonne was bedridden for an entire week.
Even in her sleep she worried Cedric Glaston might come to see her, but he never did.
Only Derrick Glaston came by a few times, but since she was in no state to meet him, she considered that a relief.
“Please take your medicine, my lady.”
The medicine Cindy brought to the barely-recovered Yvonne was something Catherine had prepared.
Cindy believed it was simply medicine for Yvonne’s frail health, but Yvonne, knowing its true use, hesitated.
Normally she forced herself to take the unpleasant medicine, but today she couldn’t bring herself to swallow it.
“I’m sorry, Cindy.
I really can’t take it today.”
“You have to take it and get healthy so you won’t fall sick like this again.
Please close your eyes and just take it, yes?”
“I really can’t get it down today.
Could you ignore it just this once?”
“All the more reason you should take it…….”
Cindy was troubled, but in the end, she couldn’t resist Yvonne’s pleading eyes and stepped back.
“Then what should we do about going to the Glaston estate?”
Because she had collapsed, she had missed all of last week’s bridal lessons.
She knew she couldn’t avoid it forever, but she didn’t have the courage to face Cedric with a calm expression.
“I think it’s best to rest just for this week.
Could you deliver my letter to the Glaston estate?”
Yvonne wrote a letter of apology to Catherine and handed it to Cindy.
With this, she could avoid things for one more week, but she couldn’t keep skipping bridal lessons forever.
Not only Catherine, but Logan would disapprove as well.
And above all…….
‘If it’s not the day I’m scheduled to go to the Glaston estate, I can’t contact the detective agency.’
She couldn’t leave the search for her mother entirely in Cedric’s hands.
That had always been the case, but especially after everything that had happened.
‘To request the detective agency, I have to go to the Glaston estate next week…….’
At that moment, another method suddenly came to mind.
A way to contact the detective agency without going to the Glaston estate.
Yvonne hurriedly called Cindy, who was about to leave the room.
“Wait, Cindy!”
“Yes?”
“You said you had to go out today, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.
Is there something you need me to do?”
“I once bought a newspaper on credit from the newsboy, but I never paid him back.
Could you deliver the money to him for me?”
“Of course.
May I know his name?”
As the meal was wrapping up, Carlyle Glaston spoke first.
“There’s a luncheon at the palace today, isn’t there?
The diplomatic envoys will be there as well.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“Many of them must have daughters of marriageable age…….”
The way the elder looked at him made it obvious what he was implying.
Cedric Glaston, accustomed to such stares, wiped his lips and folded his napkin.
“I’ll try.”
“Cedric.”
“I have something to take care of before the luncheon, so I’ll excuse myself.”
He stood before his grandfather’s nagging could continue.
As he left the dining hall, he heard a familiar voice down the corridor.
“Yvonne says she still isn’t well enough to attend today.”
It was Catherine and Derrick.
Catherine was holding an envelope bearing the seal of House Leroy.
“Who suffers from a cold for more than ten days……?
And in summer too.
Could her childhood illness still not be fully cured?”
Cedric let out a quiet scoff.
Catherine and Derrick finally noticed him and turned at once.
“Even noble ladies sometimes want to be lazy.
Or……”
He passed Derrick, who glared at him with hostility, and added quietly:
“She might have a reason she doesn’t want to come.”
Derrick’s expression twisted.
But Cedric’s eyes were just as cold.
He knew Yvonne wasn’t avoiding Derrick—she was avoiding him.
If she continued to avoid him, there was only one option left.
When Logan arrived at the palace, many carriages were already lined up.
Most bore the crests of noble families, but many belonged to wealthy commoners.
The sight made Logan click his tongue.
A commoner dining with the king—unthinkable in the old days.
‘How far does he intend to drag down the authority of the crown?’
King Robert V had grown timid with age, always preaching peace and cooperation.
It was unbecoming for a king.
The crown prince, Arthur, however, had the ambition to assert royal authority.
That was why Logan served him.
The carriage stopped before the building.
When Logan stepped out, people quickly gave way, watching him carefully.
He was used to this.
Derrick was the only one who greeted him openly.
“It has been a while, Your Grace.”
“I see Lord Glaston did not accompany you.”
“My grandfather dislikes such gatherings.
Since I grew up under his care, I should act like a proper grandson now.”
The two entered the palace together.
“By the way, how is the young lady’s health?
My mother worries a great deal.
As do I.”
Though phrased as concern, Logan knew what he truly meant.
Whether Yvonne would be able to bear the Glaston heir.
Whether there was some defect.
“She is nearly recovered.
She will visit the estate next week as scheduled.
Tell your mother not to worry.”
They arrived at the banquet hall.
Both men’s expressions hardened.
At the end of their gaze stood Cedric Glaston, speaking with the king—the very symbol of the current era.
Logan looked at him with clear displeasure, then met Crown Prince Arthur’s eyes, bowed lightly, and sat.
The banquet began.
Though talks of diplomacy and trade were sprinkled about, it was mostly a gathering for powerful figures to socialize.
Lighthearted and pleasant on the surface, regardless of what calculations occurred behind the scenes.
Then the king suddenly spoke.
“By the way, Cedric, do you still not have a lady you intend to marry?”
The king’s gaze swept over the envoys and foreign merchants before returning to Cedric.
“I hear there are many beauties in Dusenne and Ribera.
Would you consider taking a foreign bride?”
Logan’s expression stiffened.
If Cedric gained a powerful in-law family, Derrick would suffer in the heir competition—and so would Logan’s access to Glaston funds.
‘Since when does the king act as a matchmaker?’
Crown Prince Arthur stepped in to ease the situation.
“I hear Lord Lawrence’s daughter is considered one of the greatest beauties in the Ribera Kingdom.
What do you think, Cedric?”
Madison Lawrence was a wealthy commoner of Ribera.
King Robert V had suggested a commoner preemptively, before Cedric could be matched with a foreign noblewoman.
But the answer he received was a polite refusal.
“It seems I’ve caused unnecessary concern for Your Majesties regarding my marriage.
I appreciate your consideration, but I fear she may be far too good for someone like me.”
“Do you perhaps already have someone in mind?”
King Robert V asked casually, but Cedric simply gave a vague smile.
“I will do my best to bring good news soon.”
At that moment, Cedric turned his gaze—and their eyes met.
