Episode 128. Three days ago, that miserable day
After hearing the last servant's story, Tercia dismissed them all.
Leaving only one, Cedric's right arm, behind.
Tercia gazed silently at the man. Her sharp eyes scanned his face.
Just by looking at the numerous scars on his face, one could tell how difficult his life had been.
"You know where he went, right?"
Tercia's voice came quietly. The man shook his head, his expression impassive.
"The Master hasn't told me anything."
Contrary to Tercia's expectations, he consistently replied, "I don't know." However, Tercia couldn't hide her suspicions.
"He definitely knows something."
Cedric wasn't the type to just leave. And that wasn't the only strange thing.
It'd been three days since Cedric disappeared...
"Why don't you try to find him?"
Thud, thud, thud.
Her irregularly beating heart pounded like a struggle.
She had a bad feeling.
This situation was just too strange.
This man, who had been watching Cedric's every move, knew nothing.
'Do you really not know, or are you lying?'
Tercia's eyes wavered endlessly at the man's words, whose sincerity or falsehood was unclear.
Baku, on the other hand, looked at Tercia calmly, his eyes unreadable.
Their eyes met in midair.
Baku's gaze was clearly different from usual. She no longer felt the fierce loyalty towards Cedric. His empty eyes were utterly hollow.
What if this man, who had lived his entire life as Cedric's hunting dog, had betrayed her husband?
The unthinkable scenario made Tercia swallow dryly.
She reached for the glass on the table to quench her parched throat. But before she could even bring her lips to the teacup, her hand slipped.
With a thud, the teacup shattered into pieces.
“The cup Cedric gave me...!”
It was a gift Cedric had given Tercia for their 20th wedding anniversary.
“I’ll call the maid,”
Baku said matter-of-factly, staring at the shattered teacup.
He couldn’t answer Tercia’s question.
He had nothing to say.
No... nothing at all.
He wanted nothing more than to tell Tercia the truth about Cedric’s whereabouts right away, to get out of this situation.
“Don’t worry too much. The Master will be back soon.”
Je muttered, turning away. His shoulders looked incredibly weak as he turned.
He’d heard he’d be back soon, but Tercia had no intention of sitting quietly and waiting.
She gave orders to find out Cedric’s whereabouts and headed for Eric’s mansion.
Inside the carriage on the way to the mansion, she stared blankly out the window.
"You're making me suffer like this."
If he'd made this fuss over something so trivial, she wouldn't let it go.
She resented her husband, whose whereabouts were unknown, but at the same time, she thought to herself,
"Still... please come back safely, Cedric."
After hearing the last servant's story, Tercia dismissed them all.
Leaving only one, Cedric's right arm, behind.
Tercia gazed silently at the man. Her sharp eyes scanned his face.
Just by looking at the numerous scars on his face, one could tell how difficult his life had been.
"You know where he went, right?"
Tercia's voice came quietly. The man shook his head, his expression impassive.
"The Master hasn't told me anything."
Contrary to Tercia's expectations, he consistently replied, "I don't know." However, Tercia couldn't hide her suspicions.
"He definitely knows something."
Cedric wasn't the type to just leave. And that wasn't the only strange thing.
It'd been three days since Cedric disappeared...
"Why don't you try to find him?"
Thud, thud, thud.
Her irregularly beating heart pounded like a struggle.
She had a bad feeling.
This situation was just too strange.
This man, who had been watching Cedric's every move, knew nothing.
'Do you really not know, or are you lying?'
Tercia's eyes wavered endlessly at the man's words, whose sincerity or falsehood was unclear.
Baku, on the other hand, looked at Tercia calmly, his eyes unreadable.
Their eyes met in midair.
Baku's gaze was clearly different from usual. She no longer felt the fierce loyalty towards Cedric. His empty eyes were utterly hollow.
What if this man, who had lived his entire life as Cedric's hunting dog, had betrayed her husband?
The unthinkable scenario made Tercia swallow dryly.
She reached for the glass on the table to quench her parched throat. But before she could even bring her lips to the teacup, her hand slipped.
With a thud, the teacup shattered into pieces.
“The cup Cedric gave me...!”
It was a gift Cedric had given Tercia for their 20th wedding anniversary.
“I’ll call the maid,”
Baku said matter-of-factly, staring at the shattered teacup.
He couldn’t answer Tercia’s question.
He had nothing to say.
No... nothing at all.
He wanted nothing more than to tell Tercia the truth about Cedric’s whereabouts right away, to get out of this situation.
“Don’t worry too much. The Master will be back soon.”
Je muttered, turning away. His shoulders looked incredibly weak as he turned.
He’d heard he’d be back soon, but Tercia had no intention of sitting quietly and waiting.
She gave orders to find out Cedric’s whereabouts and headed for Eric’s mansion.
Inside the carriage on the way to the mansion, she stared blankly out the window.
"You're making me suffer like this."
If he'd made this fuss over something so trivial, she wouldn't let it go.
She resented her husband, whose whereabouts were unknown, but at the same time, she thought to herself,
"Still... please come back safely, Cedric."
She prayed that nothing would happen to him.
If he'd gone out with a knight, she wouldn't have been so worried.
Tercia got out of the carriage and went straight to Eric.
If he'd gone out with a knight, she wouldn't have been so worried.
Tercia got out of the carriage and went straight to Eric.
"Bring Eric here."
She ordered her maid and waited anxiously for Eric. She harbored a faint hope that Eric might know where Cedric had gone.
Every minute and second of waiting felt like a long time. Tercia opened and closed her fan repeatedly.
Frenzied by the repetition, Tercia finally closed it with a clank. Then she began to tap on the table.
The irregular friction made Tercia's feelings even more complicated. Soon, Eric entered the room.
The door opened with a creaking sound. Tercia jumped up and turned to Eric.
She was about to ask about Cedric's whereabouts when Eric's appearance made her mouth drop open.
"Eric... what's with your face?"
He looked utterly haggard, as if he hadn't slept in days.
The dark circles under his eyes were sunken. His once healthy, plump cheeks were now incomparably thinner and more sallow.
"It's nothing. I'm just a little tired."
"Didn't you sleep?"
Eric nodded absentmindedly and sat down on the sofa opposite Tercia. He rubbed his eyes and yawned repeatedly.
“You must have been up all night.”
She sighed deeply, watching her son grow more and more emaciated by the day.
“Your father and you, I always worry so much.”
“What’s wrong with my father?”
It was rare for Tercia to complain about Cedric.
“Ha, Eric,”
Whe sighed deeply and continued with a worried expression.
“Did Cedric ever say anything about going somewhere?”
“Is your father the kind of person who would tell me everything?”
If he had informed them unilaterally, he would have. Eric and Cedric weren’t close enough for private conversations.
Tercia’s despair deepened as she found no clues.
“Ha.”
A deep shadow fell over her face as she sighed, as if the earth were sinking.
"I have no idea where your father has gone. He hasn't been back to the mansion for three days now."
"He's not some three-year-old, and you're worried about everything."
Eric couldn't understand why his mother was worried about Cedric after only a few days of absence. It was none other than his own father, Cedric. He would hurt others, not someone to be easily taken advantage of.
"He must have come up with something urgent and had to leave for a while,"
Eric answered calmly.
"I've been tormented by my father all night, and now my mother is here too, what a mess."
He'd been having nightmares for the past few days.
His father, whom he didn't really want to see in real life, kept appearing in his dreams.
Because of this, Eric couldn't sleep properly. How painful it must have been to be punished even in his dreams.
"Is this why you came?"
"Eric. I have a really bad feeling about this."
"He'll show up as if nothing happened, so don't worry, Mother."
He stood up, leaving Tercia fidgeting.
"I'll go first. If you're really anxious, I'll send someone to ask around."
Eric pressed his temples and muttered halfheartedly.
He swung his long legs and left the room. He crossed the hallway and came out into the garden. Passing the garden and turning right, he found Eric's office.
Arriving in front of the office, he flung open the door.
Someone had already arrived in his office, where no one should be, and was waiting for him.
Eric's expression twisted in annoyance as soon as he saw the man. It was Baku, Cedric's right-hand man.
It was already unpleasant for him to enter his office without a word, but the fact that this man was his father's subordinate made him even more upset.
Eric glared at the man with a cold gaze.
"I told you not to enter my office without permission."
Eric's words of warning escaped him. Instead of answering, he stared blankly at Eric.
Was it an illusion that his empty eyes seemed somehow sad? His eyes, previously impassive, rippled like waves.
He looked as if tears were about to burst from his eyes.
“...Do you have anything else to tell me?”
“You entered my office without permission. What else do I have to say?”
“I’m asking if you have anything else to say to me about the Master...?”
Baku struggled to utter each word, looking at Eric.
“Are you here because of my father, too? Making a fuss over not seeing him for a mere three days? My father must be very fortunate. He has so many people around him who care about him.”
Eric sneered as he continued speaking to Baku.
“The person you should be worrying about isn’t him. I’m more worried about who he’s planning to harm. I don’t know anything about his whereabouts, so don’t bother me and get out of here.”
Baku’s expression was blank, as if he’d been struck by Eric’s answer.
“Are you going to pretend you don’t know about master’s whereabouts?”
Eric, are you shameless? Or...?
Baku trailed off and looked at Eric.
Baku knew Eric's secret. But Eric's expression showed no guilt.
He acted as if Cedric's disappearance had nothing to do with him.
Having witnessed the entire scene, he couldn't understand Eric's actions.
He forced his trembling lips shut, as if at a loss for words. Then, he looked at Eric in confusion.
Even if one were a reckless person, there was something one should never do.
That was betraying one's family.
As if to confirm, Baku spoke softly to Eric.
“The Count knows more about the Master than anyone else.”
A strong tremor was felt in his low, resonant voice. Eric’s expression sank sharply at Baku’s words.
“How ridiculous.”
Was he finally revealing his true colors? He swallowed hard and focused on Eric’s voice.
“Are you now passing your work on to me? You, not me, should know more about my father’s affairs. How can you not know the whereabouts of your master for three days?”
Eric lashed out at Baku with sharp words.
“I’m not particularly worried about my father, but if anything happens to his safety... I will make you pay dearly for failing to protect your master.”
Cedric growled and threatened. Baku couldn’t believe his ears. He had thought that if he pushed him this far, he would at least confide in him.
“Count.”
Baku called Eric in a low voice.
“Three days ago, that day. Do you know what I did?”
His eyes, shaking like aspen leaves, were fixed on Eric.
He believed Eric would repent and feel remorse for his sins. He hoped he would confess everything to him and apologize.
But for some reason, Eric remained brazen.
“What are you trying to say? I’m tired of beating around the bush, so just leave. I don’t want to hear your nonsense.”
Eric put his hand to his head, as if tired, and pointed to the door, not wanting to engage in any more pointless arguments with Baku.
“I cleaned up the bloody floor.”
Eric told him to leave, but Baku said what he wanted to say. Eric’s expression didn’t change at Baku’s words. Instead, it was this expression: “
What? So what?”
At Eric’s indifferent response, Baku trembled and raised his voice.
“You cleaned the bloody weapon! You destroyed the evidence!”
His wide eyes were focused squarely on Eric.
Eric frowned at Baku's outburst.
She ordered her maid and waited anxiously for Eric. She harbored a faint hope that Eric might know where Cedric had gone.
Every minute and second of waiting felt like a long time. Tercia opened and closed her fan repeatedly.
Frenzied by the repetition, Tercia finally closed it with a clank. Then she began to tap on the table.
The irregular friction made Tercia's feelings even more complicated. Soon, Eric entered the room.
The door opened with a creaking sound. Tercia jumped up and turned to Eric.
She was about to ask about Cedric's whereabouts when Eric's appearance made her mouth drop open.
"Eric... what's with your face?"
He looked utterly haggard, as if he hadn't slept in days.
The dark circles under his eyes were sunken. His once healthy, plump cheeks were now incomparably thinner and more sallow.
"It's nothing. I'm just a little tired."
"Didn't you sleep?"
Eric nodded absentmindedly and sat down on the sofa opposite Tercia. He rubbed his eyes and yawned repeatedly.
“You must have been up all night.”
She sighed deeply, watching her son grow more and more emaciated by the day.
“Your father and you, I always worry so much.”
“What’s wrong with my father?”
It was rare for Tercia to complain about Cedric.
“Ha, Eric,”
Whe sighed deeply and continued with a worried expression.
“Did Cedric ever say anything about going somewhere?”
“Is your father the kind of person who would tell me everything?”
If he had informed them unilaterally, he would have. Eric and Cedric weren’t close enough for private conversations.
Tercia’s despair deepened as she found no clues.
“Ha.”
A deep shadow fell over her face as she sighed, as if the earth were sinking.
"I have no idea where your father has gone. He hasn't been back to the mansion for three days now."
"He's not some three-year-old, and you're worried about everything."
Eric couldn't understand why his mother was worried about Cedric after only a few days of absence. It was none other than his own father, Cedric. He would hurt others, not someone to be easily taken advantage of.
"He must have come up with something urgent and had to leave for a while,"
Eric answered calmly.
"I've been tormented by my father all night, and now my mother is here too, what a mess."
He'd been having nightmares for the past few days.
His father, whom he didn't really want to see in real life, kept appearing in his dreams.
Because of this, Eric couldn't sleep properly. How painful it must have been to be punished even in his dreams.
"Is this why you came?"
"Eric. I have a really bad feeling about this."
"He'll show up as if nothing happened, so don't worry, Mother."
He stood up, leaving Tercia fidgeting.
"I'll go first. If you're really anxious, I'll send someone to ask around."
Eric pressed his temples and muttered halfheartedly.
He swung his long legs and left the room. He crossed the hallway and came out into the garden. Passing the garden and turning right, he found Eric's office.
Arriving in front of the office, he flung open the door.
Someone had already arrived in his office, where no one should be, and was waiting for him.
Eric's expression twisted in annoyance as soon as he saw the man. It was Baku, Cedric's right-hand man.
It was already unpleasant for him to enter his office without a word, but the fact that this man was his father's subordinate made him even more upset.
Eric glared at the man with a cold gaze.
"I told you not to enter my office without permission."
Eric's words of warning escaped him. Instead of answering, he stared blankly at Eric.
Was it an illusion that his empty eyes seemed somehow sad? His eyes, previously impassive, rippled like waves.
He looked as if tears were about to burst from his eyes.
“...Do you have anything else to tell me?”
“You entered my office without permission. What else do I have to say?”
“I’m asking if you have anything else to say to me about the Master...?”
Baku struggled to utter each word, looking at Eric.
“Are you here because of my father, too? Making a fuss over not seeing him for a mere three days? My father must be very fortunate. He has so many people around him who care about him.”
Eric sneered as he continued speaking to Baku.
“The person you should be worrying about isn’t him. I’m more worried about who he’s planning to harm. I don’t know anything about his whereabouts, so don’t bother me and get out of here.”
Baku’s expression was blank, as if he’d been struck by Eric’s answer.
“Are you going to pretend you don’t know about master’s whereabouts?”
Eric, are you shameless? Or...?
Baku trailed off and looked at Eric.
Baku knew Eric's secret. But Eric's expression showed no guilt.
He acted as if Cedric's disappearance had nothing to do with him.
Having witnessed the entire scene, he couldn't understand Eric's actions.
He forced his trembling lips shut, as if at a loss for words. Then, he looked at Eric in confusion.
Even if one were a reckless person, there was something one should never do.
That was betraying one's family.
As if to confirm, Baku spoke softly to Eric.
“The Count knows more about the Master than anyone else.”
A strong tremor was felt in his low, resonant voice. Eric’s expression sank sharply at Baku’s words.
“How ridiculous.”
Was he finally revealing his true colors? He swallowed hard and focused on Eric’s voice.
“Are you now passing your work on to me? You, not me, should know more about my father’s affairs. How can you not know the whereabouts of your master for three days?”
Eric lashed out at Baku with sharp words.
“I’m not particularly worried about my father, but if anything happens to his safety... I will make you pay dearly for failing to protect your master.”
Cedric growled and threatened. Baku couldn’t believe his ears. He had thought that if he pushed him this far, he would at least confide in him.
“Count.”
Baku called Eric in a low voice.
“Three days ago, that day. Do you know what I did?”
His eyes, shaking like aspen leaves, were fixed on Eric.
He believed Eric would repent and feel remorse for his sins. He hoped he would confess everything to him and apologize.
But for some reason, Eric remained brazen.
“What are you trying to say? I’m tired of beating around the bush, so just leave. I don’t want to hear your nonsense.”
Eric put his hand to his head, as if tired, and pointed to the door, not wanting to engage in any more pointless arguments with Baku.
“I cleaned up the bloody floor.”
Eric told him to leave, but Baku said what he wanted to say. Eric’s expression didn’t change at Baku’s words. Instead, it was this expression: “
What? So what?”
At Eric’s indifferent response, Baku trembled and raised his voice.
“You cleaned the bloody weapon! You destroyed the evidence!”
His wide eyes were focused squarely on Eric.
Eric frowned at Baku's outburst.
"That day, three days ago... the very day the Count went to see the Master!"
Baku, his anger seething, looked at Eric with desperate eyes.
"I know what the Count did. So... at least show some remorse."
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"That's your job, isn't it? To eliminate innocent people for power. Are you finally tired of the smell of blood?"
"Count!"
"You should tell that to my father, your master. Don't be so resentful. I'm a Count in name only, and I can do nothing for him. He's the real master of this Count's family, isn't he?"
"...Are you really going to do this? I saw it all that day. What happened to the Master and the Count?"
Eric's expression hardened at Baku's words. However, his expression wasn't one of shock or anything. Instead, it was one of resentment.
"Yes. You were always a bystander."
As a child, and even now.
He was the kind of person who watched everything from his father's side, yet never once offered help.
"Yes, that's a good point. I've always wondered what you were doing when I was being punished. What were you doing that prevented my voice from reaching you?"
"That's...!"
Baku started to say something, but Eric interrupted him and burst into anger.
"Three days ago! When I clung to my father's trouser leg, begging for my life!!"
Eric's enraged voice echoed. And then,
Bang!
Unable to control his anger, Eric slammed the desk hard.
A moment of silence passed.
A chill filled the room.
"You... what were you doing? Huh?"
Eric asked Baku, his face contorted with rage.
"You didn't do anything. You heard my screams that day and stayed silent. You saw everything... why didn't you do anything? It's not you who should be crying, it's me."
His voice, crushed by anger, trembled.
"Three days ago too... Father only stopped disciplining me after I collapsed. When I opened my eyes, I was in my room. I never dreamed I would end up in this situation, even as a grown man.”
Eric, unable to control his anger, left the office.
Left alone, Baku looked confused as he recalled his conversation with Eric.
Three days ago, Eric hadn’t collapsed. So why did he think he had collapsed?
An eerie feeling ran through his body.
Eric... somehow, it seemed like he couldn’t remember what happened that day.
Baku, his anger seething, looked at Eric with desperate eyes.
"I know what the Count did. So... at least show some remorse."
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"That's your job, isn't it? To eliminate innocent people for power. Are you finally tired of the smell of blood?"
"Count!"
"You should tell that to my father, your master. Don't be so resentful. I'm a Count in name only, and I can do nothing for him. He's the real master of this Count's family, isn't he?"
"...Are you really going to do this? I saw it all that day. What happened to the Master and the Count?"
Eric's expression hardened at Baku's words. However, his expression wasn't one of shock or anything. Instead, it was one of resentment.
"Yes. You were always a bystander."
As a child, and even now.
He was the kind of person who watched everything from his father's side, yet never once offered help.
"Yes, that's a good point. I've always wondered what you were doing when I was being punished. What were you doing that prevented my voice from reaching you?"
"That's...!"
Baku started to say something, but Eric interrupted him and burst into anger.
"Three days ago! When I clung to my father's trouser leg, begging for my life!!"
Eric's enraged voice echoed. And then,
Bang!
Unable to control his anger, Eric slammed the desk hard.
A moment of silence passed.
A chill filled the room.
"You... what were you doing? Huh?"
Eric asked Baku, his face contorted with rage.
"You didn't do anything. You heard my screams that day and stayed silent. You saw everything... why didn't you do anything? It's not you who should be crying, it's me."
His voice, crushed by anger, trembled.
"Three days ago too... Father only stopped disciplining me after I collapsed. When I opened my eyes, I was in my room. I never dreamed I would end up in this situation, even as a grown man.”
Eric, unable to control his anger, left the office.
Left alone, Baku looked confused as he recalled his conversation with Eric.
Three days ago, Eric hadn’t collapsed. So why did he think he had collapsed?
An eerie feeling ran through his body.
Eric... somehow, it seemed like he couldn’t remember what happened that day.
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