"Master, I have received news that Cedric has woken up"
Ayana told Rex not too long after the eting with the city lords had ended and before long, he was beside the bed of Cedric who had woken up.
"Young master, I am sorry for bringing problems to you"
"It’s fine"
"Thank you young master for saving from harm’s way"
"I only have this life thanks to you young master"
Rex motioned him to stop him from thanking him.
"I have deposited the money you rightfully own to the treatnt of your wife"
"I can guarantee that your wife’s treatnt will be successful"
"Thank you young master"
Cedric almost got out of his patient bed in order to bow down and show with his actions of how thankful he was to him but Rex and Ayana were able to stop him from doing so.
"Young master, if you don’t mind asking"
Rex nodded and Cedric continued his question.
"Can I know why you go to such lengths for "
"Or rather what do I need to do for you young master"
"I am ready to serve you for the rest of my life but I just don’t understand what can this old man can bring"
"I just don’t want to disappoint the expectations you have"
Cedric said with cupped hands and guilty tone as if he had done a grave mistake.
"Before I say that, can you tell more about you and your wife"
"I believe you should know about her situation a bit"
Cedric sighed and nodded.
"I hope I don’t bore you, young master"
"My story starts from when I was young"
__ __ __
He was young once. His father owned a farm and in the countryside, his family could be said to be of the upper class. But only he and his father could experience it as his mother had passed away a few years back.
He worked alongside the other laborers, ploughing fields, tending to crops, and feeling the sun warm his skin day after day. The reason for this was the task given by his father. He knew his father wanted him to experience the life of ordinary folk.
In his early twenties, with a strong body and sowhat handso face that is at least in his village, he was terd as, he was a hit to all the girls in the village.
One morning, while ploughing the fields, he realized one of his farming equipnt had gone missing. It wasn’t long before he found the culprit. It was his dog. The dog was obedient most of the ti and he never treated it unfairly. He usually played with it after he had done his work and the dog’s way of ntioning him to play with it was getting one of his tools.
But sohow that day, the dog held the tool in its mouth, its tail wagging, but when Cedric reached out, it turned and bolted away. It was usually obedient and wouldn’t do this sort of thing which surprised and stunned the young Cedric.
"Hey! Co back, where are you going"
The dog ran around and led him into the woods, where the sunlight barely filtered through the canopy of leaves. Then, it stopped, dropping the tool, whining softly and touching sothing or rather soone with it’s nozzle. That was the first ti he t her.
A girl, lying unconscious among the roots of an old tree.
His breath caught. She was beautiful, her features were delicate. Her clothes were nothing short of extraordinary nothing like the clothes that were usually worn in their countryside.
Her robes, were now in tatters. The fabric was unlike anything he had ever seen, embroidered with intricate silver patterns that shimred even under the dirt and dried blood. The sleeves, though torn, still held an elegance and it seed like it was flowing like the robes of nobility. There were deep gashes along the fabric, especially near her shoulders and back, where the cloth had been shredded. Crimson stains covered much of it, so fresh but most already hardened into dark patches. It was clear the wounds had long since stopped bleeding.Her boots were scuffed and worn from long travel, the soles covered in mud and dust, as though she had wandered endlessly before collapsing. Her hair, though dishevelled, didn’t reduce her beauty with a few of her strands sticking to her pale skin where sweat and blood had dried.
Cedric was stunned and just looked at her for a long ti. He had never seen such a beauty in his entire life. The dog woofed in response as if to urge him to act.
"Yea, right"
Cedric finally snapped back to reality. He patted his dog’s head and said.
"Good boy"
"I will give you a treat once we get back"
Then, without hesitation, he lifted her onto his back and made his way ho.
When he returned to the village from the woods, his father was already looking for him. "There you are!" The old man scolded.
"So of the workers said you ran off into the woods"
"Are you slacking off? If you wanted a break, you should’ve just said so—"
His words trailed off when he saw the beauty draped over Cedric’s back.
"Oh?"
His father rubbed his chin and grinned.
"You should’ve told you had a girlfriend"
"If you had, I would’ve let you off work"
Though Cedric was a hit to the girls in his village, he never really got interested into them which worried his father who didn’t want him to be alone for his entire life. Now seeing him bringing back a girl, he was absolutely happy.
"Dad, I found her unconscious in the woods"
He explained to him of the details and they went to the village doctor to treat her. When the girl finally woke, she spoke little. Her words were hesitant, sparse. She gave no clear answers about who she was or where she ca from. But Cedric and his father took her in anyway. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and she remained in their ho. They called her Emily and the girl didn’t reject being called by such.
His father wasn’t blind he saw the way Cedric looked at her and knew that he didn’t have to worry about his son anymore.
"You lad, why are you taking so long"
"I know you like her, go for it"
During he father and son ti they had going around the farms and checking up on things, his father suddenly said.
"Emily is quite a beauty, there are plenty of young n in the village who are entranced by her"
"Even that boy Luke liked her"
"He even confessed to her, I guess she is still thinking about it"
The old man said with a sigh as if grieving for the loss of a daughter in law. Upon hearing that, Cedric finally reacted, Luke was his so called rival, the other party was a pretty boy and everyone compared him and Luke for the number 1 of their list every ti. Cedric left his father instantly and confessed to Emily. He was ... ruthlessly rejected.
"No"
She only said a word yet it sent a shock to his entire body.
"Then what about Luke, do you like him"
"Who?"
Emily tilted her head and didn’t know who he was talking about. He finally understood that it was his father who lied to him. But he didn’t get mad at him, he knew that his father was doing it for his own good and after he himself had confessed, Emily went with the other girls to do so work. While she was doing her work, Luke ca to him and Cedric heard the talk they had between them.
"Emily, I like you, please be my girlfriend"
Unlike him, who asked for so ti with her personally, Luke openly confessed to her in front of everyone.
"No, who are you again"
The young and spirited Luke beca a deflated balloon and choked on his words.
"You.. you don’t rember "
"Sorry, I don’t know you"
She bowed her head and told in a dubious tone but it made Luke take step back.
"This couldn’t be"
"I am Luke, the one and only"
"The most handso man in the village"
"No"
"Huh, you don’t think I am the most handso man in the village"
"Then na soone, who can be more handso than "
"Cedric"
"I thought Cedric was more handso than you"
Emily just said in a flat tone but it was like a knife which pierced the heart o the young Luke and he ran away. Cedric could have swore that he saw so tears in the corner of his eyes. He didn’t know whether to feel good in relief or feel bad for a fellow compatriot. He thought back to his rejection and went back to his father to see whether he still needed help. The old man upon seeing his son like a deflated chicken, couldn’t help but look at him with a sigh.
"You know son, you need to take defeat from ti to ti"
"Digest it and make it the strength to beco the better you"
"Then, she might see sothing in you"
"When I was your age, I chased your mother for more than ten tis only on the eleventh ti did she accept "
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