Days bustling with activity passed by.
Keirsey had regained enough health to eat on her own, yet I continued to feed her.
Whenever I entered the room with a bowl of food, she would quietly watch until I brought a chair next to her. Before I could even speak, she would demurely join her hands in front of her, close her eyes, and open her mouth.
Even though I thought of suggesting, “How about you try eating by yourself today?” as I entered, that thought would naturally dissolve upon seeing her actions.
Certainly, if I were to broach the subject, Keirsey, unlike before, wouldn’t sulk at .
She would silently accept the bowl and eat by herself.
Knowing this made it even harder for to speak.
It wasn’t through conversation that decisions were made; rather, it was as if all the decision-making power lay with . Every word, every action beca more cautious.
I decided to continue this a little longer, until she got a bit healthier.
There were things I had to tell the twins. Hidden truths they needed to know while they were recovering.
About Sharon Payne.
About Judy and .
About the war.
Keirsey, who sotis wandered the castle looking for , might have sensed that sothing was going on. But since I had instructed to keep several facts secret from the twins, she probably didn’t grasp the full picture.
After taking care of Keirsey, I went to see Asena.
Asena didn’t particularly need to feed her.
Whenever I entered with a bowl of food, she naturally took it from .
We didn’t engage in any other conversation.
We just exchanged glances.
Asena, with her thinning arms, would spoon food into her mouth and just look at .
I could feel a multitude of emotions in her eyes.
I knew she wasn’t just looking at absentmindedly.
I didn’t avoid her expressive eyes, filled with various emotions, seeking to understand her thoughts even slightly. Asena, as if determined not to miss a single detail, kept her gaze fixed on mine.
It’s usually awkward to maintain eye contact for a long ti without speaking, even among close acquaintances.
We felt that awkwardness too, but at the sa ti, there was a sense of comfort.
It was like having a long, silent conversation.
Throughout her al, we remained like this, quietly.
Only when it ca ti for her last spoonful did Asena’s behavior slightly change.
She slowed down her eating. She began to look at more deeply.
I realized she was delaying because I would leave once the al was over.
“...Oppa has things to do.”
Only after I said this did she nod her head and finish her al.
Thus, another day passed in this way.
.
.
.
.
The next day, we received an unexpected visitor.
She entered our courtyard with only a few guards in tow.
Helen, Thein, a multitude of servants, Judy, and I awaited the arrival of these newcors.
From the heavy breathing of the horses, their weary eyes, and drooling mouths, it was evident how hard our guests had ridden to reach us.
The carriage, too, wasn’t a luxurious transport but rather one that seed more suited for carrying goods or cargo... its re appearance scread urgency.
Before the carriage even ca to a stop, she leaped out from the back.
It was a move that could have easily resulted in injury, given the number of moving horses, but she seed unconcerned.
This frantic behavior was new to . Clearly, the events that had befallen were having a significant impact on those around .
Upon seeing , Daisy’s calm expression—which she was trying hard to maintain—crumbled.
Without a word, she ran to and threw herself into my arms.
“...Daisy.”
“Ah...! Cayden...!”
While our household’s servants and the mbers of the Hexter family who had escorted Daisy might have viewed our eting as a dramatic reunion... I could sense that Daisy’s emotions were more complex than that.
The tremble in her body conveyed her guilt, the force with which she clung to spoke of remorse, and at the sa ti, there was a sense of relief that I was alive.
To unravel these complex emotions, it was right to move to a different place.
“Daisy, let’s move sowhere else for now.”
“.....”
After she stepped back from , she closed her eyes tightly and nodded.
A single tear fell from her closed eyes.
As I took her hand and turned to lead her away, Daisy stiffened.
“.....?”
Daisy’s eyes were fixed on Judy.
For a mont, she stood frozen, then she released the hand I was holding and gracefully and politely placed her hands on her waist.
She then bowed deeply, conveying profound gratitude.
“....Thank you... I am truly grateful... for saving Cayden, thank you so much..”
Judy, led by Daisy’s gesture, joined our conversation.
She took Daisy by the shoulders, helped her stand, and said quietly.
“....Let’s go inside to talk... I have...”
Judy paused, then continued slowly.
“...I have sothing to tell you too.”
****
Certainly, at first, I too felt a range of emotions.
Nobody expected Sharon Payne’s attack, and all the fault lay with them.
But after hearing how quickly the news of my assault spread by the Benthrock family, I wondered where the Hexter family had been.
Why hadn’t they sent help when I was struggling to survive, just a day’s journey away? This thought ca to when I returned to the Pryster estate and was resting alone.
Of course, our relationship was tied through a political marriage, and unlike Daisy, I didn’t have a deep connection with the Hexter family.
Still, the question lingered.
The answer ca quickly enough.
They found a body presud to be mine. They thought I was dead, so they didn’t send troops.
They believed I was dead, and with the Hexter family dealing with an epidemic and famine, they had no resources to spare. I could understand that.
What I needed, having survived, was a plausible and understandable explanation.
So that I could nod, thinking, ‘Yeah, it’s okay if that’s the case.’
I needed sothing that I could accept as reasonable.
Moreover, today, witnessing Daisy’s extrely remorseful expression as she disembarked from the carriage, it was clear without having to hear it: she had wanted to help .
Based on what I had read in the original novel of this world, I knew the epidemic plaguing the Hexter family was no trivial matter. Knowing Daisy was not one to betray soone, the knot in my heart unraveled quickly.
So, the issue was not with .
It was with Grandmother.
She had not spoken much about this subject, but I could easily discern her dissatisfaction from her darkening expression and sealed lips whenever the Hexter family was ntioned.
Her absence today, upon hearing of Daisy’s arrival, said it all.
When I suggested we go out to greet them, she declined with a tone suggesting it was obvious, asking, ‘Why should we?’
Therefore, it seed best to postpone the eting with Grandmother and just have a conversation among ourselves.
In the eting room, with a small round table, snacks and tea were prepared.
Judy, having ntioned she had sothing to say, followed us in and took her seat.
Daisy’s expression grew increasingly somber. Once everyone was seated and had caught their breath, she asked,
“....It seems everyone already despises ..”
It wasn’t hard to infer who ‘everyone’ referred to.
Grandmother, Asena, and Keirsey.
Considering they were nowhere to be seen despite our entry into the Pryster estate, Daisy must have felt an indescribable pressure.
“......”
I hesitated for a mont. The twins’ health was a topic for a slower discussion, and Grandmother’s anger was not unjustified.
Daisy swallowed her breath and suppressed her tears, knowing that it was ti for a conversation. In doing so, she forcefully held back her tears.
Even here, I could briefly see her resilience. Indeed, she was not one to be easily shaken.
“Cayden, this might sound like an excuse, but... I really tried to help... I truly did.”
“...I believe you. Take your ti and explain.”
“....My father... he was vehently opposed... He said we couldn’t help because of the situation in our domain...and when a body was found, he told us to give up...”
She clutched my hand tightly and brought it to her chest, looking into my eyes to convey her feelings.
“Even when I yelled... and got angry, my father insisted we couldn’t do it.... I even tried hiring rcenaries, but they all refused...”
“.......”
“I’m sorry... so sorry... I really wanted to help you... I never doubted you were alive... You said you would co back, didn’t you?”
I gripped her hand firmly, reassuring her again.
There was no anger left in , the apology marked the end of it.
Hearing the whole story from her dispelled any negative feelings I might have had.
I could understand.
“....It’s okay, Daisy. Look, I’m alive. I understand everything. You wanted to help after all.”
But her expression didn’t ease.
“...I really ssed up... I’m sorry for not being able to be of help... I’m ashad...”
“....Just have so tea for now. I’m really fine, so don’t worry too much.”
Her eyes, which had been on , slowly drifted to the ground.
The depth of her worries only seed to deepen.
With her head bowed, she clung to my hand for a long while, then whispered,
“..........What happens to us now?”
“.......”
I realized why her expression hadn’t brightened.
Unlike her, I believed our engagent wouldn’t be so easily dissolved, feeling quite different from her.
The sight of Daisy, fearing the end of our engagent, brought a smile to my face. This situation, in fact, made her feelings even clearer to .
Currently, she doesn’t know that I’m acting as the head of the Pryster family. She probably thinks I’ve been expelled from the Pryster family.
Could the decision of Lord Hexter not to send support to have been influenced by this aspect as well?
Regardless, even though I received help from the Pryster family, the fact that I was considered an outcast hadn’t changed. Daisy fearing the breakage of our engagent was, in a way, a pleasing fact for .
So, to reassure her, I began to speak.
“Don’t worry. Everything will turn out-”
“-But before that..!”
At that mont, another voice interjected.
It was Judy.
“...Dai...Daisy, before I saved Cayden’s life, I was promised sothing...”
Unlike Daisy, Judy’s voice lacked confidence. She might put on a brave front outside, but like during our first eting and even now, she beca timid in formal settings.
Tall and skilled with the sword, yet she was still fearful in situations like these.
Daisy, surprised by the voice of a presence she had forgotten, lifted her head to face Judy.
Imdiately after, she bowed her head again to express her gratitude.
“Ah, Judy. Once again, thank you-”
“-If I brought back Cayden, I was promised, pr...promised an engagent with him...!”
Their voices overlapped in the middle.
But it was clear they heard each other, as Daisy’s body stiffened imdiately after.
After a long pause, Daisy whispered back in disbelief.
“.......What?”
--- End Of The Chapter ---
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