The Whipping Maid of House Calley - Chapter 133

He shouldn’t have gotten angry.

At the words that being by his side was an ‘abyss,’ he lost his composure.

“If you feel deceived, I’ll apologize. You might not believe it, but I was going to explain everything before it all ended. Until then, I needed to keep you bound.”

Was her nickname ‘Donmishei’?

The maid he thought only cared about money was caught in a more complicated situation than he expected.

Every man around her was suspicious or of poor character. He needed time to grasp their movements.

So Cedric judged it would be better if he played the villain a little.

It was a judgment made in the name of helping Sheila, yet it didn’t consider her feelings at all.

As always, there was also his arrogant belief that if he made the right decision, others would eventually follow.

After wiping her tears at his explanation, Sheila straightened her clothes and stood up.

“Listen more.” He grabbed Sheila’s wrist.

Sheila didn’t look at him. Then she spoke coldly, “I don’t want to.”

Sheila shook off his hand.

“Sheila!”

“I’ll be going.”

With those short words, Sheila fled his room as if escaping.

Cedric couldn’t catch her as she moved farther away.

Left alone in the room after she left, Cedric ran a hand over his gaunt face and paced.

“Damn it!”

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. His relationship with Sheila was only getting worse.

‘Then should I have let her commit murder?’

No matter how he thought about it, it made no sense. How was she supposed to deal with the aftermath….

It wasn’t just a matter of getting caught in an investigation or not.

She only acted tough. In reality, she was easily frightened and soft-hearted.

‘Even if I asked her directly, she wouldn’t have told me honestly.’

So he handled it on his own.

He never intended to possess her that way. He only meant to save her.

‘Was that so wrong?’

He had investigated Sheila thoroughly. Her past, her present, even the people around her….

‘Did I miss something?’

A strange sense of unease suddenly struck him.

No matter how he thought about it, Sheila’s reaction had been excessive.

“It was something I had to resolve! It was my revenge!”

Revenge…?

Fred hadn’t treated Sheila well, but was it really right to call it ‘revenge’?

Only then did Cedric recognize the sense of incongruity he had overlooked earlier.

Sheila started saving money long before Fred tried to sell her.

Most of the money she earned through hard work was sent to Fred, but even so, talking about ‘revenge’ still felt strange.

Most maids sent money back to their families.

At that moment, Duker’s words from the previous day suddenly came to mind.

“…Her face is prettier than that Fabiola bitch. Should’ve picked her from the start?”

Could it be….

Was ‘picking’ not about choosing a bride?

Come to think of it, Duker also mentioned Fred.

“No, maybe I should’ve dealt with that fucking bastard Fred first.”

A bad feeling passed through him.

As soon as dawn broke, Cedric gave Rufus an order.

To investigate Sheila’s older sister again. Especially how she ended up marrying Duker.

***

Even after her fever went down, Sheila couldn’t get out of bed.

Molly continued to take care of her.

After finishing the meal Molly fed her, Sheila sat blankly before suddenly asking.

“What about the young lady?”

“I told you, I’m the Young Count’s maid now. He said he has nothing for me to do, so I should just take care of you.”

“Ah, right.”

Sheila replied in a tone that said it didn’t matter, then stared blankly into the air again.

Molly looked at her with pity.

There was no trace of the bright, lively Sheila from before.

She looked as if she’d used up a lifetime’s worth of strength over the past few years, like an old person who had lived through everything.

As soon as Sheila collapsed from illness, Molly became Cedric’s personal maid.

Though she was called Cedric’s maid, in reality her task was to take care of Sheila.

Because Sheila refused Cedric’s care.

In other words, if Sheila hadn’t rejected him, the Young Count Cedric would have been the one caring for the maid Sheila.

Through this, Molly realized the nature of their relationship. But she didn’t know what had happened to leave Sheila in this state.

Then again, judging by how the Young Count treated Sheila, his devotion couldn’t have been greater.

Come to think of it, Cedric’s declaration that he wouldn’t marry might also be because of Sheila.

Molly learned about Cedric’s decision not to marry at a family meal.

Bernard harshly criticized Cedric, who wasn’t present.

“For the one who’s supposed to be the heir to say he won’t marry. This is why proper upbringing matters.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to subtly shift the blame onto me again while talking about upbringing?”

“Ahem, think whatever you like.”

“This old man is unbelievable!”

In any case, no matter how devoted the distinguished Young Count was, considering the state of Count Calley and his wife, it wasn’t a good situation for Sheila.

Even if Sheila felt the same, she wouldn’t be able to marry the Young Count and would have to live like a shadow for the rest of her life.

“Right, I’m sorry I couldn’t repay the money. I have some saved in Holzeroad, so as soon as I get it….”

“You’ve already said that several times.”

At Molly’s reply, Sheila closed her mouth.

Should she have just pretended it was the first time hearing it?

But Molly was worried about how Sheila had changed.

Not only was she lying there all the time, but whether she didn’t remember or simply didn’t care, she kept repeating the same things.

She sometimes took short naps, but it didn’t seem like she was getting proper sleep.

Knock, knock.

The one who appeared at the sound was the physician Adriana.

“Sheila, how are you feeling? Have you eaten?”

As Adriana entered, Sheila turned her head away entirely.

“She ate just a little earlier. Not much, just a bit.”

“I see. Could you give us a moment alone?”

At Adriana’s words, Molly nodded in understanding and stepped outside. She carried a tray with the leftover food Sheila hadn’t finished.

Cedric was standing outside the door.

When he saw Molly, he placed his index finger to his lips.

It meant to stay quiet.

Nodding, Molly deliberately left the door slightly open and headed downstairs with the tray. She could feel Cedric’s gaze as he checked how much food remained.

***

“Sheila, why did you leave so much food? Do you not have an appetite? Let me check for a moment.”

Adriana checked Sheila’s temperature and pulse and examined her condition, despite receiving no response.

“Your temperature is normal and your pulse is stable. Is there anywhere that hurts?” Adriana asked.

It had already been three days since the fever went down. Adriana had reported to the Young Count that the patient would be up soon, but Sheila was still confined to her bed. It wasn’t as if she had any underlying illness to begin with.

“No.”

“You can’t even get up right now. It doesn’t have to be pain, so tell me your symptoms.”

Adriana couldn’t back down like this. Otherwise, she’d have nothing to say to the Young Count, who would question her in detail.

“I just feel a bit low on energy and want to rest. Is that not allowed?” Sheila replied irritably, conscious of the slightly open door.

Noticing her gaze, Adriana spoke as if to soothe her, “No. If you want to rest, you should rest. But I’m a physician. No matter who it is, if someone lies in bed for days like you, I’ll ask the same thing. What symptoms are making you stay in bed like this?”

At Adriana’s words, Sheila softened a little and said in a sullen tone, “If I had to point something out, my head hurts a little. It’s not that bad…, ha….”

After saying a few words, she let out a sigh again as if it were bothersome.

Adriana waited silently, and after a long while, Sheila spoke again.

“I feel a bit dazed too. The reason I can’t get up is because I don’t want to. That’s why. I don’t want to do anything and I don’t want to say anything. I’m just tired and want to rest. I know my own body. There’s nothing wrong with me. I don’t need medicine, so could you just leave?”

Despite Sheila’s plea, Adriana didn’t give up and kept her talking a little longer.

Outside, listening to that, Cedric rubbed at his lips.

He was reminded of how she used to exaggerate her symptoms in front of the old physician Watkin.

“My whole body aches and I’m cold…. My head hurts, my stomach hurts…, and my throat hurts too. I have no appetite and it feels like I can’t digest anything…. I sometimes see or hear things that aren’t there.”

“Stop talking nonsense and only tell him what your real symptoms are.”

He wished he could dismiss it as nonsense like back then.

“It all sounds like you’re faking it.”

If only everything she was saying now were just an act.

Unable to bear listening any longer, Cedric turned and walked back to his room.

A little later, Adriana entered Cedric’s room.

Adriana was a female physician Cedric had arranged to take care of Sheila in place of Watkin, the family’s regular doctor. She had followed in her father’s footsteps to become a physician. Having grown up watching treatments from a young age, her experience and skill were outstanding for someone her age.

But even for Adriana, this patient and the guardian who entrusted her with the patient weren’t easy.

“How long is she going to stay like that? Didn’t you say she’d be up soon?”

Under Cedric’s pressure, Adriana replied in a blunt tone, “That’s what I thought when the fever went down. I didn’t account for the patient’s mental state.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’d like to ask you, Young Count. Does Sheila’s condition look like a physical illness to you, or a mental one?”

Cedric, gaunt, looked at Adriana with dry eyes.