The Consequences of Having a Master-Servant Relationship With a Yandere After Reincarnation - Side Story 7

Side Story 7 – Cedric Aldington’s Story

My wife had a weak constitution.

Compared to me who looked fierce, my wife, while she looked beautiful, she also looked fragile. In fact, she seemed so fragile that I was afraid that I would break her if I ever touched her. Her smile was gentle, yet it seemed so weak and delicate. Whenever I saw her smile, while I would bask in happiness, the fear of losing her would creep up inside of me and made me feel anxious. 

Her name was Giselle Laine, the only daughter of a tavern owner.

Giselle rarely came to the tavern, she only went there to help her father out whenever she was feeling well. Both of her parents loved her, and I could tell by looking at her that she loved them back.

I went to the tavern whenever I had spare time. I didn’t know when Giselle would show up at the tavern, that was why I went there as often as I could.

My effort paid well in the end, she remembered my name and face. Though it was probably because of my family name, Aldington.

“Giselle, you’re beautiful.”

“You’re such a tease, Cedric-sama.”

“You could call me Cedy, if you want to.”

It didn’t take long for us to become lovers. I was persistent in my effort, she eventually accepted me as her partner, albeit half-heartedly.

I didn’t mind that. I wanted to be her lover, even if she didn’t actually love me, it was better than having her fall into the hands of another man.

We didn’t hang out much like normal lovers did. She was sickly and the days that she could come out of her house were limited. Only on the rare days when she came out into the tavern could we exchange words, hold hands, and share a passionate kiss, of course, we did it under the watchful eyes of the tavern’s owner and customers. Any other days, I could only sit by while hoping that I could see her again.

“Cedy, I don’t think I can see you ever again.”

One day, she suddenly said that to me.

I instinctively asked as despair slowly occupied my thought.

“Why?”

She let her troubled gaze wander around before she turned it to me.

“I’m sick of you.”

“You’re a bad liar.”

She wasn’t a good liar. With her eyes, covered in tears, trying to convince me with her lie, that expression of hers couldn’t fool me.

She grabbed my hand and whispered to me, her voice was trembling.

“My days are numbered, Cedy. Please, just forget about me.”

“…How much longer…?”

“I don’t know, but I have no more medicine left.”

“…”

It was then that I realized. It wasn’t that her days are numbered, she just gave up on living. Probably she was trying to kill herself.

The price of the medicine should be astronomical for her family, not to mention the price they had to pay when seeing a doctor. She didn’t want to inconvenience her parents any longer. While the tavern didn’t have a lack of customers, it wasn’t particularly crowded either, yet her parents were willing to throw an enormous amount of money for their beloved child.

“…I’ll buy you the medicine.”

“You will?”

“Yes.”

“I have to refuse.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to trouble you.”

“I didn’t say I’ll give it to you for free.”

I hated myself for doing this, but I wanted her, no matter how much I would hate myself because of it, I still wanted her.

“I’ll even let you see a doctor.”

But…

“In exchange, you have to give yourself to me.”

I pulled her arm and told her parents my intentions.

I’ll give her the medicine and let her see a doctor, but as compensation, I’ll take their daughter as my wife.

The Laine couple fiercely opposed it. Don’t be silly, we’re not selling our precious daughter to you, we’ll pay the medicine and the doctor ourselves, don’t you dare to get near our daughter again.

Since then, they stopped letting Giselle come to the tavern, and in addition, they banned me from entering the premises of the tavern. I was impressed. It required a lot of guts to mess with someone with a Viscount title. I guess the couple loved their daughter that much.

But I was still a Viscount, with my power, I found out where they lived almost immediately.

“I’ll ask you this. You can take my hand and be my wife, or you can die and make your parents sad? Which will you choose?”

When the Laine couple was at work, I snuck into their house.

A puzzled look came over her face as she replied.

“Then, please let me stay with you.”

I understood my own sin. I took her away from her parents. I kidnapped her in the broad daylight and then I locked her up in my house to let her rest.

How foolish I was, I cursed myself daily.

How foolish I was, forcing this relationship through blackmail, taking her away from her parents, robbing her of her own parents. I could never be forgiven.

Giselle whispered words of love to me, filled with her compassion, but even that felt painful. The words that were supposed to be sweet like honey, hurt me like poison instead.

I wanted her to love me, but at the same time, I reminded myself that I had no right to be loved by anyone.

That was why, when she said that, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

—I want to have a child with you.

Giselle said to me.

It was two years after we had been together. I had never done anything more with her than the thing I had done when we were still lovers. It was terrible that I hadn’t done anything for her because of my cowardice.

“I don’t need a child, I just need you.”

“But I want it. I want to have a child with the man that I love. Or perhaps I am so unattractive that I couldn’t even tempt your desire?”

Looking back, it was foolish of me to not believe in Giselle’s love back then.

“Cedy, if you truly love me, then, please do me a favor and believe in me. I love you. It was definitely hard for me to say goodbye to my parents, but without you, I would have died alone. My love, please think of me more than I think of you.”

Soon, our lovely daughter was born. She was intelligent and clever, just like Giselle. She grew up quickly and being with her brought joy to my life. Both of us were prideful of our daughter and Giselle loved her as much as she loved me.

But, by the time our daughter reached her third birthday, Giselle’s condition worsened to the point that she could suddenly pass away at any time. She couldn’t even get out of her bed anymore.

“Please make arrangements for my funeral.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

That was the first time I yelled at my wife.

“Please listen to me. I have a lot to ask of you. You know the hill where we went together with Cecille? The hill where we gazed at the stars? I want you to hold my funeral there, and I want to be buried there too. Please.”

“But you are still alive!”

“This is just a preparation. I’m a horrible woman. I just want you to focus on grieving for me instead of busying yourself arranging my funeral. This is a terrible thing to say, but I want you to mourn for me.”

I didn’t want to listen to her. But still, that was the rare time when she went out of her way to request something from me.

“…Alright.”

There was no way I could ignore it.

*   *   *

I still didn’t know whether my decision to take in Carlyle’s son was right or not.

I was never bothered by him, rather I found myself smiling whenever he showed his similarity to Carlyle, who used to be a good friend of mine.

The longer we spent our time living together, the more he became like a family to us. To me and my wife, he was like a son, and to my daughter, he was like a brother.

But then, I noticed something. The passionate gaze that he sometimes showed towards my daughter. His eyes, filled with obsession, reminded me of my past self. I even wondered if he would kidnap my daughter someday. Though, even if he did, I wouldn’t be able to blame him, since that was the thing that I had done in the past myself.

“Someday, that girl will find her love.”

“Who will?”

“Cecille.”

That time when we were alone, Giselle giggled as she told me that.

“Am I thinking about it too early?”

“…Will she gets kidnapped someday?”
“Are you remembering your past deeds now?”

I was worried about her. My daughter was too carefree, just like Giselle, also she inherited her good looks from me.

“It’s a simple matter, you know? You just need to accept this fact and prepare accordingly.”

“Admit that she’s going to fall in love? It’s not that simple.”

“That’s why I told you to just prepare yourself. Besides, isn’t Ashley a good boy? Wouldn’t he be better than some random guy that Cedy doesn’t know about?”

“It’s still not that simple…”

Still, when that day came… There would be nothing that I could do about it. Giselle’s words made the most sense. Besides, he was Carlyle’s son, they would have a happy family as long as an unexpected accident didn’t occur to them.

“Preparing myself, huh…?”

Those words reminded me of Giselle’s condition. I didn’t even want to think about it. Just how much time did she have left?

My wife, who was surprisingly perspective for the strangest thing, whispered I love you to me, over and over as I hugged her.

.

I remembered my daughter’s figure as she looked at his mother’s figure inside her coffin, without tears in her eyes. Though, I knew that it wasn’t like she is heartless or anything. She leaned against the servant who was wearing a dark and downcast expression near her, said a few words to the servant, and hurried over to me.

She reached out her hands to me, her cheeks fluttering, trying to make me smile.

“Father and mother, I love you both so much.”

She seemed to suddenly say something that was so out of place, but I guess she was just trying to cheer me up in her own way. She stretched her hands to me with her gaze fixed toward the sky.

…Ah… I see. So that was what she thinking. Her mother was watching over her, her previous servants, and me from the sky. Because she loved all of us.

“…”

Your father was so pathetic. He should have cheered you up since you were the child here, but he couldn’t do it. He failed to prepare himself for the inevitable. He couldn’t give up hope for everything to be alright. He wanted to see you as a bride, growing old to see your children alongside your mother, he was still clinging on that hope.

He truly was pathetic. He was a grown man, yet he was unable to stop his tears from falling.

Tomorrow, I’ll try to act properly as your father, but, until then, please allow me to cry for her.

The children went back first and went into the carriage.

A boy that resembled me hugged my daughter and looked at me in the eye.

“I’ll stay by her side, it’s alright.”

That was the time when I was sure that my daughter would choose this boy.

Though that was merely a vague feeling of mine back then.

TL: Iyo