The Countess's Body Has Disappeared - Chapter 56

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 56
And so Davion sat down at the desk at once and picked up a pen.
In all his years, the only letter he’d ever written was a thank-you note scribbled for a school assignment more than a decade ago. He’d given that one to Blake, naturally.
He couldn’t remember what he’d written in it anymore. But the fact that Blake’s face lit up when he read it suggested Davion didn’t lack all writing ability.
He pulled out a stiff sheet of paper from the drawer, checked both sides, then rolled up his sleeve and pressed pen to paper.
My Dearest Cecilia
Hmm. That sounds like he’s fawning from the very start.
He shook his head as if wincing and hurriedly struck through the line.
Dear Cecilia
No, this feels wrong too. It’s not like he’s sending a casual greeting to an old friend.
‘If it’s this hard from the beginning, what am I supposed to do?’
He crumpled the paper mercilessly and threw it, then jerked the drawer open irritably. But as he reached for a fresh sheet, he stopped himself, bent down to pick up the wadded ball, and smoothed it out again.
He needed practice.
To Cecilia
I never intended to deceive you or treat you carelessly.
The reason I couldn’t be honest is because I wanted to grow closer to you
No. This is too…… It sounds like an excuse.
I was a coward.
I’m sorry. Can we talk when we see each other?
And Davion’s eyes lingered on the “I’m sorry” he’d pressed into the paper with such force.
He drew a line through it, then with trembling fingers wrote “I love you” beside it. But almost immediately he let out a hollow laugh and blotted it out savagely.
I love you? Are you insane? Have you earned the right to say something like that?
“Damn it…….”
He propped his elbows on the desk and dragged his hands roughly over his face. From his mouth, where the craving for nicotine was building again, came a groan tinged with self-loathing, riding on ragged breath.
Though it felt as if the day had started long ago, the desk clock’s hands had only just passed eleven.
He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and stuck it between his lips, then dropped his head onto the desk with a thunk.
Ah.
This day…… is far too long.
* * *
That letter remained unfinished in the end.
That night, as always, Davion dreamed of Cecilia.
He couldn’t tell if it was a nightmare or a pleasant dream. He only knew he’d tossed and groaned all night, and when his eyes fluttered open at the sound of birdsong, the room was already bright and his body drenched in sweat.
The sound of footsteps drew closer, accompanied by a metallic clink.
Had Aileen arrived already? The thought had barely crossed his mind when the curtains were yanked open and blinding light poured in.
“Ugh…….”
Davion’s face twisted in reflex. He curled onto his side and let out a long breath still heavy with sleep.
The approaching footsteps grew steadily clearer. He pulled the blanket up over his head and couldn’t help but whimper.
“I went to bed late yesterday…… Just five more minutes…… ”
“Get up.”
Davion’s eyes snapped open.
He immediately threw off the blanket. Sure enough, Cecilia was standing at his bedside, looking down at him with cool eyes.
Davion blinked rapidly, struggling to make sense of the situation.
……Am I still dreaming?
But everything felt too vivid for a dream. In disbelief, he reached out to touch Cecilia to confirm she was real—and then realized his state and hastily pulled the blanket up to cover his bare chest.
“You—what are you doing here…….”
“Your aunt Aileen had a traffic accident last night. The situation sounds serious, so the Lady of the House left early this morning to visit her. She asked me to give you this.”
Cecilia pulled a neatly folded note from her apron pocket and held it out. Davion accepted it with trembling hands and carefully unfolded it.
It contained the hospital address. The message was clear: go pay her a visit.
He folded the note and set it on the nightstand, then pressed his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut. A wave of dizziness rolled over him, probably from standing up too suddenly.
“So you’re taking over my bedroom duties instead?”
“Apparently.”
“What about your grandmother?”
Cecilia kicked a dumbbell that lay underfoot and rolled it toward the corner of the room, but said nothing for a long moment.
Davion’s lips, which had unconsciously begun to curve upward, slowly stiffened as he caught sight of her expression.
“Cecilia.”
“It’s not a major problem. The doctor came by the other day, and since her condition has gotten worse, she’ll be admitted to the hospital for a while.”
“What? Then it’s not not a major problem!”
But as Davion rushed to get out of bed, he suddenly remembered his state of undress and jumped back under the blanket with a yelp.
Cecilia, still busily rolling the second dumbbell, looked up at the commotion. Davion wrapped the blanket around his lower half, mustered an embarrassed smile, and pointed toward the sofa with one hand.
“Um, sorry, but could you turn around? I need to get dressed…… ”
Cecilia tossed the shirt from the sofa’s backrest onto the bed.
But Davion shook his head as if that wasn’t it, then glanced around near the bed and spoke.
“No, not that. My pants must be somewhere.”
“……What?”
Her voice turned sharp and cutting, her expression darkening by the moment. Only then did Cecilia realize what lay beneath the blanket he’d pulled over himself, and she couldn’t suppress her alarm.
“You don’t mean you do this every time in front of Aileen, do you?!”
Davion felt cold sweat trickling down his spine.
“It’s just that sleeping naked is supposedly good for men’s health…….”
Cecilia laughed, incredulous, then snatched up the pants lying nearby and hurled them at him.
Davion scrambled to his feet, keeping an eye on her expression, and fumbled into the pants. He didn’t dare ask her to find his belt—he was too frightened.
While he hurriedly tidied his disheveled hair and checked his appearance, Cecilia brought in the food from the cart outside and set it on the table.
Davion pulled on his shirt haphazardly and sat on the sofa. He held the utensil in one hand and gazed at Cecilia’s face blankly, and she closed her eyes as if exhausted, speaking.
“Eat. You said you haven’t had food for days. Today she made absolutely sure you were to finish every plate.”
“Then if I don’t eat, you’ll stay here the whole time?”
“That’s right. She’d stand in front of you with a spoon, begging you to eat just one more bite.”
At those words, Davion pushed bread into his mouth.
Only after he began eating could Cecilia busily move between rooms, handling Aileen’s work in her stead.
For a while, only the heavy clink of cutlery hung between them. Then Cecilia rose onto her toes to unlatch the window, and Davion finally gathered enough courage to offer an explanation.
“I lied because I wanted to get closer to you. I never meant to deceive you. I was afraid that if you found out I was this family’s son, you wouldn’t give me any chance at all…….”
“You don’t need to explain.”
“Cecilia, I…….”
“I already know everything, so there’s no need to spell it out.”
He already knew they could never go back to what they were before. Still, he’d thought he might at least ask to remain by her side as a friend.
But realizing even that was asking too much, Davion had to summon his courage from somewhere far deeper than before.
“Did you start to dislike me?”
Then regret washed over him immediately, and he changed the question.
“Is it that you dislike me, or are you keeping your distance because I’m this family’s young master?”
“The outcome’s the same either way—what difference does it make?”
“It makes all the difference in the world. One comes from your heart, the other from circumstances.”
Cecilia pushed open the window, and morning air stirred the white hair at her temples.
She took a few seconds to deliberate, then answered with her back to him.
“I’m not sure. I think I’ve started to dislike you a little.”
In that moment, Davion forgot to breathe.
“Maybe it’s because of how I was born, but you’ve made me feel so small. I thought of myself as a tree I could never climb—and I was fortunate enough to touch it once. I’ll leave it at that.”
And so Davion couldn’t even beg for time to find a way forward. Cecilia’s voice was unbearably flat, as if she’d already emptied herself of every feeling.
Before she turned to look at him, Davion quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin as a pretense, hiding his drained face. He stacked the plates he’d laid out on the table one by one and pushed them toward where Cecilia stood, speaking in a whisper.
“I’ve finished. You can take them.”
Cecilia approached instead with lighter steps than before and took the dishes in both hands. When she confirmed the plates were clean, she offered a faint smile and, with her lips pressed shut, didn’t forget to thank Davion.
“Still, thank you. For the good memory.”
Davion barely managed to keep his gaze fixed ahead. The sound of Cecilia’s cart outside the door slowly faded beyond the reach of his senses.
He buried his head in the trash bin and poured out everything he’d been holding down inside.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————