The greatest virtue of a hunter is patience.

One must know how to wait in order to secure their prey.

And when capturing a frightened small animal, one must approach cautiously until it lets its guard down.

Of course, he did not see her as prey.

It was simply the hunter’s instinct ingrained in his body.

If his mother or father had been by his side, he would have sought their advice.

Marriage, a wife, a woman—everything was new to him, and he had no idea what to do.

After Russell left the bedroom, Cecilia only stared at the bowl of soup.

She let out a deep sigh and picked up the spoon.

She scooped up a spoonful and brought it to her lips—only to lower it again.

Her stomach churned.

She lifted the spoon again, took a deep breath, and placed the soup in her mouth.

Holding her breath, she swallowed it whole.

“Ugh.”

She quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Nausea hit her.

Barely managing to suppress the urge to vomit, she let out another sigh.

She glared at the bowl of soup.

‘Do I really have to eat this?’

Her gaze shifted to the bowl of medicine.

She would rather just gulp it down in one go and get it over with.

 

⌜ You have to finish the whole bowl of soup. ⌟

 

Cecilia picked up the spoon again.

If she couldn’t even keep such a small promise, she would feel like a worthless person.

He had gone out of his way to find medicine for menstrual cramps and had personally brought it to her bedroom.

Aside from her nanny, no one had ever shown concern for her period pain.

Instead, people mocked her for being overly sensitive or blamed her irritable personality.

She repeated the process.

Holding her breath, she took another spoonful and forced it down.

She tried her best not to smell it.

She would take a bite, calm her rebelling stomach, and then pick up the spoon again.

By the time she had finished half the bowl, she realized that the nausea was subsiding.

Emboldened, she took another bite and exhaled through her nose.

It wasn’t bad.

It was rich and slightly sweet.

The door opened quietly, and the maids entered.

Cecilia focused on finishing the soup.

Once she started tasting the flavor, she picked up speed.

She managed to eat the remaining half relatively easily.

Then, she downed the medicine in one gulp.

Her face twisted.

It was bitter, dry, and smelled like herbs.

Nausea rose again, but she quickly took deep breaths to suppress it.

The maids cleared away the bed tray.

Cecilia lay down and closed her eyes.

The pain made her frown involuntarily.

As she groaned quietly, she eventually drifted off to sleep.

.

.

When she opened her eyes, the room was dark.

She stared blankly into space.

‘The pain is gone.’

Cautiously, she shifted her body.

There was no pain.

She sat up.

The agonizing sensation of someone twisting and ripping at her lower abdomen had completely disappeared.

‘Am I really not in pain?’

It felt like a dream.

She got out of bed and walked around the bedroom.

Her body felt heavy, and there was slight discomfort when she moved, but it was nothing that would hinder her daily life.

Feeling hunger, she called for a maid.

Soon, the maids set a meal on the table.

Cecilia finished the entire meal without feeling nauseous.

For the first time in her life, she had eaten on the day her period started.

She felt like crying.

 

❖ ❖ ❖

 

Five days had passed.

As usual, after lunch, Cecilia took her medicine.

The pain relief lasted a full day.

‘Ugh… so bitter.’

The excruciating pain that had once tormented her was gone.

A little bitterness was a small price to pay.

“Nancy.”

“Yes, Madam?”

“Who is skilled at sewing?”

“Becky is in charge of making clothes.”

“Tell her I want to see her.”

“Yes, Madam.”

“And… ask if the Lord has time to join me for dinner.”

Nancy answered with a smile in her voice.

“Yes, Madam.”

Leaving the drawing room, Nancy hummed a small tune as she walked down the corridor.

She ran into another maid around her age, carrying a basket of laundry.

“Where are you going?”

“Running an errand for the Madam.”

“You look happy. Something good happen?”

Nancy grinned.

“The Madam called me by name.”

“Wow, lucky you. Do you think she knows my name too?”

“I think the Madam remembers all of our names and faces.”

“How does she do that? I couldn’t even remember all the grand duchy’s servants.”

“Same here.”

“My turn to attend the Madam is in two days. Is there anything I should be extra careful about?”

“Hmm… not really? Just do what she asks properly. Oh, but she doesn’t like people clinging to her. You know Sera? She tried sucking up to Madam and got scolded for it.”

“I knew she’d get into trouble one day. She’s all talk and such a sly little thing.”

The two giggled, gossiping about Sera as they parted ways.