Chapter 4
Wendy’s eyes went wide as she looked at Cecilia, and then she burst out laughing softly.
“My lady… you must be really nervous, huh?”
Wendy nodded as if she understood perfectly.
But Cecilia was genuinely flustered.
She cleared her throat and asked again.
“Th-then… how old am I now?”
“Huh? You’re twenty-two!”
“Tw-twenty-two?”
Before she died, she had been twenty-seven.
Cecilia quickly studied Wendy’s expression.
There wasn’t a trace of jest or teasing on her face.
Her wedding with Evan, Wendy, her age…
The more she thought about it, the clearer one fact became.
“Oh my….”
Cecilia muttered, stunned.
There was no doubt—she had gone back five years in time.
And not just anywhere, but to right before her wedding with Evan.
“Should I just run away now?”
Cecilia seriously considered it.
If she stayed, she would be repeating that miserable life all over again.
And the memory of that excruciating pain was still vivid.
It felt like this was her last chance to escape.
“…No.”
But soon, Cecilia shook her head.
If I run now, I’ll be the only one called crazy.
There could be no more scandalous story than a bride running away at the altar.
The truly terrible people were somewhere else, and it would be unfair for her to take all the blame alone.
“Cecilia… you said you loved me. Then… shouldn’t you also be able to love my child?”
“Do I just follow your parents and die by a friend’s hand too?”
The words Evan and Rosena had said to her before she died echoed painfully in her heart.
Not only the humiliation she suffered, but also the truth behind her parents’ deaths…
Knowing all this, she couldn’t just run away pathetically.
“If I’m going to get my hands dirty anyway, I’ll make sure Evan and Rosena get the same treatment.”
Yes, there was no turning back now.
She would return the favor to them exactly as it had been done to her.
Cecilia clenched her bouquet tightly with her lace-gloved hands.
The grand wedding hall was filled with numerous guests.
Though he was of commoner origin, Evan was a promising young businessman.
He had made every effort to maintain his reputation, so the guest list was fairly large.
“Hoo….”
Before entering, Cecilia took a deep breath behind the door.
Then, the music announcing the bride’s entrance began, and the doors opened.
Countless eyes turned in unison toward the virgin road.
Cecilia stepped forward slowly, taking in every gaze with her whole body.
Her heart began to beat faster and faster.
“Stay calm… don’t waver now.”
Suppressing the urge to run out immediately, Cecilia wore a calm expression.
At that moment, a familiar face came into view.
“…Rosena.”
She clapped her hands with her usual bright smile.
Next to her were the Osborne Viscount and his wife.
Cecilia’s face nearly twisted in anger.
She wanted to shout right there.
They were murderers.
But she gritted her teeth and held back.
She reminded herself there was still no proof and tried to calm her mind.
Unaware of this, Rosena’s lips moved when their eyes met.
“Con-grat-u-la-tions.”
Even this was exactly the same as five years ago.
“Ha….”
In the past, she had nodded innocently and returned Rosena’s congratulations, foolishly unaware that she was carrying her husband’s child.
“How ridiculous I must have seemed, laughing so naively.”
Cecilia turned her gaze away with a cold expression.
Rosena’s hands froze in surprise, but Cecilia had already passed her.
At the end of the virgin road, Evan waited.
He took Cecilia’s hand with a look of rapture.
“Ria, you’re the most beautiful woman in the world today.”
He whispered shyly in her ear.
The old Cecilia would have been infinitely moved, but now she knew it was all just an act.
“…….”
“Ria?”
When Cecilia didn’t answer, Evan looked at her in confusion.
Soon, the priest in charge of the ceremony stepped forward, and Evan naturally turned his gaze.
Amid the solemn atmosphere, the sacred marital vows were exchanged.
“Evan March, do you take Cecilia Fanning to be your wife, to love and cherish her for the rest of your life?”
“Yes! I do!”
Evan answered without hesitation.
The priest’s gaze then shifted to Cecilia.
“Cecilia Fanning, do you take Evan March to be your husband, to love and cherish him for the rest of your life?”
“…….”
But Cecilia did not respond.
The growing silence made Evan look at her in alarm, and the guests began murmuring.
“Lady Cecilia?”
The priest called again.
Only then did Cecilia slowly open her mouth.
“I….”
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the bride’s answer.
“I will not marry him.”
Her unexpected and shocking response froze the hall instantly.
Evan’s face contorted in disbelief.
But Cecilia smiled quietly.
She spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Because Lady Rosena is carrying Evan March’s child.”
Cecilia’s fearless revelation dropped a cold splash over the wedding hall.
Even the priest at the altar was left speechless.
“No, that’s not true!”
A voice of horror rang out from the guest seats.
Rosena stood up abruptly, her face pale.
“Ria! What are you saying? How can you say such an insulting thing?”
“Y-yes! Even as a joke, this is too much! Rosie isn’t even married yet!”
Rosena pretended to be the wronged victim, tears welling in her eyes, while Evan, who could only open his mouth, joined in.
The guests looked back and forth between the three, bewildered.
They had come just to celebrate a wedding and were now caught in a tangled scandal.
Evan grabbed Cecilia’s arm and tried to turn her toward him.
“Cecilia, there’s a limit to joking—”
Bam!
But in that instant, Cecilia kicked Evan hard in the shin.
Evan, shouting with spittle flying, collapsed onto the floor.
Shocked screams broke out from the guests.
“Ah! What are you doing!”
Evan clutched his leg and writhed on the floor in pain.
Cecilia looked down at him coldly.
“You trash.”
Spitting out the words like venom, she scanned the room.
The wedding hall was in chaos.
Evan rolled on the floor, exaggerating his pain, and the murmurs of the guests grew louder.
“No, really! I’m not pregnant! I swear to the heavens!”
Rosena desperately denied the pregnancy.
A futile attempt to escape.
“That won’t work.”
Cecilia smiled confidently and spoke clearly and loudly.
“Then shall we confirm it right here? We can call a skilled midwife or doctor—any examination will reveal the truth immediately.”
“R-Ria…”
“How’s that? Much more entertaining than a boring wedding, isn’t it?”
Rosena’s face turned ashen.
Her body had already begun to show changes due to the pregnancy.
An examination would quickly expose the truth.
No, Cecilia’s words had already revealed everything to the world.
“I tried to hide it and find a husband quickly…!”
The guests glanced at Rosena suspiciously.
Once they left this hall, her pregnancy would spread throughout the social circle.
Rosena was trapped, unable to move in any direction.
Cecilia smiled triumphantly at the trembling Rosena.
“Move aside.”
She walked boldly over Evan, who was still lying on the floor.
There was no reason to stay any longer.
“C-Cecilia! Stop right there!”
Evan shouted urgently from behind, but Cecilia didn’t look back.
All she could think about was shedding this bridal dress, which felt like shackles.
A red brick apartment in the city.
It was supposed to be the honeymoon home for Cecilia and Evan.
But after storming out of the wedding hall, she was here alone.
“I never thought I’d see this house again.”
Cecilia muttered quietly.
It was exactly as she remembered from her previous life.
The furniture’s arrangement, the color of the curtains, even the faint dusty smell of the old wooden floors.
“Hoo…”
After a quick glance around, Cecilia began organizing her belongings.
There wasn’t much to pack.
Most of what was here had been acquired by Evan to show off.
Cheap furniture in a cheap shared apartment—there was nothing to hold onto sentimentally.
“But there is one thing I must take.”
Cecilia opened a small drawer in the vanity and rummaged inside.
She pulled out a small box that caught her fingertips.
