Chapter 7 – Shaken Trust (Part 5)

What was going on?

Even though she saw it with her own eyes, she couldn’t comprehend it, but she calmed herself by thinking that the kiss on the hand might have been a gesture of courtesy.

She couldn’t jump to conclusions, so she held her breath and focused on their conversation.

“Is this enough?”

“No, it’s still not enough.”

“Then what more do you want?”

“I told you earlier. What I want.”

Sophia hadn’t heard what Lady Aeri said earlier, but judging by her seductive gaze and the way she linked arms with Killian, deliberately pressing against him, she could guess it was related to the marriage proposal.

He would refuse, right?

Even if there were talks between their families, it was still in progress, so Killian’s opinion mattered. If what he had told Sophia all along was sincere, he should reject it coldly.

She was curious about what answer would come from his lips. Even though she trusted Killian, she felt nervous, her lips drying up.

“Alright. I will give it to you.”

“Really? You know you can’t change your mind later, right? The ring must be a ruby.”

However, the words that came out of Killian’s mouth were entirely different from what Sophia had expected. Hearing about a ruby ring made it clear it was either an engagement ring or a wedding ring.

Did he leave to secretly proceed with the marriage proposal? Then what were all the things he said to me before?

At that moment, Sophia felt an indescribable sense of betrayal. Her heart felt like it was burning black, and she couldn’t breathe properly.

Why does my heart hurt so much…?

Unable to stay there any longer, Sophia clutched her chest and turned away with a resigned expression, quietly leaving the mansion.

“Did you have a good talk? What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Annette, who had been waving happily from a distance, suddenly had her expression harden as she saw Sophia.

“Let’s go back.”

“Okay.”

Seeing Sophia’s deeply gloomy expression, Annette didn’t ask further questions. They boarded the carriage together, and as the carriage headed back to the Dveshi residence, a heavy silence filled the space.

“Sister, please let me meet Father.”

Once they got off the carriage, Sophia was the first to speak.

“Why do you want to meet Father?”

“To tell him I’ll follow his wishes. Is he home now? Can you let him know while I change my clothes?”

“Sophie…”

Annette looked at her with a sympathetic gaze, but Sophia deliberately avoided her eyes and headed to her room. As she was changing back into her original clothes, Annette entered the room.

“Father is home. When I told him you wanted to talk, he said to bring you to his study.”

Sophia nodded in response instead of speaking.

Shortly after, the two of them headed to the study, and Annette left after informing the Duke of Dveshi that she had brought Sophia, allowing them to talk privately.

As soon as Annette left the study, Duke Dveshi asked, 

“You said you have something to say to me. What is it you wanted to discuss?”

His gaze, filled with a cold light as he looked down at Sophia, showed he had no idea what she intended to say.

“I’ll follow your wishes, Father.”

Hearing Sophia’s words, the Duke’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Good, you’ve made the right decision. Then there’s no need to keep you confined to your room anymore.”

Even after asking again, seeing that Sophia’s resolute gaze didn’t change, a smile slowly spread across Duke Dveshi’s lips.

“However, I don’t want to proceed with the marriage to Young Master Valkeres. How can I marry immediately after a divorce?”

“Understood. I’ll discuss it with Marquis Valkeres.”

When Sophia expressed her wishes, the Duke nodded, as if it wasn’t difficult to arrange.

“And I have one more request.”

“If it’s something I can grant, I’ll do it.”

“I’d like to go to the villa to recuperate for a while. My mind is too troubled right now, and I don’t want to do anything. Is that okay?”

Sophia wanted to escape the complicated reality and spend time in a place without those who caused her pain.

“Of course.”

“Thank you for allowing it.”

After finishing the conversation with Duke Dveshi, Sophia returned to her room, and as soon as she closed the door, her legs gave way, and she sank to the floor. It felt as if all the emotions she had been holding back had suddenly exploded.

“What was I expecting all this time?”

Tears welled up in Sophia’s eyes.

No matter how much she thought about it, she felt foolish. She had been deceived by Clive, and now she had been deceived by Killian as well.

Sophia hadn’t told anyone what she had witnessed because she couldn’t bear to express the moment of betrayal in words.

Duke Dveshi had always said not to trust the Loden family.

Living with Killian, Sophia had thought that statement was wrong. But it wasn’t. Now she saw that her father’s words were entirely accurate.

Why did you treat me well? Were you really just fulfilling your duties as a husband? And now, are you planning to do your best for Lady Aeri, your new wife?

If she had known it would turn out like this, she wouldn’t have allowed herself to like Killian. She should have just divorced him and ended things cleanly as she had originally planned.

He had only been performing his duties well, so why did I fall for it?

No matter how much she regretted it, it was already too late, and all that remained was Sophia’s wounded heart.

* * *

“Sophie, how about going for a walk in the garden?”

“Alright.”

Sophia, who had been lying on the bed reading a book since early morning, got up at the suggestion of Duchess of Dveshi.

Hearing that Sophia wanted to recuperate, the Duchess insisted on accompanying her, and it had been about two weeks since they arrived at the villa together.

For the past two weeks, Sophia had spent peaceful days. Since the villa was near the lakeside, she would take leisurely walks there and have tea time with the nearby nobility. Sometimes, when she wanted to be alone, she would lie in bed reading a book or doing embroidery. 

On the surface, it seemed like Sophia was living a relaxed life, but in reality, that wasn’t the case. She was having a hard time every day. The reason for this was undoubtedly related to Killian. The pain in her heart from being hurt by him didn’t heal over time. Previously, thinking about Killian made her happy, but not anymore. Now, whenever she thought of him, tears welled up in her eyes.

Is this the pain of heartbreak?

The more her heart ached, the more Sophia realized how much she had loved Killian. At the same time, her resentment towards him also grew.

If only he hadn’t been so kind… If only he hadn’t said he didn’t want a divorce…

Every time she recalled the words and actions Killian had directed at her, the knot in her heart seemed to grow larger.

As a result, even though she appeared to be smiling on the outside, Sophia’s heart was a sea of tears every day. Duchess of Dveshi, who was oblivious, didn’t notice her true feelings at all. Only Emily understood her heart.

It was a good thing she had called Emily to the Dveshi residence and brought her to the villa just in case; without her, Sophia would have felt even more lonely.

Emily understood Sophia’s feelings better because Lady Aeri kept visiting the mansion after Sophia was confined by her father.

‘Lady Sophia, after you went to your family, Lady Aeri kept coming.’

‘Do you know why she came?’

‘She was talking nonsense, saying she’d be the lady of the house, so we should behave properly.’

Somehow, Lady Aeri found out that Sophia had left the house for a while and acted as if everything belonged to her whenever she got the chance.

‘Do you know if Killian has been by?’

‘What? Wasn’t he at the frontier?’

However, Emily didn’t know that Killian had briefly come home. It seemed he had come secretly for a short while.

In fact, thinking back to the situation where Killian and Lady Aeri met secretly raised a few questions, but there was nothing to be gained from dwelling on it now.

The more she thought about it, the more it infuriated her, so Sophia decided not to think about that incident anymore.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Nothing.”

Seeing Sophia’s expression remain tense while they were out for a walk together, Duchess of Dveshi’s expression turned serious.

“Could it be that you know?”

“Know what?”

A look of confusion appeared on Sophia’s face.

“Actually, Young Master Valkeres has come to see you.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Hearing an unexpected name, Sophia’s eyes widened.

“I knew you wouldn’t be pleased. That’s why I suggested we go for a walk to avoid meeting him.”

“Thank you for being considerate. You’re right. I don’t want to meet him.”

“Your feelings are what matter, of course.”

Duchess of Dveshi smiled gently at Sophia, but inside, she was not at ease.

Somehow, Young Master Valkeres had found out she was recuperating and had come to see Sophia early in the morning, and Emily had informed the Duchess first.

‘Lady Sophia probably doesn’t want to meet him.’

‘Tell Young Master Valkeres that Sophia is unwell and won’t be able to meet him today.’

Knowing that Emily understood Sophia’s feelings better than she did, the Duchess decided to follow her suggestion and took Sophia out for a walk to avoid any chance of them meeting.

And seeing Sophia’s face contort just from the mention of Young Master Valkeres, the Duchess realized her choice was the right one.

“How long do you plan to stay here?”

“I haven’t decided yet. If you have pressing matters, you can return home first. Emily is with me, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

“No. I plan to stay by your side until you feel better.”

She wasn’t asking to leave the Dveshi villa. It was a question to gauge the state of Sophia’s heart.

But hearing that she hadn’t decided yet… Duchess of Dveshi realized that Sophia’s heart was still wandering.

‘Is there anything I can do to help?’

Sophia had sacrificed for the family, only to be left with wounds, and the Duchess felt deeply sorry for her. So she pondered what she could do to help and eventually made a significant decision.

* * *

Young Master Valkeres, who she thought would leave after hearing she was unwell, came every day to see Sophia, and eventually, Sophia had to meet him.

“It’s been a while.”

“Have you been well? Do you know how worried I was when I heard you were sick?”

Seeing Young Master Valkeres sigh in relief upon confirming she wasn’t ill, Sophia regretted using the excuse of being sick. It seemed he had no intention of leaving until he saw with his own eyes that she was fine.

“As you can see, I’m doing well. Why did you come to see me?”

“I wanted to see you again. I haven’t seen you since you got married.”

“I’ve been busy with various things.”