Chapter 8 – Confession (Part 3)

With Liam’s support, Killian called the Duke of Loden aside from the banquet. After stepping out onto the balcony and ensuring no one was listening, he asked.

“What is it that you called me out of the banquet for?”

“I heard that Brother Clive is marrying the Lady of the Dveshi family. Do you think he’s suitable for marriage? You should have had me marry her instead.”

“You? Does that even make sense? Surely, you don’t have special feelings for the young lady of Dveshi, do you?”

“I’m concerned that we might suffer losses if Brother marries. Isn’t it possible that they might find fault with him and demand a divorce?”

He couldn’t say that he had feelings for Sophia. If he did, the Duke of Loden would try even harder to keep them apart. So, he had to emphasize that Clive was not suitable as her partner.

“I know that too.”

“Knowing that, how could you do this?”

“I want to protect you and Marcus, even if it means sacrificing Clive. How could I marry either of you to the young lady of the Dveshi family? I didn’t actively protest His Majesty’s order because of Clive.”

The Duke of Loden had always been displeased with Clive. So, he used him as a discard card. It was understandable from his perspective, but Killian couldn’t accept it.

“You might suffer a greater loss because of this.”

“I’m prepared for that. Know that you and Marcus are that important to me.”

“…”

As Killian’s face twisted in pain without a response, the Duke of Loden’s face hardened, realizing Killian’s feelings.

“Don’t do anything foolish. It’s fortunate that the marriage talks are with Clive; without him, it would have been a disaster.”

The Duke refused to acknowledge Killian’s feelings. He wanted to believe that Killian was just momentarily out of his mind.

“If you’re going to talk nonsense, get lost. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything today!”

With a look that said it was out of the question, the Duke of Loden threatened Killian. He was determined to marry Clive and Sophia at any cost.

Killian already knew his father would react this way. Even knowing that, he made a desperate plea to the Duke because his heart was equally desperate.

However, unless Sophia and Killian were in love, which they weren’t, with her hating him now, his insistence wouldn’t change the situation.

“Damn it!”

After the Duke of Loden returned to the banquet hall, Killian, left alone on the balcony, cursed.

The frustration of losing the woman he wanted right in front of him shattered Killian’s confidence.

Who would have thought that someone known as the “Ice Prince” for his cold and ruthless nature would be so powerless in front of a woman?

If he had known, he would have at least tried to talk to Sophia sooner. He didn’t want to end their relationship without starting anything.

But that was just Killian’s selfish desire. No matter how much he opposed, the preparations for Sophia and Clive’s marriage would proceed smoothly.

In this situation, all Killian could do was watch her happiness from afar, nothing more.

However, Clive’s behavior of changing women every night tested his patience. Unable to stand it any longer, Killian barged into Clive’s bedroom immediately.

“Brother!”

“Kyaa!”

As he opened the door without knocking, a woman’s scream was heard. Killian saw Clive rolling around in bed with a woman. The woman next to him was a maid responsible for cleaning the corridor.

Despite being engaged, Clive’s continued promiscuous lifestyle left Killian speechless with disbelief.

“What’s the matter, why are you barging in without knocking?”

Unlike the woman, who was curled up, Clive’s attitude was brazen. It wasn’t surprising since this wasn’t the first time. He would often drag women into his bedroom whenever he had the chance.

Killian knew that Clive couldn’t be satisfied with just one woman. Even if he got married, he would surely neglect Sophia and continue to be with other women.

How could she marry such a man!

Killian couldn’t bear to watch it. How could he watch her suffer daily because of her husband’s infidelity?

Even though he was his brother, Killian found Clive pathetic. While his eldest brother inherited the family and he rose to the position of Captain of the Knights through his own efforts, Clive always played around with women.

Of course, he could live well with the wealth the Duke would pass down, but it wasn’t enough to live affluently for a lifetime, so Killian thought he would marry a wealthy widow.

To lose her to such a pathetic man!

“I heard you’re getting married. But you still haven’t changed your habits?”

“What does marriage have to do with it? That’s that, and this is this. Killian, don’t you think you’re interfering too much in my private life?”

“Since you’re getting married, why not forget your past conduct and act properly?”

“Even Father doesn’t meddle with me, so who are you to teach me?”

Hoping Clive would change, Killian gave advice, but Clive only got angry.

Killian found Clive’s treatment of Sophia despicable. If he weren’t his brother, he would have punched him on the spot, but he held back. He knew well that hitting him wouldn’t make him come to his senses.

Instead, an uncontrollable anger seized Killian, and he decided he couldn’t stand the current situation any longer.

He had never particularly been greedy. Not wanting family disputes, he had yielded everything. Thus, he had become a knight and rose to the position of Captain on his own, without relying on the family’s power.

But now that there was something he couldn’t yield, he had no intention of holding back any longer. If he wanted something, he would take it.

The next day after making his decision, Killian called Liam early in the morning at the training ground.

“This won’t do. Liam, you have to help me.”

It was impossible on his own, so he needed the help of his friend.

“Have you changed your mind? What do you need me to do?”

Liam was ready to help with whatever request Killian had.

“I’m planning to make sure Clive doesn’t show up on the wedding day. Then the wedding will be a mess. At that moment, I plan to shout that I’ll marry in his place. Your eldest sister might step in, so I want your help to ensure she doesn’t attend the wedding.”

“You mean to prevent Annette from coming to the wedding? Well, if you become the groom, Annette might claim she’ll marry you instead.”

“Exactly.”

Killian knew that Annette had feelings for him. So if the groom changed to Killian on the wedding day, there was a possibility she would step forward to marry instead.

That was an absurd situation. Therefore, he needed to eliminate unnecessary elements before such a situation arose.

“Alright. I’ll take care of Annette, so don’t worry.”

“Liam, I’m counting on you.”

“But you have to make Sophia happy. Otherwise, I’ll be the first to lead the charge for a divorce.”

Liam promised to secretly give Annette a stomachache-inducing medicine the day before the wedding, and Killian planned to kidnap and confine Clive the day before the wedding.

If the groom didn’t appear at the wedding, there would be chaos, and in that gap, he could announce that he would marry in his place.

However, as luck would have it, the day before the wedding, Clive’s hidden child was discovered, naturally giving him a reason not to show up at the wedding.

The only problem was that the wedding was hastily arranged, leaving Killian with nothing prepared. He even had to use the marital room intended for Clive and Sophia.

He checked the eerie marital room late, hoping she wouldn’t run away, but fortunately, Sophia didn’t seem to mind much.

However, he couldn’t let her stay at the Loden estate indefinitely. The Duchess of Loden was bent on finding ways to torment her.

“If you lay a finger on my wife, I won’t stand for it.”

He was the only one who could protect her in this mansion. So he had to warn even his mother.

“How can you side with someone from the Dveshi family!”

Of course, the Duchess couldn’t understand his attitude.

“Sophia is now part of the Loden family. So shouldn’t I protect my own?”

But knowing Killian’s stubbornness, the Duchess couldn’t argue further.