Chapter 8 – Confession (Part 4)

The next day, he met with the King and emphasized that having Sophia live at the Loden estate for a year would be cruel to her, and he gained conditional approval.

The condition was that if he got the Duchess of Loden’s permission, the period would be reduced to a month.

“If she complains even a little about what I ask her to do during that month, I’ll keep her for a year. But you mustn’t interfere either.”

So Killian made a deal with the Duchess and had to silently watch, hoping Sophia would endure well. All he could do was avoid disturbing her sleep and prepare recovery potions.

In the meantime, he also had to be busy for a month. Within that month, he had to choose a house where they could live together.

He had land given by the Duke of Loden and the King, but they were too far from the capital to live there.

Coincidentally, the Chancellor introduced him to someone selling a large house suitable for living, not far from the Dveshi estate, so he chose that place.

Having chosen the house, he now had to furnish the interior. Since Killian had no idea what Sophia liked, he had to find out about the trendy items in the shops.

While investigating here and there, Killian accidentally found a shop that Sophia frequented and was able to gather good information from the staff.

After moving, Killian made efforts to get closer to Sophia. He tried his best to win her heart by giving her gifts or asking her out on dates.

The day they first shared intimacy, when he saw the bright red stain like a blooming flower, a smile naturally formed on his lips. Because he had claimed her, untouched by anyone else.

But he was also afraid. Afraid that he might reveal his desires because he couldn’t control his feelings for her. If Sophia knew how persistent and possessive he was, she might get scared and run away.

She had been afraid of him from the beginning, and even after marriage, he was still a fearful presence to her.

So Killian tried to get closer to Sophia gradually, and he thought her heart was slowly opening up, but people around them ruined it.

Starting with Duke Loden, then Marcus, and even Lady Aeri. What right did these third parties have to interfere in the relationship between husband and wife?!

He couldn’t let the fish that had already come into his hands slip away again. But people around him kept interfering with Killian.

The biggest hindrance among them wasn’t Duke Loden, but Lady Aeri.

Killian met her when Earl Aeri, a vassal of Duke Loden, visited the Loden estate with his daughter.

Duke Loden introduced his three sons to her, and from then on, Killian developed a slight acquaintance with Lady Aeri.

With delicate features and a slender figure similar to Sophia but with a slightly stronger impression, Lady Aeri had been popular with men since childhood and enjoyed having men flock around her.

To such a person, Killian, who was only interested in reading books and seemed weak, didn’t appeal, and she often ignored him.

Among the three brothers, she was friendly with Clive, but at some point, she started to dislike him, calling him a playboy, and then began to approach Killian as if they were close.

‘Ah! Really boring.’

‘Thank you for the advice.’

But Killian remained an uninteresting man to Lady Aeri, someone with whom conversations didn’t flow. Conversely, to Killian, she was just a frivolous woman who liked to play around.

He didn’t like her, but he maintained the relationship because of her family. Since she was the daughter of Earl Aeri, he interacted with her out of courtesy.

“Quiet men are boring. Captain, why don’t you try honing your conversational skills instead of just swinging your sword?”

But perhaps out of curiosity for a man who treated her coldly, Lady Aeri started to develop a strange obsession with him.

She also had a strange delusion about Killian, believing that he liked her.

‘I know it’s because you’re shy. I understand your heart well.’

No matter how many times he denied it, she wouldn’t listen. She even spread rumors that Killian had a crush on her.

She was a woman who knew how to present herself. Acting dignified in front of others, her serious demeanor only fueled the rumors.

He didn’t bother to correct the rumors because it was too troublesome. It would end if they didn’t marry, so there was no need to explain.

‘I’ve changed my mind. I think I can accept your heart now.’

‘If you’re going to talk nonsense, there’s the door. You can leave through it.

But after marrying Sophia, when Lady Aeri came to him and started spouting nonsense, regret washed over him for the first time.

‘How much did you like her? I heard it was a long unrequited love.’

Hearing Sophia say it was a long-time unrequited love, he felt regret for the second time. If he had known she’d be a nuisance even after marriage, he would have cut her off earlier.

‘It’s not the kind of relationship you think.’

Killian had to explain to Sophia, even if it was late. That there was nothing between him and Lady Aeri. That she was just a delusional woman not worth dealing with.

He already felt a distance between him and Sophia, and he thought Lady Aeri would further disrupt their relationship.

But the situation took an unexpected turn. Who would have thought Sophia would be jealous?

Who would have known that the annoying clingy woman would play such a stimulating role? It turned out to be unexpectedly useful, which was a relief.

Killian changed his mind about getting rid of the annoying woman at that moment. He thought he might need to use her from time to time to provoke Sophia. That way, their marital relationship would become even stronger.

Just when he felt satisfied that Sophia’s heart seemed to be opening gradually, the situation once again flowed in a direction Killian did not want.

* * *

“Killian, something big has happened!”

Seeing Liam running with an urgent expression, a look of inquiry appeared in Killian’s eyes.

“What is it?”

“You shouldn’t be sitting around like this. Look at this. It’s a letter that came from Sophie.”

The moment he heard Sophia’s name, Killian jumped up from his seat. The calm demeanor he had just moments ago disappeared entirely.

“Demanding a divorce! What is this?”

Killian read the letter he received from Liam and immediately crumpled it.

“No wonder there was suddenly an order to go to the conflict area directly. It seems Father was pulling strings from behind.”

He had come because it was urgent, but when he arrived, it wasn’t a conflict big enough for both him and Liam to be there.

He had been suspicious since the Loden and Dveshi families provided troops, but he couldn’t refuse the King’s orders, so he had to comply.

But to think they would pull such a stunt while he was away!

It was obvious that Duke Loden had moved first. Knowing Killian’s feelings well, he must have threatened Sophia into divorce while he was away and secretly pushed for a marriage proposal with the Aeri family.

“Liam, it seems I’ll have to leave it to you. If anyone looks for me, tell them I’ve been injured.”

The conflict wasn’t completely resolved yet, so he couldn’t return to the capital. Thus, Killian had to move stealthily, hiding his body with a cloak.

If he rode quickly, it would take about two days, and even if he just saw Sophia’s face briefly, it would take four days.

Despite riding hard, he couldn’t meet Sophia. Even when he looked around the house from a reasonable distance, he couldn’t see her.

Where on earth could she have gone?

Not wanting to reveal himself, Killian secretly called Victor to the garden and asked.

“Where did Sophie go?”

“She went to the Dveshi estate. I received a letter saying she wanted to rest for a while.”

Victor’s face was full of embarrassment as he answered.

“Is there a problem?”

“Well, that is….”

“Sir Loden!”

Before Victor could finish speaking, Lady Aeri suddenly appeared. Killian gestured to Victor, asking why she was there, but he shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.

“Why are you here, Lady Aeri?”

Killian’s gaze grew sharper.

“I was waiting for you, Sir Loden. I didn’t know when you’d come, so I was at a nearby café.”

“Are you my stalker?”

“What did you say? A stalker?”

Lady Aeri looked at Killian with an incredulous expression.

“Were you waiting for me?”

“Of course. As soon as you return, we are going to be engaged.”

“That won’t happen.”

“No, it’s already underway. So you can’t refuse!”

“Let me say it again. It won’t happen.”

Killian’s eyes were filled with certainty as he looked down at Lady Aeri.

“Why do you think so? Do you know how much Duke Loden adores me? We’re even planning to get the rings soon.”

Lady Aeri wore a proud expression.

“If I keep my mouth shut, he’ll continue to adore you.”

“What do you mean?”

At that moment, Lady Aeri’s expression hardened.