Chapter 8 – Confession (Part 5)

“Did you think I wouldn’t know about what happened with my brother? If you continue like this, I will have no choice but to expose your secrets as well.”

Killian’s gaze turned sharp, and Lady Aeri’s face gradually turned ashen.

“Surely….”

“Yes. I know well that you briefly dated my brother. And that you had a deep relationship. Yet I kept silent to protect your honor. I didn’t want you to suffer because of my brother’s fault of seeing other ladies while meeting you.”

“Stop, stop talking!”

Lady Aeri shouted, covering her ears as if she didn’t want to hear anymore.

“If you don’t want to escalate things further, you should say it yourself. That you cannot marry me. Instead, I will compensate you.”

“….”

Lady Aeri’s face had turned into a crying expression, but Killian didn’t blink an eye. He merely waited for her answer with a cold expression.

“You are still a cruel person.”

“I don’t think that’s something I should hear from a shameless person. So what will your answer be to my question?”

“Fine. I will tell Father and Duke Loden that the marriage proposal is off. Is that enough? But is there any guarantee that other proposals won’t come in just because I give up?”

“That’s none of your concern, Lady Aeri.”

“Such a cold-hearted person! Now that you’ve heard the answer you wanted, fulfill my request.”

“What is it?”

“Since we won’t be seeing each other anymore, please give a polite farewell by kissing the back of my hand. Also, I must receive the ring I was originally supposed to get. Can you agree to that?”

“Of course.”

As soon as he answered, Killian knelt on one knee and kissed the back of Lady Aeri’s hand in a controlled manner.

“Is this enough?”

“No, it’s still not enough.”

Lady Aeri still didn’t look satisfied.

“Then what more do you want?”

“I told you earlier. What I want.”

“Alright. I will give it to you.”

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

“Understood. Please keep it a secret that I came here, Lady Aeri.”

“Alright. Don’t worry.”

After successfully wrapping up his relationship with Lady Aeri, Killian headed straight to the Dveshi family to meet Sophia.

The security was very tight, but he thought that with his quick and agile movements, he could enter Sophia’s room without being noticed.

Hiding his body in the thick darkness, Killian climbed up to the third floor using the wall. Since Sophia’s room window was closed, he tried to open it as carefully as possible, but he was caught by Duke Dveshi before he could.

Duke Dveshi, who had exceptional swordsmanship skills from his days on the battlefield, noticed the suspicious movements of someone sneaking into the mansion.

He gestured to Killian to come to his office, with a threatening look that said he would kill him if he didn’t comply immediately.

As soon as they entered the office, Duke Dveshi erupted with thunderous anger.

“As expected of someone from the Loden family, you’re truly rude. Do you know where you are?”

“I came to see Sophie.”

“Who gave you the right to call her Sophie? You can’t meet her. If you don’t leave immediately, I’ll report your unauthorized absence to the royal family, so leave at once!”

Duke Dveshi’s face was heavily distorted.

“Please let me meet Sophie.”

“I said no.”

“I’m asking you, please.”

Even though Killian politely bowed and asked, Duke Dveshi snorted.

“What will you do meeting Sophie when you have a marriage proposal with the Aeri family going on? Your ties with her are over, so go ahead and have your engagement ceremony with Lady Aeri! Our Sophie will live happily with the young master of Valkeres.”

The moment the name of the young master of Valkeres was mentioned, Killian’s face hardened.

Did she still have lingering feelings for him?

Killian recalled the time when Sophia received a necklace from him. Despite being engaged to Clive, she exchanged gifts with him, which made Killian incredibly angry.

If he hadn’t cut the necklace immediately, he might have beheaded the young master of Valkeres.

But to hear of the Young Master of Valkeres again!

“What is with that look in your eyes? Are you jealous? Does that make any sense? Who’s coveting whom? If you don’t leave the mansion immediately, I will really contact the royal family, so keep that in mind. This is the only time I’m showing mercy.”

As Killian’s gaze grew fiercer, Duke Dveshi wore a displeased expression.

Though he wanted to defy Duke Dveshi’s words and go to see Sophia, Killian held back. Since he had no intention of divorcing, going against Duke Dveshi would only cause him loss.

Therefore, he had no choice but to move as the Duke directed, before the situation escalated by contacting the royal family.

Leaving the Dveshi estate, Killian had to return to the border without meeting Sophia.

Frustrated by the situation where he couldn’t meet Sophia, Killian, unable to control his personal feelings, attacked the enemy nation trying to breach the defenses first, and by the time he came to his senses, he had broken through the defensive line and captured the castle.

Originally, he hadn’t intended to act so aggressively, but his desire and determination to return to the capital quickly led to an excessive victory.

As a result, the Kingdom of Titani, which lost the castle, eventually surrendered, signing a declaration never to invade again, and Killian was able to return to the capital with the knights.

The first place he headed was, of course, the Dveshi estate. He wanted to meet Sophia as soon as possible.

However, due to Duke Dveshi’s orders not to let him into the mansion, he couldn’t meet her. Instead, Annette snuck out, avoiding her father’s eyes, and told him the location of the villa where Sophia was staying.

So, with a happy heart, he went to meet her, but what Killian witnessed was a shocking scene. Sophia accepting the young master of Valkeres’ feelings.

‘Then let’s get married when the time comes. I don’t think it’s bad to grow old together by your side.’

‘I’ll think about it.’

‘Thank you. I’ll really do my best.’

Killian’s eyes were bloodshot as he looked at them, and his gaze burned redder and redder. He clenched his fists, exuding a murderous intent towards the young master of Valkeres. This time, he wanted to behead that guy immediately.

But there was something he needed to do first, so he had to finish that before anything else. So, Killian waited until late at night and then stealthily infiltrated Sophia’s bedroom.

Entering the room through the window, Killian’s eyes were filled with longing. 

He had managed to take her from his brother, Clive!

He had no intention of letting the woman he had barely obtained be taken by anyone else.

* * *

Sophia was so shocked by Killian’s words that she couldn’t say anything. Despite this, he continued to speak as he wished.

“Now, I’ll honestly tell you my feelings.”

She didn’t know what he was going to say, but just meeting his gaze made her extremely nervous, so Sophia slowly swallowed and waited to hear what words would come from Killian’s mouth.

“From the beginning, I only looked at you, Sophie, and I have never looked at another woman. I have no interest in them. You once asked if there was someone I held in my heart, and I answered yes, but I was talking about you even then.”

“Lies! Then why didn’t you tell me all this time? You said you were fulfilling your duties as a husband during all that time.”

Sophia thought Killian was lying. He had never shown any signs of harboring feelings, so how could she believe him?

“I couldn’t tell you because I was afraid it would burden you. So, to get close to you, I had to use the excuse of His Majesty’s orders.”

Killian’s words weren’t entirely wrong. If she had known he liked her, Sophia would have tried to run away somehow.

Even now, she was doubtful about his claim that he had liked her all along; in the past, she would have thought it was a lie.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t believe that you liked me from the beginning.”

Hearing Killian’s story, Sophia felt even more confused. It was hard to believe it was love at first sight when they had hardly met.

In Sophia’s memory, they first met at a banquet three years before her debutante, and even then, he looked at her with a fierce gaze. So, the more she listened to Killian, the more questions arose.

“Do I have to show you with my body how much I love you for you to believe?”

“N-no, it’s not that…”

As Sophia stammered, Killian chuckled.

“You were my first love. However, I expected you wouldn’t recognize me because of certain circumstances.”

“You’re saying I was your first love? We never even had a conversation before.”

“No. We had a brief acquaintance.”

“What do you mean…”