Chapter 8 – Confession (Part 6)

She had always kept her distance from the Loden family, so how could they have known each other? Does that make sense?

“Did we meet before encountering each other at the banquet?”

“Our first meeting was at Exeter Square.”

Exeter Square, where both nobles and commoners gathered.

“Are you saying we really met there?”

Sophia’s eyes widened.

“Yes. You probably don’t remember me because I looked different back then.”

Killian thought it was natural for Sophia not to recognize him. As a child, he looked completely different from now.

“How different were you?”

“I was so small and thin that Brother Marcus bullied me, and I always carried a book in my hand.”

“That’s quite surprising. Looking at you now, I thought you would have been big even as a child.”

“People who don’t know my childhood often misunderstand. But in reality, on days when we lost to the Dveshi family, Brother Marcus would vent his anger on me, a small and weak child. I guess I was good for letting off steam.”

“The words ‘small and thin’ really don’t suit you.”

As Sophia faintly smiled, Killian’s lips also curved upwards.

“But did the Duke and Duchess of Loden just let you be bullied?”

“My mother scolded my brother, but my father turned a blind eye. So my brother would only bully me on days when mother was out. The worst bullying was having a servant tie me up with a rope and hang me upside down from a tree, then punch my swaying body.”

“That’s really severe bullying. Didn’t it leave scars on your body?”

“He focused on areas that could be covered by clothing and threatened me not to tell mother, or else. So to avoid my brother’s bullying, I used to go to Exeter Square, where I happened to meet you and became friends.”

Sophia thought for a moment but sent a look that said she still didn’t understand.

“I’m sorry, but I never became friends with a noble child at Exeter Square. I’m sure of it!”

“You probably didn’t think of me as a noble. I was wearing commoner’s clothes at the time.”

“Why were you wearing commoner’s clothes?”

“I was afraid that if rumors spread about a noble child wandering alone in Exeter Square, Brother Marcus would come and bully me.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

Sophia nodded in agreement.

“You were the one who took care of a scaredy-cat like me, Sophie.”

“I took care of you?”

“Yes. I was one of the commoner children you took care of.”

At that time, Sophia often visited Exeter Square and became friendly with the commoner children.

It was almost impossible for commoners and nobles to be friends. However, they could become close because Sophia treated everyone without discrimination.

Regardless of status, she played with them, had her maid apply medicine if they got hurt, and even brought packed lunches to share.

The person who caught her eye was Killian, whom Sophia knew as Victor. When she saw the bruises on his arm as he rolled up his sleeve for a moment, Sophia was the first to speak to him.

Afraid she might ridicule him for being beaten as a boy, Killian hurriedly hid his wounds, but Sophia didn’t mind and tried to take care of his injuries.

“At that time, you seemed like a savior to me.”

Since she healed his wounds and filled his lonely heart, Killian once thought Sophia might be an angel sent from heaven.

“I’m sorry, but all I remember is having fun with my friends.”

Sophia wore an apologetic expression. Seeing the light of doubt still in her eyes, it seemed she still couldn’t recall him.

Killian understood why she couldn’t remember. They didn’t know each other’s names when they played together.

Hey. You. 

That was how Sophia addressed the children back then. Since nobles and commoners used different names, revealing their names could expose their status differences, making it difficult to become friends.

However, Killian knew all along that Sophia was from the Dveshi family. He liked studying and was accumulating various knowledge, so he knew well about the people of the Dveshi family, who were hostile to the Loden family.

Of course, Killian didn’t blindly dislike the Dveshi family. He was closer to not acknowledging the bad relationship between their families.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“Why can’t I remember at all? I’m not that forgetful…”

Feeling frustrated for not remembering, Sophia expressed her indignation. Her expression was so cute that Killian’s lips curled up.

The reason Sophia couldn’t properly remember him was that Killian hadn’t properly introduced himself.

‘I, my name is…’

Because the Loden and Dveshi families were intertwined in a bitter feud, Killian didn’t want to deceive Sophia.

Of course, he thought she also mingled with people without regard to family, so he tried to muster the courage to reveal his name.

At that moment, Annette approached Sophia with a displeased expression.

‘Sophie, there you are! I’ve been looking for you.’

‘Sister? What are you doing here? You said you didn’t want to come to a place like this.’

Sophia looked at her with quite a surprised look, as it was Annette’s first time appearing there.

‘I came to find you. Ugh, annoying! Do you know what the young master of the Loden family just said to me?’

‘What did he say again?’

‘He called me a glutton. Who’s he calling a glutton when he’s the fat one!’

‘That’s why the people of the Loden family are devils.’

The moment Sophia used the word ‘devil,’ Killian felt his heart drop. It was then that he first realized how much the Dveshi family detested the Loden family.

If I introduce myself, her gaze towards me will change, right?

‘Sorry. My sister interrupted, so our conversation got cut off. So, what’s your name?’

After telling Annette, who was urging her to leave, to wait, Sophia tried to continue the conversation.

‘My name is Vi…Victor.’

At that moment, Killian couldn’t reveal his name and had to hastily use the name of a close servant from the mansion. He was afraid her kind gaze would instantly turn into one of hatred.

Sophia slowly recalled the past. She thought she would surely remember since she remembered all the children she met at Exeter Square.

But no matter how much she thought about it, there was no child who resembled Killian. However, there was one child with black hair and red eyes, an uncommon appearance.

And a kid named Victor… It was a common name, but she remembered feeling something was off.

“No way!”

“Do you remember now?”

Sophia, with wide eyes, pointed at Killian with her hand, and he chuckled.

“At that time, I introduced myself to you as Victor.”

After introducing himself with a false name, Killian no longer met Sophia separately. He was too afraid to appear before her, fearing his identity would be discovered.

“Victor? Really?”

“Can you remember me now?”

At that moment, Killian’s eyes filled with joy.

Though it was hard to believe, Sophia had to nod. She still remembered him.

“You’ve changed so much from the Victor I knew. How could you change so much?”

The Victor that Sophia remembered wasn’t much taller than her. But now, Killian was a giant, so tall that she had to look up to meet his eyes.

As Sophia examined him with curious eyes, Killian grinned. It was still a fierce smile, but to Sophia, it felt familiar.

“With diligent training, I grew taller naturally. I never intended to become a knight, but that too happened because of you.”

“Because of me?”

“Yes. It was bearable when my brother’s bullying was directed at me, but I couldn’t stand it when it was directed at you. So, to try and beat my brother, I started training with the knights of the Loden Duke’s household. As my physique grew, my hidden swordsmanship skills also improved.”

“You must have had talent.”

“When I was young, Brother Clive had the talent for swordsmanship. But after I surpassed his skills, he lost interest in it. That’s when my father, who used to ignore me, started paying attention to me.”

When Killian was young, he resembled the Duchess of Loden with a small frame, but at some point, he started to resemble the Duke of Loden, becoming tall and strong.

As a result, he became much broader in the shoulders and a head taller than Clive, who continued to resemble their mother, making him stronger.

“I felt great joy when I defeated Brother Marcus in a duel. And from then on, his bullying stopped.”

Recalling Marcus, whose sword flew away as he fell on his backside, Killian smiled in satisfaction.

“After that, I could subdue those around me with just the backing of the Loden Duke’s household and my swordsmanship skills. That’s how I was able to deal with those guys.”

“Those guys?”

“Do you remember the incident with the young master of Suffolk found n*ked by the lakeside?”

“Yes.”

Sophia couldn’t possibly forget that guy. He was humiliated the day after he bullied her.

“That was me.”