Chapter 13: Peace Is the Prelude to Misery (Part 2)

“Damn it!”  

James watched from afar as Anna dragged Elizabeth away.  

‘How much did she hear?’  

In his excitement, he had inadvertently revealed even his own secrets. If Abigail were to find out about this, it would be disastrous. He should have just walked away as usual. But he hadn’t, and it was because of Elizabeth.  

He hated that woman, who clung to the Duke while acting all noble, unlike himself.  

The deeper his relationship with Abigail grew, the more he felt regret. Their dishonorable relationship left him feeling stifled. In the past, he had thought it was enough just to be by her side. But human desires knew no bounds.  

James resented Kiern, who had everything, but he couldn’t touch Kiern. Instead, he vented his frustration by subtly tormenting Elizabeth. He knew she was foolish and naive, and that she wouldn’t run to Kiern to confess everything.  

If he had acted more shrewdly from the start, he might have been able to prevent Abigail and Kiern’s engagement. Yet, he was pathetic, satisfied with just being her lover.  

James felt jealous and annoyed at Elizabeth, who failed to take what she could have had. It felt as if he couldn’t fully have Abigail because of her and Kiern.

“I have to stop this somehow.”  

Now that Anna Trisha knew, it was only a matter of time before Abigail found out. James had no choice but to send a telegram to Abigail. It was urgent enough to break their rule of him not contacting her first.  

At this point, there was no other option but to pin everything on Elizabeth.  

* * *  

“Don’t let anyone in until I call for them.”  

Kiern, his face filled with fatigue, gave the order and slumped onto the sofa.  

The Melkan Tribe’s invasion of the northeastern part of Yelhen had caused some disruptions to the Agaphel family’s hotel business. The construction of a hotel in the Kingdom of Brittany, which was scheduled to begin this year, had been delayed due to blocked trade routes.  

This had led to a series of tedious meetings, and it had already been a week since he last returned to Agaphel Castle.  

In truth, he could have returned to the castle at any time if he wanted to, but he hadn’t. He knew that if he went back, he would inevitably head to Elizabeth’s room.  

Since that day, Kiern had been deliberately avoiding Elizabeth. He felt pathetic, having locked her up and broken her, only to now run away from her.  

During this time, Eddie had informed him that Abigail and James had been meeting more frequently. Eddie had clicked his tongue at the notion that Kiern had approved of it.  

‘This isn’t the right way, Your Grace. If you’re going to take revenge, do it properly. At this rate, it feels like you’re the one being cornered.’

Even Eddie seemed to think Kiern was a mess. Though he lamented how far Kiern had fallen, his loyalty in staying by his side was commendable.  

Kiern glanced at the documents on the table. They contained the Parker family’s corruption, which he had asked Eddie to investigate. As he reviewed the files, Kiern chuckled. The Parkers had been involved in even more dangerous activities than he had imagined.  

Lighting a cigar, Kiern took a deep drag and pondered.  

“What should I do?”  

Kiern had disliked James from the start. It was clear that James had ulterior motives, even from the moment he had Theo Kabil registered into Ingrid.  

He must have wanted to suffocate Elizabeth and make her life unbearable.  

Considering how he had groveled to Abigail to make him her lover, the reason was obviously Abigail Prairie. But of all people, Abigail had chosen him. This was something Kiern had not anticipated in his plans. 

Originally, the only thing left to do was to expose these documents at the right moment and destroy James’s family.  

The documents Eddie had handed over contained evidence of the Parker family’s corruption in military supplies. Setting aside the corruption and embezzlement, the fact that they had sold weapons to the Melkan Tribe was particularly dangerous. With the atmosphere in the Kingdom of Yelhen being extremely tense due to the Melkan Tribe’s invasion, exposing this now would deal a significant blow.  

For Kiern, who had always considered James Parker a thorn in his side, this was the perfect opportunity. However, James had narrowly escaped this crisis by becoming Abigail’s lover.  

“Looks like he’s luckier than I thought.”

Kiern stood up and placed the documents back into the safe. Since it was a bomb he could detonate at any time, he decided to save it for later. If he subtly leaked this information to James, things might quiet down more than they were now.  

Kiern returned to the sofa and lit a cigar. As he absentmindedly looked around, his gaze became fixed on the window. Someone had placed flowers in a vase. The fresh flowers were red roses.  

Seeing them, the first person that came to mind wasn’t Stella but Elizabeth.  

The moment there was a trigger, Elizabeth once again spread through his mind like an afterimage. When he held her and rolled around with her, Kiern could forget everything. At the same time, he was afraid he might forget everything. He feared that he might once again blur the sins of her mother.  

That was something he could never forget. It was what constantly tormented Kiern. Because of Stella, he had lost not only his mother but also his damned father.  

It wasn’t that he mourned his father’s death. He simply found himself disgusted by the fact that he lusted after the daughter of the enemy who had driven his family into tragedy.  

“Damn it.”  

Kiern wondered if he should fire the employee who had placed the roses in the vase while he was away. Seeing those roses made him feel an uncontrollable urge to hold Elizabeth again.  

You must not forget.  

She is the daughter of your enemy.  

Kiern repeated this to himself, trying to suppress the impulse rising within him. If he held her with such feelings, he couldn’t predict what he might do.  

Feeling the tightness in his lower body, Kiern stubbed out his cigar and headed to the bathroom. After calming himself with cold water, he came out to find the outside growing noisy.  

Shortly after, an uninvited guest appeared in the suite where Kiern was staying, without prior notice.  

“I believe I told you not to let anyone in until I called.”  

Without even looking at the intruder, Kiern spat out his irritated words, only to receive an unexpected response.  

“We need to talk.”  

Recognizing the voice belatedly, Kiern turned around. To his surprise, the visitor was none other than Anna Trisha. The staff member, visibly flustered, withdrew at Kiern’s signal.  

Kiern stifled a laugh when he saw Elizabeth standing beside Anna. Judging by Anna’s expression, it seemed she had learned something. Kiern glanced at Elizabeth, who was trembling with unease. Seeing her made him feel uncomfortable, as though the tightness in his lower body was returning.  

Even as he looked at her, fearful that all the truth might come to light, Kiern felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her. His state of mind was far from normal.  

Kiern forced himself to regain composure and opened his mouth to speak.  

“What brings you here, Madame…?”  

He was about to stand up and offer his respects to Lady Anna out of courtesy when—  

Slap!

The sharp sound rang out as Kiern’s head snapped to the side. Elizabeth’s eyes grew wide in shock.  

Kiern had bitten his tongue wrong, and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Anna, who had slapped him without warning, seemed absolutely furious. Her voice, filled with rage, followed.  

“Break off your engagement with Abigail Prairie immediately!”  

“What are you talking about?”  

“An affair while having a perfectly fine fiancée? A mistress? What kind of absurd behavior is this?”  

“Ah, so you’re here because of that.”  

Kiern let out a faint laugh and, without straightening his tilted head, answered with a crooked tone.  

“No. This is not something you need to concern yourself with, Madame. Please leave.”  

His defiant attitude only made Anna angrier.  

“Are you really planning to disappoint Sophia? If you won’t explain why you’re committing such outrageous acts, I won’t stand by and watch your and your fiancée’s recklessness any longer!”  

She had deliberately brought up his mother, knowing how much Kiern cherished her. At the mention of his mother’s name, Kiern responded coldly, as if his reverse scale had been struck.  

“In that case, you’ll be making an enemy of both the Agaphel and Prairie families.”  

“Kiern!”  

“This matter has already been agreed upon with the Prairie family. I have no intention of breaking off the engagement now, nor do I believe this will disappoint my mother.”  

Anna staggered at Kiern’s unwavering and unyielding stance. As Elizabeth supported her, Anna spoke, trembling with fury. Her rigid demeanor showed no signs of backing down.  

“Having a mistress while engaged to a perfectly fine fiancée isn’t disappointing? Is that what you’re saying?”  

“You don’t know anything, Madame.”  

“That’s right! I don’t know! So tell me. What is the reason behind all this trouble you two are causing?”  

Anna’s fury was directed at Elizabeth as well. Elizabeth kept her mouth shut like a guilty party. Having remained silent despite Anna’s relentless questioning on the way here, she felt Anna’s glare grow even sharper.