~Chapter 38~
‘Questions?’
At Aisha’s sudden words, Killian’s first thought was this:
What kind of article is she planning to write this time?
And the next thought was…
‘…If she’s suddenly developed some interest in me, that would be troublesome.’
If Aisha knew he was thinking that, she would probably scream and hang herself on the spot.
“Go ahead.”
Anyway, Killian spoke as if to say: Try, if you want.
“But keep this in mind. If I don’t want to answer, I won’t.”
“Well, of course. You always live as you please. Why would you bother answering something that annoys you?”
“Good. At least you know me well.”
What an infuriating man.
Aisha muttered to herself.
“It’s about the Empress Dowager, Roselia.”
And slowly, she revealed her true purpose.
“Why does she go so far to keep you in check?”
At Roselia’s sudden name, Killian hesitated slightly.
“Of course, I know the rough situation. She’s afraid you’ll use your victories in war to build power and threaten the throne. But even so… isn’t her reaction too extreme?”
“Well.”
Killian slowly parted his lips.
“To be precise, half of what you said is right, and half is wrong.”
“Which half?”
“To put it simply, the reason Roselia is so desperate to kill me is because I rejected her proposal.”
“Proposal…?”
Wait.
This wasn’t in the original novel.
‘So that’s it. A past event not shown in the story. Supporting characters’ backstories?’
It wasn’t unusual. In these kinds of possession novels, things always went wrong because of “events never written in the original.”
“So what was her proposal?”
“I won’t tell you that much.”
What the hell. Then why bring it up?
“All I’ll say is, if I had accepted Roselia’s proposal, I’d be treated very differently right now. But I refused. That’s why things turned out like this. That’s what I meant by half-right, half-wrong.”
What did that even mean? Aisha couldn’t make sense of it at all.
But then—
Concerning the future disposition of Killian Winters.
The line from Til’s note suddenly flashed across her mind.
The Drakxion Empire has promised to send private soldiers to the Former Emperor’s faction.
‘I should tell him.’
The Former Emperor’s faction replied they would quickly crush the rebels of the Current Emperor. I saw the exchanged letters myself. They even bore official seals—no doubt about it.
At the very least, Aisha had to warn him of what Roselia was plotting.
Once the Former Emperor’s faction regains power, right after Killian Winters’ engagement ceremony, the Aldrosian invasion will begin. They promised to use every soldier to kill Killian Winters. Supplies for the war will come from Baron Crawford and Duke Dilsen. After dealing with Killian Winters, they plan to punish Aisha Ashton, the Winters family, and all of his followers together.
‘But in the original story, Roselia dies soon. Most likely killed by Killian himself. He might already have his own plans.’
Yes. It was even harder to believe that Killian Winters would ever let Roselia succeed.
And yet, Aisha couldn’t shake her worry. She felt like a child who had told a big lie and was now terrified her parents would find out.
‘How should I bring this up?’
Killian already knew she was in contact with Rune. If she suddenly blurted out that Roselia had joined hands with Aldrosia’s Former Emperor’s faction and planned an invasion, it could only make things worse.
After struggling for a long while, Aisha finally spoke carefully.
“About military supplies.”
“Military supplies?”
“Which families usually provided them? In the wars you fought.”
Killian paused in thought, then answered.
“Baron Crawford’s house, Duke Dilsen’s house, and Count Windor’s house. But Windor barely contributed—Crawford and Dilsen provided almost everything.”
“……”
“But why are you asking, Aisha?”
His black eyes gleamed sharply as they fixed on her.
Aisha swallowed nervously, then forced a casual face.
“Yesterday, the Empress Dowager mentioned it. That Aldrosia was stirring, and that you would surely play a great role in the coming war. So I was just thinking about it. That you’ve always been dragged into wars like this.”
“……”
“And who profits the most from these wars? Obviously, the ones supplying the weapons and resources. Especially since Duke Dilsen monopolizes weapon production, right?”
There wasn’t a single flaw in her reasoning. Everything she said was true—things even Killian himself had already considered.
“Those nobles made huge profits and then funneled the money back to the Empress Dowager. It must have been a massive amount. I just wonder what it’s all being used for. That’s all. After all, I’m a journalist.”
Aisha went on.
“So if we keep close watch on the Dilsen family, we could probably guess when Aldrosia plans to move. The Empress Dowager certainly won’t tell you herself. Am I wrong?”
Her conclusion matched Killian’s own thoughts exactly. He had already been monitoring the Dilsen family closely.
‘…I knew she wasn’t ordinary, but to think she could follow my line of thought this closely.’
This was unexpected. Aisha’s mind was sharper than he had imagined.
“So, are those all your questions?”
“Well… yes. For now.”
From Aisha’s side, it was already a big hint. If she pushed further, she’d only invite suspicion.
Besides, Killian surely had his own plans. She would just have to wait for the right moment to naturally reveal the truth.
Thinking so, Aisha turned her back on him and sat down at her desk—unaware that his gaze still lingered steadily on her.
That night, Aisha didn’t return to her bedroom until nearly midnight.
‘I’m going to die like this. I already stayed up all last night.’
Neither Killian nor Roselia mattered anymore—overwork felt like the most immediate threat. Ignoring Sien’s nagging—You must bathe before bed! That is the Winters’ rule!—Aisha collapsed and fell asleep instantly.
She woke again around 5 a.m.
“Aisha.”
Of course, it wasn’t by choice.
“Aisha.”
“……”
“Get up already, damn it.”
A sudden yank pulled her hair hard. A sharp pain jolted her awake, and she opened her eyes wide.
Til was standing there, grinning far too widely.
“W-what the hell? Why are you here? Is there some problem with the manuscript?”
Still half-asleep, Aisha mumbled. Til’s grin grew wider as he replied:
“A problem? No. I came because I was so moved by your article I almost cried. I had to see you.”
“…Huh?”
“From the start I suspected it, but now I know for sure—you really are an incredible woman, Aisha Ashton.”
At his sly voice, Aisha was suddenly seized with a strong, ominous feeling.
