Chapter 47
Katrina threw open the carriage window and shouted at the coachman.
But there was no reply.
“Stop the carriage!”
She shouted again, but the coachman still didn’t answer.
It was then that Katrina realized—
The person driving the carriage right now wasn’t the coachman who normally handled her horses.
…The carriage had been hijacked.
Katrina bit her lip and glanced outside. Should she open the door and jump out right now?
Wait a second—why does this road… feel familiar?
If her memory was correct, the road the carriage was taking now led straight to the Rockpenheim estate.
No way… no way…
And of course.
The carriage stopped in front of the Rockpenheim family mansion.
While she was too dumbfounded to even say a word, the carriage door swung open.
“Hey. Long time no see.”
That was when she finally realized who had been driving the carriage.
…Silas Rockpenheim. What the hell are you doing?
It was truly outrageous.
“Are you insane?”
Her heart was still pounding madly from the shock of what had just happened.
“I am insane. Completely insane…”
Katrina clutched her thudding chest in disbelief.
“What did you do to my coachman? Why were you the one driving?”
“I didn’t do anything bad to him.”
“Didn’t do anything bad? This is bad!”
You took out my coachman and hijacked my carriage!
“Ah, well… I’m not exactly in my right mind, but… hearing that from you is kind of funny.”
“What?”
“Who do you think drove me crazy, huh?”
Silas held out his hand to help her down.
His rough hand bore small scratches. She didn’t know where he had gotten them, nor did she care to.
Katrina glared at the man in front of her.
“You’re not getting out?”
He was downright shameless.
The bright yellow eyes staring at her gleamed with a cruel light.
…We would have had to meet eventually anyway.
There was something she had to ask him.
“You’re not from this world either, are you?”
Silas had clearly said so.
But how could he possibly know that?
She hadn’t been able to ask back then because he had vanished right away.
Katrina took the hand he offered.
His yellow eyes widened at that.
Ignoring it, she stepped down from the carriage—and an odd sight greeted her.
No guards?
The last time she came here, there had been guards.
“Come inside.”
Silas led her into the mansion.
Once inside, Katrina was slightly taken aback.
The place looked… strange.
It was dark; the grand mansion wasn’t lit except for a few scattered candles.
Most of all—
…There are no servants?
The only ones here were Silas and Katrina.
“Hey. Want something to drink?”
“What?”
“Tea.”
…Were there really no servants here?
She had heard that Silas had driven out his uncle. Maybe he had replaced every last person in the household as well.
“…I don’t need tea. Just tell me why you dragged me here, Silas.”
“Oh, right. The reason.”
Silas smiled faintly.
“Let’s have tea first.”
“What?”
“Wait here. I’ll go brew it.”
“Silas, wait—”
But he left without listening.
Unbelievable.
How long did he plan to do whatever he pleased?
She’d thought he’d changed, but in this, he was exactly the same as ever.
“Hey. Kiki.”
“Be grateful I’m playing with you.”
That arrogant boy had grown up, had changed in many ways, but sometimes he still showed the same sides as before.
Before long, Silas returned.
“Drink this.”
He had really brewed tea.
“Once you drink, I’ll tell you why I called you here.”
What kind of business brought me here of all places?
Without thinking much of it, Katrina lifted the cup and took a sip.
“You know, I’ve been thinking.”
Silas finally began, as if he were ready to state his purpose.
“There’s just one thing I really need to confirm.”
What was he trying to ask—
“What are you trying to ask?”
Katrina gasped in shock.
The words had slipped out of her mouth on their own. It wasn’t anything dramatic, but her lips had moved without her consent. Wait… could it be—?
“What did you give me?”
“Oh, that?”
Silas grinned, flashing white teeth. The light in his yellow eyes was chilling.
“Truth serum.”
The tea he had brought was no ordinary tea. She could have torn her hair out in frustration.
Katrina quickly pressed a hand to her mouth.
She was terrified of saying something she shouldn’t.
“Don’t think too badly of me. You’ve done things to me too, haven’t you? Compared to that, this is nothing.”
And you? Haven’t you done anything to me? You’re not exactly innocent either.
She wanted to throw that in his face, but she forced herself to keep her mouth shut by holding it closed with her hand.
Silas gave a short laugh at the sight.
“I just have one question.”
That was when Raymond came to mind—
That arrogant man who had once pressed his own lips shut in desperation.
Silas finally asked,
“Did you really never love me?”
Katrina desperately clamped her lips together, refusing to answer.
“No, no, no. You have to answer this one.”
Silas grabbed her arm.
Then, to stop her from covering her mouth, he forcibly pulled her hand away.
“Did you really never love me?”
Not even once?
His gaze dropped to her lips.
The yellow eyes slowly darkened.
“…”
Her lips parted slightly—then stilled.
She thought for a moment.
The truth was, Katrina had felt many different things when she looked at Silas.
The boy everyone called a scoundrel.
The boy everyone hated.
The boy who cared about nothing in the world.
And the boy who, for some reason, only ever approached her.
She had seen a lot, so of course she had felt a lot.
How had they met, again?
…Right. She had met him in some hunting grounds.
Even back then, those bright yellow eyes had been fixed on her.
Countless fragments of memory flashed by, and at last, her lips opened.
“I have never once loved you.”
Katrina had never loved Silas.
She swore, not even once.
She had felt fleeting pity for him at times, but that was all.
Silas had never been anything more than that in her life.
“…Ha.”
Finally hearing the answer, Silas let out a hollow breath.
He had known—and yet, what had he expected?
What was he hoping to hear?
“I just asked on the off chance.”
“…”
“When you approached me to use me, when you pretended to love me…”
His lips twisted into an unpleasant smirk.
“Well, there was always the chance, right?”
That cold sneer seemed to spread through the air.
“The chance that maybe, just once, you might have loved me.”
