CHAPTER 60…………
Srrng.
In an instant, the sword was drawn.
It was so fast that even trying to stop him would’ve been useless.
Adèle, who had been holding her breath ever since his arrival, only gasped and rushed forward when the blade caught the moonlight.
“Cayden!”
“Step aside. I’ll kill him.”
“Are you insane?!”
Startled, Adèle flung her arms out, blocking him.
Yes… this was my family, after all.
It was her own fault for letting herself slip into a momentary daydream, as though she were the heroine of some romance novel.
Cold sweat trickled down her back. Whatever he’d been doing before this, Cayden’s clothes still reeked of blood.
“Move. I’ll finish this myself.”
“Like hell you will!”
“…Sister.”
His red eyes, ablaze with fury, flickered at her fierce refusal. The blood-red diamond in his ear looked as though it were part of him.
“So my sister really is merciful. But you’ve chosen the wrong man to defend. The one who dared to lay hands on you—!”
“No one laid hands on me! That’s not it! I laid hands on him!”
“…What?”
Cayden scowled, lips curling in a bitter sneer.
She had hoped to clear the misunderstanding, but his crimson eyes only burned hotter.
“Hah… So you went that far? Sister, you would really—”
Any further and he would snap.
Realizing it, Adèle clung to his arm.
“No! He’s my husband—your brother-in-law! Get a grip!”
“…My sister’s husband?”
“……”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
If he were the sort to calm down and sheathe his sword there, he wouldn’t be Cayden.
Up until now, it had been simple rage. Now, his resolve was catching fire. The crooked smile on his lips was chilling.
“Well… that makes it easier for me.”
He shifted his grip, sword angled to strike at the neck—his favored killing blow. Fire seemed to roar in his veins.
“No, stop!”
What kind of nightmare is this?
Adèle clutched her throat, breath caught.
As heir to a merchant lord, she was no stranger to bloodshed, but this man was her fiancé—her husband, as of today.
“Stop this! You lunatic!”
Shivering all over, she whirled toward Killian.
Even if he was a skilled swordsman, matching Cayden’s battlefield-honed blade was no easy feat…
“Killian! Dodge!”
“…So you’re saying it wasn’t me who laid hands on you—you laid hands on me.”
Clang!
Killian’s hand drew his sword reflexively, parrying the incoming strike.
Even as he deflected Cayden’s blade, he didn’t spare him a glance. His eyes stayed lowered, muttering in confusion.
“So it was you, Adèle, who… Not that I mind, but… If only you had told me sooner…”
“……”
Cayden’s sword split in two, clattering pitifully to the floor.
Adèle was grateful—relieved—that Killian had blocked her brother. But to a madman, there could be no better fuel.
“Hah.”
Cayden gave a chilling laugh and drew a dagger from his breast. He meant for one of them to die.
“…Come at me.”
“Come at you?!”
Slap!
Adèle struck Cayden hard across the face.
I’m really showing every possible side of myself tonight, aren’t I.
At least now, Killian could never accuse her of tricking him with a sham marriage.
Her restraint gone, Adèle grabbed her brother by the collar.
“Are you insane? How dare you draw a sword here!”
“…Sister.”
Whether shocked or regaining his senses, his eyes were unreadable. Gritting his teeth, Cayden looked down at her.
“My sister would strike me…”
What on earth are you acting so wronged about!
And yet, she couldn’t turn away from the wounded, wolf-like eyes of her brother.
After all, hadn’t she taken in a bloodied young Cayden with her own hands?
Her grip slackened—but only slightly. Her fury at nearly being widowed on her wedding night burned just as hot.
“Shall I hit you again? Is this what I taught you?!”
“You said, Sister… to strike down threats first, ask questions later.”
“……”
“You said that.”
Cayden’s dazed eyes fixed on her, his words heavy with half-clarity, half-fog.
“I only did as you taught me…”
“Then who exactly threatened you?!”
…She almost let herself be swayed!
Shaking with outrage, Adèle grabbed his collar and rattled him.
Who would dare threaten a monster like you unless they had a death wish?!
Thinking she had no choice, she raised her hand to press both his cheeks, but Killian stepped in, gently restraining her.
“That’s enough, Adèle.”
“What? But my brother—”
“It’s enough. More than enough.”
His eyes fell on Cayden’s wrinkled collar where her hand had been. The same man who hadn’t flinched when steel was at his throat was strangely sensitive to the touch she’d left behind.
Enough for whom, exactly?
Enough scolding—or enough touching?
Adèle felt sick to her stomach, bracing herself against her shaking legs.
If not, she might simply collapse between the two of them.
…This is my fate.
One was a rampaging beast. The other, a silent, far more dangerous dragon.
If she had to pick, the beast she had trained with her own hands was at least manageable.
So Adèle chose a desperate cure.
“Pull another stunt like this and I’ll never forgive you! I’ll never see you again!”
“Sister!”
“I gave you a sword to defend yourself, not to brandish it against innocents!”
“…Innocents? Who?”
Cayden covered his eyes with his hand. The gesture only infuriated her further. She spun on her heel.
Of course he’d cause trouble as soon as he returned—but this was beyond even her expectations.
She had already shown Killian every side of herself, for better or worse, but did it have to be today?
Each step back toward the manor stoked her anger further.
“…Adèle! You’ve left all those guests behind, and you call yourself heir to this house?”
“Father.”
At the edge of the forest path stood the earl, frowning at the sight of her.
Killian, still supporting Adèle, bowed politely in her place.
“Our apologies for troubling you, Father. We were just on our way back.”
“Commander, I understand you were pressed, but still—what in the world… Cayden! You little bastard!”
Seeing his son for the first time in half a year, the earl’s temper exploded. Of all the men she’d seen tonight, he was the most furious.
“You wretch! And you dare crawl back here calling this a home?!”
“…Then I’ll leave again.”
“You son of a—!”
The earl’s roar thundered down the path.
Normally, Cayden would have vanished rather than face such irritation, but tonight he seemed strangely dazed.
“Wow…”
What a magnificent mess this family is.
Without even a chance to flee, Cayden was seized by his father, their shouting soon erupting into a full brawl.
Adèle pressed her forehead, refusing even to look back.
Killian tried to intervene, but somehow the clash of blades only rang louder.
“Haa… What possessed him to show up now.”
“Sister, are you all right?”
“…Noella.”
Of course. You too.
Of course you would come.
Adèle bowed her head and let out a bitter laugh.
Cayden was here. Her father was here. Naturally, Noella couldn’t be far behind.
Supporting her with a worried expression, Noella lowered her voice shyly.
“It seems I’ve made a mistake. I only brought Father because he was worried for you.”
“…How did you know I’d be here?”
“Because wherever Cayden is… you’ll always be there too, won’t you, Sister?”
You don’t mean—
Adèle’s eyes flew open as she studied her. The voice that rang in her ears was gentle, angelic… yet unmistakably that of a daughter of this cursed family.
“For Cayden to miss his sister’s engagement… it just wouldn’t make sense.”
