Chapter 98
This time, it had passed—fortunately, it had passed—but Kayente still thought that the culprit would have to be punished. Just as Yulia had disappeared from his side. That’s why he had no choice but to hold Yulia tightly and beg. Begging for forgiveness, pleading for her not to be taken away from him.
He thought that if he could just find her—if he could just bring Yulia back safely—everything would be fine. Yet, the same fear that had gripped him before finding her now gripped Kayente once again. His thoughts had wandered just enough to recall Yulia’s words about going home, realizing that getting her out of that place safely should be the priority.
“Let’s head to Laros.”
They left the fleeing kidnappers to be chased by the guards and soldiers, while Kayente climbed into the hired carriage, holding Yulia in his arms.
Though Yulia’s own carriage might have been more comfortable, Lucy was riding in that one. Kayente intended to dispose of it as soon as they returned to the capital. Yulia might have insisted it was fine, but he didn’t want to leave any reminders of this incident.
“It’s a huge relief to have safely brought the lady back, my lord Count.”
On the way back to the capital, Henry, sitting across from them in the carriage, spoke while looking at Yulia, curled up and sleeping in Kayente’s arms. Though the position must have been uncomfortable, Yulia was breathing evenly and deeply asleep.
Kayente adjusted the strands of her hair sticking to his cheek, tucking them behind her ear, and let out a deep sigh. Henry, seemingly trying to comfort him, began to praise Yulia.
“Even in the midst of all that, the lady did something remarkable. According to Willy, she prevented him from getting killed and didn’t let that one man continue to eye Lucy. She held him in her arms and wouldn’t let go.”
However, Kayente’s expression worsened further upon hearing this. If all he had tried to do was protect himself, Yulia would have returned to his arms ‘without a scratch,’ according to their terms—but that wasn’t the case. Yulia’s left wrist hurt, and it was visibly swollen.
Another reason Kayente could not smile while praising Yulia was his own sense of unworthiness. Did he even have the right to be by the side of such a remarkable woman, whose dazzling eyes he had dimmed countless times? And now, with what right could he speak of love and stay by her side?
Kayente believed he should let Yulia go before his feelings for her deepened further. He thought that before Yulia innocently believed that he had saved her and loved him because of this incident, he needed to reveal all the truth and release her. It was a task for someone who had already lost the will to continue seeking revenge.
Certainly, Kayente’s rational mind had decided this. But… he couldn’t. One moment without Yulia by his side was already too much.
No more. If Yulia disappeared from his side again, he knew he wouldn’t even be able to breathe. Kayente turned his body slightly, bent deeply at the waist, awkwardly holding Yulia close, and muttered:
“That can’t happen, Yuri. It can’t.”
That is, he could not let Yulia go.
Yulia arrived at the mansion by carriage just past midnight. The resident physician, who had been waiting, examined her left wrist. While nothing serious was found, the diagnosis was that she should not use that arm for about a week. Consequently, starting the next day, Yulia had to wear splints on both sides of her left wrist, keeping her arm in a triangular cloth tied behind her neck.
The charity concert schedule had to be postponed. Aside from being unable to practice the cello, she could still use her right hand for daily life, but Kayente was particularly attentive.
At breakfast, Kayente even carried Yulia to the dining room himself.
Sitting side by side at the table, he fed her each bite himself, preventing her from using even her functional right hand. Supporting her chin with one hand to prevent spills, watching her chew, and bringing a cup of water to her lips when she looked thirsty—all with meticulous care.
“My lord Count, the lady’s only injured her left wrist. Everything else is fine,” Lucy finally said. The maids attending them were all shocked by Kayente’s behavior, yet he continued to care for Yulia as if unaware of their stares.
Yulia understood how strange this looked but silently accepted each bite he offered. She planned to indulge a little today. If this doting could ease Kayente’s anxiety—fear that she might disappear or break if touched—then this was nothing.
“I’d prefer if you don’t go out for now.”
“I will.”
Even after experiencing such an ordeal, Kayente insisted she stay inside, and Yulia nodded in understanding. Though it seemed unlikely the same incident would occur again, the culprits had not been caught, so she could not be fully at ease. The mastermind behind the events also remained unknown.
“Cain wanted to see the lady to confirm she’s safe…”
“Meet him in the garden. Bring Lucy with you.”
“Understood.”
Even though all necessary instructions had been given, Kayente still lingered, watching Yulia. When she smiled at him, waiting for him to speak, he finally asked with effort:
“…May I kiss you?”
“What are you asking? Couples do worse than that.”
Yet for some reason, Kayente hesitated, unable to kiss her immediately. Eventually, Yulia leaned closer and gave him a quick peck.
“Better?”
Yulia deliberately smiled, bright as a burst of lemon, to mask the guilt or self-recrimination she saw in Kayente’s eyes.
The hesitation seemed to end there. Unsatisfied with the short kiss, Kayente boldly wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips fully to hers. Their lips opened, tongues entwined, and after a long, suffocatingly deep kiss, he finally let her go.
“I’ll be back.”
Though they had shared deeper kisses before, Yulia’s cheeks still flushed. She nearly persuaded him to skip his outing and spend the whole day together.
When he left, Kayente rode his carriage not to his office in central Diela Street but to Mercy Street, a northern slum of the capital. Normally avoided during the day by anyone not conducting illegal business, Kayente came personally to meet Mark. He had no luxury of sending someone to fetch him.
The area, home mostly to those marked as dropouts of the Empire, was in worse condition than the back alleys of the shopping district. Buildings pressed tightly together, no sunlight entering, and the streets littered with the remnants of intoxicated people and unknown excrement. Every step left a grimy sensation, making Kayente long for clean water.
Upon reaching a shabby two-story building and entering, there was a single empty space in place of a lobby or kitchen. Sitting at a table among scattered documents, a few men asked his business, and Kayente was guided upstairs to Mark’s office.
“Count, why have you come all the way here?”
“How far did you get with the task I assigned last time?”
Mark, surprised despite his long experience in the underworld, stood up. Kayente immediately addressed the matter at hand, and Mark responded without further questions.
“I confirmed the goods that left Diela Street arrived at the central post office in Casad. But no one has picked them up, so I haven’t confirmed the client yet. One subordinate is guarding the post office.”
As expected, Mark had not reported because there was no definite conclusion. The identity of those who had interfered with Yulia’s matter was more urgent to Kayente, so he asked immediately:
“And?”
“The bank is checking who is the guarantor for the Xian Trade Loan, and for the other two companies, I’ve confirmed the source of the funds.”
The names that came from Mark’s mouth were ones Kayente had briefly considered but dismissed.
