~Chapter 70~
At Aisha’s question, Killian’s expression shifted in a subtle way.
It was hard to tell—was he simply flustered, upset at the sudden question, or feeling something else entirely?
So Aisha carefully asked again.
“I was thinking, while you were talking to Grand Duke Valtrich and Baron Hayden. Not trusting anyone really is the safest and wisest way. Especially if you’re being politically threatened.”
“……”
“So… my head understood it. But… just a little…”
“Just a little?”
“It made me feel bad.”
She muttered softly. Killian looked at her and spoke.
“Why.”
“……”
“Did your pride get hurt, because I said I don’t trust you? Or did you feel betrayed?”
Maybe that was part of it. They hadn’t met under good circumstances, but they had crossed life-and-death situations together. And hadn’t Killian himself been thinking about her just before she appeared?
“Of course, saying it wasn’t that at all would be a lie. But no, that’s not the real reason I felt bad.”
Her answer was completely different from what he expected.
“Even a stray dog has someone it trusts…”
“Dog—what did you just say?”
“It’s true. No matter how terrible a person is, there’s always at least one being they believe in. Even Roselia has Bill, doesn’t she? And if I put it like this, you’ll probably say you have Theorn.”
“And so what.”
“I know what kind of life you’ve lived. You told me everything that night in the hut. When I remembered that, I thought… ah, it’s no wonder he can’t trust anyone.”
Killian froze slightly.
“And if you can say that so casually, you must have been so lonely.”
“……”
“I wasn’t someone who trusted people easily either. So I know that feeling very well.”
In her real life, Song Seungyeon had been similar to Killian.
Her only purpose had been to reveal the truth about her grandmother’s death. That’s why she became a journalist, why she joined the politics department.
But reality had not been kind. Just like the time her grandmother’s death had been covered up as a simple accident.
So she never trusted anyone. Not even her own newspaper. Trusting someone was too dangerous.
But after being reborn in this world, things were different. Many things had happened—bad ones and good ones—but overall, she liked this life more than her old one.
At least here, she didn’t have to force herself to trust no one.
She wasn’t lonely here.
She had her not-so-helpful brother, Leoric. The quarrelsome Till. The children who looked up at her with shining eyes.
But Killian?
All he had was the lonely title of war hero.
Even that title hadn’t protected him. He had always fought alone.
“So what I mean is… I just felt sad. Hearing you say something so painful like it was nothing.”
“……”
“I don’t know if this saying exists here too, but in my world there’s a phrase: ‘we live together, not alone.’ Sometimes… try trusting people a little.”
“Why.”
Killian asked flatly.
“If that only throws me into greater danger?”
“That’s…”
“If you trust someone and give them your heart, then they betray you… there’s no undoing that.”
“Then we’ll just curse them out together until we feel better.”
“What?”
“Because I’ll never betray you, Duke.”
Aisha’s voice was steady, her gaze unwavering.
“No matter what happens from now on. At the very least, I’m someone who values loyalty above all. You don’t have to believe me right away. But if we keep living side by side, you’ll see it yourself—that Aisha Ashton is actually a pretty decent person.”
She saw her old self reflected in him. That’s why she didn’t want to leave him alone.
Besides, she knew sides of Killian no one else did:
that he was secretly good at talking nonsense,
that he held grudges longer than he admitted,
that he liked wordplay,
and that even in chaos, he cared enough to look after children.
“So from now on, stop living like a hedgehog with all your spines raised and—”
“Alright.”
“Eh?”
“I said alright.”
Really?
The answer came so easily that Aisha blinked in disbelief. Killian only looked back at her with a faint smile.
Strangely, that smile felt warmer than usual—and Aisha’s face went blank for a second.
“Your words make sense. I’ll try.”
“R-really?”
“Do I look like I’m joking right now?”
“Well… how would I know? You always talk nonsense.”
Ha.
Killian let out a short laugh.
Surprisingly.
And thought to himself—
Even if she hadn’t said all that… maybe I’d already started to trust someone. Already started to give away my heart.
Without even realizing it.
“Ahh… I was so tense, but now I can finally relax.”
The moment he finished, Aisha flopped down onto the sofa. She had worried he might be offended by her words, but since his reaction wasn’t bad, she relaxed instantly.
“If you’re going to sleep, go back to your room. I still have some work left—”
“Enough nagging. You had such a hard day. If you really must, do it tomorrow.”
She had already finished her bath and was heading to bed, but Killian’s words had weighed on her mind. That’s why she came. Now that she had said everything she wanted and his response wasn’t bad, drowsiness quickly overwhelmed her.
“Killian.”
“Wait a minute.”
Already lying across the big sofa, Aisha tucked a small cushion behind her head.
“I’m just too tired right now. I’ll nap a little, then leave.”
“……”
“You still have work to finish anyway. Do it.”
Mmm.
Killian stared at her, baffled. But Aisha didn’t care.
Soon her eyelids began to close and open slowly, fighting sleep.
Good… everything ended well…
Half-asleep, she thought briefly:
Roselia must be furious… but who cares…
Still, why had Roselia died in the original story?
Seeing her now, she looked like she’d keep going even with a knife through her heart, like some kind of zombie.
Forget it… I’ll know someday… when Hilda arrives from Aldrosia soon…
Her drowsy thoughts drifted, until she finally slipped into a deep sleep—snoring loudly, proof of how exhausted she was.
Meanwhile, Killian rose quietly from his chair.
And slowly, carefully, he walked toward Aisha.
