~Chapter 80~
Both men stared fixedly at Aisha.
Kilian’s black eyes, though tinged with unease, remained motionlessly fixed on her, while Til wore a strangely confident smile.
As if certain that Aisha would answer she was leaving with him.
“Aisha, answer me. You’ll come with me, right? Hm? You will, won’t you?”
Wait, hold on.
I…
Aisha’s gaze instinctively turned toward Kilian.
And so her pale violet eyes met Kilian’s black ones.
Kilian seemed about to say something, his lips parting urgently, but then he faltered slightly. At last, in a faintly subdued voice, he spoke.
“…You can speak freely, Aisha Ashton.”
“……”
“Where you choose to stay is entirely your decision, and no one has the right to force you otherwise. That’s how it should be.”
Even as he spoke, Kilian found it all unbearably absurd.
He was suppressing the urge to pummel Til right there and then.
He wanted to beg Aisha to stay at Winters Manor.
Yet here he was, calmly saying the exact opposite of what was in his heart—mocking himself for it.
“……”
A long silence settled between the three.
I…
Aisha’s fingertips trembled slightly. To stop it, she clasped her hands tightly together as she thought.
Til is right. If Belmore really is trying to cement his position by taking out Rune… then we need to stop him somehow. If Rune is compromised, then Sunday’s Exposé will be in danger too. Since we’re partners, I should help him.
Either way, the dark guild Rune’s image needed to be cleaned up. They had survived Roselia’s schemes—how could they now fall to Belmore?
And if she went with Til, the magazine’s publishing process would be far simpler. She only had to write the drafts, and Til could print and release them directly.
No need to involve others unnecessarily, no constant anxiety about her identity being exposed. How efficient was that?
But…
Hilda Everett is coming.
Aisha knew very well.
That the real reason driving her decision wasn’t Rune’s safety or Sunday’s Exposé.
I don’t have the courage.
She didn’t have the courage to watch Kilian fall in love with Hilda. She didn’t have the courage to pretend it didn’t hurt. She didn’t have the strength to be “fine.”
This is how it should have been from the start anyway. My relationship with Kilian was… only a contract.
Of course, that contract would still exist nominally for the time being. But there was no reason for her to remain at Winters Manor just to maintain it. Besides, being apart would help her sort out her feelings.
If this cohabitation continued, her heart would only grow more wounded day by day.
Especially now that she had realized she had feelings for Kilian.
Kilian was precious.
But so was she.
That was Aisha’s conclusion.
“……”
Without a word, Aisha slowly lifted her head. And there she met Kilian’s gaze—the gaze that, for some reason, was filled with desperate longing.
Once, she had thought he was only frightening. But as she recalled the many moments when she had glimpsed the hidden emotions behind that cold face…
She looked at him for a long, long time.
“I’ll do as Til said.”
At last, she spoke, her voice slightly cracked.
“Thank you so much for everything, Duke.”
“Wait, Aisha—”
Kilian tried to say something, but Aisha pressed on without stopping.
“We ended up spending much more time together than expected, didn’t we? You went through a lot of trouble because of me. Once I’m gone, you won’t have to bother keeping an eye on me anymore, and you’ll finally get to sleep peacefully. Sien will be very pleased.”
“…Aisha.”
“Of course, before publishing Sunday’s Exposé, I’ll still show you the draft first. That part of our agreement won’t be forgotten. And, um…”
Um…
Aisha drew out the words, then gave a faint smile. She extended her hand to Kilian.
“Since this is the last time, shall we shake hands?”
“……”
“They say even bitter feelings count as bonds. But if you don’t want to, that’s fine too.”
Kilian looked down at the small, pale hand extended before him.
The hand that always scribbled diligently across paper.
The hand that had grabbed him in haste during the ambush.
The hand that often propped up her chin whenever she sat blankly at her desk.
How could such a small hand support such a small face? He had once laughed at the thought.
Was this woman’s hand always this heartbreakingly beautiful?
…If I take it.
If I tell her not to go with Til, to stay with me instead.
What face would you make then, Aisha Ashton?
Surely not a happy one.
Yes, he knew well. It was time to respect Aisha’s choice. Even if his heart wished for something entirely different.
Kilian found himself smiling bitterly without realizing it.
“Duke…?”
Aisha looked at him in puzzlement, but he didn’t offer any answer.
He only clasped her hand tightly just as she was about to pull it back.
And—astonishingly—he did so with a gentleness that treated it as though it were something immeasurably precious.
The unexpected gesture made Aisha’s eyes tremble.
“Right.”
“……”
“Thank you. Me too.”
…Thank you?
For what?
Her coming here had only brought him trouble.
Her heart sank as if it had dropped into a void. She visibly flinched, but then Til suddenly stepped in and seized her wrist.
“Then it’s settled.”
Holding her wrist, Til grinned at Kilian.
Like a victor basking in his triumph.
Crack.
The sound of bones grinding together came from Kilian’s tightly clenched fist.
“I’ll help you pack, Aisha. Then we’ll leave right away.”
“Ah, o-okay.”
“Well then, Duke, we’ll take our leave. As you can see, we’ve got a very busy schedule.”
Those were Til’s last words. He led Aisha toward her bedroom with heavy steps, while Kilian, left alone, stood motionless in place.
For a very, very long time.
