As soon as Kishian returned from his meal, I asked him about Albrecht.
Whether he drank the wine properly, whether he showed any signs of doubt, etc.
Fortunately, everything seemed to have gone according to plan.
Albrecht drank some wine and said he would leave the next day.
He must have been anxious to leave the Grand Duke's residence in a hurry so that he would not be suspected later when Kishian died.
The next morning, he returned to the palace early in the morning, and peace finally came to my heart.
It was a great relief to have something that had been a headache gone.
With a lightened heart, I wrote down a letter to send to my father.
It wasn't very important.
Just to see how he was doing, how Letie was doing, and whether he had seen the gift I sent.
After completing the letter, I sent it to the palace.
Perhaps Albrecht would receive the letter right after he arrived.
After giving the letter to Anne and instructing her to send it to the palace, I checked on Kishian.
That was the reason he asked me to take care of him while lying in bed early in the morning.
"Are you feeling better now?"
When I asked that question while sitting on the chair next to the bed, Kishian smiled faintly and answered.
"I feel like I have little strength."
After hearing the answer, I looked closely at his complexion.
Although he said he had no strength, his face looked very healthy.
I reached out and felt his forehead, but there was no sign of a fever.
"Is it because you drank poison?"
"But that poison has no effect if you just drink it. It's a poison that only takes effect when certain conditions are met."
"Anyway, it's poison. It seems a little weak."
"..."
No way could happen. I even tried taking it in advance just in case I had gotten the wrong medicine.
When I ate it, I really didn't have any symptoms.
"Then shall I call Elvin? I will have him examine you...."
"No, you don't have to do that. I think you just need to take care of me."
If it really hurt, I would have told him to call Elvin right away.
But seeing that he says there's no need to do that, I find it suspicious.
It also felt like a ploy to attract unnecessary attention.
'No, that can't be. What would this guy have to gain by attracting my attention... He's not the kind of person who would do that.'
It was absurd that Kishian would pretend to be sick to get other people's attention.
Although he occasionally showed an affectionate side, he was usually a cold and blunt man.
There is no way he would do something childish like pretending to be sick.
"...Is it really okay for you to just receive my care?"
"I don't need anything else. But I just need you to stay by my side and not do anything else."
"I don't have anything to do right now anyway. I'll just stay by your side."
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
No matter how I look at it, he doesn't seem like a sick person.
As I looked at him with suspicion, he suddenly patted the seat next to me.
"Are you going to just sit and watch? Why don't you lie down next to me?"
"You're sick, wouldn't it be uncomfortable if I lay down with you?"
"It's not uncomfortable. It would be better for me if you lay down with me, because it would make me warmer. I think it's a little cold right now."
To be honest, it didn't look cold at all.
If it were really cold, he would have told me to bring thick clothes.
Now, his thin nightgown was not even buttoned up properly, leaving his chest exposed.
It's cold dressed like that.
Still, for now, I lay down carefully next to him.
Immediately, Kishian hugged me with his strong arms.
Soon, I felt a hand stroking my head.
I gradually became more comfortable with the leisurely stroking of my hands in regular movements.
If I think about it, it really has been a long time.
It's so comforting to be lying down with him like this.
The hand that had been stroking my hair slowly moved down and caressed my shoulder.
It was a place where the bruises had not completely disappeared.
"You must have been in pain, but you didn't groan even once."
There was a note of regret in his voice, as if he was recalling a moment that had hurt me.
I replied, leaning quietly against her chest.
"I felt like it wouldn't stop even if I said it hurt."
"..."
"Because back then... it seemed like you really hated me."
Maybe even now, no, definitely, there was hatred for me in his heart.
He stopped in his tracks, unable to bring himself to say the words again, even though he swallowed them.
The hand that had been reaching out as if to caress my bruise began stroking my hair again.
"I didn't mean it."
"..."
"I never hated you enough to hurt you."
I closed my eyes and recalled his actions.
Yeah, he definitely hated me and resented me.
But it never hurt me, except when he got contaminated.
The sight of him saving me from dying alone in a frozen bedroom because of the maid and warming me with his whole body.
And the sight of him leaving scars on my body while he was contaminated.
Which of the two is closer to his true self?
I was confused because I didn't know anything for sure.
I thought maybe he, too, was confused, not knowing what my true feelings were.
But the voice I heard next was filled with utmost confidence.
"I will never hurt you again. If I am contaminated again, then..."
I looked up at him as he stopped talking, and our eyes met.
He continued talking, looking me in the eye without any hesitation.
"I will walk into the fire with my own feet. I will not come out until my flesh melts and all my blood boils away. I will disappear so that I can never hurt you again."
I am once again shaken by the fact that I cannot even tell if what he is saying is true or false.
My heart, which had built a strong wall around itself because it had never been loved before, was about to open its locks to him again.
The words that suddenly came out of my mouth were a result of a weak sense of rebellion that did not want to be so easily overcome.
"But I have sinned."
"..."
"I betrayed you. And yet you still think you can risk your life for me?"
After hearing what I said, Kishian stopped stroking and became silent.
It was a long, long moment of silence that seemed like it would go on forever.
After a long while, his mouth finally opened, and a slightly trembling voice came out.
"Yes, you betrayed. That's why I hated you, and I plan to continue to hate you."
The arm holding me felt a little stronger.
He whispered as he buried his body deep in my arms.
"But now I want to stop hating you."
"..."
"Because I don't want you to get hurt because of me. No, it's more than just that I don't want you to get hurt. I'm scared of you."
His hand gently rested on my injured shoulder.
He stroked that area over my clothes, then eventually pulled down one layer of fabric, exposing my bare skin.
The skin was seen to be unsightly and blotchy.
Chewing his lips, Kishian quietly rested his forehead on the mark.
I gently stroked him for a while, as he crouched like a wounded animal, even though he wasn't injured.
***
Late at night, a man covered in black robes stood in front of the main gate of the palace.
The palace was shrouded in an eerie silence, unlike before.
The man walked quickly through the quiet, cold palace corridors.
It was only when he reached the Emperor's bedroom, hidden in the deepest and most secret place in the palace, that his steps stopped.
"Your Majesty, I have safely completed my mission and returned."
"I've been waiting. Come in."
As soon as the Emperor granted him an audience in a quiet voice, the man entered the bedroom.
After that, he took off the hood of the robe he was wearing.
The Emperor immediately asked Albrecht, who had appeared like that.
"How did you kill him?"
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment