Chapter 142
“First, you need to return to the Grand Duke’s residence and receive treatment, Killian.”
Mikhail tried to dissuade him from recklessly meeting Sophia.
Although he didn’t seem to realise it, his body was feverish due to his wounds.
For now, he needed to go back and rest…
“I need to go to Fraus.”
“Killian…! You won’t be able to do anything in Fraus in this condition.”
Mikhail pointed to his state.
He was in shambles from the torture and the all-night investigation.
Showing this appearance to Sophia would bring no joy.
But Killian seemed incapable of rational judgment. He was simply moving according to his emotions, driven by his longing.
“Escort the Grand Duke to his residence.”
Mikhail, who had supported Killian to the front of the palace, commanded his subordinates to ensure Killian wouldn’t deviate.
A carriage was prepared to transport him comfortably to the Grand Duke’s residence.
Mikhail tried to help Killian into the carriage.
The residence wasn’t far, so he would be fine travelling by carriage.
However, Killian stubbornly ordered the coachman.
“Take me to Fraus.”
When the coachman looked at Mikhail with a troubled expression, Mikhail nodded.
He figured they could just pretend to go to Fraus and take him to the Grand Duke’s residence instead.
At that moment, they heard the sound of a carriage approaching from a distance.
A white carriage soon stopped in front of the one Killian was about to board.
As Mikhail and Killian recognised the emblem on the carriage, the door opened.
Sophia ran out of the carriage.
She was wearing a simple, thin indoor dress, likely having rushed over as soon as she heard the news of Killian’s innocence.
Killian’s eyes widened as soon as he saw her.
“Sophi…!”
Somehow finding the strength, he shook off Mikhail and the servant supporting him and limped towards her.
Upon seeing Killian, Sophia also ran towards him.
As she hesitated to embrace his injured body, Killian pulled her into his arms.
“Killian…!”
His embrace was feverishly hot.
Sophia tried to pull away to check his condition, but Killian held her tighter, refusing to let go.
Only after holding Sophia in his arms did he feel like he had truly regained his freedom, able to breathe again.
The smell of dried blood and the acrid scent of burning were replaced by her warm, sweet scent filling his lungs.
He inhaled her fragrance deeply.
“Killian, your wounds…”
Sophia expressed her concern again, but he shook his head.
He felt Sophia trembling in his arms.
Killian cupped her cheeks with both hands and lifted her face. He locked eyes with her to prove he was alive.
Seeing his gaze, Sophia’s tension melted, and she finally burst into tears.
She had been so worried, scared, and missed him so much. She had so many things to say, but she couldn’t speak through her tears.
As Sophia cried like a child, Killian wiped the tears from her cheeks with his fingertips.
Then, as if to ward off her tears, he pressed his lips to hers, breathing hotly.
Killian’s warmth was overwhelming, and it made Sophia’s heart burn even more.
There was a mix of metallic and salty tastes on their tongues.
But the two savoured the metallic and salty taste that filled their mouths.
“I missed you, Sophie…”
Killian whispered between their joined lips.
—
Killian returned to the Grand Duke’s residence with Sophia.
The people at the Grand Duke’s residence welcomed Killian with more joy than anyone else.
They fussed over him, preparing a place for him to lie down, and a doctor came to perform some examinations and treatments before leaving.
The major wounds had already been treated at the royal palace, so the doctor focused on carefully attending to the smaller wounds, prescribing medication, and reminding them of precautions.
“That doesn’t mean you’re okay.”
The doctor warned with a serious expression.
He told Killian to consider himself lucky to be alive.
Although there wasn’t much more the doctor could do at the moment, overexerting himself could put Killian in critical condition.
He was already running a fever over 38 degrees, and it could rise even higher at night, so caution was necessary.
“Rest, Killian.”
Sophia gently stroked his forehead as he lay on the bed.
Her soft voice comforted Killian.
Killian stared at Sophia, who was sitting beside him. His eyelids were heavy, but he didn’t want to close his eyes.
He was afraid that if he closed his eyes, Sophia would leave.
He wished Sophia would stay here and never leave.
To stay in the Grand Duke’s residence forever.
“Sophia,” Killian called, holding her hand.
His rough fingers, chafed from torture, interlaced with Sophia’s.
He felt like a child wanting to complain to a caring mother.
“Don’t worry. I’ll stay here,” Sophia whispered, understanding his heart.
The pleasant warmth from her small hand reassured him.
“…I’m sorry, Sophia.”
“For what?”
“For the things I said to you.”
Killian apologised for the harsh words he had uttered in the underground prison, even if they were belated.
He had said the worst possible things to the person he loved the most.
His heart had been heavy ever since.
Even though Sophia said she understood, it couldn’t have been easy for her to hear those words.
“You are always the best to me, but I feel like I’m always the worst to you…” Killian mumbled, covering his eyes with his arm.
Sophia let out a small laugh at his self-deprecating words.
“You’re being too hard on yourself. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be cooped up in an attic somewhere.”
“…That might have been safer for you.”
She wouldn’t have been caught up in all this.
“But I would have been unhappy.”
“…”
“Your Grace, sometimes I feel like meeting you is like meeting the fantastic male protagonist in a wonderful novel.”
Sophia gently stroked his hand.
Her words seemed a bit amusing, and a smile touched Killian’s lips.
A male protagonist? Was there a male protagonist who made the female lead suffer as much as he did?
But Sophia continued sincerely.
“When I first saw you, that’s exactly what I thought. Seeing you walk through the garden of Fraus, with your perfect appearance and physique, I thought, ‘Wow! That’s the male lead!’”
“Sophia,” Killian said, trying to stifle a smile as he lowered his arm and looked at her, embarrassed by her words.
“But.”
As soon as their eyes met, Sophia changed her tone abruptly.
“I also think you need to feel sorry for what you did to me.”
Sophia spoke sternly.
“Telling your fiancée to leave! There are things you can say and things you can’t!”
She pretended to put on an austere expression.
Killian had no words to say, even if he had ten mouths.
Seeing his face darken, Sophia’s expression softened again.
Even though she had been upset about that day, seeing Killian now made it impossible to stay angry.
“So, if you’re sorry, don’t do that again. It’s okay to trust the people by your side a little.”
Sophia’s intention in saying this was that she hoped Killian would be honest with Mikhail if he ever found himself in real trouble.
She didn’t want him to end up like in the original story, where he took on the role of the villain.
Not everyone in the world was like Nicholas, who would betray him.
“Without the help of His Highness Mikhail and Butler Garfield, it would have been difficult this time.”
“You mean His Highness and Garfield?”
“How could I have entered the underground prison without His Highness Mikhail?”
Sophia explained how much Mikhail had cared for him.
It was all thanks to Mikhail that she was able to enter the underground prison, stop the torture, and move him to a more comfortable interrogation room.
“If it weren’t for His Highness, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything for you.”
Sophia hoped Killian would trust Mikhail’s sincerity.
She wished he wouldn’t act tough in front of Mikhail and would share his true feelings with him. Just as he did with her, without pushing him away with harsh words.
After a moment of silence, Killian spoke.
“…Sometimes it scares me.”
“What does?”
“The day will come when I’ll have to tell His Highness everything.”
Killian hid his bitter lips.
Whenever he thought about the day he would have to tell Mikhail everything, he felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his chest.
On the day he revealed the truth, he would lose his closest family, friend, and mentor.
Even if Mikhail accepted his choices, their relationship would never be the same.
“I should have distanced myself sooner, but I couldn’t.”
From the moment he realised everything was tied to the royal family, he should have kept his distance from Mikhail.
If he had done that, their relationship might have been different now.
What if he had been harsher to Mikhail earlier, had been a less worthy younger brother?
Killian thought about this every time he met Mikhail. But he never had the courage to act on it.
He didn’t have the strength to sever one of his few precious connections.
He had postponed and postponed it until now, and the wound he would face in the future had only deepened.
Then Sophia’s gentle voice reached him.
“Of course, it will be difficult, but don’t you think His Highness will understand if you’re honest with him?”
(T/L: Man in every chapter, Sophia amazes me. Im falling for her too.)
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TRANSLATOR:
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