SWWYV CHAPTER 153

Chapter 153

Killian mocked her shallow thinking.

Beatrice furrowed her brow.

“It was His Highness the Crown Prince who saved Estelle.”

Killian stepped aside slightly, pointing to Mikhail, who had been standing nearby.

Beatrice’s gaze flickered with confusion as she looked at Mikhail.

The report she received stated that the chandelier had fallen and that, thanks to Killian and Mikhail’s intervention, no one was hurt.

She had assumed it was Killian who had saved Estelle.

“Killian rushed in for Lady Sophia even faster than I did, Your Majesty,” Mikhail added, uncomfortable with the credit coming solely to him.

Beatrice, regaining her composure, nodded.

“I see. So, Lady Sophia was almost injured as well.”

She tried to read Killian’s expression again. Was he this angry because of Sophia? Not Estelle?

If Killian were the Black Moon, he wouldn’t have let Estelle, the key to everything he had pursued, die under the chandelier.

If Estelle died, everything the Black Moon pursued would be in vain.

Yet he saved Sophia first.

‘Does this mean my assumptions are wrong?’

The chandelier incident threw her entire line of reasoning into disarray.

She devised several hypotheses to understand Killian’s actions.

First, Killian genuinely cared for Sophia more than she had anticipated. 

So much so that he instinctively saved her over Estelle, whom he had been pursuing his entire life.

But Beatrice found this the least likely possibility.

Although Sophia and Killian seemed closer than expected, even though Beatrice had arranged their strategic engagement herself, she didn’t believe Killian was the type to risk his life for a woman.

She had tried many times to pair Killian with women, subtly encouraging luxury and hedonism, introducing him to a gambling playboy and even a famed beauty, but none of it had ever worked.

‘Even though he was allowed to marry today…’

Beatrice didn’t believe Killian’s decision to marry was out of love.

‘Love?’

The word itself sounded immature to her.

Only those with immature minds or those who had lost their minds could fall in love.

Beatrice believed in phenomena, not love.

‘Killian must have made his decision based on calculation.’

She thought Killian’s marriage decision was to restore his damaged reputation.

‘When he was captured as the Black Moon, the other nobles remained silent, which must have been quite a shock.’

So, he must have decided to secure his ties with the Fraus family.

In any case, Beatrice couldn’t accept the idea that Killian abandoned Estelle out of love for Sophia.

So, she considered another possibility.

Second, Killian wasn’t the Black Moon.

Perhaps all the coincidences she observed, like Nicholas dropping the water jug near Estelle or Killian attending events where Estelle was present, were just that—coincidences.

‘Impossible…’

She had believed Killian was the Black Moon, but now, evidence kept emerging to the contrary.

The evidence conflicted with each other.

Thus, the third possibility was that Killian had cleverly judged and acted in the moment the chandelier fell.

In that split second, he trusted Mikhail to save Estelle and chose to save his betrothed, whose engagement he had just announced.

People would find it odd if he saved Estelle instead of his fiancée.

‘Yes, that must be it.’

Beatrice believed that Killian, with his quick judgement, would have made all these decisions in that short moment.

She recognised Killian’s abilities more than anyone.

If he were an insignificant person, he wouldn’t have been a match for her.

Although he was like a son to her, Killian was incredibly smart and meticulous. Thus, she needed to be cautious.

‘Quite impressive…’

After organising her thoughts, Beatrice looked at Killian and Mikhail, nodding.

“I seem to have raised my sons well. To bravely jump in during a dangerous moment without hesitation.”

She praised them, and Killian’s expression instantly twisted.

Seeing this, a smile spread across Beatrice’s face.

Of course, you can’t not be the Black Moon.

She felt it was a shame that only she could see Killian’s contorted face.

‘You’ve reached a point where you can’t hide your emotions, Killian.’

Or should she commend him for holding it in until now?

“Leave the rest to me. I’ll make sure this matter is handled properly.”

Beatrice gracefully consoled Killian, whose face was twisted with anger.

***

Killian no longer wanted Sophia to remain at the party, or rather, in Beatrice’s den, the royal palace.

Since they were planning to leave anyway, he had her board the carriage as soon as it was ready.

“What about Estelle…?”

“Don’t worry. She went with several Knights of Ruchtainer, so nothing will happen. Besides, if anything else happens today… that would be incredibly foolish.”

Killian said as he followed her into the carriage.

Then, unusually, he sat beside her.

Sophia, who had expected him to sit opposite her, looked at him in surprise as he clasped her hand.

“I need to be like this to feel at ease today.”

He needed to feel her presence, to alleviate his anxiety, even if just a little.

Sophia tightly gripped his hand, amused by the sight of the large, fearless man holding her hand.

“Why are you laughing?”

“…Because I’m happy.”

As Sophia smiled brightly, Killian looked at her, finding it strange that she could smile after everything that had happened.

“Aren’t you angry?”

“I am. But you saved me in the end, didn’t you?”

“…I almost didn’t.”

His large hand tightened around hers.

“If I had been a little later, I might have lost you.”

Killian’s head lowered.

Sophia seemed unaware of the exact details of what happened, but Killian could never forget that moment.

When he saw the chandelier falling from the ceiling, time seemed to slow down.

Instinctively, he pushed the person in front of him aside and lunged towards Sophia, reaching out and pulling her towards him with all his might.

Given his strength, it must have hurt her quite a bit.

Her ankle, clad in a heeled shoe, could have easily broken, but there was no time for such concerns.

He pulled her into his arms and stepped back just as the chandelier shattered on the floor.

The sight of the shattered chandelier brought back memories of the broken carriage and his parents trapped beneath it—the first time he had witnessed death.

Those vivid images stayed with him, impossible to erase.

As his hand began to tremble again, Sophia hugged him.

“I’m sorry.”

Her soft words in his ear made him shake his head.

“You have no reason to apologise.”

“I just want to make you happy, but it’s harder than I thought.”

Sophia, joking about the tiring lives of novel protagonists, patted him reassuringly.

“And thank you for saving me. It was a bit… unexpected.”

“Unexpected?”

“I thought you would save Estelle instead.”

During the chaos, she hadn’t had time to think. But once her heart calmed down, that thought crossed her mind.

Wouldn’t it have made more sense for Killian to prioritise Estelle?

It wasn’t out of jealousy.

Sophia had seen Killian’s secret space and knew how desperately he had pursued his past.

In the original novel, he even rebelled against the one he trusted and loved, Mikhail, to protect Estelle.

Sophia understood better than anyone what Estelle meant to Killian.

So, if he had saved Estelle in such a dangerous situation, she could have understood…

“Sophia.”

When he called her, she let go and looked into his eyes.

“There is nothing more precious to me than you now.”

Killian deeply kissed her forehead.

Sophia couldn’t pinpoint exactly when she had become so important to him.

And he himself couldn’t clearly prioritise between Sophia and Estelle.

He loved Sophia, but Estelle had been significant to him for a long time.

So, Killian had been unsure who to prioritise between Sophia and Estelle.

But today, everything became clear.

There was no need to think.

Even if he had to go back and save someone again, he would risk his life to save Sophia.