Chapter 4
“Someone said that the Countess killed her and disguised a maid as her to hide that fact.”
“Everyone is out of their minds.”
“It’s such a cruel world. Besides, it’s provocative, in this case.”
“Hm?”
Killian sighed as he saw Nicholas smirking.
“It’s like throwing meat to the hungry beasts of the social world.”
They did not want to be noticed, so there was no engagement ceremony, and they quietly exchanged contracts with each other.
She was a poor woman with no good reputation, but he didn’t care who Sophia was. If it were not Sophia, it could’ve been someone else.
After all, he was engaged because of the imperial family, and he never disobeyed the will of the imperial family.
After the death of his parents during his childhood, the emperor and empress claimed to be his guardians.
Thanks to this, he has been in the system since the age of six and was raised in the imperial family.
He was like a brother to the Crown Prince, and he was the second most trusted son of the Emperor and Empress.
He did not forget his kindness to the imperial family who raised him, and he served the imperial family thoroughly.
Therefore, this engagement was only followed as the imperial family had decided.
But…
“I can’t just let it be like this…”
He had no hobby of being a prey.
He got up and put on the black coat hanging from his hanger.
“Let’s meet my fiancée.”
~*~
Sophia had hoped that the anonymous letter she had sent would do well, but she didn’t expect it to have such a ripple effect.
Furthermore, on the day the weekly magazine was published, she did not even think that her fiance, whom she had never seen before, would come to visit.
‘Hey, is that my fiance?’
Sophia couldn’t keep her mouth shut when she saw Killian looking out the window in the distance.
‘It’s a total cliché, isn’t it?!’
She couldn’t take her eyes off Killian’s look.
Hair as black as obsidian and eyes as red as ruby.
‘After all, the true essence of a male lead is black-haired, red-eyed, obsessive duke of the Northern Territory.’
It matched her taste perfectly, so Sophia smiled happily.
His existence alone overwhelmed people.
His height seemed to reach the sky, and his broad shoulders and straight body were different from the silhouette.
His black coat matched his dark hair, and his white skin stood out in particular.
With every step he took, his heavy charisma fell.
Even the countess, who was confident in front of Sophia, smiled nervously in front of the Archduke.
They carefully guided Killian and walked into the garden.
Sophia stuck to the attic window and watched him.
As he got closer, his facial features became more distinct.
A high nose bridge, thick eyebrows, and a sharp jawline.
He was a character who brought the beautiful rhetoric often used in novels to investigate the male protagonist into reality.
Besides, even the name is Killian!
‘If you look at it while rolling, you can see that that person is the male protagonist…’
It wasn’t just the looks. He was a star enjoying tremendous popularity in the system.
The duke, who also served as a high-ranking official of the Empire.
A man with the emperor and empress on his back as guardians.
Like a brother to the Crown Prince.
The killing point was that his personality was just and gentle, but he had a clear line and was indifferent to women.
As a result, she heard that there are several women in society who are eager to have him.
‘But I mean, that man is my fiance.’
As soon as she nodded happily alone, Killian’s gaze headed toward the attic window.
His bright red eyes aimed exactly at Sophia, like someone who already knew she was watching from before.
Surprised by the unexpected eye contact, Sophia’s heart suddenly sank.
‘Calm down, heart. Did you do something wrong?’
Sophia somehow didn’t want to lose, so she didn’t avoid Killian’s eyes. At that time, the door of the attic opened roughly and Jenny invaded.
“Get ready, lady!”
“What?”
“Your fiance is here, so are you going to meet him like this?”
Jenny asked in a sharp voice.
It seems that the count ordered Sophia to be dressed at Killian’s sudden visit.
It would be an insult to him to treat the his fiancee like this.
“Change into this outfit.”
Jenny threw a plain turquoise dress on the old bed.
“Alone?”
“Do you want me to change for you?”
Jenny, who asked back bluntly, pushed the book and ink off the narrow desk and put a wooden jewelry box on it.
Finally, she threw shoes on the ragged carpet.
“Get changed on your own and come out.”
Jenny was harsher than the first meeting. It seemed that the work of pouring the soup on her still remained clot.
However, Sophia didn’t have the personality to leave Jenny alone.
“Are you confident that I’ll be fixed in front of the duke if you leave me here like a beggar?”
“…”
Jenny’s lips are curled up as if she was not confident.
When Sophia picked up the dress, buttons and ribbons that she had to fasten on the back were revealed.
“The count must be really happy if I left the buttons undone in front of the duke, right?”
Sophia said, taking off her clothes.
Eventually, Jenny approached with an angry step and helped her change.
Of course, she didn’t help me beautifully.
“Ah!”
It was unusual for hair to get stuck between buttons due to angry and rough touches, and she felt nauseous by tightening the ribbon hard as if to vent her anger.
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“Stop it, Jenny. I have a limit to holding it in.”
“You’ll be glad for my help. If I don’t button up, they’ll see all the scars on your back.”
“?”
Sophia looked in the mirror behind her. There was an old-looking scar on the back.
‘How tough has it been for a noble to have this kind of scar on the back!’
She was sure it was caused by someone bothering Sophia.
When Jenny grumbled and fastened the last button of the dress, the scar was completely covered under the dress.
“Sit down. I’ll do your hair for you.”
Jenny pulled the chair with her feet and placed it in front of the mirror.
Sophia’s hair in the mirror was fuzzy.
‘He just saw this…’
Sophia recalled meeting Killian’s eyes like a snowball fight at her window.
It was her first meeting with her fiance, but her first impression was a mess.
Jenny combed her brown hair like a mane.
Then she tied it in moderately in a half-bundle and attached a red ribbon.
“Okay! This takes a lot of work!”
Jenny nervously put down the comb.
Sophia faced her own reflection in her mirror.
‘Now I look a bit more like an aristocratic young girl.’
The real beauty of the heroine was hidden in her frizzy hair and her old clothes.
Sophia originally thought she was pretty, but with just a little work she turned out even better.
“What a blessing it is that you’re engaged to Archduke Rivelon!”
“Are you jealous?”
The grumbling Jenny had Sophia show her winner’s smile.
She honestly didn’t realize it until she saw Killian with her own two eyes. But the moment she saw his magical and mysterious appearance, she realized the profound meaning of possessing the book.
That she had labored hard in her previous life to get that handsome man himself in her arms!
“I am leaving quickly. Your Majesty the Archduke is waiting for you!”
Jenny, scratching her head, hurried Sophia to her annoyance.
So Jenny bangs open the old door of her attic…
“Ugh! D-Duke!”
A large figure stood in front of the door.
Red eyes slowly glanced at Sophia and Jenny. Then it looked inside the attic as well.
It was a dirty and old room with clothes scattered all over the place from hastily preparing.
After understanding the situation, Killian’s gaze turned to Sophia again.
“You are very late.”
A nice low-pitched voice spat out a sentence.
“T-t-that…!”
Jenny, who had been so brazen to Sophia, stuttered her words in front of Killian.
Surprisingly, Sophia was the same.
‘Weren’t you with the Count?’
The Counts may have tried to hide Sophia’s living in the attic from Killian.
Besides, he wouldn’t let the Archduke walk around alone like this…
Anyway, revealing such a messy room in the first place was an embarrassing situation for Sophia in many ways.
She was momentarily embarrassed by the unplanned encounter, but Sophia regained her composure and parted her lips.
“You are rude, Archduke Killian Viprons Rivelon. You visit a lady’s room recklessly.”
Sophia opened her eyes and spoke boldly.
Then Killian rolled his eyes and opened his mouth.
“Excuse me. But the door opened before I knocked, so I don’t think it was entirely my fault. Furthermore…”
Killian’s red eyes slowly turned towards Jenny.
“I never thought this attic would be a ‘lady’s room’.”
Killian said with a polite smile on his lips.
Jenny made eye contact with him and inhaled her breath.
Sophia laughed inwardly at his cleverness.
‘You knew I was in the attic.’
Killian made eye contact with her before coming in.
But Jenny, unable to know the fact, nervously avoided his gaze.
“But how did you get here? The servants wouldn’t have let you come all the way here.”
“That’s right. I had a hard time.”
Killian looked at the old stairs leading down from the attic.
“Why do you have to…”
“I want to talk with my fiancée alone, but I don’t think it’ll be allowed.”
