Since When Were You The Villain?

Chapter 48.

 

Fortunately, Killian had a clear goal in mind, which made him resistant to the surrounding temptations. Ironically, Mikhail was of great help in driving away the undesirable people who approached him.

“Don’t get close to such people, Kilian,” Mikhail advised.

Perhaps Mikhail didn’t know what the palace was hiding. Strangely enough, what puzzled Killian the most was the fact that they didn’t let him go to the Grand Duchy.

They always kept Killian close to the capital. Whenever he actively expressed his intention to become Grand Duke, the palace diverted his attention to other matters.

On his sixteenth birthday, they even granted him a grand mansion right next to the palace.

“Now, as a Grand Duke, I want to learn what I should do and be of help to the Empire, Your Majesty,” Kilian expressed.

“Killian, the North is cold and harsh. My heart is not at ease knowing you want to go to such a distant place like a son leaving home,” the ruler replied. ” (T/L: His parents died in the North.)

“But I…”

“Are you dissatisfied with what we have provided for you? You want to return to a place with unpleasant memories?”

The palace kept Killian close, allowing him to stay in a mansion adjacent to the palace and be attended to by servants and maids.

Until now, Killian had thought of it as a favour – keeping him close, perhaps to watch and control him. Thanks to this, the palace maintained control over the position of Duke.

The palace had promised to act as regent and govern the position of Grand Duke until Killian came of age. They assured him that they would prevent other nobles from taking advantage of the position and would protect young Kilian.

“But still, I am bound to the capital.”

In reality, the position of Duke was firmly in the hands of the palace. The promise made ten or more years ago about handing over the North when he matured seemed to have been forgotten.

Killian has lived a life cut off from his northern roots. Now, he couldn’t even recall the appearance of the Grand Duchy mansion in the North.

The customs of the capital had become more familiar to him than the traditions of the North. He knew more about the capital than the land of the Grand Duke.

‘Even if I were to return as the Grand Duke, could I reclaim real power as Grand Duke? The palace has ruled for nearly 20 years. What remains of my authority is merely a name.’

Despite that, he blindly trusted and loved the palace like iron stone.

‘Such foolishness…’

The child who yearned for the warm embrace of loving parents had been blinded by the sweet words of the palace. He had no other place to rely on.

On the nights when nightmares haunted him, he needed someone to wipe away his cold sweat and comfort him.

Thus, he had lived alongside those who had killed his parents.

What a foolish life it had been.

Living in submission to the enemy, what a pathetic existence it was.

‘… You will also feel the betrayal I have felt.’

Killian repeated these thoughts while looking at the name written on the wall, the name of the Orhel Imperial Family.

And another name stuck between the words of the Orhel Imperial Family and the name of the Rivelon Duke.

Sophia Fraus.

Translator: HaileyFranchette. Read on moonlight novels only

As that name came into his mind, a different shade of emotion surged within him once again.

She was the fiancée chosen by the palace for him.

A woman who had never seemed suitable for him from the beginning, which led everyone to oppose the match.

Especially since she was from the Fraus family, which is close to the imperial family.

When they said they would pair him, a Grand Duke with military prowess and high status, with an inexperienced young lady, Killian was certain that the palace was assigning him a new watcher.

Around that time, Fideut mentioned that someone seemed to be trailing him, and the timing was perfect.

‘Perhaps they think that the past will be revealed, so it must be an intention to tie me up more.’ 

However, even after knowing the will of the imperial family, Killian could not refuse. 

He still appeared to be an obedient son and a loyal commander of the military police in public.

That’s why he reluctantly accepted the suspicious engagement, but without holding an official ceremony, just through written documents. He had no intention of showing affection to the palace’s watchdog, nor did he want to create anything to report about.

After the engagement, he never once went to meet his fiancée.

Thankfully, since he had no interest in women in general, no one suspected him of neglecting his betrothed.

But then, a problem arose.

[Breaking News! The fiancée of the Grand Duke of Rivelon, whose real identity is the count’s maid?!!]

Translator: HaileyFranchette. Read on moonlight novels only

Killian began to suspect the purpose behind that article.

Why would the imperial family publish such an article? Killian couldn’t fathom their intentions. Publishing rumours about an engagement arranged by the imperial family wouldn’t benefit anyone.

Did they want to tarnish his reputation? Or perhaps they wanted to test his loyalty by seeing if he would maintain the engagement even after such news?

He couldn’t grasp their motives, but for the first time, he decided to visit his fiancée. He didn’t want to avoid her anymore.

However, when he met her, his first impression of Sofia Fraus was far more striking than he had imagined.

“Ah, I’m the one who reported it.” Her demeanour was far from what he expected.

Who is this woman? Is she digging her own grave? Or is this all a scheme orchestrated by the imperial family?

As Killian tried to figure out who Sofia Fraus really was, she continuously surprised him with unexpected responses.

“Wow, such a big carriage!”

Her eyes sparkled like those of someone who was truly innocent and ignorant of the world.

“Mm, how many dresses are okay?”

With eyes filled with gratitude at the mention of buying dresses, she squeezed her thumb and forefinger together.

“Put down that bag.”

Facing the armed robber with an innocent sense of justice, a complete lack of understanding of the world’s affairs.

“Since then, I’ve had to live in a situation worse than a maid, sob.”

A past that does not match the imperial family at all. (T/L : The background told by the imperial family)

‘That’s why you’re trying to change it. Squeezing out even dried tears’.

Everything about her was a mystery to him.

Why would the wealthy and prominent Fraus’s young lady be impressed by just a few dresses? Why did she go to the extent of escaping the attic after such an article was published? And why did she casually talk about her past, which was even pitiful to outsiders?

He realized he could no longer ignore his fiancée.

So, Killian decided to change his strategy.

“If I can’t ignore her, then I’ll use her to my advantage.”

He resolved to use Sophia Fraus as his own chess piece.

If he could use her well, she might help him get closer to the secrets of the imperial family. Having her by his side could potentially shield him from the watchful eyes of the imperial family.

Killian started observing Sophia closely.

He paid attention to her, listened to her stories, and gradually came to realize that she knew nothing.

She knew nothing about the death of the former Grand Duke, nothing about the Rosary seed, and nothing about the hidden truths.

She had received no orders from the imperial family or any secret missions from Fraus. Furthermore, she was merely a guarantee of the deal between the imperial family and Fraus.

At present, Killian was in a good position in the Empire and had a prominent status. However, if he were to reveal the truth about the imperial family and raise objections, Sophia, as a participant in the deal, would inevitably become implicated.

Moreover, the royal family probably wanted to betroth him to someone like Sophia, who is less remarkable compared to the renowned and intelligent girls. This was likely to prevent him from gaining more power or having different thoughts.

In doing so, he could avoid the accusation of marrying a bad match from the Fraus family.

But even so, Sophia Frauska, who was used in this deal, remained completely unaware of how she was being manipulated.

She was merely struggling in her position, trying to escape her old attic room through this engagement and striving for a more dignified life.

He needed to use her, but he couldn’t afford to sympathize with her emotionally.

“Don’t forget, she is a woman sent by the royal family.”

Whether she knew it or not, she was deeply entangled with the other side. The moment he started caring for her, he would be swayed according to their desires.

Killian had thought about this many times.  But…

“Gah… Ha…?”

Why did my eyes freeze when I saw that she had been hit? Why did I feel such pain just by looking at her injured cheek? Why did my heart throb?

He impulsively brought Sophia along with him.

Killian found himself constantly losing his composure, even though he knew he needed to use her. He had never experienced such emotions in his life before, which only added to his confusion.

Compassion, anger, sympathy, duty—initially, he believed these were the emotions he felt towards Sophia. He pitied her for boldly stepping forward without knowing the truth of her situation; he got angry at the unfair treatment she received, or he felt a sense of duty to protect his fiancée.

However, he couldn’t deny that there were other emotions within him that he couldn’t simply explain with those feelings alone. Emotions that were both unfamiliar and reluctant to acknowledge.

Little by little, these emotions had grown and led him to where he was now.

“Promise me… Promise me that no matter what happens, you won’t kill me,” Sophia’s eyes were filled with fear as she looked up at him.

Kill me? How could anyone even think of such a thing? What is going on in that little head of hers?

He couldn’t fathom why she would ask such a question. What was she so afraid of? He had never harmed her in any way.

Even after witnessing the death of Percel and running away in cowardice, he hadn’t done anything to her when they first met. Despite knowing that she was connected to the royal family, he hadn’t threatened her, silenced her, or even killed her.

Could she be mistakenly identifying him as the “Black Moon,” the one who killed Fideut and Percel?

At that moment, anger surged within him. (T/L: This story is getting crazy)

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