Since When Were You The Villain?

Chapter 58.

 

While looking around the room, Killian’s eyes fell upon a small letter placed on the clean bedding that Sophia had used.

Killian intentionally picked up the neatly placed envelope, as if it was meant to be seen.

The envelope felt unusually substantial, almost too heavy for just containing a letter.

When he shone a light on the white envelope, a circular shadow of a coin appeared.

Upon the letter’s envelope, Sophia’s handwriting was elegantly written.

[𝑻𝒐 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝑲𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑽𝒊𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝑹𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏,]

The words were neatly penned in a single line.

Killian, who hadn’t seen Sophia’s handwriting much, was seeing her script for the first time.

Carefully, he peeled off the wax seal from the envelope.

Inside the envelope, there was a single letter and ten gold coins.

Kilian poured the coins onto the bed.

The ten coins glinting in golden light irritated him.

The scattered coins on the blanket seemed like Sophia’s means of settling their relationship.

Killian left the scattered coins on the bed and unfolded the letter that was enclosed with them.

Perhaps written hastily, the ink at the bottom of the letter hadn’t completely dried, causing the words to smudge slightly where it had been folded.

Killian scrutinized the words and spaces she had written.

As he read line by line, his expression grew more rigid.

“… Garfield.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Did Sophia return because she wanted to, not because Ian forced her?”

“I cannot know the young lady’s inner thoughts, but it didn’t seem like Sir Ian had used force or dragged Sophia against her will.”

Garfield explained that Sophia had walked out on her own and went with Ian willingly.

“While he and the young lady were inside, discussing matters we couldn’t hear, there was no loud commotion,” Garfield added.

He wasn’t sure if there had been threats or coercion involved.

Garfield observed Killian, who had been staring at the letter for a long time.

Under his long, shadowed eyelashes, Killian’s gaze repeatedly returned to the letter, as if rereading it in his mind.

“Do you think, in your view, it would be right for me to go and bring Sophia back?” Kilian asked, lowering the hand holding the letter and turning his head to look at Gaffield.

Gaffield hesitated and cautiously began to speak.

“From what I’ve heard, there have been murmurs about Lady Sophia staying at the Grand Manor. It seems like Sir Ian might have heard those discussions too.”

“…”

“Regardless, Lady Sophia is still a member of the Fraus family, isn’t she?”

A sigh seemed to escape Kilian’s shoulders.

He felt foolish for coming with the intention of having dinner together.

Killian let out a somewhat disheartened sigh.

“Well… I guess it’s for the best.”

Had he been letting his wavering heart cause unnecessary anxiety?

He knew that deepening this relationship would only bring more danger.

While he worried that Sophia might face unfavourable treatment within the Fraus family again, it was ultimately her choice.

So him going to retrieve her again would be ridiculous.

Moreover, with the upcoming founding festival, I won’t be able to pay much attention for a while…

When the foundation festival begins, we will have no choice but to meet again.

So until then, it might not be a bad idea to avoid getting swayed by emotions.

Killian laughed bitterly.

Translator: HaileyFranchette. Read on moonlight novels only

* * *

Translator: HaileyFranchette. Read on moonlight novels only

Several days had passed since returning to the Fraus Estate.

Although she had worried that Killian might come all the way to the Fraus Estate, there had been no contact from him whatsoever.

He didn’t visit, nor did he send anyone.

‘…Seriously, not even a single letter.’

Suddenly feeling annoyed, Sophia slammed shut the book she had been reading.

Couldn’t he at least send a response to the letter she left at the Frauen Estate?

After all… they had even kissed!

Sophia recalled the kiss they had shared, fueled by alcohol.

She was certain they had exchanged their feelings that day.

She believed that their relationship had grown deeper than before and that Killian held feelings for her.

She felt like she had crossed an irreversible river the moment they had kissed.

However, judging by Killian’s current reaction, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

In the original novel, Killian was obsessed with the heroine to the point of stalking her.

And now, he hadn’t even attempted to reach out for a whole week?

Could this mean that their romance hadn’t even begun yet?

That the kiss from that day was just an impulsive act fueled by alcohol?

No real feelings… No real love…

With this thought, Sophia’s lips pursed in frustration.

‘Ugh… Why is my pride getting hurt like this?’

She felt like she had been played by Killian.

It felt like she had fallen to the level of someone to enjoy a one-night stand with.

‘Who said what? Did I ever say I liked him? I was just curious about what it would be like to kiss a handsome guy!’

Sophia clenched her fist, pressing it firmly against her forehead.

‘Yeah, that’s right! It’s better this way! Who would have thought I’d marry a murderer like him? I wanted to avoid it, really!’

Sophia shook her head vigorously as she stood up.

Looking at it rationally, this was the exact development Sophia had been hoping for.

Wasn’t she tirelessly racking her brains to break off the engagement with the villain, the serial killer Black?

But for Killian to be the one drawing the line first, it was quite unexpected from her perspective.

‘Who in their right mind would marry a serial killer? Unless they’re insane. Haha!’

Sophia burst into laughter.

Exactly. Why was she foolishly waiting for a letter from Kilian?

She collapsed onto her bed, feeling relieved and a bit amused by her own thoughts.

Besides Killian, there are plenty of handsome people in this world.

There’s Ian, for example, and Mikhail too. There are also charming people on the streets.

Of course, there might not be someone who fits my taste perfectly like Kilian…

But dating someone based solely on their looks isn’t everything.

Or maybe it’s a good idea to move forward independently without relying on a male lead.

‘Sounds good. I can just keep my distance like this and maybe even call off the engagement.’

After all, the upcoming Founding Festival will bring the heroine here.

Once she arrives, Killian’s attention will naturally shift towards her.

“Connecting them, and then I can live a different life.”

Sophia felt content.

She didn’t even want to miss or see that kind of Killian.

Truly, she didn’t.

That’s when it happened.

“My lady, what are you doing?”

Jenny, who had entered without warning, stood in the middle of the room and asked as she noticed Sophia muttering to herself.

In an instant, Sophia’s face turned red with embarrassment.

“When did you come in?! I didn’t ask you to come in!”

“You told me to bring tea.”

“Oh, right.”

As Jenny stared at her with a puzzled expression, Sophia suddenly realized her mistake.

She had been so lost in her thoughts about Killian that her mind had drifted far away.

Jenny walked briskly over and prepared tea for Sophia.

It seemed that Jenny’s encounter with Ian had left her somewhat more cautious, as she treated Sophia quite amiably. Of course, Jenny’s distinctive cheekiness and sassy attitude hadn’t entirely disappeared, but she didn’t bother or ignore Sophia anymore.

“Oh, and a letter has arrived for you.”

As Jenny served tea to Sophia, she took out a letter from her apron pocket.

“It’s from the Grand duke of Rivelon.”

At Jenny’s words, Sophia raised her head abruptly. After a whole week without any contact, had the time finally come?!

Forgetting her recent determination, Sophia eagerly accepted the letter Jenny handed over. With a slightly embarrassed chuckle and a haughty expression, she then read the name written on the envelope.

The letter was indeed from Kilian.

“Perhaps it’s about the upcoming tournament. Well, he is your fiancé, after all,” Jenny commented as she noticed the excitement in Sophia’s expression.

“Got it. I’ll read it myself. You can leave now,” Sophia said, waving her hand dismissively.

Jenny left the room with a slightly annoyed expression, presumably in response to Sophia’s abrupt gesture.

With trembling hands, Sophia carefully opened the envelope. Inside was just a single sheet of paper, a rather modest content.

Yet, Sophia couldn’t help but feel excited; the anticipation had gotten the better of her. She wondered what Killian had written. Perhaps he had secretly been stalking her or doing something odd, just like in the original novel.

Sophia couldn’t resist the urge to glance around before unfolding the letter.

It was elegantly written in a cultured and refined handwriting, yet the sentences were remarkably concise. The content was straightforward.

The letter was about the upcoming national founding’s ball. Killian mentioned that they needed to be partners for a dance and inquired about their attire and meeting place.

“Is this it?” Sophia muttered in disbelief. She turned the letter over, hoping to find more content on the back, but there was nothing beyond that. There were no inquiries about how she had been or any sentiments. It was a strictly business-like letter.

Feeling a sense of disappointment, Sophia placed the letter back onto the table with a slight thud.

“It’s the Founding’s ball, and since we’re engaged, we’re supposed to attend together,” Sophia thought.

This wasn’t a request for a dance partner. Given their relationship status, it was something they were obligated to do, whether they liked it or not.

Unless she wanted to become the talk of the town and grace the front page of Lady Chanelia’s weekly magazine, attending the ball with someone other than her fiancé was out of the question.

Thus, the letter merely served the purpose of coordinating and confirming the schedule for that day.

“It’s just a mandatory strategic engagement,” Sophia muttered with narrowed eyes, glaring at the letter.

Her fleeting excitement had cooled off, leaving her feeling nonchalant.

“Fine. It’s an obligation, so I’ll fulfill it,” she decided, her determination settling in.

Sophia retrieved a piece of paper from a drawer and picked up a pen.

[𝒀𝒆𝒔. 𝑾𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒇𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉, 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒖𝒔 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒓.] (T/L: Someone is pissed off, fufufu)

She wrote the response in a straightforward manner. No more, no less. Just a simple acknowledgment of the arrangement.

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TRANSLATOR:

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