Since When Were You The Villain?

Chapter 71.

 

As he raised his head, he saw Sophia coming down from the stairs.

For a moment, Killian stared at her blankly.

He couldn’t recall what worries had been weighing on him just moments ago or how anxious he had been feeling.

Sophia was wearing one of the dresses he had bought for her from Andrey’s boutique.

A turquoise dress that complements her light brown hair.

Was turquoise originally such a pretty shiny color?

It was a light blue shade that wasn’t too cold, yet not overly warm either.

Above the dress, her white shoulders were exposed, and her neatly parted brown hair cascaded down beside her straight collarbone. The voluminous sleeves are adorned with delicate lace all over, and the layers of pleats on the skirt spread out gracefully like the petals of a large flower.

Whenever she descended the stairs, the delicate white pearl earrings hanging from her ears swayed gently.

The glimmering white light of the pearls caught his attention, along with her golden-brown hair.

Kilian knew that Sophia’s splendour was nothing special compared to the other ladies at the ball.

There are no flashy feather decorations or accessories inlaid with diamonds and all kinds of jewels.

She looked normal because she didn’t even wear a high-topped hairstyle, which is a trend among socialite girls these days. (T/L: Why, Killian, do they look abnormal to you, hahaha.)

Still, he couldn’t take his eyes off Sophia.

Is it because I always see him wearing comfortable clothes? It was unfamiliar to her to see her fully dressed up appearance.

He wanted to touch the woman in front of him to see if she was real.

He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again, half expecting her to vanish like an illusion.

“Isn’t it awkward?”

Sophia looked at Killian and smiled awkwardly.

That smile suddenly made him feel uneasy, as if the unrealistic happiness was a harbinger of impending misfortune.

It seemed like the pristine image could crumble and disappear at any moment, just like a speck of dust tainted by sorrow.

He grew fearful that his own misfortunes would transfer to her. He was afraid that the stain of his troubles might soil her purity. That’s why he hesitated to give her his heart.

This was the reason he had never wanted to open his heart to her.

Meanwhile, Sophia glanced discreetly at Killian, who seemed somewhat stiff.

‘He’s good-looking even without doing anything, but today he’s dressed up so nicely!’

He’s so handsome that it’s dangerous, but today he came out dressed up!

He was wearing his usual black evening attire, which extended down to his thighs. The coat’s black color was adorned with golden embroidery around the collar.

A red brooch resembling his eyes adorned the silk cravat that rested on his white shirt.

Instead of a vest, he wore a cummerbund.

The black cummerbund took on a subtle bluish-green colour depending on the direction in which it reflected the light.

Perhaps due to the dark-coloured cummerbund, his long legs appeared even longer, and his waist seemed slender and firm.

‘…Can I resist that appearance?’ Sophia swallowed hard.

A complete version of a handsome man that fulfilled her preferences.

At this point, she felt almost reluctant to get closer to him. She thought it might be more appropriate to stand at a distance and admire him like a sacred work of art.

However, not knowing her thoughts, Killian stood up from the sofa and approached her. Every time he came closer, her heart raced.

Silently, Killian extended his hand towards her.

He didn’t utter common phrases like “May I escort you?” or “It’s an honour to accompany a young lady.” Not even a single word.

If Mikhail had seen it, he would have said that the escort was too blunt and uncool.

But Sophia didn’t express any discontent. She dared not even hear his voice, lest her mind become hazy.

Sophia placed her tensed hand on top of his, wordlessly accepting the gesture.

It was the moment when Sophia Fraus, who had not even properly debuted, was about to attend her first ball.

* * *

‘You sent someone to the Ruchtainer five times. I’m not even a child.’

Ian thought as he stood amidst the bustling crowd. He had planned to stay longer at Ruchtainer, but due to his mother’s insistence, he arrived at the palace almost an hour earlier than scheduled.

Despite arriving ahead of the appointed time, the grand hall of the palace was already filled with people.

Because there were many people from outside the capital too, it was noisy as they exchanged greetings with faces they hadn’t seen in a long time.

‘Has Sophia arrived?’

Among the sea of people, he searched with his eyes for Sophia.

“Ian, you’re here!”

But even before he could spot Sophia, his mother had already found him.

Count and Countess Fraus approached him with warm smiles.

As they approached, a tide of people seemed to follow them, resembling a massive wave crashing towards him.

Ian was nervous, as if he were facing enemy soldiers coming from a battlefield.

No, on a battlefield, you can at least charge to face them head-on, but here, they have to simply stand and receive the oncoming tide. That’s why Ian found this place even more intimidating than a battlefield.

“Ian, greet them. This is Viscount Hyson of the Graham family, who has long assisted our House Fraus.”

It was the beginning.

The count and countess were making their rounds among the nobles who had travelled from distant lands, showing off Ian.

“Ian Fraus! We’ve heard a lot about you. Indeed, you’re as sturdy and tall as we’ve heard!”

No matter how remote their origins, most nobles were familiar with Ian’s name. His parents’ speciality was boasting about Ian, and this year, talk of his marriage had started.

“Didn’t your sister get engaged to Duke Rivelon…?”

“Come to think of it, isn’t it about time we started hearing about Ian’s marriage?”

At the age of nineteen, they openly brought up such conversations.

It seemed that the Count and Countess didn’t mind such discussions either.

However, Ian couldn’t focus on that talk and looked around.

“Mother, where is Sophia…?”

“Hoho, Ian has been so busy that he hasn’t had time to court a lady. You know, he’s been busy with his duties.”

Ian was about to ask if Sophia had arrived, but his mother didn’t hear him—or perhaps she pretended not to hear—and continued to engage with others without a break.

Ian seized the opportunity to search for Sophia, but soon he realized there was no need to do so.

“The Grand Duke of Rivelon is here!”

“I thought the military police might be too busy, and he might not attend today!”

“By the way, did he come with his fiancée?”

“You mean that ‘maid’?”

It was because the young ladies who discovered Killian before him caused quite a stir.

At that moment, the Count and Countess, along with other nobles, turned their heads towards the main entrance of the grand hall, where Killian was entering.

Sophia and Killian were walking side by side, her arm linked with his.

‘Sophia…’

The moment Ian saw Sophia, a strange feeling rushed into him.

He admired Sophia’s elegance even when she was in the attic.

Sophia comes in dressed up in a dress and jewellery, attracting everyone’s attention.

She never disappoints him.

Even her lack of glamour and awkward, shy smile made her ideal.

Ian stared at her from afar, unable to approach her.

“Ha-ha, Lady Sophia is truly beautiful as well! I can see the Count’s youthful charm in her,” said Lord Graham, who was standing next to the Count.

Upon hearing this, the Count tugged at his beard with an irritated ‘hmph.’

Ian knew that Lord Graham’s words were empty compliments. Everyone could see that Sophia bore no resemblance to the Count, who hadn’t been a handsome man in his youth.

On the other hand, the recent deaths of the two nobles seemed to have faded from memory as people gossiped about Sophia.

“By the way, they say Lady Sophia is cohabitating with the Grand Duke at the Grand Duke’s residence.”

“No way! You mean with Duke Killian?”

“You know what? Lady Sophia is trying to capture the Crown Prince’s attention.”

“Wait, the Crown Prince?”

Ian’s eyebrows furrowed as he listened to rumours he had never heard before. He glanced towards the group of people who were whispering and gossiping.

It was clear that Ruchtainer’s greatest knight was unaware that he had better hearing than ordinary people.

“And didn’t she even stroll around with Crown Prince Mikhail at the festival yesterday?”

“She was just trying to get the Crown Prince’s attention by buying street food for him.”

“Street food, really! Even if she were to offer a proper banquet, it would probably fall short. Her class is showing.”

The people clicked their tongues in disapproval.

“I can understand why Lady Rubisella didn’t bring that woman to society events.”

“I would’ve done the same.”

Is that so? I would actually feel more embarrassed to be related to people like you.”

Amidst their conversation, a sharp voice interjected, completely discordant with the tone. They looked up in surprise to find Ian staring at them coldly, his eyes narrowing.

“Sophia trying to catch the Crown Prince’s attention.”

“I-Ian, Sir Ian!”

“If that is true, there seems to be quite a problem with His Highness the Crown Prince, who had an affair with the Grand Duke’s fiancée, who was like his own brother.”

Ian muttered in a languid voice and looked at the table of honour prepared for the imperial family.

“Furthermore, if it’s true that Sophia and the Grand Duke are living together, then Duke Killian, who dragged his fiancée into his home, seems quite promiscuous.”

“That’s not true! It’s all because of that woman, you see…!”

“That woman?”

Ian raised an eyebrow at the noble, who still seemed clueless about the atmosphere.

“Are you in love all by yourself?”

Even though the rumour couldn’t possibly be true, Ian found himself annoyed at why they were only gossiping about Sophia, even if it were true.

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TRANSLATOR:

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