Since When Were You The Villain?

Chapter 86.   

   

Inside the ward, there was a narrow bed, and a stove was warming up the room.   

On the bed lay Nicholas. When he heard the sound of someone entering, he turned his head towards Killian.   

As usual, soft brown curly hair and kind eyes.   

The face Killian had seen behind Rosarphi’s robe was once again before him, lying in the hospital bed.   

Killian’s feet felt heavy as he stopped before that face.   

“Your Excellency…”   

Nicholas called out to him with a voice drained of strength.   

It was a voice Killian had heard countless times over the past few years, but now it sounded unfamiliar.   

Killian was unsure of anything now.   

He lifted his foot from the floor and approached Nicholas a bit more.  

“Are you okay, Nick?” (T/L; The pain…) 

He asked, hoping he was okay but also secretly wishing he wasn’t. Betrayal and anger swirled within him.   

He couldn’t help but avert his gaze from the long gash across Nicholas’s chest.   

“Haha… I’ve lost my face.”    

Nicholas chuckled faintly in a voice that sounded like the wind. Even in such a situation, his laughter remained true to his nature.   

However, in the midst of his laughter, he seemed to feel pain in his chest. He furrowed his brows and closed his eyes.    

“Black Moon… I could’ve captured it, but right before my eyes…” 

Nicholas’s lips trembled.   

Killian did his best not to reveal his emotions to him.   

It was as if Nicholas’s words were lamenting the fact that he had missed capturing the Black Moon.   

It felt maddening. Every word and every look from someone he trusted felt like a relentless assault on his heart.   

‘…Have you not noticed that I am a black moon?’  

Killian sneered.   

Should we call this a blessing in disguise?   

Perhaps it was thanks to the mask and robe that Nicholas hadn’t recognized him.   

Furthermore, when they saw him at the ball earlier, Hark seemed to be alive and well.   

It appeared they still hadn’t figured out the truth about Killian and Hark.   

Unlike with Fideut and Percel, at least Hark had been kept safe.   

Killian looked at Nicholas’s wrist, which was visible outside the blanket. He didn’t see the bracelet. 

“Your Excellency, about Sir Liam…” 

 “I heard.”   

Nicholas blamed himself for his mistake, unable to meet Killian’s eyes.    

“As the vice commander, I have failed.”   

He confessed that he hadn’t properly protected even a single comrade and was now the only one left alive. 

Nicholas’s words, as if he were a noble soul who had met a tragedy while pursuing a just cause, made Killian clench his fists.   

However, ironically, it helped clarify what Killian needed to do. His swirling emotions suddenly turned icy cold.   

His excessive emotional turmoil had become extreme, pushing him to the opposite extreme of cold calculation.   

The fierce anger and betrayal that had consumed him now left only a devastated pile of ashes.   

He had thought about killing Nicholas, but no, he wouldn’t do that. Now it was his turn to use Nicholas.   

Regarding Rosarphi. And the truth hidden by the Empress about that child.   

For the sake of his parents’ deaths.  

“It’s okay. What’s important is that you’re alive.”   

Killian’s now-dry rationality offered comfort.   

“I was shocked too, Nick. That’s why I want to resolve this matter even more.”   

Killian pretended to express concern for him.   

Nicholas nodded as if agreeing.   

“It might be tough, but if you can answer even a part of it, I hope you will. By any chance, do you know anything about the Black Moon?”   

“Unfortunately… I don’t.”   

Nicholas continued speaking with difficulty.   

He added that, apart from the fact that he was slightly bulkier, there was nothing else he could discern about the Black Moon. Furthermore, he mentioned that the weapon used by the Black Moon was not a specially crafted sword but a common sword that could be produced at the institution’s blacksmith and was accessible to ordinary people.   

His attire, covered by the robe, revealed nothing special.   

“However…”   

“However?”   

“There was someone with the black moon…” 

Nicholas said in between breaths.   

‘He must have seen Hank in that case.’   

Fortunately, it seemed like they hadn’t uncovered Hank’s identity, but Killian couldn’t fully let his guard down.   

“The Black Moon tried to kill him?   

“No… It seemed like the Black Moon was having some kind of conversation with him.”   

“So, you’re saying the Black Moon has an accomplice?”   

“The probability is quite high.”   

Nicholas’s voice was faint, but he spoke with certainty.   

Killian wore a serious expression and lowered his eyelids.   

“Nick, if what you’re saying is true, then the Black Moon isn’t just a simple serial killer.”    

“…”   

“It’s organized murder, with intent and purpose.”   

Killian mumbled quietly, staring at Nicholas.    

Upon hearing this, Nicholas averted his gaze and turned his head slightly, revealing a complex expression.   

“Do you have any idea about the Black Moon’s purpose?”   

Killian asked, and Nicholas remained silent. 

“However, if they tried to infiltrate the palace to do something, they might have targeted the royal family.”   

“Do you mean treason, Nick?”   

“It’s not impossible.”   

Nicholas replied, and then he clenched his chest as if it hurt.   

Killian advised him not to push himself further since they would have plenty of time to talk later.   

“Thanks to Liam and you, we didn’t have any more casualties today. Don’t blame yourself, and get some rest.”   

Killian turned away, preparing to leave.   

But then…   

“Your Excellency.” (T/L: *thump*)  

Nicholas called out, causing Killian to halt in front of the door.   

When Killian turned back, he saw Nicholas struggling to rise and staring at him.   

“…I’m truly sorry.”   

A trembling word escaped from his quivering lips. 

In that moment, the emotions that had been suppressed surged up again, threatening to explode.   

It felt like Nicholas’s words were directed at him, just like the words he exchanged with the Black Moon.   

One side of his chest twisted as if in pain.    

He wanted to grab Nicholas by the collar, unleash a torrent of curses, and scream at him.   

He wanted to let out all my suppressed emotions, nail countless sins into Nicholas, and demand that he knew what he had done. How disgusting and despicable he was.    

Killian clenched his distorted face and turned his back on Nicholas.   

He couldn’t completely hide his expression.   

He couldn’t bring himself to respond to Nicholas’s apology and hurriedly left the room.   

Outside the ward, the dimly lit corridor was filled with oppressive silence. Killian had to push through the suffocating atmosphere.   

As he walked through the corridor, his footsteps grew slower, and eventually he came to a complete stop.   

Perhaps it was because he had surpassed the depths of emotion he could handle that his injured leg lost its strength. He leaned against the wall and struggled to catch his breath.   

Only then did he realize that the inside of his jacket was soaked with sweat. The handkerchief he had used to cover his wound was now soaked with blood and dripping.   

He overexerted himself because he had to go up and down the stairs several times to answer the Empress’s call and go back and forth to the treatment centre.   

“I need to handle this quickly.” 

He forced his legs to move again, despite the pain in his injured leg.   

Sophia had advised him to refrain from biting his lip, but the increased pain made him forget her advice.   

As if he had a homing instinct, he headed to the lounge where he had promised to meet Sophia.   

He reached the door to the lounge, and when he knocked slowly, the door opened.  

He finally saw the face he had longed to see through the spreading firelight that slowly dyed him and spread. 

“Sophia…”   

“Your Excellency!”   

At that moment, Killian’s body tilted, and he collapsed.   

* * *   

In the deep darkness of early morning, Killian awoke, accompanied by a throbbing pain in his thigh.   

He momentarily closed his heavy eyelids, and memories of the previous night flooded back.   

He recalled Rosarphi, son of the imperial family, whom his father was trying to protect, and Nicholas.   

As these memories became vivid, it was as though a cold splash of water had awakened his senses.   

In a hurry, he tried to sit up, and a hand suddenly gripped him tightly.   

When he turned his gaze, he saw a bright brown mane of hair scattered on the white bedspread.   

His fiancée held his hand with one hand, her head resting on her other arm as she uncomfortably slept.   

‘Where am I…?’ he wondered.   

He shifted his attention away from Sophia to his surroundings. T  

The room was small and unfamiliar, bathed in the faint light of a blue moon.   

It looked quite old and cluttered.  

The desk was piled high with various medicine bottles, bandages, and medical textbooks, all in disarray.   

On the nightstand next to the bed, there was a white porcelain pitcher filled with water and several towels.   

Though it was a room he had never seen before, Killian could tell that this was Sophia’s new room.   

He recognized her modest belongings, as he was well acquainted with her style.   

The dress she had worn the previous night was carelessly draped over a chair, and various items she typically uses, such as pens and notebooks, were scattered about.   

Killian briefly recalled the events of the previous night.   

After his conversation with Nicholas, he instinctively went to the lounge, where Sophia would usually be.   

However, he had no memory of what happened afterward.   

He pulled back the covers and saw that his thigh was tightly bandaged with clean bandages.   

She couldn’t bring herself to remove his pants, so they appeared to have been cut open with scissors due to the bloodstains.   

Fortunately, thanks to a night of rest, Killian’s wound seemed to have stopped bleeding, and the fresh bandages were not stained red. 

The table held hemostatic agents, antipyretics, and medications, evidence of Sophia’s efforts during the night.   

Although Sophia had little knowledge of medicine, there were even signs that she had searched through medical books. 

Killian gazed at Sophia, who was sound asleep, and couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude. 

 

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TRANSLATOR:

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