꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦THERE IS NO WAY YOU LOVE ME꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦
He was not a welcome sight, not even as a pleasantry. The once-comfortable air grew tense and sharp the moment he stepped in.
“What brings you here?”
It was Kieran who spoke first. Though his voice was flat and devoid of any emotion, Claudius chuckled breezily, pretending not to notice.
“Don’t be so stiff. It’s not like I’m somewhere I’m not allowed to be, is it?”
Then, striding forward, he boldly took the seat of honor between Kieran and Alyssa.
“I came because I wanted to have a meal together. I’m not too late, am I?”
Neither Alyssa nor Kieran responded. They didn’t even call for the attendants to bring a setting—just silently stared at him.
“Still not over it, huh?”
Claudius’s cheerful facade began to crack, irritation creeping into his expression. He took a long breath, as if trying to compose himself.
“It’s been so long since we last saw each other. Don’t be like this. I was hoping we could talk about something lighter—something pleasant.”
Despite Claudius’s coaxing tone, Kieran replied coldly.
“Well. I don’t have anything to say to you. If there is anything, it’s what I need to hear from you.”
The corners of Claudius’s lips, raised in a forced smile, began to tremble.
“…And what is it I’m supposed to say?”
“‘I’m sorry.’”
Kieran said it lightly, as if announcing the evening menu, but the weight of his words was anything but light.
“An apology for the things you did in ignorance as a child—and for the things you ignored once you were old enough to know better.”
The soft blush on Claudius’s cheeks turned blotchy red and pale blue, his complexion shifting with anger and shame.
“Come on, Kieran.”
He gritted his teeth, forcing his mouth into a smile.
“I came all this way, smiling like a fool without pride. An apology? What, should I throw myself at your feet and beg?”
His voice burst out, sharp with rising fury, his breath heavy with emotion.
“What did I do that was so wrong? I was considerate toward you!”
“That wasn’t consideration—it was charity.”
Kieran cut in coldly, and Claudius’s blue eyes darkened with fury.
A grinding sound escaped from his clenched teeth.
“…Then what?”
“…”
“What more was I supposed to do for you? Charity? Have you forgotten how much that so-called charity helped you?”
Not once had he forgotten. Even after living life all over again, the memory still clung to him, still caused him pain.
“Do I owe you an answer?”
But now, he intended to let it go.
Finishing his brief reply, Kieran fell silent. Claudius, flaring up at the response, flushed with rage.
“So you’re really going to cast me out like this?”
Kieran remained quietly unmoved. Breathing heavily, Claudius turned his wide, furious eyes toward Alyssa.
“Say something, Your Grace! Are you really going to treat the Count of Albrecht this way?”
He must’ve thought she’d take his side—his voice rose with indignation. But he was gravely mistaken.
“I simply follow the decision made by my husband.”
Her response was firm, cold, and unwavering. Claudius’s face fell in stunned disbelief. The fire of his anger snuffed out like a candle, replaced by a hollow daze.
“…Father and Mother were right.”
He exhaled quietly, then muttered bitterly as if spitting out the words. His eyes were burning blue with fury.
“They said there was no need to treat lowborn blood with courtesy. I guess I’m paying the price for not listening.”
A torrent of venomous words spilled from his mouth like poison. Alyssa clenched her fists, but Kieran simply listened in silence.
“Don’t worry—I had no intention of staying here long, even without being rushed out. You won’t be seeing me again, Kieran.”
The sarcasm continued. The words weren’t even directed at her, but Alyssa felt her vision go white with rage.
“How foolish of me to think you were too good for her. You were perfect for each other—two vulgar and lowborn creatures finding one another.”
Alyssa could no longer hold herself back and began to rise—but then a voice, laced with cold fury, cut through the room.
Kieran, who had been so calm until now, turned his gaze sharply to Claudius. The sudden shift in atmosphere made Claudius flinch.
“Who are you calling lowborn?”
Alyssa was equally shocked. Kieran, who had remained composed all this time, had flipped like the turn of a hand.
“Your idea of ‘lowborn’ is shallow, Claudius. Is someone ‘low’ just because they refuse to obey you? Or is it because she wears armor instead of dresses—because her tone and movements lack the softness you prefer?”
The reason was something completely unexpected. Words Alyssa hadn’t even paid attention to had lit the fuse in Kieran.
Even as Kieran spoke with icy venom, Claudius only glared back at him without a word.
“You run your mouth without knowing your place. Do you think you’d still be alive if the Duke had maintained the dignity you speak of?”
Kieran’s words came down like lashes. Claudius’s eyes widened at the brutal insult, but Kieran didn’t stop.
“If, as you say, the Duke is vulgar, then what does that make you—someone who’s survived all this time by relying on that vulgarity?”
“You—!”
“Pathetic fool. At the very least, you should know not to mock the hand that holds your life.”
As the cutting words landed, Claudius began to tremble uncontrollably, unable to contain his rage.
“Don’t you dare insult me!”
There wasn’t a trace of reason left in his blue eyes. His voice cracked with fury as he screamed.
“Calling me pathetic—you have the nerve—!”
“Then is there another reason?”
Kieran’s voice sliced through his tirade, cutting him off mid-sentence. Claudius couldn’t immediately respond.
“Come up with a good excuse, won’t you? Aren’t you the ever-dignified heir of House Albrecht?”
“…”
“Prove that you didn’t just insult my wife with that shallow, narrow standard of yours.”
Claudius’s face was now blotchy red from shouting with bulging eyes, and his usually tidy blonde hair had become a disheveled mess.
His face was flushed, and his once neatly groomed blonde hair had come undone.
Despite his noble blood, Claudius no longer looked the least bit graceful. Meanwhile, Kieran, whose long silver hair remained perfectly in place, observed him calmly.
His half-lowered eyes were languid yet sharp, and his face—neither overly angular nor too soft—was composed, almost coldly serene.
Claudius, biting his lower lip hard enough to draw blood, glared at Kieran with a look of growing anxiety, as if backed into a corner. Slowly, he raised a hand.
His outstretched finger pointed directly at Alyssa’s face—specifically, her mask. Only then did a faint smile curl on Claudius’s lips.
“That mask.”
Kieran, who had been staring down at him with icy disdain, briefly faltered. Sensing the shift, Claudius’s smile widened.
“Isn’t it customary in the Empire to show one’s face? Unless it’s a masquerade or some special event, it’s basic etiquette, isn’t it?”
His shaky voice gradually steadied, regaining confidence. His expression brightened oddly, unnervingly.
“I’ve tolerated it because I found it bothersome but not worth the trouble. But if you’re going to insult me like this, there’s no need for patience, is there?”
Claudius finished with the smug expression of someone convinced they had won.
Watching it all, Alyssa felt a chill sink into her chest.
Kieran said nothing in response. That was because Claudius’s words were true.
To wear a mask without prior explanation or permission was considered as rude as refusing to greet someone to their face.
There was no easy way to deny that fact now that Claudius had called it out.
“The Young Lord is correct. I offer my apologies,” Kieran said at last, ready to retreat from the confrontation.
But at that moment, Alyssa raised a hand to her mask.
Kieran turned to her, his eyes wide in shock. That look alone was enough—she could read his thoughts instantly.
He knew how much she despised the idea of showing her face. With his gentle nature, he would surely tell her it wasn’t necessary.
But she couldn’t back down.
She didn’t mind being insulted herself. But she couldn’t bear to see Kieran lumped in with her—treated as something less because of her.
“My husband has nothing to do with this discourtesy. So if blame is needed… direct it at me.”
The silence that followed was absolute. Alyssa couldn’t tell if it was because no one else spoke—or because her ears had simply stopped registering the sound.
“Even if it’s late, I will correct my wrongful behavior.”
Despite everything, Alyssa placed her hand on her mask and, as if peeling away her own skin, removed it.
‘Darling, look into the mirror.’
A whisper slithered through the ringing in her ears, chilling her to the bone. Someone was speaking—no, hissing—from within the depths of her memory. The moment their eyes met, that someone smiled.
‘Look at that hideous thing. That monstrous face—ugly in every way, not resembling me at all.’
If only it were a nightmare she was having in Kieran’s place, she could have endured it. But something else—something far worse—gripped her with dread.
Is he looking at me right now?
💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
I like to ask for more, but that means this chapter will be free, and to access to the new one, I should wait for around 15 days again 🥲
I really make you guys wait too much, thanks for still sticking around 😭💖
The “peeling away her own skin” as she took off her mask is so powerful 😭 I teared up.
Thanks for the tl! ✨