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~Chapter 11~
“……”
“……”
A heavy, very heavy silence fell between the two of them.
“Ha.”
It was Killian who broke the silence first.
Food mush was smeared all over his face, yet he only let out a hollow laugh, wiping his cheek with a handkerchief. Aisha quickly lowered her head to the table.
“S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to do that!”
“……”
“But what you just said… I must have heard it wrong, right? Yes? Please, please tell me I heard wrong.”
Engagement?
Fiancée?!
In the original novel The Emperor Cannot Live Without a Prisoner, why did Aisha Ashton get killed by Killian?
It was because of that engagement!
“No, you heard me very clearly.”
Killian, his face now completely clean, looked straight at Aisha.
“It’s all because of you, isn’t it? Aisha Ashton.”
“Wh-What do you mean…!”
“Or should I try another way? Like poison, the way you suspected.”
“……”
“Do you know? The Winters Duchy has a very large underground prison. No one who sets foot in there has ever come back alive. When we’re done eating, should I guide you down there?”
“N-No… that’s not what I meant.”
“Thirty-five carriages.”
Killian’s eyes burned.
“All of them filled with nothing but gifts. Letters, invitations, party invitations, even ridiculous date requests!”
“……”
“Just the useless letters alone number in the hundreds, no—thousands! Thanks to that, this winter I’ll be warm. Burn them and I won’t need firewood!”
“Um…”
“Do you have any idea, because of you—because of that damned magazine—how much trouble I’m in right now, Aisha Ashton!”
Honestly, she couldn’t say a word.
And especially when she remembered what kind of person Killian was. In the original, Killian hated getting involved with people. No, he despised it.
He hated hearing his name on people’s lips, hated being the subject of gossip. Of course, no sane person would enjoy that—but Killian’s hatred was extreme.
He wasn’t a social type by nature, but there were reasons.
…The Imperial family of Draxion was extremely wary of Killian. They knew his power grew with every war he won. If Killian ever turned his mind against them, he could strike their throats in an instant.
In that situation, there was no way Killian would want this kind of attention.
But still…
“I admit it. I’ve caused terrible trouble for you, Duke. I’ve committed a grave sin. But isn’t arriving at engagement as the conclusion… a little strange?”
“What?”
“Think about it. Is gaining popularity really such a bad thing?”
Aisha, desperate to avoid engagement, quickly spoke on.
“In Sunday Exposé, I never wrote anything truly bad about you! I admit I teased a little… but in the end—you saw it yourself, didn’t you? How much people like you?”
Killian didn’t believe in gods, angels, or demons. But in that moment, he thought:
If demons really do exist, they must look just like Aisha Ashton.
“I-I understand you’re angry, but if you think carefully—”
“Do you know how that will end?”
“Huh?”
“By noon today, thirty more carriages will have arrived at the mansion. By night, it’ll be double or triple.”
“Uh, um…”
“There’s only one way to stop this idiotic nonsense, Aisha Ashton.”
Killian’s eyes flashed.
“For the entire Empire to know I already have a fiancée.”
Huh?
Wait a second.
“So, Duke… are you saying—you’ll use me as a shield?”
“Exactly.”
This lunatic?!
“You might get a few glares from young ladies and noblewomen. But think about it— is popularity really such a bad thing? Of course, in your case, it wouldn’t exactly be positive popularity.”
If it can’t be covered up, then break through head-on.
That was Killian’s way of solving this crisis.
Besides…
“Til?”
“Yes. One of the names used by the leader of the underworld guild Rune. She wrote it openly, so it seems she doesn’t know. But you see what this means, don’t you? That young lady is no ordinary person.”
Theorn was right. Aisha Ashton was no ordinary young lady.
She abandoned her noble family by her own will. She pulled off crazy stunts and gathered massive wealth. Honestly, it was amazing. Ridiculous that he was the victim, but still amazing.
And Rune.
If she really had contact with that guild—even just that—Aisha had enormous value.
Especially considering the things Killian planned to do in the future.
“Choose, Aisha Ashton.”
Killian stared into Aisha’s trembling eyes without mercy.
“Be my fiancée—or face the very hell you feared.”
“……”
“And let me tell you. I’ve already prepared for every possibility if you refuse. So don’t do anything stupid.”
Ding.
In that instant, it almost felt like a bell rang inside her head—telling her that the mission “Survive an Ordinary Life” had failed.
