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Chapter 21
Floheta’s mind began to move quickly.
First of all, Yuse would not be completely certain that the man she saw was Killian.
It had only been for a brief moment.
But knowing her personality, if there were nothing stopping her, she would definitely follow him.
She knew better than anyone that she could follow someone without being noticed.
“F-Flo… um, I…”
Just as expected.
Before Floheta could take any action, Yuse’s body reacted faster than her thoughts.
She stood up from her seat without thinking.
“W-Wait, Yuse.”
Startled, Floheta quickly grabbed her wrist.
“Wait a moment. Please listen to me.”
At his reaction, Yuse’s expression changed in a strange way.
“…Why are you stopping me?”
Looking down at him while standing, Yuse’s gaze felt terrifyingly sharp—something Floheta had not felt from her in a long time.
“Let go.”
Her voice was cold. Even if he tried to stop her, it looked as if she would shake him off and leave anyway.
“Yuse, please listen to me.”
“……”
“You’re mistaken.”
“What?”
Afraid that she might leave without hearing him out, Floheta quickly continued,
“You were mistaken. About the back of the man you saw.”
“How do you know that?”
At her calm voice, Floheta swallowed.
Still, she did not shake his hand away. It seemed she was willing to hear him out.
That alone gave him hope, and he spoke again.
“Think about the time. Killian has been coming home late lately because he’s busy. I know the kind of work he does. There are many things piled up that force him to stay late.”
“So?”
“So? There are clear reasons why he couldn’t come out. He’s not the kind of person to throw everything away and leave like that.”
One of Yuse’s eyebrows slowly rose, as if telling him to continue if he had more to say.
Seeing that, Floheta swallowed hard.
“And… I mean… ah, it just doesn’t make sense! Killian is engaged to you. You two promised to marry. Why would he cheat on you with someone else?”
What Floheta said was true.
Yuse knew how kind Killian was.
She knew he was not the type to leave her for another woman.
And yet, she did not understand why she felt this anxious.
She truly wanted to trust Killian. Even more than before.
Though she believed he had given her many reassurances, she wanted something firmer—marriage, not just an engagement.
She could not show that, so she bit her lower lip tightly.
“…Right.”
In the end, she spoke.
“Exactly. Trust Killian.”
At her obedient answer, Floheta let out the breath he had been holding.
Whether Killian’s wrongdoing was exposed or not did not matter much to him—but he did not want to see Yuse sad.
“Okay. Let’s go back to the estate.”
Yuse sounded drained, as if her emotions had exhausted her. Floheta quickly stood up.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll have the carriage prepared. Wait here.”
Floheta left first. Yuse remained seated silently.
All she could do was believe his words.
However, there was one thing Floheta overlooked—whenever he lied, he could never look her in the eyes.
Just like now.
“You’re back, Killian?”
“Yes, Yuse.”
Fortunately, Yuse and Floheta had changed their clothes and slipped back into the estate quietly.
Just as she switched places with Beila, Killian arrived. The timing was perfect—barely.
As Yuse fixed her hair and greeted him, Killian tilted his head slightly.
“Are you all right?”
“Pardon? Y-Yes? What do you mean?”
He had only asked one simple question, but she reacted more strongly than expected.
“It seemed like you were out of breath.”
“Not at all! By the way, have you had dinner?”
“I was just about to ask you the same. I was about to eat. Have you eaten? It is about dinner time.”
She had eaten a lot at the market with Floheta and was not hungry at all.
In fact, she felt quite full.
But she could not miss the chance to dine with Killian.
“I’m hungry too. Let’s go eat together.”
Killian gave a relaxed smile and held out his hand to her. As she reached to take it, a scent that should not have been there brushed past her nose.
It was clearly a woman’s perfume.
“…Killian.”
Trying her best not to show it, Yuse spoke in a trembling voice.
“Yes?”
“Did you come from work today?”
“Why do you ask?”
Instead of answering, he returned her question with another one.
“Well… you look especially tired today, so I was just wondering.”
Since Yuse answered calmly, Killian did not question her further.
“Ah…”
He nodded.
“Yes. I worked in the office all day, so I suppose I’m more tired than usual.”
He agreed easily.
With his firm answer, Yuse could not press him further. No—she did not want to. She only hoped his words were true.
“……”
She steadied her breath.
“Please wash up first, Killian. There’s still time before dinner. Oh—and I’ll prepare some warm tea for you.”
At her words, Killian stepped closer.
He gently lifted one of her hands and pressed his lips briefly against the back of it.
“Thank you, Yuse. You’re the only one who thinks of me.”
His sweet voice echoed in her ears again and again.
Even during dinner, she could not find anything strange about Killian.
He was just as usual.
Simply very handsome, moderately kind, polite… the same qualities that always caught Yuse’s eye.
“So annoying.”
Alone in her room later, reading a book Floheta had introduced to her, Yuse accidentally spoke aloud the word she had only been thinking.
“Yes?”
Beila looked up.
“What is annoying, my lady?”
Yuse could not answer easily.
Was she annoyed because of Killian? Or because of herself for being foolish? She could not define it properly.
That made it even more frustrating.
“My lady?”
When Yuse did not respond, Beila tilted her head.
“…No, it’s nothing. I was reading, and a character annoyed me. I must have said it out loud.”
“Oh my… haha. I thought you had something troubling you!”
Beila laughed warmly and continued tidying the room. Though it was originally a maid’s duty, she always insisted on organizing everything herself.
Watching Beila’s back, Yuse thought deeply.
She could not continue living in this anxious state forever.
Then what should she do?
After thinking for a long time, only one answer came to her.
She had to confirm it.
But she did not want to damage her trust in Killian, so she could not confront him directly.
‘Then… should I use this?’
Yuse looked at the letter that had arrived earlier that evening, lying on the desk beside her bed.
Through that… it might be possible.
Not only to understand Killian’s true thoughts—but also to learn more clearly what kind of person he truly was, and what exactly he had been doing.
