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~Chapter 33~
Inside the carriage returning to the Duke’s estate.
Aisha, looking utterly exhausted, stared blankly out the window.
“That was completely draining… more than I could handle.”
She hadn’t expected to hear kind words at the gathering, but she also hadn’t thought she would return feeling so worn out.
“Damn it. I let my irritation get the better of me.”
If she had just stayed quiet, she wouldn’t have been this tired. Killian would have taken care of everything himself.
But she hadn’t wanted to sit still.
Not because she was attached to Killian or had any strange feelings for him.
It was a matter of dignity.
She couldn’t just sit back and watch someone trample over others like that.
Well… and because she herself had been a target of their insults.
“Just what kind of poem did you write, Aisha Ashton?”
Killian, arms crossed, finally broke the silence from across the carriage.
“The Empress Dowager let it pass, so I doubt you wrote something insane… but still.”
Sigh.
Aisha turned her head and met Killian’s eyes with a weary breath.
“Your Grace.”
“What?”
“Why didn’t you say anything back there?”
“What?”
“Why did you just sit there, listening to all that? Do you always just stay quiet like that?”
“……”
“If you were going to be treated that way, why even go at all? You could’ve just made an excuse and skipped it! And now look—after today, she clearly despises you even more!”
Her scolding came like a barrage. Killian couldn’t understand why she was so upset. From his perspective, they had endured and come back just fine.
“You always throw harsh words at me without holding back—”
“Aisha Ashton.”
“What, now?”
“Why are you angry?”
Killian frowned slightly as he asked.
“In the end, we’re both safe and unharmed, aren’t we? And the Empress Dowager doesn’t seem to suspect you have any connection to Sunday’s Exposé. Isn’t that a good outcome?”
“……”
“And from what I saw, you weren’t the one at a disadvantage. If anything, you practically killed Lady Crawford and Lady Lowen with your words.”
Well… that was true.
“Right. Maybe I don’t have a real reason to be this mad. But still…”
Aisha fell silent for a moment, thinking, then suddenly lifted her head.
“That woman—there’s no doubt about it. She’s completely insane!”
“Are you talking about yourself?”
“No! Roselia—the Empress Dowager!”
“Insane,” she said… words that could have cost her head if heard by anyone else.
“What kind of person acts like that? A hobby of collecting poems? Don’t make me laugh. Her real hobby is insulting people she invites over.”
Aisha kept going, unable to stop.
“Lady Crawford and Lady Lowen are bad enough, but compared to the Empress Dowager, they almost seem normal! She’s gloomy, mean, and cowardly. Title or not, that doesn’t give her the right to treat people that way.”
“……”
“And what, was her family nobility since birth? As if that makes sense. Somewhere in their past, someone bought a title or clawed their way up—everyone knows that’s how it works. Status is just window dressing.”
“……”
“Noble cause? What a joke. Her so-called noble cause is just belittling people, crushing them with status, and pretending it’s polite conversation.”
“……”
“And the way she acts all refined on top of that—unbelievable! Have you really been listening to that nonsense all this time?”
Wait.
Why am I the only one ranting?
Aisha finally noticed Killian was only staring at her without saying a word.
“What? What is it?”
“……”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Realizing how far she had gone, Aisha glanced nervously at him. Maybe she had said too much? But no—Killian hated the Empress Dowager too.
“Lady Aisha.”
Killian finally spoke, his voice low.
“Aren’t you afraid of me?”
Aisha blinked at the sudden question.
“I mean, you must know the rumors. You even wrote about me in your articles—you probably know more than anyone.”
“……”
“So how can you say such things so freely in front of me?”
His tone held no anger or reproach. He genuinely sounded curious.
“How can you talk to me like that?”
Aisha realized he wasn’t mocking her.
“…It would be a lie to say I’m not scared at all.”
She finally answered.
“But what’s truly terrifying are people like the Empress Dowager.”
Of course she feared Killian.
Especially now, when he knew she had profited off exposing him. That was why she had reluctantly followed him back to the estate.
“Killian killed people. Even his own family. I know that.”
But Aisha also knew something else.
“At least Killian doesn’t wield power by hiding behind others, the way the Empress Dowager does.”
The most frightening people were always the two-faced ones.
“And I despise people like her the most.”
“……”
“Does that answer your question?”
Again—no reply.
Why was he acting like this? Aisha shot him a glare, but then Killian did something she never expected.
“…Ha.”
“What?”
“Hahaha…”
He suddenly started laughing.
“What the—why is he laughing like that?”
She had only ever seen him sneer before. To hear him laugh like this felt strange.
Unexpected as it was… his face, when laughing, looked far different than she imagined.
“…No. What am I even thinking right now?”
Snapping back, Aisha shook her head like she was trying to fling off a bug.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Ah, I see. After sitting there taking all that abuse, you’ve finally gone insane—ah, no, I mean you must be deeply wounded inside. That makes sense.”
“Pfft…”
Fine. Laugh, then.
Better than crying, at least.
With a sigh of surrender, Aisha turned back to the window. Whatever happened, she just wanted to reach the Duke’s estate quickly and rest.
She didn’t notice the quiet smile still lingering on Killian’s lips.
