KMKS 17

chapter 17

“Depart.”

After climbing into the carriage, Leo adjusted his jet-black hair and exhaled deeply.

He could almost hear the butler’s nagging ringing in his ears, constantly meddling with everything. He covered his ears in annoyance.

Then, finding the cravat choking his neck unbearably tight, he yanked it off roughly.

The butler’s insolent attitude toward him was deeply unpleasant. Still, for the memoryless Leo, Jace the butler was an important person who might hold the key to restoring his memories.

“Once I get my memories back, I won’t have to see that bastard anymore.”

Leo ground his teeth. For now, he was forced to depend on Jace, who claimed they had grown up together, joked often, and shared a bond. But could he believe him?

“Who’s he trying to fool?”

He wanted to throw him out immediately. But Jace held all the information—Leo’s schedule, acquaintances, and connections.

It wasn’t the right time to cast him aside. Not yet.

“I’ll deal with him later.”

Rubbing the back of his rough hand, Leo shifted his gaze to the document Jace had so insistently pressed upon him.

Despite his dislike for the man, curiosity stirred. Maybe the papers contained something vital about his past.

Without hesitation, he tore open the envelope, so impatient that he nearly crumpled the pages.

Inside was a profile and address belonging to a woman.

Supposedly, before losing his memory, Leo had no interest in women whatsoever. Then why this file?

Maybe she had borrowed money from him long ago. Or perhaps she was some pitiful woman who had clung to him, crying and begging.

With no memory, Leo could only imagine wildly, forcing the pieces together. But since curiosity was something he could never resist, he immediately called out to the coachman.

“Head here. At once.”

Leo chose, without hesitation, to change destinations—a hasty, impulsive decision.

“But, sir, you already have an appointment—”

The coachman faltered as Leo’s brow furrowed sharply.

Leo sighed, cutting him off. Clearly, Jace had ordered the staff to rein him in whenever he acted recklessly.

“Displeasing.”

Leo’s mouth hardened.

“Who do you answer to?”
“D-Duke Winston, sir!”

Seeing Leo’s fiery red eyes, the coachman bowed his head instantly and whipped the reins.

Jace’s orders meant nothing. Leo held this man’s life in his hands, as well as the authority to hire or dismiss him.

As the wheels turned, Leo’s lips curved into a cold smile. Should’ve obeyed from the start.

The lady he was supposed to meet today? He had forgotten her name the moment he left the mansion.

Curious about her? Not at all.

His thoughts were consumed by something far more intriguing.

Outside the window, green scenery rushed past. Leo leaned back and sank into thought.

What had he truly cared about before losing his memory?

The answer might lie at his destination.

Sara Spencer.

The name was clearly written on the wrinkled document. Something about it felt strangely familiar.

“Sara.”

He murmured softly. It rolled easily off the tongue.

Of course it was a common name. Still, saying it aloud made him think of the woman he had collided with in that alley.

Plain face, plain clothes. Thin frame, pale complexion. The name Sara seemed to suit her.

How laughable she’d looked, unable to utter a word before him. His instinct told him she had deliberately run into him, hoping to catch his attention.

Though she had protested otherwise:

[“It’s a misunderstanding.”]

A misunderstanding? Nonsense.

[“I’m not a lady. I have a husband.”]

Her voice trembled, but there had been resolve in it.

“A husband?”

Recalling that moment, Leo’s eyebrow arched. Admirable effort, but hardly convincing.

Even if she had pushed him away, straining with all her might, no woman could ignore Leo Winston’s face and walk away untouched.

When she trembled in his arms, fragile as glass, he had felt an almost irresistible urge to hold her again.

It was fleeting, but real—though Leo did not consciously admit it to himself.

She had been insolent. Completely unaware of her place.

His shoes thudded against the carriage floor, and a mocking smile tugged at his lips.

Leo was more self-satisfied than ever.

“How desperate they all are to catch my attention.”

Had he been more observant, he would have realized Sara was terrified of him.

But Leo knew only himself. To him, her shrinking away was simply awe at his beauty.

He wanted romance. Marriage, on the other hand, felt suffocating.

Still, could it really be true that he’d never had a single romance? Absurd. Surely Jace was lying, driven by jealousy.

[“Tell me the truth.”]
[“I swear it’s true! Do you not trust me anymore?”]

Leo had not denied it. After all, with Jace always at his side, how could the comparison not sting? Unless he had interfered, it was impossible that Leo had been alone all this time.

Tch. Dishonest bastard.

The lack of memory was far more frustrating than he’d imagined.

If it was an accident that caused it, then surely memories from before should still remain. But Leo recalled nothing. Not even the doctors could explain why.

At first, he had felt estranged from his own body. But with such a sculpted, handsome appearance, it hadn’t taken long to adjust.

On the streets, the stares that clung to him only lifted his chin higher.

What he couldn’t adapt to was the loneliness.

As he admired his reflection in the carriage window, his eyelids slowly closed.

Deep down, he longed for his parents—though he could not remember them. He wished for them to appear in his dreams, so he could finally picture them whenever he wanted.

He woke not long after, stirred by the acrid smell filling the air.

The carriage was slowing.

“Already there?”

Still drowsy, Leo rubbed his aching forehead.

“W-we’re almost at the estate entrance, sir. Shall I continue inside?”

The coachman stammered—either because of fear from earlier or because Leo’s frown was frightening.

“Shall I go further in?”

Instead of answering, Leo focused on a new curiosity.

“What’s that smell?”
“B-burning, sir. Something’s burning.”

The coachman pointed ahead.

Leo crossed his legs and looked out the window he had been admiring himself in.

There stood a mansion—not nearly as grand as the duke’s estate, but oddly familiar.

Most nobles below the highest rank couldn’t afford to maintain a luxurious mansion.

Leo clicked his tongue.

“This is the right place?”
“Y-yes, sir!”

He unfolded the document again. The address matched perfectly.

So Sara Spencer was simply someone who owed him money?

Before even uncovering her true identity, Leo was disappointed by the modest size of the estate.

He leaned back, unimpressed.

A wasted trip.

Getting entangled with such a woman would only be troublesome. Was there any reason to pursue her?

The coachman waited anxiously for orders.

Leo didn’t hesitate long.

“You won’t be dismissed. Relax. Turn around—we’re heading back to the appointment.”
“Yes, sir! At once!”

The coachman’s relieved voice faded as Leo tossed the documents aside.

“What exactly did Jace think he’d uncovered?”

For a man without memories, what use was just a name and address? Nothing could be inferred.

Irritation bubbled up again, directed at the butler. He would have to reconsider keeping him once they returned.

Surely another capable steward could provide the same information.

But just as the carriage began moving again, Leo caught sight of a couple beyond the mansion’s fence.

“Stop.”

The carriage halted quickly.

The pair seemed to have just sat down for a meal.

As Leo watched the woman smile faintly at the man across from her, his fist tightened.

Though the white fence obscured their features, he knew.

“I’ve found something extraordinary.”

A crooked smile flickered across his lips.

Dark brown hair, thin frame, no notable aura. Plain in every way.

But he didn’t need to see her face to know.

It was the woman from the alley. And she must be Sara.

His predatory instincts told him so.

[“If you wanted my attention, you’ve half succeeded.”]

Recalling his own words, Leo smirked.

“So much so, I’d almost like to correct myself.”