Chapter 14
What if Hares really came closer right now — if he held me, comforted me like he always did, and told me everything would be okay?
Then I’d probably lose control. I’d cling to him like a child and beg him to love me back.
Yes, I knew it — even when Hares treated me like his little sister, part of me never hated it. I let him. Because deep down, I wanted that.
Someone who would protect me. Someone who’d always be on my side.
I’d dreamed of that kind of person.
I knew that his protectiveness came from pity — that he felt sorry for me because I grew up without real parents.
It had started from sympathy.
He’d wanted to be like family to me — because I didn’t have one.
And knowing Hares’s kind heart, I also knew — if I clung to him right now, he wouldn’t push me away.
But if I forced him to stay that way — would I really be happy?
Wouldn’t it rot me from the inside, knowing every day that what we had wasn’t love?
That’s why I gripped Killian’s sleeve tightly and shook my head.
Even without seeing my face, Hares froze where he stood, his steps stopping completely.
Killian, however, laughed softly.
“I heard you said yesterday that you’d ‘support our relationship.’”
“…What?”
Hares looked genuinely confused, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.
I was shocked too — how much had Killian heard? Hadn’t he pretended not to know?
‘Of course. This sly bastard.’
It was obvious now — Killian had known everything but stayed quiet just to enjoy the drama.
He was the type who liked to stab at people’s weakest points — deliberately cruel, sharp-tongued, and amused by others’ pain.
“Honestly,” he continued with a smirk, “I like Lize too. She’s adorable, isn’t she? Like a little puppy that can’t survive without someone to protect her. She even clings to someone like me for comfort.”
My eyes widened, and I immediately tried to pull away.
But Killian didn’t let go. His arm tightened around my shoulders.
He smiled — lazily, dangerously — as if even my resistance amused him.
“When she cried earlier…” he murmured, voice low and velvety, “I’ll admit it — for the first time in my life—”
“….”
“I got turned on.”
My eyes flew wide open.
That was not a compliment.
What the hell?! Why was Killian suddenly attracted to me? Was he insane?!
A rush of panic and anger welled up in me. I blamed myself for letting my guard down around a man like him, even for a moment.
‘No, it’s fine. He still likes Eve. He said he wouldn’t touch her until she wanted it. He’s just teasing me — he must be.’
He’d once promised to let Eve live freely for a while, even though he could’ve forced her to stay with him. That was the kind of man he was — dangerous, obsessive, but patient.
Still… his words made my throat tighten.
“H-Hic.”
A hiccup slipped out from my panic.
Killian chuckled softly and, as if mocking me, patted my shoulder more gently this time.
“I should thank your friend,” he said, still smiling. “For supporting us.”
That was it. Hares finally lost his composure.
“…Ha. I told you not to play with her yesterday, didn’t I? And now you—!”
“I’m not playing with her,” Killian interrupted calmly. “I’m being honest. I said I was serious.”
“I’m not just her friend,” Hares snapped. “Lize and I are family. So don’t expect me to stand by while you—”
Killian laughed lightly. “Family? Don’t worry. Once I marry Lady Chelsea, I’ll be family too, won’t I?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Hares finally lost all formality, his voice rough as he stormed closer.
Meanwhile, I was still struggling to get free from Killian’s grasp.
Finally, Killian released me with an amused expression.
“What do you think I meant?” he said, his tone dripping with mockery. “It just means I’ve taken an interest in poor little Lize Chelsea — a stray puppy who’s lost her master. Very unlucky for her, isn’t it?”
He reached out and brushed my tears away with his thumb.
Then he smiled — slow, lazy, predatory.
My instincts screamed danger.
Killian had never been fully human, not in the normal sense.
He was empty inside — cold, emotionless — kept in line only because years of strict upbringing had forced him to act “civilized.”
But deep down, he was still a predator.
Born without empathy. Driven by instinct, curiosity, and his own dark desires.
The longer Hares stayed in his sight, the more I feared for him.
Because Killian’s interest was never harmless.
And if he truly found me “interesting,” that could only mean trouble — for both of us.
‘Of course, most of what he says is manipulation. But what if, this time… it isn’t?’
I had to act fast.
“Leave,” I said to Hares, my voice trembling.
“…What?”
“Just go. I don’t want to talk to you right now. Please — leave.”
I had to get him away from Killian — far away.
I didn’t even look at Hares as I said it. My body stayed frozen stiff in Killian’s hold.
Anyone who knew Killian’s true nature — who’d read the “original story” of his life — would understand why.
If you interfered with his interest, he’d destroy you completely.
And in that story, Hares had lost a leg because of him.
Hares didn’t know any of that. He only called my name, his voice strained — like someone barely holding back the urge to grab me and run.
“Lize. Come here.”
“Go! It’s not because of you — it’s because of me! Just… go.”
My voice broke. But I forced the words out.
There was a long, painful silence. Then, at last, I heard his footsteps retreat.
The sound of the balcony door closing behind him.
I lifted my head slowly — to see what kind of face Killian was making.
He was smiling again, calm and cold, as if nothing had happened — as if his earlier words had been a joke.
“How was that?” he asked lightly. “Looks like I did a good job making your crush jealous.”
“…You weren’t serious, right?” I asked quietly.
He tilted his head, the corners of his lips lifting in that polished, painted-on smile of his.
“Of course not,” he said easily. “Do you really think I was?”
His pale eyes gleamed under the moonlight, sharp and unreadable.
“Just a joke,” he said.
But I couldn’t relax.
This was the same man who had nearly killed Hares before.
“I hope it stays that way,” I said carefully. “If you ever need help with Lady Rotecia, I’ll… assist you. Once.”
The moonlight glimmered in his icy blue eyes, forming a halo around them.
He smiled — beautiful, cold, impossible to read.
“Very well,” he murmured. “Your eyes are still swollen. You should go home soon — before you draw more attention.”
He looked straight into my eyes, his lips curving like a serpent’s grin.
All I could do was nod.
‘I’ll have to show him I’m not weak — make him lose interest.’
That was the only way to survive.
At that same time, Hares stood outside, the balcony door closed behind him.
It was the first time.
‘Lize yelled at me.’
Sure, she’d shouted before — in jest, in teasing, in anger. He’d done the same.
But never like this.
Never with that kind of raw rejection.
And from inside another man’s arms.
A sharp, suffocating feeling filled his chest — like someone was squeezing his throat from the inside.
His brows furrowed, his breathing turned ragged.
He’d thought that if he left, Lize would immediately push Killian away.
But she didn’t.
She stayed. Calmly. Talking to him like it was nothing.
Killian leaned close, looked down at her face — so close he could’ve kissed her.
Hares clenched his fist so tightly that his nails dug into his palm.
But he didn’t feel the pain. His head was too full of that man — that smug, poisonous man.
What was this feeling burning through him?
Ah. Right.
It was anger.
That man’s possessive words, the way he looked at Lize — sharp, hungry, and full of something dark — all of it made his blood boil.
Because all of that — every bit of it — was directed at her.
