~Chapter 47~
Til left immediately.
As soon as the conversation with Killian ended, he slipped out as if he had been waiting for this moment.
But this time, he didn’t use the window—he left through the door.
“Well, since I’ve been exposed anyway, there’s no need to sneak around like a rat, right?”
Killian’s reply was short.
“Do as you like.”
And so, the guest was gone.
Only Killian and Aisha were left in the bedroom.
“……”
“……”
Neither of them spoke. Killian looked thoughtful, while Aisha stared at him with a face full of disbelief.
“Hey. Duke.”
It was Aisha who broke the silence first.
“You knew Roselia would be coming tomorrow? Really?”
“……”
“You weren’t just bluffing in front of Til because you didn’t want to look weak?”
Killian smirked.
“That really shows what you think of me, Lady Ashton.”
“This isn’t the time for jokes!” Aisha shouted.
And honestly, she was right. If they did nothing, Roselia’s soldiers would drag Killian off like a dog the moment the sun rose.
And then—
She remembered the note Til had given her, with Roselia’s words:
“Using the war with Aldrosia as an excuse, I plan to deal with everything at once.”
Yes. If Killian lost, Aisha would die too. That much was certain.
Taking a deep breath, Aisha made her decision. Killian, watching her, tilted his head curiously.
“Roselia has sided with the Aldrosia Empire,” Aisha said firmly.
“……”
“To be precise, with the former Emperor’s faction. You know Aldrosia is split between the old Emperor’s side and the current Emperor’s side, right?”
“So?”
“She promised to send soldiers to support the old Emperor’s faction. Roselia herself did!”
And on that note in her head, the old Emperor’s faction had replied:
“We will quickly suppress the rebels of the current Emperor’s side.”
“With those soldiers, the old Emperor’s faction will topple the current faction. And the next target, of course, is you, Duke Winters. They even plan to attack during our engagement ceremony! As if it’s some kind of fireworks celebration.”
“……”
“And after that, we’ll all just die like dogs! Can’t you see? Roselia has always been setting up this trap. And if she suddenly changed her plan, it only means she’s found a way to kill you for sure!”
Roselia was no fool. She was too smart—terrifyingly so. If she’d shifted her plan, it was because she had something even stronger prepared.
“Are you really just going to sit there and do nothing?!”
“I never said that.”
Killian widened his eyes slightly.
“I was just letting you speak since you seemed so eager to rant. Can I talk now?”
Aisha glared at him.
“…Fine. Continue.”
“I already expected Roselia to act quickly,” Killian said calmly.
“I knew she might strike tomorrow morning. I only confirmed it for sure once I came to your room. Don’t you wonder why I visited you this late at night?”
He shrugged.
“I came to talk about this. I figured we’d need to discuss it.”
“…So what now?”
“I’m not finished yet, Aisha Ashton.”
“Then keep going.”
“The information you have—it came from Rune again, didn’t it?”
“……”
“Yes. I saw Til at the Imperial Palace party too. Likely he snuck into Roselia’s palace that day. Not hard for someone like him. These are things only Roselia herself would know.”
Aisha thought bitterly: So everyone but me rates Til’s skills so highly.
“But tell me, Aisha… why did you share all of this with me?” Killian asked suddenly.
“What?”
He leaned close without warning, his eyes gleaming as he looked straight at her.
“You didn’t have to tell me. Especially not that Roselia is working with Aldrosia—or that she wants my head. So why? Why now?”
His gaze swept over her lazily, yet intently. Aisha froze, then forced herself to answer.
“Because from Roselia’s point of view… we’re on the same side, aren’t we?”
“…The same side?”
“Well, are we enemies? We’ve announced our engagement all over the Empire, haven’t we? If something happens to you, it happens to me too. Including my life. That’s why I changed my mind. Honestly, I even tried to give you a hint earlier about military supplies, remember?”
Killian stroked his chin, then stepped closer.
“And is that all?”
“Huh?”
“Is that the only secret? Or are you still hiding something from me?”
Aisha’s lips pressed shut. She had shared everything… except one truth.
Her possession—the fact she wasn’t originally Aisha Ashton.
But there was no way she could tell him that. He wouldn’t believe it anyway.
So she nodded firmly.
“Yes. There’s nothing else.”
“Nothing else, huh…”
“……”
“Then can I trust you, Aisha Ashton?”
Killian’s question cut through the air.
“What do you mean…?”
“Trust between people is heavy. If I trust you, then you must also trust me. You understand that, right?”
Aisha swallowed hard. He was right. For her to say “You can trust me” would mean she was also declaring her trust in him.
“For you to tell me I can trust you… you must also be able to trust me. Can you?”
Killian’s golden eyes blazed as he held her in his gaze.
For some reason, it felt unbearably serious—like he was testing her soul itself.
