~Chapter 49~
At the same time.
Aisha found herself with Killian… in a very strange place.
What is this place supposed to be?
Right after she had asked him what they were going to do now, Killian—like someone who had prepared in advance—took her along, grabbed a few things, and left the mansion.
Not even in a carriage, but on horseback.
Of course, the “Aisha” who possessed this body didn’t know how to ride. So she had to spend hours clinging tightly in Killian’s arms as the horse ran.
Normally, in a comic or novel, this would be the kind of moment where one suddenly feels a spark or realizes hidden emotions toward the other person.
But Aisha had no room for such things.
It was her first time on a horse, and the animal was running like crazy.
She gagged several times on the way, and Killian, terrified she might throw up on his clothes, had stayed tense the whole ride.
After all that suffering, where they arrived was…
A forest, far from the Winters mansion.
And deep inside the forest, there stood a tiny, shabby cabin.
A cabin? Seriously? A cabin?!
Born and raised in Seoul, she had never even seen a cabin in real life. Who would’ve thought she’d encounter one only after being possessed inside a novel?
Well, I guess it makes sense. No luxurious mansion would be hidden in the middle of a forest. But even so…
It was cramped, old, and filthy.
Honestly, it was a miracle it was still standing at all.
Inside, there was at least some sign of living—an old table covered in cobwebs, chairs, dusty blankets, and a few scattered utensils.
“Why.”
Killian brushed off a chair and glanced at Aisha, who was still standing blankly instead of sitting down.
“Is this shocking for a noble lady like you?”
“……”
“That you’ll have to stay here for a while.”
Unlike her, Killian looked completely at ease in the place. He seemed to know exactly where things were, moving around like someone who had lived there for years.
He even looks more comfortable here than in the mansion.
“You’re staring at me with such curious eyes,” Killian said.
“Yes. Well, of course I am.”
“What else?”
“I just thought you wouldn’t like a place like this.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re still a duke. A noble. Like you just mocked me earlier.”
Killian glanced around the shabby cabin.
“Compared to a battlefield, this is heaven. At least you don’t see severed heads and arms lying around here.”
“Wow… that comparison is extreme. Then what does that make me?”
“But that’s not why I like this place.”
“…What?”
“I like it here.”
Aisha froze.
Killian Winters… likes this place?
That wasn’t in the original story. She never imagined he’d have such a preference. No matter his background, he always looked like someone who had been born a noble.
Frankly, it didn’t suit him at all.
“What is this place?” she asked, eyes wide.
“Why do you like it so much? You’ve never said anything like that before—except that you hate people paying attention to you.”
Killian ignored her question and stood up.
“Let’s eat first. We left without breakfast.”
He placed the lunchbox Sien had packed on the table.
“Eat.”
“….”
“You need to eat well if you want to escape properly.”
The sight of sandwiches made her realize how hungry she was. Right. First eat. As the saying went, even ghosts who died after eating looked better.
While chewing a large sandwich, she asked nervously:
“Stho… ish thish really okay?”
“…What?”
“I mean… doesn’t thish look too much like we just ran away? Anyone can tell.”
“Aisha.”
“What?”
“Eat or talk. Not both.”
“….”
“If you want to test my patience, then by all means, continue.”
Gulp.
She swallowed hard and tried again.
“I mean, won’t it look like we just fled? The Empress Dowager will notice.”
“Hm. Now I can understand you.”
“Don’t nobles have some sort of right to refuse house searches? Like immunity?”
“There is.”
“Really?”
“The mansion’s inviolability.”
“Inviolability?”
“It’s a tradition from long ago in Drakxion. Nobles created it to restrain the Imperial authority. To prevent exactly this kind of situation.”
“Then why didn’t you use it?”
“Later.”
“…What?”
“Now isn’t the time. You’ll understand when you see how things play out.”
I don’t get it at all…
Aisha blinked in confusion.
“In any case, the search squad must be rummaging through the mansion by now. But don’t worry. I’ve cleared away all the evidence.”
“My workshop too. Til said he handled it. Though I am a little worried about how he did it…”
“Good.”
“Then how long do we have to stay here?” Aisha asked with a tired face.
“I’m sleepy. I haven’t had proper rest in days. If this goes on, I’ll get caught because I fell asleep while running away.”
“But weren’t you too disgusted to even sit in this place just now?” Killian asked.
Well, yes.
But hadn’t he said he liked this place?
After hearing that, she didn’t want to insult it by calling it dirty or unlivable. If it was precious to him, she didn’t want to trample on that.
“Well, looking again, it feels cozy. And I was never really that picky anyway.”
“….”
“Can I use that blanket?”
“Do as you like.”
She picked up the dusty blanket, shook it out by the window, then spread it near the door.
“Wait, Sel—”
But she had already lain down on it.
“What?”
“…Nothing. It’s not that you can’t sleep.”
“Then don’t talk to me. I’m tired.”
“….”
“Wow. The roof’s so broken I can see the sky through the holes. It’s like free ventilation. Nice.”
And that was it.
Before Killian could say more, Aisha shut her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.
She really had been exhausted—riding a horse all night, something she had never done before.
Silence filled the cabin, broken only by her soft breathing.
Killian, resting his chin in one hand, watched her sleep.
He hated places like this.
But still, she had tried to make it seem okay—just because he said he liked it.
That touched him. He felt grateful.
Because this place was indeed precious to him.
But wait…
Why would someone this thoughtful ever betray me with Sunday’s Exposé?
The thought came to him late. But Killian didn’t wake her.
