Three years ago, the person who told the Count to hold the dog hostage.
The sausage that was crushed randomly.
Because of these things, that child died.
Because of these things…
On the day my dog died, I remembered that Killian had followed me to my room.
Unlike usual, he called a doctor to heal me and blocked Count Diego.
At that time, I think I felt a little sorry for him.
When I entered and left the basement, I knew that the number of days when he was hit had decreased.
I also knew that his longing for me was full of cowardice. I never blamed him even though I knew it.
Because we were young.
I thought he was only using me, like I was using him, treating each other like that.
But this wasn’t it.
He didn’t have to be this selfish.
Everything was a pretense.
The appearance of buying me time to finish my treatment…
The expressions I saw while he was covering the door obediently…
What he said about the puppy made a mess in my head.
‘Please forgive me.’
His words that were full of self-pity made me want to vomit.
***
“Home…. Let’s go back home, Evelyn. Huh? Let’s go home.”
Killian was kneeling down in front of me, and looked up at me desperately.
I lowered my hand and stroked his fine silver hair.
Killian’s expression soon relaxed, and I took my hand and touched his face.
We’d never done this in front of anyone else, so I was very shocked by this situation.
Or maybe he was already a little crazy after I’d disappeared for a year.
I raised his chin with my index finger.
The blind and obedient eyes that looked at me were filled with a longing that couldn’t be hidden.
Now that I looked at him properly, he looked thinner and more exhausted than he did in my memory.
His skin looked rough, and his eyes had deep shadows under them.
He was still handsome, but he looked sharper and more sensitive than before.
It was easy to see how crazed he would’ve been while I was away, without anyone to care for.
“Brother, you seem to be mistaken about something. I’ve never thought of that place as my home.”
Killian’s eyes were filled with shock.
“So I can’t go back.”
“Evelyn…”
Maybe he didn’t know I’ve been waiting for this day all along.
Today was the last day I could say these last words.
“I will never…”
I lowered my head and whispered, as if to wedge them inside his mind.
”…forgive you.”
Killian’s expression collapsed.
I looked down at him coldly. I didn’t feel as happy or relieved as I thought.
Just in time, the old butler arrived with the marriage papers.
I wanted to finish it as soon as possible and leave this place.
As I stood up from my seat, Killian, who was leaning against my knee, collapsed to the floor as if he’d fainted.
“Let’s hurry up.”
When I looked at Devan with a cold look, he nodded without hesitation.
The old butler lined up the marriage papers on the table.
Devan had already signed with blood, so it was my turn now.
When I reached out to him, Devan handed me a dagger.
“Can you do this alone?”
I smiled at his absurd question, this couldn’t even be considered a wound.
It was just about to prick my index finger with the dagger.
“….Hold on.”
Killian, who’d been sitting at my feet, grabbed the hem of my dress.
“What…What on earth are you doing? Evelyn… Let’s go back home. Huh? Evelyn.”
He was almost crying, while he pleaded with me.
I looked at him, I’d won.
When I pricked my index finger without hesitation, red blood bloomed.
Blood droplets fell on the pledge and disappeared in an instant.
The butler coughed, and said.
“This establishes the marriage between the two. Once again, you can never break this pledge until you draw blood. I’ll act as a witness in the case of a divorce.”
Killian’s arms fell to the floor.
His eyes were empty, as if something important had been taken away from him.
Just because it wasn’t pleasant didn’t mean that I sympathized with him.
It’s not me that he lost, but himself.
“…I think we’d better end the banquet.”
It was time for me to leave the hall without looking back.
Killian jumped up from his seat and blocked me.
“…Brother.”
I muttered like a sigh.
Now I really wanted to get out of here.
He’d already grabbed my shoulders with a half-worn look.
I tried to shake off his arm with a frown, but it wasn’t easy.
“What are you doing?”
“Please talk to me…”
“I have nothing to say.”
My shoulders, that were caught in his grip, hurt as if they were about to be crushed.
“Hey—”
Devan tried to stop him, but I stopped him with a wink.