Chapter 64

***

I stepped forward, staring into Killian’s eyes, unwavered.

“Evelyn.”

Devan grabbed my wrist.

“It’s okay…it’s okay.”

As if agreeing with me, Killian threw down the sword he was holding.

The sword, which was glowing with a bright blue blade, fell to the floor with a sharp clank.

Killian fixed his gaze on me and slowly knelt down.

“Evelyn …….”

Devan’s brow wrinkled even more. He still had not put away the sword he had lifted.

“Evelyn ……. I’m back…”

I swallowed dry saliva.

Seeing him throw the sword away, it seemed that Killian was not going to harm anyone by any means.

But that didn’t mean I needed to provoke him for no reason. I wasn’t even sure that Devan could handle Kilian by himself.

So my best option was to keep Kilian calm until the maid brought the soldiers.

I said with a slight raised chin, pretending to be brave.

“……Where the hell have you been? Is all this fuss a wedding gift?”

Killian smiled weakly at my words.

“I have a present …… for you, Evelyn. I have another present for you.”

“……What is it?”

I was more worried than hopeful at Killian’s words.

Killian had tried to stop me from marrying Devan. He even got down on his knees and begged. How could such a person bring a proper wedding present?

Whether he knew my panicked face or not, Killian began to search through his pockets.

“This way.”

Devan raised one arm and pulled me behind him. He had no idea what Killian was going to pull out of his pocket, nor did he look like he had any idea what he was going to find.

What the hell is this all about?

Why did Killian come here? Was he just trying to prevent me from marrying Devan? What was so believable about his appearance, even if he had just been rolling around on the battlefield?

Authority was paramount in the temple. Most of the wedding guests were high status aristocrats.

In a word, it was Killian who would lose by doing this.

Yet he did this….was he confident he would win or he didn’t care that he would lose?

After searching his pocket for a while, Killian pulled out something small and shiny.

He scrubbed it off on his trousers.

When the blood was roughly polished off, it finally revealed itself.

It was a gilded ring that he had carefully tucked into his pocket.

…… a ring? Is it really a wedding gift?

My eyebrows narrowed even more at the suspiciousness.

“Evelyn……”

Killian held out the ring to me. Still kneeling, it looked more like an offering than a gift.

As I inadvertently tried to take it, Devan blocked my hand in the middle.

“I know what you’ve done.”

Killian, who was staring at Devan, now dropped the ring on the floor. Then he threw it in my direction.

The ring rolled around and stopped at my feet.

“Come on, check my present.”

Killian said in an excited tone. He surely had the look of a child wishing for a compliment.

“Evelyn, be careful.”

Devan still remained alert.

I bent down and took a closer look at the ring. It was still covered with blood everywhere.

I don’t feel anything in particular. If there was something magical going on, I would have noticed…..

I reached down and picked up the ring with a deep breath.

“Evelyn?”

“Evelyn!”

Devan’s curious voice merged with Killian’s needy voice.

“Do you like my gift?”

Do I like it? I couldn’t help but take my eyes off my trembling palms.

“Evelyn? What is it? Are you all right?”

The ring on my palm, or more precisely, the seal of the Diego family engraved on it.

The Sun Goddess was smiling, covered in blood. As if to foretell the downfall of the Diego family.

Killian said with a laugh.

“I said I…I could help you. Evelyn, it’s me. I…”

“No way…”

It couldn’t be, it couldn’t be.

I shook my head like a madman at the premonition that had penetrated my head.

“Evelyn, get yourself together!”

I didn’t know what was going on, but Devan grabbed my arm. Killian, who had closed the distance between us, took advantage of the opportunity and asked,

“Now, now…Can you go with me, Evelyn?”

“…… what?”

His eyes somehow lost their light and his lips raised up. It was a strange smile.

“I …… helped you.”

Helped me? What the hell…

At that moment, I thought of what I had said to Killian so long ago.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?”

‘’Kill the Count. That’s all I want.”

And the words that Killian had murmured to me, like a madman, when we met again at the Grand Duke’s mansion.

”I, I can help you. Yes, I can help you, Evelyn!”

The ring dropped from my hand. I covered my mouth with my hand, feeling nauseous.

“Evelyn! Are you all right?”

Devan, who had lowered his sword before I knew it, hugged my collapsing body.

“I couldn’t be. It can’t be. ….”

“Evelyn!”

My vision blurred and saw the ring rolling on the end of view. And beyond it, I saw Killian.

Killian, covered in his father’s blood.

“Ha…”

I couldn’t breathe. The Count is dead? Is it true? Did Killian kill the Count? Really?

I grabbed Devan’s clothes and sat down. His beautiful formal wear was crumpled carelessly.

“Evelyn ……?”

Killian looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“What is it, Evelyn? I did what you wanted.”

He swept his hair in confusion. His silver hair was tangled with red blood.

Every time I saw the blood, my heart pounded harder and harder. He couldn’t really be dead. ….

“Are you okay, Evelyn?”

Devan bent down and hugged me. I could feel my heart beating low in his hot arms.

“Devan ……”

“Yes, are you okay?”

I took a deep breath in Devan’s chest. My heart, which had been beating wildly, was slowly calming down.

Angry at the sight, Killian stood up and shouted,

“Evelyn!”

Devan put his sword down to hold me. Killian took advantage of the opportunity and approached me.

“Evelyn, Evelyn! Come to me, huh?”

At last when he reached for me.

The doors of the chapel opened with a bang, and dozens of Kingsguard soldiers rushed in.

“Over there!”

A trembling voice cried out. As if on signal, the Kingsguard approached us quickly.

Then they encircled Kilian without a gap.

“Grand Duchess! Are you all right?”

It was my maid who brought the knights. She sat down beside me and wept.

She seemed to think that I was sitting there because of Killian’s use of force.

Devan pushed me gently toward the maid. Then he picked up his sword, which had fallen to the floor, and stood up.

“Restrain the man.”

At his low voice, the knights moved quickly.

They were a little flustered when they realized that the man in question was their boss, the captain of the guard until just a short time ago.

But because of his suspicious appearance in his blood-covered clothes, and because of Devan’s orders, they held Killian’s arms tightly.

They were no match for Killian’s strength, and four or five of them had to come together.

“Let go of me!”

Killian shouted, swinging his arms carelessly.

He looked bewildered by the sudden situation.

“What’s going on?”

He looked as if he didn’t understand why it would matter that he had interrupted a wedding in the middle of the ceremony with his bloody clothes.

“Evelyn……!”

Killian looked at me as if asking for my help. He seemed to be complaining of injustice.

I managed to ignore him and turned away. Killian’s cries grew louder.

“Evelyn ……. I helped you. Evelyn, you asked me to help you!”

Killian shouted. He didn’t seem to care about the knights around him.

He looked as if he didn’t understand the situation. He looked as if he had been betrayed.

“Take him away now,” Devan ordered lowly.

The knights grabbed Killian by the arms and dragged him away.

“Evelyn! Evelyn!”

Kilian struggled and did not stop calling my name.

The ring caught under people’s shoes and rolled helplessly away.

A streak of red blood was drawn across the plain white cloth on the floor of the chapel.

“Evelyn, you asked me to do this! Evelyn!”

Hearing Killian’s voice getting further and further away, I fainted.

* * *

Count Diego has passed away.

The next day, Devan, who had visited me, brought me the news. He said that Killian had murdered Count Diego.

He said that he had no intention of hiding it, and that witnesses and evidence abounded.

I was more nervous to find out Devan’s thoughts than the fact.

He heard Kilian’s last words to me.

He might think that I had seduced Kilian to kill the Count.

……. Perhaps it was true.

Count Diego’s death, and the murder committed by his son, was a big story throughout the empire.

It was even more so because many people knew Killian’s behavior.

Why on earth would that respected knight have killed his own father?

Rumors were spread everywhere. Some of the rumors were that someone had framed Killian. Surely there was someone else who had killed the Count.

I was sick in bed all day.

My fever rose and I could not properly distinguish between dreams and reality, and I repeatedly fell asleep, waking up from sleep and passing out again.

In my dreams I was a child living in the temple, but I was tied up in the basement, and I became a dead puppy for no reason.

I became Killian and killed the Count, I became the Count and was killed by Killian, and I was myself and ordered Killian to kill the Count.

“Evelyn, you asked me to do this! Evelyn!”

Each time, Killian’s last words hounded me like a stigma.

Count Diego was a diabolical man. He abused me, including his own children, for money and power.

Dozens of his subjects died because of his unjustified abuse.

But does that mean he deserved to die?

Did Count Diego die because of me?

Did I kill him?

Was it all my fault that Killian did that?

It was at that moment.

“It’s not your fault.”

I heard a low voice, unsure if it was a dream or reality. I could feel a warm hand caressing my wrinkled brow.

Are you sure? Are you sure it’s not my fault?

“It’s not your fault.”

The voice replied as if it had heard me.

It’s not my fault, he said….

“So sleep tight. Don’t worry about anything……. All right.”

The voice seemed like a magic spell.

Killian’s face, which was shaking in front of me, Count Diego’s and the puppy’s pitch black eyes, disappeared in the blink of an eye.

“… Good night, Evelyn.”

At his low voice,  I fell into a long, dreamless sleep.