If You Wish to Have Me - Chapter 121

“How, how could you know that……”

Even to this unclear question, the man willingly gave Kisa the answer she wanted to hear.

“Among those three people, there was one whose loyalty wasn’t particularly good.”

The three people undoubtedly referred to Daniel, Count Theodore, and Brother Emil whom Kisa had met that day.

Kisa held the warm tea in her mouth for a moment to calm her startled heart before speaking.

“Count Theodore was on your side.”

“Correct.”

Indeed, that was the case.

‘I know well what kind of person Daniel is.’

The hostility Daniel burned toward Duke Hillan, who had humiliated him, was complete and genuine sincerity without a speck of dust.

For such a person to side with his enemy would be absurd.

In Brother Emil’s case too, that day he had knelt down and actively tried to persuade Kisa.

He probably purely wanted to reveal the murderer’s crimes to the world according to his conscience.

‘Then the remaining person is Count Theodore.’

Looking back at her memories, he had shown the most lukewarm attitude among the three even then.

While the other two were talking with Kisa, hadn’t he gone out to the balcony, taking a stance as if he had no deep connection to this matter?

If he was indeed the traitor…….

“What the Count wanted was to improve his relationship with you.”

The man sitting across from Kisa nodded at her words.

“That’s right. Not many days after the Count’s party arrived in the capital, he secretly sent me a letter first.”

That letter contained detailed information about how Daniel came to entrust himself to Count Theodore and Brother Emil’s confession.

“……For Daniel and Brother Emil, they must have thought the Count would be your enemy forever, but it was clearly a misjudgment.”

From the beginning, the Count had no intention of being in the same boat as them.

When you think about it, that was an extremely rational judgment.

In the first place, didn’t those three people have no evidence to prove this man’s crimes?

‘Daniel did tell me to find evidence, but the objective possibility of success was ridiculously low.’

Even Kisa herself had taken action only because she couldn’t just sit still, but hadn’t harbored much expectation.

To antagonize the great Duke Hillan without evidence?

Frankly speaking, it was not only reckless but obviously foolish behavior that would yield no particular gain.

Daniel, blinded by hostility, or Brother Emil, burning with a sense of mission, might be different, but Count Theodore would have clearly seen this fact.

‘Moreover, after the inheritance trial ended, he stayed quietly in his territory for a while.’

Wouldn’t that have been enough time for his hostility toward the new head of the family to subside and to recognize his current situation?

‘Seyard Hillan’ not only won the court battle against his relatives but also, within just a few months of ascending to the Duke’s position, had remarkably smoothly taken control of the family.

It was clear that continuing to antagonize him would only be a loss for the Count, and now was the time to seek coexistence.

However, as the Count had stood at the forefront of the anti-Seyard faction within Hillan, he was already publicly recognized as the head’s adversary, making this nearly impossible task for him.

‘That’s when it rolled in on its own.’

A good opportunity to score points with the head of the family.

Actually, Daniel aside, Brother Emil’s existence was quite bothersome to this man as well.

What would happen if he went around telling everyone that Duke Hillan had killed his own brother and stolen his brother’s position?

‘Even without evidence, he couldn’t deal a major blow, but he could plant seeds of doubt in many people’s minds.’

The fact that he wasn’t just anybody but a monk with a clear identity would also make it difficult to dismiss Brother Emil’s words as complete nonsense.

For ‘Seyard Hillan,’ who already had the disadvantage of being the younger of the twins, this would be a truly unwelcome suspicion.

Naturally, he couldn’t let any talk related to Brother Emil slip by.

‘Quite a skilled person, that Count.’

Hadn’t he completed all these calculations in a short time and decided to side with someone he had once opposed?

Foolish Daniel Lowens. He must have thought he had the upper hand, but the reality was the opposite.

‘Well, that’s natural. That guy had lived his whole life in success thanks to his family’s and father’s prestige.’

His experience was different from the start compared to a seasoned noble who had governed territory and fought for interests against political enemies for decades.

And the person who manipulated such a Count to his liking was this man.

Seyard…… no, Vischer Hillan.

A man who became the pinnacle of the great Hillan family at a young age and has firmly maintained his position until now.

“I understand that matter for now.”

Kisa moistened her parched throat with tea once more before moving her reluctant lips.

“I didn’t know, but I’ve been dancing in the palm of your hand for much longer. I’m a bit curious about what thoughts you had while watching me waver back and forth every time you breathed.”

“……Kisa, if my actions made you feel that way, I apologize. However, I hope you’ll understand this one thing.”

The familiar reddish-brown eyes shone straight.

“I absolutely had no intention of deceiving you. I swear it.”

Kisa felt an indescribable confusion while looking at that face she had loved so much and still loved, but forced herself to shake her head.

“Rather, could you finish the story you were telling? The story about the real Seyard Hillan.”

What was important now was the truth rather than her personal feelings.

“Did you really…… kill him?”

The man paused for a beat before answering the question.

“It was self-defense.”

A moment of silence flowed between the two.

Kisa carefully continued the conversation.

“Because he tried to kill you?”

“Yes. As you must have heard through Brother Emil, Seyard conspired with Cobi Brown to plan my murder. And on the day of the decisive battle, he snuck into my villa.”

“And, and after that?”

“When that guy broke into the bedroom where I was, fortunately I hadn’t fallen asleep yet. Normally, I would have been in deep sleep from the sleeping incense, but the wind that came through the slightly opened window for ventilation had blown out the incense candle.”

What awakened his drowsy consciousness was the strange presence he heard in the room.

“If the servants had business with me, they would have called me from outside the door rather than entering the room on their own. Realizing it was an intruder, I chose to act before he could attack me.”

The real Seyard had a weapon to murder his brother, but the conditions were the same for him too.

He resisted with the self-defense weapon he always kept by his side, and the victory went to him, who had caught his opponent off guard first.

“Seyard died resenting me. Because he was fatally wounded, there was no time to try to save him. To tell the truth, I didn’t want to either.”

Kisa shuddered as she imagined one person’s death.

Death is always frightening.

Words like a sigh flowed from her lips.

“I see. So that’s how it was.”

Self-defense, well, if it was something like that…….

Even though she had heard that someone had died, an inexplicable sense of relief spread through her chest.

‘It can’t be helped, can it? According to what he said, the real Seyard was a human scum who tried to kill his brother.’

Brother Emil had also testified that he heard about Seyard’s criminal plan, and there were no particular contradictions in the story she had just heard.

Kisa wasn’t strict enough about good and evil to argue that even a younger brother who attacked first should be forgiven, or that no matter how much it was self-defense, one shouldn’t take a human life.

Honestly speaking, she didn’t feel the slightest desire to condemn this man sitting in front of her for the murder.

Perhaps because she was somewhat relieved? As the tension was completely released, her whole body became languid.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t been able to sleep properly at night for the past few days because of this problem.’

It was about time for fatigue to hit all at once.

However, since there were still concerning points, Kisa rubbed her drowsy eyes and asked.

“Then why did you decide to borrow your brother’s name? If you had explained that it was self-defense, people would have understood.”

“Ah, there are reasons for that.”

“Can you tell me?”

“Of course. First of all, the first reason is…….”

At that moment, the face of the man opening his mouth to explain became blurry.

“Kisa?”

Seeing Kisa blinking repeatedly, he called his lover’s name.

“Are you very tired?”

“Yes, a little. But this is strange.”

It was the first time drowsiness had hit her so suddenly to this degree.

Kisa supported her head, which kept drooping downward, with her arm and gestured to him.

“It’s nothing serious, so please continue.”

“No. It would be better for you to rest now.”

“I’m fine. I’m just sleepy…….”

Kisa couldn’t finish her words and closed her eyes.

The man’s hand supported her head as she lost her balance and collapsed.

“Indeed, it would be better for you to rest. Sleep well, lovely Kisa.”

He looked at his lover’s face with gentle eyes, then turned his gaze to the table.

There were two teacups placed there, and while one side had barely diminished tea, the other was completely empty, showing the bottom.

The man who smiled slyly lifted his unconscious lover’s body into his arms.

“Well then, shall we go?”