Chapter 85
Click-
As soon as the carriage door closed, Alice extended her hand to Kylus.
“Your Grace, could you give me your hand again?”
“My hand?”
Kylus looked puzzled at her sudden request.
But he soon held out his hand to her without saying anything.
Alice took a deep breath and grasped his hand with both of hers.
As always, she noticed how large his hand was.
It filled both of her hands completely.
“Alice, what are you—”
Kylus’s words were cut short.
A bright light emanated from Alice’s hands as she closed her eyes tightly.
A warm sensation spread throughout Kylus’s body, starting from his hand.
As the light that seemed blinding faded, Alice opened her eyes and looked at Kylus.
Her golden eyes quickly scanned Kylus’s face. There wasn’t much difference before and after using her holy power…
Well, she had expected as much.
It’s not like Kylus’s complexion had been particularly bad to begin with.
His face had looked very healthy even before she used her holy power, but feeling that she had received too many favors from Kylus, she felt compelled to do something in return.
She felt she should do something for him too.
Still, he had said he wasn’t fully healed… so there must have been some change.
Alice asked Kylus,
“How do you feel?”
“…I feel much better, thanks to you.”
Alice let go of Kylus’s hand and returned to her seat with a satisfied expression.
“I’m glad.”
“But why the sudden use of holy power?”
“I promised to heal your body, didn’t I? You’ve been so considerate of me, but I felt I wasn’t fulfilling my promise as well in comparison. From now on, please tell me whenever you feel even slightly unwell.”
“…I’ll do so, as long as it doesn’t strain you. But more importantly, weren’t you angry with me?”
“Pardon?”
“Earlier at the salon, when you said ‘thank you,’ your eyes were very cold.”
“Ah…”
It was something she had momentarily forgotten.
And Kylus’s words brought back the scene she had forgotten.
Kylus and Lady Chestain.
Looking back, her reaction had been excessive.
It wasn’t something to be irritated at Kylus about.
After all, it was Lady Chestain alone who had picked a fight with her, entangled in past affairs.
Kylus wasn’t at fault.
Yes, rationally she thought so, but even reconsidering, she still felt uneasy.
Especially the fact that the two had been conversing.
What could they have been talking about?
What words could have made Lady Chestain’s eyes so wistful?
And was there really nothing between them?
She felt curious about these things.
Even while knowing it wasn’t her place to be curious.
“If you have something to say, don’t hold back. Say anything.”
At that moment, Kylus spoke.
It seemed Alice’s complex emotions had shown clearly on her face.
Alice looked at Kylus.
He didn’t avoid her gaze.
Rather than meeting her with a sharp look, he seemed relaxed, as if saying she could speak about anything.
Alice’s lips quivered.
It was harder than ever to speak to him.
Because it was an extremely personal matter.
But at this rate, she felt she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.
Out of curiosity.
“Since you said not to hold back… Then I’ll ask. What kind of relationship did you have with Lady Chestain?”
Alice finally blurted it out. Then she stared intently at Kylus’s lips, waiting for his answer.
But his lips, which had parted slightly as if about to say something, soon closed again.
When she raised her gaze, she saw Kylus’s expression was slightly strange.
He was furrowing his brow as if he didn’t understand what she had said.
“What kind of relationship with Lady Chestain… What do you mean?”
He slowly asked Alice back.
Why are you asking me that?
Alice felt bewildered by Kylus’s question.
“No, why are you asking me… I heard at the salon that there had been talks of engagement between you and Lady Chestain…”
As Alice spoke slowly, Kylus’s brow furrowed even more.
As if trying to recall an old memory.
Eventually, he let out a small exclamation as if something had come to mind.
“Ah, the engagement. I do recall hearing something like that once.”
His tone was nonchalant, as if talking about someone else’s rumor.
But it’s about your own engagement…
Could it be…
“…Had you forgotten about it?”
When Alice asked, Kylus answered calmly.
“Yes. It wasn’t a particularly important matter.”
Kylus’s composed face showed no emotion whatsoever.
No longing, no affection, nothing at all. Not even the slightest tremor.
He was as emotionless as if he didn’t know Lady Chestain at all.
Seeing that serene face, Alice thought:
It seems she had been thoroughly mistaken.
It really had been Lady Chestain’s one-sided love.
Though slightly deflated, she strangely felt her mood improving.
At the fact that there was nothing between Kylus and Lady Chestain.
“But how did you hear about that story?”
“…I heard it from Madame Rosewell. I had a small clash with Lady Chestain.”
“Ah, so that’s why you acted intimately with me earlier. To show our affection to Lady Chestain.”
Kylus gazed at her, raising the corners of his mouth.
Alice couldn’t hide her embarrassment at having her intentions so accurately pointed out.
“That’s… that’s not…”
“Don’t worry, my lady. Lady Chestain and I were nothing to each other. I’m sorry you were bothered by such an insignificant past matter.”
With a slight chuckle, Kylus added,
“There is no other woman for me but you.”
Kylus’s low voice pierced through intensely.
Feeling an inexplicable heat rising, Alice hastily replied,
“I wasn’t bothered!”
The way Kylus spoke made it seem as if she had been jealous.
Of course, she had felt something similar to jealousy, but… it wasn’t real jealousy.
No, she shouldn’t have felt that way.
Because she and Kylus were nothing to each other.
The foundation of jealousy is… love.
She might have thought of Kylus as special, but she didn’t love him.
Yes, surely… that was the case.
So it shouldn’t matter who he met in the past or who he meets now.
The reason she was curious was pure curiosity, nothing more.
“Really, I just… after hearing the story from Madame, I was genuinely curious. I only asked because Lady Chestain was so hostile towards me. It absolutely wasn’t because I had any other feelings…”
Alice rapidly spilled out words.
The long, rambling explanation felt somewhat like an excuse and didn’t sit well with her, but she couldn’t think of any other reason.
Whatever the case, she needed to clear up Kylus’s misunderstanding.
I wasn’t jealous.
Alice didn’t avoid Kylus’s eyes, as if proclaiming her innocence. He stared at Alice for a while before slowly raising the corners of his mouth.
“I understand.”
Alice slightly furrowed her brow at his enigmatic smile.
“Really, even if you were to meet someone else right now… I’d be fine with it.”
“I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t be fine with that. I don’t want any more scandals attached to the Dearrut Duchy. So, Alice, I hope you won’t think of keeping other men by your side either.”
For that man’s sake as well.
A low voice followed.
At those last words, Alice felt goosebumps rising on her arms.
Because for a moment, she could imagine what would happen to that man.
Alice cleared her throat, trying to shake off the cruel images from her mind.
“Don’t worry. For a year, I’ll devote myself faithfully to your treatment.”
“…I’ll be faithful to Alice as well.”
Kylus said, looking straight at her.
It’s similar to what I said, but why does it sound different?
Alice felt strangely elated. Feeling her face flush, she shifted in her seat, trying to sit up straight.
She tried to change the peculiar atmosphere.
If only Kylus hadn’t taken something out of his pants pocket.
What Kylus took out was a small box wrapped in velvet.
Like a ring case.
No, it clearly looked like a ring box, but Alice pretended not to know and asked.
She couldn’t be sure who it was for.
Could it be for me?
Kylus shouldn’t have any other woman to give a ring to right now… right?
Even setting emotions aside.
Alice felt a subtle expectation rising. But pretending not to, she looked at the ring case and asked him,
“…What’s that?”
“It’s Alice’s safety measure.”
“Safety measure?”
Instead of answering, Kylus opened the box.
Inside, two neatly placed rings were visible.
The two rings looked similar in design, like couple rings. Among them, the smaller-sized ring, seemingly for a woman, caught her attention.
More precisely, the sparkling diamond set in the center of that ring.
Seeing the yellow diamond that perfectly matched her golden eyes, her mouth opened involuntarily and a gasp escaped.
“Wow…”
It was her first time seeing such a beautiful and large diamond in person.
As Alice gazed at the diamond ring with an enraptured look, Kylus took out the ring with the diamond, wearing a faint smile.
Then he extended his hand towards Alice. As if asking for her hand.
Alice, as if entranced, held out her hand to him. Kylus carefully slipped the ring onto her ring finger.
It fit perfectly on her ring finger, as if it had always been hers.
Alice was staring at the gleaming diamond when the cold sensation encircling her ring finger snapped her back to reality.
“Ah, Your Grace, is this… really for me?”
“Yes. It’s yours, Alice.”
“But this… it looks so expensive…”
“Surely you don’t think the duchy’s wealth can’t handle this much? If so, I’d be a bit offended.”
“No, it’s not that, but for me to accept this…”
“It’s fine for you to accept it. This is included in my promise to protect you.”
