Chapter 37 – D-Day (2)

I couldn’t look back. It wasn’t because I was seized with fear; rather, an invisible force was binding me to the point where I couldn’t even lift a fingertip. For a while, I continued to be held in place by whatever was gripping me, and then I heard heavy footsteps approaching me from afar. I recognized those footsteps, and I frowned in confusion.

I’m absolutely certain he said he was going to return tomorrow morning. What is he doing back already?

Ironically, I had thought of various scenarios where I would be discovered or if my plan failed, yet I had not expected Kyle himself to turn up. Should I have been more careful and planned further in advance, then? But I only had a small window of opportunity and there wasn’t much time left for me to do something like this, so I had no choice but to seize the first opportunity that presented itself to me. Who knows when, or if, I would have gotten another chancs? Besides, how could I have known that someone who was usually so regimented would suddenly change his schedule so abruptly and return at such an hour?

The only thing that could be blamed for this unfortunate situation was my lack of talent for detecting unexpected turns of events.

His footsteps were getting closer and closer. I felt the distance between us gradually narrow. My heart was beating erratically out of control, and my mind could not think properly. Maybe I was disoriented because I still couldn’t process what was happening to me at the moment. Then, the sound of his footsteps finally stopped. Kyle’s large presence came up right behind me—so close I could feel the chill of his aura upon the nape of my neck. There was no longer any hope for escape for me.

I was undeniably the one who had consciously ignored the mansion’s one warning and went up to the fifth floor, so no one would hear me out if I were to call for help. But, there was still one possibility…

If I can talk to him, maybe I can try to explain myself—even just a little—and he might change his mind.

“So,” he muttered darkly, “it ended like this.”

His cold breath against my ears stsrtled me. The sensation caused a shudder to run down my spine. Before I could reply, Kyle took another step forward and turned to stand in front of me. Now that he was in full view, any thoughts I had about starting a conversation with him were immediately quashed. My lower lip trembled at the appalling sight before me.

Blood…

Kyle stood in full armor, but unlike the morning, he was caked from head to toe in copious amounts of dried blood. None of it seemed to be his own blood,  however. His eyes… I didn’t have to look at them to know.

So red.

The brightest, most insidious crimson I had ever seen. A small smile crept upon his lips, one that conveyed ridicule.

“Did you really want to go back?” he sneered. “To that man?”

Man? What man? Who was he talking about? My head went completely blank at his statement.

But, even while he’s in such a state, I don’t feel him showing any intention of killing me.

“You were thinking of taking my weakness and turning it over to the emperor so you can return to your ex‐fiancé, Doman Woodhill. Is that right?”

He looked almost as if he wanted to laugh.

“How sly. You must have been planning everything from the beginning, even before you came to this place.”

After momentarily recovering from my confusion, I furrowed my brows at him.

“What are you talking about…?” I asked, perplexed.

“Don’t bother making excuses. You cannot deny that you even received a letter from that man.”

I couldn’t understand what Kyle meant.

I was just trying to break his curse and go back to my world.

So, why did my ex-fiancé’s name suddenly leave his mouth? Unless…

All of a sudden, all the information clicked together, and I realized what Kyle was accusing me or. He must have been informed of the letter Elvin delivered to me, and upon discovering me here, he came to the conclusion that I had betrayed him and made a deal behind his back.

Strictly speaking, the deal with the emperor was real, at least in the original novel. 

It also made sense why Kyle thought like that, Riddel had a crush on Doman, her ex-fiancé.

The original Riddel might have done that.

I was a little annoyed. If it weren’t for the letter, I wouldn’t have been misunderstood as a traitor. I didn’t like the letter before, but I hated it even more through this.

But it’s weird that he sent the letter through Elvin, one of Kyle’s closest people.

Kyle must think that the letter had a connection with the emperor, and that was also a reasonable doubt, because Kyle thought that I came to this place because of that.

“Is that why you pretended to want to be close to me? To make me lower my guard? So you can finish your mission and quickly get back to him?”

“…”

None of Kyle’s assumptions were true. However, I couldn’t just say that out loud without reasonable justification. In addition, I couldn’t just tell him that I was trying to save him by breaking his curse, because how could I prove that to him? Telling him the truth about my knowledge of this world was absolutely suspicious and out of the question.

… This curse will soon kill him.

The fact that his fate was linked directly to the rose was partly why he was so protective over it. His instincts commanded him to prevent it from melting, despite consciously knowing that he was going to die if he didn’t try to thaw the ice. This huge contradiction in his mind versus his heart was a direct result of the curse exerting its control over his actions.

Let’s just tell him I was merely curious.

I was aware it wasn’t a very good excuse, and actually implausible in this situation, but saying something was better than staying still.

I have to tell him something.

Just before I was about to open my mouth, Kyle suddenly grabbed me by my chin. His gloves were still sticky with blood that had not yet dried fully, and a strong metallic smell assaulted my nostrils. He looked directly into my eyes with irises that burned intensely.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” he demanded. “Are you still thinking about that man?”

“…”

“Do you really like him so much? To the extent where you are willing to risk your life for him?”

“…”

“Answer me.”

“…”

“Or do you want me to tear that man to pieces?” Kyle snarled harshly.

I was the one who was being threatened, yet he seemed to be the one who was suffering.

“It’s… not like that…