My eyelids were heavy, but I slowly got up. Edith's eyes, looking at me in the shadow of a dream that began slowly blur, held me to the end.
"Hmm. . . . "
As I moaned softly, a sense of reality hit me, and I opened my eyes. For a moment, I couldn't think of anything. All I could feel was the man's chest in front of me.
'What happened?'
While rolling her stiff eyes from side to side, she recalled the moment when she almost died by a crazy man.
'How long has it been since then?'
While I was moving my body that which had seemed stiff for a moment ago, the arms on top of me hugged me tighter.
"Ugh."
"Edith. . . . ?"
Killian's soaked voice called my name.
'Oh, it was Killian.'
When I realized that I was being hugged by Killian, I felt a big sense of relief.
"Edith. Are you awake?"
"Killian. . . . "
"Don't worry. This is a mansion, and you are safe. It's alright now. . . . . "
Killian's big hand patted my back.
"How long did i sleep?"
"You slept for half a day. Fortunately, I don't think it's was a concussion. You just painted because you are so nervous."
"Even so, I can't believe that you slept with a faint person."
She scolded Killian a little, but he seemed more confident.
"You didn't let me go."
"Oh? really?"
"You holding onto my clothes while you was passed out, and you kept looking for me while you were talking in your sleep."
I wasn't dreaming about Killian, but it was a strange thing.
"Well, I see. . . . sorry. "
"What do you mean 'sorry'. I'm telling you to keep looking for me. If you call someone else's name even in your dream, you'll be in big trouble. So you'd better think about me even in your dreams."
I don't think he's a particularly obsessive sub man. However, he seems to have a very steady personality. Anyway, he kept patting and rubbing my back to reassure me. I was enjoying him stroking my back like he was comforting a child. I really felt like my mind became more stable.
"What was. . . . .happened yesterday?"
That was all I could think to say. No matter what he was going to say, I had to know what happened.
"What should I say first?"
"Umm. . . . From how you found me. . . . "
Killian let out a long sigh and spoke slowly while rubbing my back.
"When you said you were going out alone with Lizzy. . . . .For some reason, I didn't have a good feeling."
". . . . It's amazing. You must have a good hunch."
"That's something I don't even know. Actually, yesterday, Lizzy asked me about my schedule for today."
"So what?"
"I lied to her and said I had to leave this morning."
I was speechless for a moment. I can't believe that sub male lead Killian so suspicious toward Lizzy enough to lie. It seemed that this world was no longer the story of
"Anyway, I pretended to go to the imperial palace in the morning and come back after a while, I took two knights and went to the Le Belle Marie Street. Actually, I was planning to pretend that we met by accident."
"Do you think it is possible to say that it was a 'coincidence' that three grown men came to Le Bel Marie?"
"It didn't matter what it was."
I laughed like a sigh and then nodded.
"Keep talking. "
"It was easy to find Lizzy on the streets of Le Bel Marie just go where people are glancing back."
As expected, the dignity of the most beautiful woman in this world!
"But as I got closer, something was off. I can see Lizzy and her maid. . . . . But you and your maid were nowhere to be seen. When I asked Lizzy where you were, she said you suddenly disappeared and she was looking for you too."
I can feel my fingertips become cold. The word that I suddenly disappeared was clearly a lie. No matter how complicated the bookstore was, it wouldn't have been difficult for Lizzy to find me alone. Besides, I never left the same shelf where I parted with Lizzy in the first place. but why did Lizzy lie like that?
"So I'm giddy, and your maid comes running up and says you've never been out there and pointed to an alley. Thanks to the maid, i was able to move quickly to search for you through Alley, and i managed to find you in time and that crazy guy in an abandoned house at the end of the alley.
"I see. . . . ."
"If it weren't for that maid, you would have been in trouble. . . . . No, we shouldn't talk about this. It's terrible."
I nodded again.
"Do you mind if I ask you this time?"
"Yes."
"How in did you end up there?"
"Ha. . . . . Well, It's a long story, so i must start by telling you why I went to that alley, so there's no misunderstanding."
There's requests Lizzy asked me to keep her secret because she said she will get in trouble if Cliff found out about it, but I didn't think I had to keep the secret since she lied about my whereabouts. Then i began to tell Killian the story about the two of us going into bookstore that recommended by Lizzy and spent about an hour choosing a books, how Lizzy disappeared when she finished choosing the book she like, how i end up went outside by myself after paying the books, how i met that crazy man, and how I'd been dragged away by him but no one come helping me. Killian didn't say anything the whole time I was talking. He didn't even add any word. He was just listening to me and not even making a sound.
"That's the story of how I was in the abandoned house with that crazy guy."
". . . . You speak as if there were other stories beneath the situation."
"That's right. It's kind of weird how that guy showed up there."
I was still staring at Killian's chest, but for some reason, I could feel his sharp gaze.
"Tell me,"
"I asked him how he knew I was here, and he said he overheard it from someone talking at a tea party. But it was two days ago, also It was two days ago that I decided to go hang out with Lizzy."
"Who said that?"
"He asked me what I could give him in return if he told me that. So I couldn't ask him anymore."
The sound of Killian clenching his teeth was heard.
"Whoever did it is really strange. It's seems that someone already knew about it, even before you decided to go out to Le Bel Marie Street."
"That what i mean. But. . . . Well, this is just a guess. . . . Wasn't there anyone else who could predict that?"
". . . . . You mean Lizzy."
I didn't answer. Killian just hugged me tightly without saying anything. Even I can't believe it, so Killian must be confused too.
"What happened to that man?"
"I don't know if this is good news or bad news, but Fred Sicily, who was on a rampage in jail. . . . he committed suicide two hours ago."
"What?"
I was surprised and raised my head. Killian also looked down at me with a mixed look on his face.
"It's a good thing that crazy guy will never able to hurt you again. . . . . but it's a pity that the opportunity to find out the truth about this case is also gone."
"We will never know who he overheard at the tea party."
Killian nodded. And he hesitated for a moment and spoke calmly.
"At that time. . . . I'm sorry for blaming you, too. I'm so surprised and nervous that I don't know. . . . . No, no. It's my fault."
I remembered him holding me in his arms like a princess, and he got angry telling me that this was her karma for fooling around with random guys. I tried to say it was okay, but Killian spoke again.
"I don't know why when I was in front of you, nothing but nasty things come out of my mouth. It seems that it's become a habit of mine to blame you. I'm sorry."
I laughed out loud. Not long ago, I cleared up some misunderstanding about Killian. Because I think I know why he did that.
"It's not your fault, Killian."
"Of course, the people who created and spread such false rumors about you are the worst, but it's was my fault for believing in such rumors and treating you badly."
No. You were just being swayed by the original author, so how can a mere character stand up against his creator? Maybe he almost left the original author now. Of course, it's all thanks to me. But I couldn't explain this, so I just nodded.
Suddenly, Killian started playfully twisting my hair around his fingers.
"By the way."
Hmm. For some reason, this is a very ominous start. . . . .
"I checked your 'stuff' that your maid took."
Oh, my. . . .
"I didn't expect you to like such a provocative book."
"Ha ha. That's. . . . hmmm! I mean. . . . "
"You have a lot of different tastes. There's a story about a princess being beaten by her escort and a countess kneeling the men under her feet. . . . "
"Well, that because I don't know what type you'd like!"
I couldn't tell him that she was an omnivore that would eat anything she liked, so I blurted out something, and the hand that was twisting through my hair stopped.
"So you mean. . . . . you bought those books. . . . .because you want to refer it when you were spending the night with me?"
"What's that, research? Yes, I'm doing some research. . . . . . !"
Then Killian started laughing.
"You're an unexpectedly studious type. I like it. But. . . . ."
His large hand, which sweeping her back, slowly went down.
"I think practice is important. . . . ."
My whole body actually tensed as the hands slowly massaged my body.
"I'm hoping you're getting better as soon as possible. I want to put the theory you learned into practice."