Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

Arya was startled when Kylian bit her hand. But perhaps he didn’t bite on purpose, and the force pressing her hand immediately disappeared. If someone bites your hand, it should itch, but Arya felt somewhat energized. It was strange as she seemed to be filled with energy that was exciting and yet absent. It felt as if it was originally one, but it was split and reunited again. She looked at Kylian as if possessed.

“You need to feed me more.”

“Ah yes!”

All that was left was dessert. She scooped out a spoonful of chocolate tiramisu and fed him, and he frowned.

“Isn’t it delicious?”

“…”

“Is it really delicious or…”

“…No. It’s delicious.”

He frowned, but he said it was delicious, so Arya was relieved.

“Our chef is good at making desserts. I will bring it more often in the future.”

“… … Yes.”

It didn’t seem that Kylian particularly disliked sweets in the original story. ‘Maybe he likes sweets, and he’s pretending he doesn’t because of me. He might think that if I find out what he likes, he can be poisoned.’

“Kylian.”

“Yes.”

“Actually…”

“Yes.”

She was trying to tell the truth this time. Even as his expression softened, she seemed unable to confess that she had brought him in by mistake. When he seemed scary, she couldn’t talk because she was frightened, and when his expression loosened, she still couldn’t speak. Above all else, the person’s eyes were so intimidating.

“I don’t want any more.”

“Ah… Yes.”

He said he didn’t like tiramisu, so Arya put it down and wiped his mouth with her handkerchief.

“Ahk-!”

She couldn’t really tell if it was a joke or not but he lightly bit Arya’s finger through the handkerchief and let it go. Seeing him again, he was smiling. She looked at him stiffly, wondering if she had misunderstood, and then he bit her again over the handkerchief. She unknowingly loosened her hand and dropped the handkerchief, and Kylian bit her hand directly with his teeth.

“Ahk!”

Suddenly, she came to her senses and tried to get up, but her legs lost strength and fell flat.

“…”

He seemed to have had fun seeing Arya fall. He was laughing out loud.

“Why, why- this… this…!”

“I’m joking.”

‘But why does it feel so weird?’ Because Kylian was laughing she couldn’t get angry. Rather, she would be the one to pay if angered.

“Arya is no good at pranks.”

“…Yes.”

He closed his eyes and smiled as if amused, and Arya was relieved of her anger involuntarily.

‘Kylian is very handsome. But is it possible to feel better just by touching him because of it? Why does it feel as if I want to keep touching him, and when I touch him, something seems to happen to my body?’ Arya thought about it and then opened her mouth.

“Lord Rohenbert.”

“Didn’t you say my name is Kylian?”

“…Yes.”

“Then please call me Kylian. It’s confusing.”

“Yes.”

She was glad that he asked her to call him by his first name because somehow he seemed to be treating her a little more comfortably.

Then she realized. Kylian’s arm was already loose. As Arya was startled and tried to walk away, he said,

“Actually, I had released myself since the time Arya came in.”

“Ah…”

Arya suddenly saw the same half pattern as hers through the clothes on his loose arms. ‘What the hell is this?’

“Can you trust me enough with this?”

Even if she didn’t believe it, there was nothing she could do. But even though his arms were loose, he ate what she fed him, perhaps because he wanted to reassure her.

“Sir Kylian.”

“Yes.”

“It’s my fault that I kidnapped Kylian…”

“Yes.”

“I, I’m going to send you back…” Arya hesitated and struggled to continue, and he was looking at her as if it was something amusing.

“I don’t have any memories yet.”

“Ah…”

That was also a problem. His family, Rohenbert Duchy, was the opposing force to the Deloraine Duchy. But considering what was mentioned in the original story, Kylian’s position was precarious. To the point where it was unknown if he would survive if he returned without any memory.

“You- You’d have to go back though…”

‘But what if he just goes back and dies? Even if I am forgiven for kidnapping him by mistake, he lost his memory because of me. What if something goes wrong if you forcefully return him to the family in that state?’

‘That’s terrible. Someone might die because of me. Besides, I don’t know why, but the longer I spend with him, the stronger the desire to keep him by my side. It isn’t my idea, but it is as if someone is forcing the wish to be mine. But it’s in my head anyway…’ Arya decided to put aside her useless thoughts and looked at him.

“As long as I find my memory and get out of here safely.”

“Yes…”

“Let’s just pretend nothing happened.”

“Yes!” Hearing something nice, she replied quickly and politely before he changed his mind. “The- Then, shall we move rooms first?”

“Where?”

“A better place than here.”

First, Velosia wasn’t there, and it stabbed Arya’s conscience to leave him there. Above all else, she thought she shouldn’t keep him in the dungeons. He had already seen her face and remembered her name. If he told the Emperor that she had kidnapped him, the fight between factions would only intensify. Arya’s father, Duke Deloraine, would certainly take her side though…

Anyway, she had to look good to him. Look well, talk well over it, find his memory safely, and then say goodbye. Wouldn’t it all be something from the past then? That was why it was her room that came to mind.

“You really don’t remember anything?”

Worried –for her own future– she asked Kylian, and he looked at her blinking prettily. It was as beautiful as a fluttering butterfly, so she looked at it again without realizing it.

“Yes. What did you say my name was?”

It didn’t look to her that he was lying, so as if rote learning, she repeated his identity.

“Your name is Kylian. You’re a Duke.”

“I see.”

“Kylian. You really don’t know why you lost your memory?”

“I don’t know. When I opened my eyes, I found myself tied up there.”

‘If you send him back in this state, it will definitely cause problems.’ If the Crown Prince was a friendly tiger, he was a relentless black leopard. In the original, if Arya had any hesitation in killing people, there was no such thing for Kylian. He was a person who mercilessly killed anyone who got in his way, making them disappear and burying them somewhere. Arya didn’t want to die from a leopard bite.

If it was the original Kylian, she was even more afraid, because he would kill her even after getting along.

‘In the end… I would rather catch the good guy. This one is too cold-blooded.’ Arya wanted to rip her hair out, but she couldn’t because she was conscious of the atmosphere.

“I’m sorry. Really… Why are you doing that?”

“It looks like my head is bleeding again.”

‘How hard did you hit your head? I treated you yesterday, but are you bleeding again…? …Wouldn’t he really kill me if his memory came back… breaking his head and kidnapping him…’

I will die either way, so wouldn’t it be best to try to appeal to the warmth by treating him with utmost sincerity until his memories return? It would only get worse if I told Duke Deloraine.

As Arya paled, Kylian looked at her as if worried.

“Are you okay?”

Before she realized it, she was biting her fingernails, and as he gently pressed her hand, she came to her senses.

“No. I’ve committed a big crime. I don’t know how to deal with it.”

“It’s because of me.”

“Yes.”

“If I find my memory and go back safely, I will really erase this incident completely from my mind.”

“Really?!”

She grabbed his hand, which was placed on the back of Arya’s. She didn’t intend to, but she intertwined her fingers with his. Trying to calm her uneasy mind, Arya looked straight into his eyes, and he returned to his expressionless face.

“Yes. If my memories come back completely.”

‘Oh my gosh… You said you had lost your memory, so what’s with that villain’s face? Is blackness innate?’ She could feel the chatter cooling down. She had a teary face, realizing she was getting used to the chat because of his smile.

‘Why did I have to be possessed by this book?! If it’s going to be like this, at least I should have been possessed as an Emperor’s only daughter, and being loved regardless of what I do! And why the day after I kidnapped you!’

After she calmed her resentment and made sure that no one was around, she moved with him again. She was fortunate to have left all the people in the main building on purpose.

“Sir Kylian.”

“Please don’t use ‘sir.’”

“Why?”

“When you do it, it feels distant. Arya should take responsibility for me.”

“Responsibility… Right. Kylian.”

“Yes, Arya.”

Whispering to him, she was still watching her surroundings. She left all her servants out, but she didn’t know if they were really gone. Arya had to take him to her room on the third floor, so she had no choice but to watch her surroundings.

“We.”

“Yes, we.”

“We can’t be caught by anyone.”

“Where are we going?”

“My room.”

Arya thoughtlessly spoke and looked at him; his teasing expression had gone, and a slightly surprised expression had settled in. But when their eyes met, he returned to his amused expression again. As he grabbed her clasped hands tighter, Arya’s courage swelled in her mind. As if she could do anything.

“So you have to be careful.”

“All right.”

Arya was hiding against the wall and made sure there was no one in the hallway, then took his hand, and led him. Deloraine’s mansion was so intertwined like a maze that she had to go all over the floor just to take him. Unexpectedly, perhaps because he had no intention of running away or resisting, he let her drag him well, clasping her hand tightly and following behind.

Thus, they easily reached the first floor. And that floor was exactly the problem. No matter how much she told the servants to leave the main building empty, it was lunchtime soon, and Duke Deloraine had lunch at the Duke’s residence before entering the Imperial Palace. It was mentioned several times in the original, so she remembered it. Sure enough, although a little distant, the voices of the servants could be heard.

“Bring it this way.”

“Yes, head-maid.”

As expected, they tried not to be noticed by Arya, but there was really no way no one would remain in the main building.

“Is it calf today?”

“I heard His Excellency has hired a new chef for the Lady and it looks like calf dishes are his expertise.”

“Alright, be careful while moving.”

“Yes.”

It sounded like something was being dragged. She checked the hallway once more after confirming the buzzing sound was moving away. When the sound completely disappeared, there was no one in the hallway on the first floor. ‘If we go up the stairs after passing here, it will be much easier from the second floor.’ With that in mind, Arya led Kylian into the hallway and,

“Milady?”

The person who seemed to be the head-maid was calling Arya. The head maid’s pin was sparkling in her chest.

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