“You’re making it sound so serious that it’s frightening.”
Kishin said it with a joking tone, but Claisey couldn’t bring herself to smile along.
Claisey clasped her hands tightly together, hesitated for a moment, and then continued.
“There was a major accident in the past.”
Kishin rose from his desk, walked over to the sofa, and sat down next to Claisey.
“I believe you mentioned you were severely injured when you were young. Is it about that?”
His gaze drifted toward Claisey’s legs. Remembering how she had fallen from the carriage and been carried home in Kishin’s arms, Claisey nodded hurriedly.
“Yes. That’s when I was injured. It was a carriage accident. And my eldest sister died in that accident, too. Merran’s mother.”
As Claisey trembled on the cushion, Kishin placed his hand over hers.
“That must have been difficult.”
She was grateful, but Claisey felt terrified by his consideration. She was afraid that if he heard the whole story, he might pull his hand away completely.
“It was very hard. I was a child born late in my parents’ lives, and since they were diplomats, my eldest sister acted as my guardian. Since I was the only one who survived that trip, the guilt was overwhelming.”
“That is not something you should feel guilty about.”
“No, it’s not just that.”
Claisey shook her head with a sigh. When Kishin looked at her with a puzzled expression, she continued.
“My eldest sister said her husband—my brother-in-law—was having an affair. She told me there was a woman he had been seeing before he married her, and that he continued to see her even after they were wed.”
As she spoke, Claisey became overwhelmed, unsure of where to start or how much to reveal.
“Actually, there are many nobles like that. Everyone is in a political marriage, after all. But my eldest sister loved her husband. She couldn’t stand the fact that he had another lover. And then she found out. That the mistress was pregnant. On top of that, it seemed like the two of them were plotting something sinister.”
“Were they trying to frame your sister to get a divorce on grounds of her own fault?”
“I don’t know that much. My sister didn’t tell me that far. Ah, I was sixteen at the time. Merran was eleven.”
“You were young. That’s not an age to be hearing such stories.”
“Yes. Anyway, that’s why I went on that carriage trip with my sister. ……At least, that was the public reason.”
Claisey’s voice gradually faded.
Before this, Claisey had avoided even speaking of that day. She felt a sense of dread whenever the thought crossed her mind, as if speaking of it would invite disaster.
Now, nine years later, as she recounted it, a surprisingly vivid scene unfolded before her eyes.
* * *
Claisey had been furious. To think that her eldest brother-in-law, who seemed so devoted to her sister in public, was actually fathering a child out of wedlock behind her back.
“Can’t you just divorce him? You don’t necessarily need him. You’ll inherit a title one day, and you have plenty of wealth. Why do you have to keep living like this?”
“And who would benefit if I got a divorce?”
“!”
“If I divorce him, the Marquis title will eventually go to that woman’s child, not Merran, right? I will never let that happen.”
Her eldest sister, who had insisted on the ‘carriage trip,’ changed direction mid-journey. Her intended destination was a cursed forest that even the strongest mercenaries feared to enter.
“They say there’s some kind of Dark Priest or Dark Mage there who can make a love potion.”
Her eldest sister seemed to want to win her husband’s heart back.
“Sister… I’m scared.”
Claisey was terrified. The forest, which was growing darker and darker, the sky that seemed to pass by rapidly even though they were moving slowly, and her sister’s eyes, which were gloomier than ever—everything was frightening.
At that moment, a loud ‘bang’ echoed nearby. It felt as if the carriage was rolling uncontrollably, and then came an impact that shook her entire body.
* * *
Kishin gripped Claisey’s hand firmly. Claisey snapped back to reality.
He was looking at her with concerned eyes. Claisey forced a smile to let him know she was okay and quickly finished her story.
“When I woke up, I was the only one who had survived. The coachman, my eldest sister, and the guards—they were all dead. People thought it was strange that I was the only one who came back alive when all the adults had died.”
“……..”
“During the first investigation, they asked me what had happened. I said it was a carriage accident. But the investigators said my sister didn’t die from the accident alone. People started whispering that I was lying, that I had pushed my sister off a cliff to kill her.”
Claisey glanced at Kishin.
Kishin was deep in thought. He wasn’t angry, nor was he disgusted by Claisey, nor did he seem to pity her.
“The investigators questioned me so sternly that my parents used my injuries as an excuse to keep them away from me. Because I was young and my doctor testified that my injuries were critical, I was able to avoid the investigators at home for three months.”
Claisey thought of Merran, who had been crying while hugging a doll in her black mourning clothes.
“When my recovery was over, the funeral for my eldest sister was already finished, and my reputation was ruined. The rumor that I had killed my sister had already spread.”
A heavy sigh escaped from deep within her lungs.
Kishin remained silent.
Claisey watched him out of the corner of her eye. His expression was as stoic as ever. She wanted so badly to know what he was thinking.
He had been like this ever since she mentioned waking up. However, since he didn’t let go of her hand, Claisey took courage and offered a faint excuse for herself.
“There were points that made the investigators suspicious of me. I hid the reason why we went into the cursed forest. I couldn’t tell them, for the sake of my sister’s honor. Seeking out a dark mage is strictly forbidden, after all.”
“That is true.”
“Nobles have many lovers, after all. If I had told them everything, people would have blamed my sister for seeking a dark mage rather than the brother-in-law who had a mistress. I discussed it with my parents, and we decided it was better not to mention it. Up until now, this was a story only my parents and I knew.”
“I, too, shall keep this story a secret.”
Claisey, no longer able to handle Kishin’s lukewarm reaction, pleaded.
“Sir Kishin, whatever the rumors may be, I had nothing to do with my sister’s death. I wanted to tell you this. If you… if you still feel uneasy and dislike me because of it….”
Claisey didn’t finish her sentence and tried to pull the ring off her finger. However, Kishin grabbed her hand, stopping her.
Claisey looked at him desperately. Kishin shook his head.
“Did I not promise? That ring will be Lady Claisey’s for the rest of your life.”
She didn’t know if it was because she was touched or because she felt wronged, but her eyes grew hot.
Feeling like she was about to cry, Claisey leaned her forehead against his shoulder and asked.
“Do you believe me?”
“Of course.”
Kishin answered without hesitation.
* * *
Kishin believed Claisey. At least, halfway.
After Claisey left, Kishin stood with his hands behind his back, looking out the window.
His sharp senses as an investigator felt unwelcome for once today.
‘What part, and why did she hide it?’
What Claisey said sounded like the truth. But it was certain that she was holding back something decisive.
Even looking at it logically, setting aside his intuition, that was the case. There were gaps in Claisey’s explanation where the sequence of events was abruptly omitted.
She had said she didn’t mention the dark mage to the investigators for the sake of her sister’s honor, yet she told him this story. She had placed her trust in him and gathered the courage to reveal even the story she had been keeping hidden.
And yet, she had left something out for him as well.
Why? Was it a story that would tarnish her sister’s reputation even more than the fact that she had tried to seek the help of a dark mage?
Or perhaps…….
His well-defined brow furrowed.
* * *
‘I guess I only met men who didn’t trust me so that I could meet Kishin today.’
Could the sound of carriage wheels rolling be this sweet?
On her way home, Claisey’s heart was filled with boundless joy. She played with her gloves and rested her chin on her hand, unable to stay still, finally letting out a giddy laugh all by herself.
When she returned home, Anna saw Claisey’s expression, smiled, and patted her arm.
“It seems things went well, Miss. I was so worried when you left with such a scared look on your face.”
Claisey whispered into Anna’s ear.
“I told Kishin-gyeong about my rumors.”
“Pardon? Why? Why on earth would you tell him that?”
“Kishin-gyeong believes in me. Just like Florence, Kishin-gyeong believed in me right away!”
Claisey grabbed Anna’s hands and spun around as if dancing at a ball. Dry pebbles kicked up here and there beneath their shoes.
“Kishin-gyeong really is a wonderful person. Oh my, oh my! Miss, please slow down. You’re going to pull my arm out.”
Though she groaned, Anna kept rhythm with Claisey.
Even after they stopped dancing, Claisey’s excitement did not subside. She gripped both of Anna’s hands tightly and vowed.
“If there ever comes a time later when I might doubt Kishin-gyeong, I will believe in him unconditionally then, too. Unconditionally. I will trust Kishin-gyeong over my own eyes and ears. Just like how Kishin-gyeong believed in me today.”
* * *
Ever since that day, Claisey felt closer to Kishin.
She had fallen head over heels for Kishin Hiard, not just as her arranged marriage partner or someone she felt an attraction to at first sight.
When sending letters, while she used to just write whatever she wanted to say, now she would write and erase so many times that she would invariably go through two or three sheets of stationery.
One day, while she was living so happily, a luxurious carriage stopped in front of the house’s main gate, and a well-dressed couple stepped out.
“Mom! Dad!”
It was the Kalasi couple, visiting to meet Kishin’s parents.