How to Escape from My Possessive Fiancé - Chapter 51

“How are you here…?”

 

Sophia murmured as she wiped her tears. Her voice was trembling, and maybe that’s why the man sounded surprised.

 

“Were you crying? No, you are crying?”

 

The man asked urgently. She could hear footsteps; he must be coming closer. Thinking her face must look awful, Sophia raised her hand to cover it and shouted at him.

 

“Don’t come any closer!”

 

But the man completely ignored her words and even reached out to pull her hand down. Sophia was shocked. Usually, gentlemen would listen when a lady said no, so his behavior was very confusing for her.

 

Taking advantage of her surprise, the man stepped close and looked straight into her face.

 

He studied her carefully. Her cheeks wet with tears, her heavy drooping eyelashes, her red eyes and then said quietly,

 

“You’re really crying.”

 

His face showed no emotion, but he somehow felt scary. Sophia pushed him away.

 

“Is this your first time seeing someone cry?”

 

She snapped irritably.

 

“And how can you grab a stranger like that?”

 

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

 

Only then did the man realize his mistake and apologized. But it didn’t really feel sincere. She thought that even if time went backward, he would still do the same thing just to check if she was crying. That stubbornness seemed to be part of who he was.

 

When she turned her head and wiped her tears, she saw the clothes he was wearing. They were a knight’s uniform. That explained how they met inside the palace. He must be one of the emperor’s many knights.

 

Oh, is that why he said, “See you next time”? But how did he know she was working in the palace?

 

‘Could it be because of the embroidery patch?’

 

Sophia wondered. Maybe it had become a rumor in the palace that she walked around in that kind of outfit.

 

‘You know that? The princess made her maid wear this weird black dress. The embroidery really stands out.’

 

‘I heard she walks around with red letters on her chest like a criminal.’

 

‘Well, she is a criminal. She made her friend’s child miscarry. You know, Sophia Hilden.’

 

The man could have heard those rumors and guessed it was her. Thinking that made her want to cry even more especially after what happened today.

 

People who used to be kind to her said harsh things, and Solid pretended not to know her.

 

As she lowered her head and sniffled, the man knelt down on one knee in front of her.

 

“Tell me what happened.”

 

His voice was sweet but also full of concern. It wasn’t just comforting words. He really wanted to know what had happened and truly wanted to help her.

 

Sophia didn’t want to say it because she was too ashamed, but his serious eyes made her give in.

 

“It’s because of the clothes I’m wearing.”

 

“Your clothes?”

 

“Yes. This country-style black dress with this ugly embroidery patch. Don’t you think it looks strange?”

 

Then the man smiled warmly.

 

“Not at all.”

 

It made sense until recently, he lived seeing nothing but torn clothes, human skin, bugs, and things covered in blood and dirt. Of course, Sophia didn’t know that, so she frowned in frustration.

 

“Well, ordinary people think it’s weird! That’s why they make fun of me.”

 

“Who made fun of you?”

 

“What would you do if I told you?”

 

“I’d punish them.”

 

Remembering how he had beaten up that attacker without mercy, Sophia flinched without meaning to. Then she thought,

 

‘Wait, is it okay for a knight of the emperor to talk about beating people without hesitation?’

 

She rolled her eyes and answered,

 

“They’re all nobles.”

 

“That doesn’t matter.”

 

“One of them is even the princess.”

 

“Yulicias bullied you?”

 

Sophia was shocked that he called a royal by name and quickly covered his mouth.

 

“Are you crazy? How could you call a royal by name like that? Are you out of your mind?”

 

The man looked at her blankly, as if he didn’t understand what the problem was.

 

Sophia frowned. He really was clueless. Most knights were not this ignorant. Some who had served long in the palace knew even more about court and society than nobles did. But this man seemed like he had just been born.

 

‘Something feels strange, though.’

 

Sophia frowned slightly. His face, half-covered by his mouth and nose, looked oddly familiar.

 

‘Yulicias?’

 

He had eyes like the princess. Sophia had thought before that her eyes were beautiful, even if her personality was the worst. The man blinked slowly as he looked at her. Sophia realized they had been staring at each other too long and turned red as she pulled her hand away.

 

“A-a-anyway, be careful. If you’re not careful here in the palace, you could lose your head quickly.”

 

But the man still looked confused. Then he lowered his head, looked at his clothes, and softly muttered, “Ah.”

 

‘Should I explain myself?’

 

He hesitated for a moment.

 

“What should I call you, sir?”

 

Sophia asked then. The man answered without thinking.

 

“Kiel.”

 

He took the last part of his real name. He thought maybe he didn’t want her to know who he really was.

 

“Hm, okay. Sir Kiel. Even if you saved my life last time, you still must never tell anyone what you saw today.”

 

Sophia said seriously. The man smiled innocently.

 

“You mean the crying?”

 

“Yes! You don’t have to say it out loud like that!”

 

Sophia frowned in annoyance, and the man smiled again.

 

“You’re cute today, Sophia.”

 

As if saying she hadn’t been before. Sophia mumbled in protest.

 

“Well, I couldn’t be cute while being attacked by a thug.”

 

The man burst out laughing. His laugh was pure and boyish. After laughing for a while, he looked at her as if he couldn’t help it.

 

“That’s not what I meant.”

 

“Then what?”

 

“Well, how could I ever judge you? No matter how you look, you’ll always be precious to me.”

 

“Stop saying embarrassing things.”

 

“I mean it.”

 

He said that with a confident smile.

 

‘This guy… is he flirting with me?’

 

Sophia frowned. She felt like she had to make something clear right now.

 

“I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself. I’m Sophia Hilden.”

 

“I know.”

 

The man replied instantly, smiling with his eyes. He kept smiling like just seeing her made him happy. His smile was not like those polished, practiced ones nobles used to wear. His smile seemed to come from deep inside, as if he couldn’t hold it back.

 

Sophia crossed her legs and straightened her posture.

 

“Ahem, the reason I pointed out that I’m Sophia Hilden is because I thought you already knew I’m Duke Silveto’s fiancée.”

 

“……”

 

He said nothing. His eyes darkened, and the smile disappeared. Was he offended? Sophia had seen plenty of men who turned cold when their pride was hurt. Maybe this man would be the same.

 

As she watched him warily, the man spoke in a bitter tone.

 

“Too late again.”

 

As if this had happened before. But he still looked calm, like he was used to this.

 

He looked into her eyes and asked,

 

“Do you love the duke?”

 

His sincere eyes made Sophia blush and deny it before she realized it.

 

“No?”

 

But that was clearly a mistake. She quickly covered her mouth and looked like she was about to cry. Saying “no” in this situation could cause major misunderstandings.

 

‘Why do I always do this when someone asks me that? It happened last time when the duke asked too.’

 

Sophia was annoyed at herself for not being able to lie. As expected, the man smiled brightly after hearing her answer.

 

“I see. I knew it. You never loved the duke.”

 

It was a strange thing to say. Sophia asked in surprise,

 

“How would you know that?”

 

They had only met twice. How could he speak like he knew everything about her and the duke? She felt guilty for letting someone say that about her fiancé, and ashamed that she couldn’t deny it.

 

But the man just smiled gently, even after her sharp words.

 

“No one could know better than me.”

 

‘Who do you think you are?’

 

She wanted to ask, but instead, a face appeared in her mind. The man from her dream. The one with long black hair, an eyepatch, who said he would die with her.

 

‘…Ezekiel.’

 

Sophia held her breath.

 

It couldn’t be. But somehow, she saw that dream man in this man. Their hair color and features weren’t even alike. Still, it was strange.

 

As she looked at him strangely, the man gave her a smile full of trust, as if to answer her thoughts.

 

Sophia blushed and gently pushed his hand away. To see Ezekiel in this man… just thinking about it made her feel like she was betraying the duke.