The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 72

Night had fallen. Sasha had been sitting in the same spot for so long, her nerves stretched thin and her mind numb. Her head throbbed from the tension.

Finally, she rose from the sofa. By this time, everyone in the house would have gone to their rooms, unless something loud had disturbed the night.

Without hesitation, she opened the door and walked down the hallway with steady steps. She stopped in front of a door and knocked softly. Tap, tap.

She did not expect an answer. Without waiting, she turned the doorknob.

The door, which had felt like an unmovable iron gate in her imagination, opened easily. And there he was.

Kyler looked up from his place against the headboard of the bed, and their eyes met.

All the confidence Sasha had gathered throughout the day vanished in an instant. Her steps halted.

“What is it?”

Kyler’s voice was low, distant. It was not unfamiliar, but it sent a chill through her. Still, she had come this far. She clenched her fists, steadied herself, and answered.

“What do you mean, what is it? I came to sleep.”

Trying to sound casual, she took a step toward the bed.

Kyler’s expression changed. His brows furrowed sharply the moment she moved.

Why is he so upset? Is it just because I’m ignoring his mood and approaching anyway?

She tried to hide her confusion and took another step.

Suddenly, Kyler stood. He walked away from her, toward the tall window that opened to the terrace. The moonlight poured onto his figure as he stood with his back to her.

His movement felt like retreating. Sasha’s chest tightened painfully.

“Go back to your room. Rest comfortably.”

His words were gentle, his voice soft, but every part of his posture rejected her completely.

What was she supposed to do with that?

Sasha stood there, frozen. She had no idea what she wanted to say anymore. She had no idea why she had come with such urgency to see him.

Then, Rose’s voice echoed in her memory.

“It might be better if you don’t go in today. Rather, it might not be good to have someone next to you when you’re so sensitive.”

Did Rose already know this would happen? Was that why she had stopped Sasha from going to him?

Her lips trembled as she bit them. She could not speak. She was afraid that even one wrong word might push him further away.

Afraid that his kind words, meant to distance her, would pierce her more deeply than cruelty.

Sasha turned around. Without another word, she opened the door and walked out the way she came.

As she returned to her room, her heart could no longer hold back the tears. They spilled silently down her cheeks.

Only her footsteps echoed in the quiet hallway.

“Ah, Empress. I’m sorry. I had already made plans with someone today, so I will have to postpone our lunch.”

As Midienna was walking toward the glass greenhouse, she encountered Lydian in the corridor that connected the Empress’s Palace to the main palace. He looked like he had been waiting for her and quickly delivered the message before she could even speak. She gave him a small nod. He bowed slightly, then turned and walked away in a rush.

“You could have just sent a servant to deliver that… His Majesty always insists on coming in person like this…”

The head maid whispered from behind Midienna.

“Let’s go. We were going to eat in the greenhouse anyway.”

Midienna resumed walking, pretending she had not been affected by his words. But as she approached the greenhouse, she stopped.

Even without the maid saying it, she knew. He had always been especially kind to her. He was the one who had initiated their daily lunches, and he had always tried to keep those promises.

If he had to cancel suddenly, yet still came to tell her himself…

“Have the lunch set in the glass greenhouse. I have somewhere to stop by first. I’ll be right there.”

Midienna turned and headed back toward the main palace.

The head maid, left behind and unsure how to respond to the unexpected change, turned to fulfill the order as she was told.

Inside the audience chamber, Lydian and Kyler sat face to face again. Lydian frowned slightly, looking displeased, but he gave Kyler a reluctant smile.

“Really, this passionate side of you takes some getting used to.”

He opened with a light comment, though his tone showed discomfort. Dylan, who usually helped smooth over these moments, was not present today.

Lydian watched Kyler quietly, waiting for him to speak.

“Even if I don’t seem well, I’m fine. I will handle it without any problems.”

As he said, Kyler did not seem well. There were days when the exhaustion on his face was clear if you looked closely, and today was one of those days.

It was the face of someone being tormented by something. And the Emperor knew very well what that torment was. In fact, today Kyler looked even more worn down, as if something more had happened. Lydian, who had been watching him for a long time, could not miss the signs.

He clicked his tongue and broke the silence, watching Kyler space out in front of him.

“If you came expecting a report, let me brag a little. I’ve already sent a letter to the Tower of Mages. I told them I was serious about the monster subjugation and asked for their help. If the Emperor is making a move like this, they will have to respond.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Hearing that Lydian had already taken action helped calm Kyler’s spinning thoughts just a little.

He had come here deliberately and alone. He had come to speak about subjugating the monsters. When his mind, heart, and ears were spinning with pain and noise, it felt like the right thing to do to speak with Lydian.

Despite his easygoing nature, Lydian never delayed when it came to important work. That was why Kyler had brought the matter to him first.

“You don’t look nearly as well as I expected.”

And Lydian was someone who could see through his condition without needing any explanation. Someone who could speak openly without hesitation.

“I’m curious. What has you rushing around so frantically? Is it the same reason your face looks so drawn and distant right now?”

Kyler had known others might not comment on his appearance, but Lydian would notice. He looked worse than usual. Something had clearly changed.

“There’s someone I have to protect. That’s why.”

Kyler held no secrets in front of him. Lydian was someone he could speak to plainly. Someone who would listen.

Kyler could not get the image of Sasha out of his head. The way she had turned away after he told her to rest. The way her eyes shook, how her body froze at his words.

He had not wanted to show her his vulnerable side. He had not wanted her to see how broken he was inside. He had wanted to hold her. He had wanted to keep her close. But he had not been able to.

Because he had nearly lost her. Because he had tried to settle for just an embrace and almost paid the ultimate price.

And when he had told her to rest, she had stood frozen. Her eyes had trembled in the darkness, and that moment was seared into his memory. Even with only the pale moonlight shining in, he had seen everything clearly.

She had stopped breathing and so had he.

She had turned and left without a word. Her footsteps had echoed down the hallway as he bit down on his lip, so hard that it bled.

“I know the person you need to protect is the Duchess. But why now? Is it still because of the incident in the forest?”

Lydian narrowed his gaze as he looked at Kyler’s darkened blue eyes.

“Yes. That’s why.”

Kyler could not deny it.

“You can bring the Duchess to the palace. The Ignote estate is close to the mountains. If that worries you…”

“Sasha will stay away from me. I’ll be going into the mountains, so it will be fine.”

He said her name gently, but something in his voice had changed. There was no lightness in it. The affection was still there, but it was buried under something heavier.

It was strange to hear him speak about creating distance from the woman he loved, the same woman who had nearly been harmed by monsters.

“If you’re worried about her, shouldn’t you stay near her? Why would you keep away? Are you going to isolate yourself in the mountains?”

In situations like this, knowing someone too well could be both a strength and a challenge. Lydian was waiting. He was pressing gently, giving Kyler the chance to explain.

Kyler closed his eyes tightly. He was about to say something he had never told anyone before. Something buried deep. Something that had begun to fester inside of him.

Having someone to listen would not erase his guilt. But carrying the weight of it alone had become unbearable.

“Sasha… when I’m near her, when I touch her, the noise in my ears, it goes quiet.”

There was a long silence. Lydian processed the words slowly.

Even though he had never heard them before, he could feel their weight.

He could tell this was something very, very important.

Most people did not know, but Lydian, the Emperor of Derma, had always had a sharp intuition.

And right now, his instincts told him this was something that changed everything.

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