“H-How did you……”

Even to a question with an unclear ending, the man willingly gave Kisa the answer she wanted.

“Among those three people, there was one who wasn’t very loyal.”

The three people undoubtedly referred to Daniel, Count Theodore, and Brother Emil whom Kisa had met that day.

Kisa took a sip of warm tea to calm her surprised heart before speaking.

“Count Theodore was on your side.”

“Correct answer.”

Indeed, it was so.

‘I know very well what kind of person Daniel is.’

The hostility Daniel had shown towards Duke Hillan, who had humiliated him, was pure and untainted.

It was nonsense for such a person to side with his enemy.

In Brother Emil’s case, he had actively tried to persuade Kisa that day, even kneeling down.

He probably tried to reveal the criminal’s sins to the world purely according to his conscience.

‘Then the remaining person is Count Theodore.’

Recalling, he had shown the most lukewarm attitude among the three at that time.

While the other two were talking with Kisa, didn’t he take a stance as if he had little to do with this matter, such as going out to the balcony?

If he was indeed the traitor…

“The Count wanted to improve his relationship with you, I suppose.”

The man sitting across from Kisa nodded at her words.

“That’s right. A few days after the Count’s party arrived in the capital, he first sent a secret letter to me.”

He said that letter detailed how Daniel came to rely on Count Theodore and Brother Emil’s confession.

“…Daniel and Brother Emil must have thought the Count would forever be your enemy, but it was a clear misjudgment.”

From the beginning, the Count had no intention of being on the same side as them.

Come to think of it, it was an extremely rational judgment.

After all, the three of them had no evidence to prove this person’s crime.

‘Daniel told me to find evidence, but the objective probability of success was ridiculously low.’

Even Kisa herself had only taken action because she couldn’t just sit still, but she didn’t have high expectations.

Antagonizing the great Duke Hillan without evidence?

To be frank, it was a foolish act that was not only reckless but also obviously wouldn’t yield any significant results.

While Daniel, blinded by hostility, and Brother Emil, burning with a sense of mission, might not have realized this, it would have been clearly visible to Count Theodore.

‘Besides, he stayed quietly in his territory for a while after the inheritance trial.’

That should have been enough time for his hostility towards the new head of the family to subside and for him to recognize his current situation.

‘Seyerd Hillan’ had not only won the legal battle against his relatives but also surprisingly smoothly took control of the family within months of becoming Duke.

It was clear that further antagonizing him would only bring harm to the Count, and it was time to seek coexistence.

However, as the Count had been at the forefront of the anti-Seyerd faction within Hillan, it was a nearly impossible task for him, who was already publicly perceived as an enemy of the family head.

‘And then a good opportunity to score points with the family head just rolled in.’

While Daniel was one thing, Brother Emil’s existence must have been quite bothersome to this man as well.

What would happen if he went around telling everyone that Duke Hillan had killed his brother and usurped his position?

‘Even if there’s no evidence to deal a big blow, it’s possible to plant doubt in many people’s minds.’

The fact that Brother Emil was not just anyone, but a monk with a clear identity, would also make it difficult to dismiss his words as mere nonsense.

For ‘Seyerd Hillan’, who already had the disadvantage of being the younger of twins, it would indeed be an unwelcome suspicion.

He naturally couldn’t ignore words related to Brother Emil.

‘The Count is quite an experienced person.’

In a short period, he had finished all these calculations and decided to side with his former enemy.

Stupid Daniel Lowens. He might have thought he had the upper hand, but the reality was the opposite.

‘Well, I suppose it’s natural. That guy has always lived a life of constant success thanks to his family’s prestige and his father’s influence.’

The amount of experience was different from that of a cunning nobleman who had been ruling his territory and competing for rights against political opponents for over decades.

And the person who handled such a Count to his liking was this man.

Seyerd… no, Biserk Hillan.

The man who became the pinnacle of the great Hillan family at a young age and has firmly held his position until now.

“I understand that matter for now.”

Kisa moistened her parched throat with tea once again before reluctantly moving her lips.

“I didn’t realize it, but I’ve been dancing in the palm of your hand for much longer than I thought. I’m a bit curious about what you thought while watching me floundering around with every breath you took.”

“…Kisa, if my actions made you feel that way, I apologize. However, I want you to know this.”

The familiar reddish-brown eyes shone steadily.

“I never had any intention of deceiving you. I swear.”

Kisa felt an indescribable confusion seeing that look she had loved so much, and still loves, but she shook her head forcefully.

“Rather than that, could you finish the story you were telling? The story about the real Seyerd Hillan.”

What was important now was the truth rather than her personal feelings.

“Did you really… kill him?”

The man paused for a beat before answering the question.

“It was self-defense.”

Silence fell between the two for a moment.

Kisa carefully continued the conversation.

“Because he tried to kill you?”

“Yes. As you might have heard from Brother Emil, Seyerd conspired with Coby Brown to plan my murder. And on the day of the final battle, he sneaked into my villa.”

“And then?”

“When that guy invaded the bedroom where I was, fortunately, I hadn’t fallen asleep yet. Originally, I would have been in a deep sleep due to the sleep incense, but the wind coming through the slightly opened window for ventilation had extinguished the incense candle.”

He says it was the unfamiliar presence in the room that awakened his drowsy consciousness.

“If the servants had business with me, they would have called me from outside the door rather than entering the room on their own. Realizing it was an intruder, I chose to act before he could pounce on me.”

The real Seyerd had a weapon to kill his brother, but the conditions were the same for him too.

He resisted with the self-defense weapon he always kept nearby, and the victory in the fight went to him who had caught the opponent off guard first.

“Seyerd died resenting me. Due to the fatal wound, there was no time to try to save him. To be honest, I didn’t want to either.”

Kisa shuddered imagining the death of a human being.

Death is always frightening.

Words like a sigh escaped her lips.

“I see. So that’s what happened.”

Self-defense, well, if that’s the case…

Despite hearing about someone’s death, an inexplicable sense of relief spread in her chest.

‘It can’t be helped, can it? According to his words, the real Seyerd was a human trash who tried to kill his brother.’

Brother Emil also testified that he had heard about Seyerd’s criminal plan, and there were no particular contradictions in the story she had just heard.

Kisa wasn’t strict enough about goodness to argue that one should forgive even a younger brother who attacked first, or that one shouldn’t take a person’s life even in self-defense.

To be honest, she didn’t feel any inclination to blame the man sitting in front of her for the murder.

Perhaps due to the slight relief, the tension suddenly dissipated, making her whole body languid.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t been able to sleep properly at night for the past few days because of this issue.’

It was about time for fatigue to hit all at once.

However, there were still points of concern, so Kisa rubbed her blurry eyes and asked.

“Then why did you decide to borrow your brother’s name? If you had explained well that it was self-defense, people would have understood.”

“Ah, there are reasons for that.”

“Can you tell me?”

“Of course. First of all…”

At that moment, the face of the man about to explain became blurry.

“Kisa?”

Seeing Kisa blinking repeatedly, he called her name.

“Are you very tired?”

“Yes, a little. But it’s a bit strange.”

It was the first time sleep had come on so suddenly and strongly.

Kisa supported her head, which kept drooping down, with her arm and gestured to him.

“It’s nothing, please continue talking.”

“No. I think it would be better for you to rest now.”

“It’s okay. I’m just a bit sleepy…”

Kisa closed her eyes before finishing her sentence.

The man’s hand supported her head as she lost her balance and collapsed.

“I really think it would be better for you to rest. Sleep well, my lovely Kisa.”

He looked at his lover’s face with gentle eyes, then turned his gaze to the table.

There were two teacups on it, one with hardly any tea left while the other was almost empty, showing the bottom.

The man smiled slightly and lifted his unconscious lover into his arms.

“Well then, shall we go?”