Even in the face of that passionate love confession, Kisa merely remained silent.

Unlike Seyerd, who seemed more emotionally elated than ever, there was not a shred of warmth in Kisa’s heart, and it was rather chilling.

‘Is this his love?’

She had been trying to understand his words since earlier, but she simply couldn’t follow.

Where had the overwhelming excitement and joy that had arisen when she first heard his confession a few months ago gone?

Kisa was shocked to realize that his words of love sounded so much like someone else’s story.

“Then why… did you lie to me back then? It would have been nice if you had been honest from the beginning about what true love means to you, Seyerd.”

If he had, she might have had the courage to check the secret room a little earlier.

“I have no choice but to apologize for that.”

A slight cloud passed over Seyerd’s face, which had been nothing but bright.

“To be honest, it was to provoke your rebellious spirit.”

“Rebellious spirit?”

“People naturally want to do something more when they are told not to do it. Just like how the female lead in that opera became more curious than before when she was told by the lord not to try to find out about him.”

“…What did you say?”

Just for that? As Kisa was about to argue, she had to close her mouth the next moment.

“I’m really sorry. I was so eager for you to be curious about me as soon as possible that I was rude.”

Seyerd, reaching out his arms towards her, instantly enveloped Kisa in his embrace.

“But I promise you now. I won’t deceive you anymore.”

His voice, sounding earnest, rang out right next to her.

“Now that I have revealed everything, there is no reason to lie anymore.”

“Seyerd…”

Naturally, his embrace was as sturdy and warm as before.

Kisa, not knowing what to do with that familiar sensation, stood still.

She couldn’t put her arms around his back like before, nor could she struggle to break free from his embrace.

‘Ah, I see.’

Then she suddenly realized why she couldn’t accept the love he spoke of with her heart.

‘His love doesn’t include me.’

He passionately confesses his love, but he has no qualms about deceiving and lying to her.

Even the numerous apologies she heard earlier somehow didn’t resonate with Kisa’s heart.

Even though Seyerd’s expression, attitude, and manner of speaking were flawless.

‘No, rather, should I say it feels like the performance of a skilled actor.’

Moreover, by deceiving Kisa in that way, he tried to induce certain behaviors from her, and most of them had probably actually succeeded.

A born ruler. The impression Kisa sometimes felt when she looked at him fit perfectly.

The only unexpected part was that he was a person who tried to dominate even his lover and future spouse.

‘Can this really be called love?’

She didn’t know much about love, but it was far from the love Kisa knew.

But he, who was smart, confidently said this was love.

I don’t know. I don’t know at all.

“I don’t know.”

In the confusion where she couldn’t see an inch ahead, Kisa honestly poured out what she felt.

“Seyerd, I don’t know if your love is true love.”

Upon hearing those words, the man tightened his arms holding Kisa a little more, as if to assure her.

“It’s okay, Kisa. You must be troubled in many ways right after learning the truth, but you will feel it soon too. My love.”

“…Will I really?”

“Of course. I will make an effort.”

Seyerd said, patting Kisa’s back with his right hand.

“For now, let’s just think about the fact that I love you and you love me.”

Kisa neither affirmed nor denied his words.

She only felt the terrible fatigue that even the sleeping pills she had taken last night could not erase.

On that day, after the conversation in the study was over, Kisa hurriedly returned to the Vanspelt estate.

Then, under the pretext of not disturbing him, who was busy with family affairs, she did not visit the Hilan mansion for several days.

She had no idea how to face him, let alone know whether to treat him as Bisherk or Seyerd.

Even as Kisa stayed holed up at home with such concerns, the world was busy spinning.

“My goodness, how frightening! Young lady, take a look at this. A spy, I say. A spy!”

In the newspaper the nanny handed over while speaking, there was a huge article about a person who had recently been caught by the royal family while engaging in espionage.

Although she was not in the mood, Kisa lightly skimmed through the article, thinking it was not good to be buried in one thought all day long.

The criminal seemed to have plotted to control the royal family at the instigation of Zark, but fortunately, the crime was discovered before the secret information was passed to Zark.

Looking at it, the nature of the incident was one thing, but this case attracted public attention due to the identity of the criminal.

“I can’t understand it! Why would a respectable aristocrat do such a thing?”

Kisa returned the newspaper to the nanny, who was snorting with a displeased face, and answered in a weak voice.

“Well, there are many people in the world who act based on their ideologies or whatnot. Status is not a big deal.”

“Hmm… Could it be possible? Maybe he’s someone whose family fell in the past and is an aristocrat only in name. Then he would be short on money, wouldn’t he?”

“That’s probably not it.”

“Why?”

“Take a good look at the article. Despite dealing with other things in detail, there’s not even a shred of information that could identify the criminal’s identity. It’s most likely to protect the honor of the family the criminal belongs to.”

Surely, before this incident was disclosed to the media, there must have been a secret agreement between the royal family and the relevant family.

“In exchange for keeping the identity of the criminal undisclosed, the family also cleanly abandons the criminal. I wonder if they agreed on something like this.”

Upon hearing Kisa’s words, the nanny examined the article again with her head almost buried in the newspaper.

“Oh, it’s true! As you said, young lady, strangely, there is no information about that spy except for his aristocratic status. The amount of the reward received by the informant is stated in detail.”

By the way, it is said that the informant’s tip played a significant role in the criminal being caught early.

As the investigation network closed in, the criminal took refuge with someone he knew, but that person immediately reported the criminal’s whereabouts to the authorities.

The article praised the informant’s patriotism and morality, and urged readers to report suspicious individuals without hesitation.

‘That’s quite impressive…’

If the informant was someone the criminal would seek out in a moment of crisis, they must have been very close.

Given that there was no mention of going to his own home, the informant was probably more than family to the criminal.

Nevertheless, with a very swift judgment, the informant severed that connection and chose his own safety.

Moreover, he obtained a huge reward that was enough to start a second life at a middle-class level.

The media thoroughly kept the identity of the informant secret, perhaps out of concern that revealing the informant would also reveal the criminal, so there was no risk of getting involved in troublesome matters for money.

‘If I had such good decisiveness, I wouldn’t be agonizing like this now.’

Sighing, the red-haired man came to Kisa’s mind.

No, she shouldn’t. Even though she tried not to think about him, he kept resurrecting and dominating her.

Shaking her head to try to shake him off, the nanny spoke to Kisa again at that moment.

“Young lady, you’re so smart.”

“…What? Why the sudden praise?”

Thanks to that, she was able to divert her attention elsewhere, but Kisa had to feel a bit of awkwardness.

Smart. It was a compliment that had nothing to do with her.

She had never excelled in academics since long ago, and had lived following the will of others rather than thinking for herself.

How could such a person be smart?

However, the nanny smiled brightly and did not back down from her claim.

“You figured out even the undisclosed parts just by looking at the newspaper earlier. I had no idea at all. It’s proof that your mind is very clever.”

“What’s the big deal… It’s nothing.”

“Oh, have confidence. From what I’ve felt as I’ve aged, people continue to discover new aspects of themselves even after they’ve grown up. Besides, you’ve been diligently reading difficult books lately, young lady.”

That was just a matter of touching a few philosophy books under Seyerd’s influence.

Kisa tried to deny the nanny’s words again, but then a knock interrupted her.

“Come in.”

Soon, a maid who entered the room with Kisa’s permission reported with an excited face.

“Young lady! Come out and see!”

“Why?”

“Duke Hilan has come to see you! With mountains of flowers! It’s so romantic. I’m sure you’ll love it too, young lady. Hurry and go downstairs.”

At the maid’s words, the nanny also said with a smile.

“He said he was busy, but I guess he finally found some time.”

However, unlike the two, Kisa’s face stiffened.

Since she hadn’t been visiting the Hilan mansion, it was Seyerd who had come.