Previously
Eleanora encounters a suspicious, rude woman looking for an inn before visiting Julian Thorne at Thorne Mansion. Julian reveals he is secretly planning to sell the ancestral home due to his father's debts, which shocks Eleanora into realizing the severity of their financial crisis.
At Killian’s low voice, Owen’s eyes widened in surprise.
The reasoning was sound enough, and the sudden tension drained from Owen’s shoulders.
Killian hastily stopped Owen just as he was about to leave. Owen turned back to him with a bewildered expression.
Killian remained silent for a moment. He was not entirely certain why he had stopped him either, so he turned the thought over in his mind.
Why did he dislike the thought of Owen and Eleanora speaking in private?
( ‘Because that woman lacks caution.’ )
She would surely start reciting details about his life again without fear or reservation.
No, it was not merely a possibility; he was certain of it.
And she would not do it only with Owen, but with anyone else as well.
Then, if a problem arose later, people might suspect Owen.
Yes, that was the reason. He was merely concerned for Owen.
Owen’s eyes widened even further in shock. Killian scowled in return and asked,
Killian could find no reply. Everything Owen said was true.
It was true that he had used concern for Owen as a pretext to justify meeting her himself, but he knew very well that if his conversations with Eleanora caused him the usual amount of tension and stress, he would never have considered seeing her in the first place.
Yet that did not mean she was someone special to him.
Not at all.
He had been sick that day, and in desperate need of pickled ginger… nothing more.
Merely circumstances that had coincided in a strange way.
He said this with a sullen face, feigning gravity.
Owen stepped out into the hallway, tilting his head in confusion.
He had obeyed the order without objection, but honestly, he was not entirely convinced.
The moment Owen left the room, Killian returned to looking out the window.
For an instant, he fancied that his eyes met Eleanora’s, as she was still gazing toward the mansion.
At that moment… his heart dropped heavily.
( ‘What is happening to me?’ )
He quickly took a step back and pressed a hand against his chest, which had begun to pound violently.
The sensation was entirely different from the one that had seized him when facing those unfamiliar women moments ago.
Rather, his heart twinged painfully.
Was he startled? But he was not someone easily startled to begin with.
Since arriving here, he had lost count of how many times his own uncharacteristic behavior had unsettled him.
‘I shouldn’t have come here.’
Well… it was true he had not come entirely of his own accord, but he felt that way regardless.
As for Eleanora, she was quite surprised to hear that Killian was asking to see her.
Owen answered her calmly,
( ‘So he really was inside the mansion, pretending he wasn't there.’ )
She knew he was not a social person, but she had never imagined he was capable of ignoring people who had waited for him all day.
At the same time, it was also strange that someone who hated dealing with people to such an extent would summon her to ask what had happened himself.
Still….
Eleanora followed Owen into the mansion.
In the spacious reception room, which still looked like an abandoned building without an owner, Killian was waiting for her.
He asked directly, bypassing even a greeting in a tone closer to an interrogation.
Owen grew slightly flustered, glancing at Eleanora to see her reaction.
Killian cut her off sharply.
Eleanora knew full well what he was asking. But wasn't it only natural to explain who the women were first before explaining why they were there?!
She forced the corners of her mouth up into a faint smile.
Once she had briefly explained the background of what had occurred, Killian’s expression transformed as though he had witnessed a gruesome crime scene.
He was even at a loss for words.
He wanted to be angry, but he did not know upon whom he should vent his fury.
Meanwhile, Eleanora spoke cautiously, her hands folded politely before her,
She said this with clear regret. Killian lapsed into silence once more.
Killian said this firmly. Eleanora spoke carefully,
In truth, refusing invitations without a clear reason was a rather rude gesture. But with this particular man, a blunt refusal seemed as though it would be better for both parties than any alternative.
Eleanora nodded her head as if confirming that she had heard him loud and clear.
Killian drew his hand roughly down his face.
( ‘Hmm… it seems this bothers him even more than I expected.’ )
Eleanora lowered her gaze slightly and thought for a moment before speaking,
The muscles in Killian’s hand twitched for an instant. He lowered his hand slowly, asking with furrowed brows,
She said this with great care. Killian swallowed hard and asked,
At this direct phrase, the space between Killian’s eyebrows pinched together instantly.
Eleanora had already worried that he would take offense before she even brought up the idea, so her tension mounted when she saw his reaction.
Even so, she tried to remain composed as she gathered her thoughts and continued,
He said this with a face that still appeared displeased.
However, since he wore a scowl ordinarily, it was not easy to tell whether he was genuinely annoyed or not.
As Eleanora watched his reaction warily, he added,
Eleanora was mildly surprised. If someone else had said these words, it would have been ordinary enough.
Coming from Killian, however—a man who did nothing but bare his thorns to others—it was rather strange.
( ‘In any case, what he says makes sense.’ )
A company head's foul temper hurt only his employees.
Yet rumors spreading of his deteriorating health… that could directly shake investor confidence.
Eleanora nodded in understanding.
Killian looked at her with eyes brimming with suspicion, then gave a slow nod.
“Have you ever heard of Sensory Nerve Damage Syndrome?”
Killian’s eyes widened. He knew this condition. It was a disorder that often afflicted soldiers returning from the war, where damaged nerves rendered ordinary light, sound, and smell excessively painful and unbearable.
When he nodded his head, Eleanora continued,
Killian maintained a tight silence as he listened to her words. Meanwhile, she went on,