Previously
Eleanora subdues the intruder with professional efficiency, tying her up and using chloroform to keep her unconscious. Killian is overwhelmed by a mix of shame and gratitude, especially when he realizes Eleanora risked her life to save him.
In the end, that massive body did not fall. It was all thanks to the touch of this petite woman’s hand.
Killian froze in place, utterly stunned.
Yet it was not merely astonishment he felt.
( ‘Why does this feel so familiar?’ )
He had lived through a similar moment once before. And yet, he had never allowed any woman to step even an inch close to him.
So when had it happened, exactly?
Just as he tried to piece his memories together…
Eleanora called out to him once more.
In the world that had regained its light, soft ripples of brightness flickered within her olive eyes, which were usually so serene.
Killian felt his heart jolt violently. His arm felt as though it were on fire. With a trembling hand, he shoved hers away.
It felt as if his entire body would burst into flames if he did not.
Killian snapped at Eleanora, who simply blinked her wide eyes in shock.
( ‘Ah, so this is my fault now?’ )
Anger flared within Eleanora. She even kicked herself for having worried about him for a split second when she saw how pale he was.
Remembering Julian, she swallowed her annoyance with great difficulty and forced a faint smile to her lips.
The moment Killian caught that smile, his heart skipped a strange beat, as though an electric current had shot straight through him.
( ‘I didn't mean to snap at her so harshly.’ )
He wanted to explain himself. But his lips, unaccustomed to ever making excuses or offering apologies, remained tightly sealed.
Eleanora gave a light bow and turned away. Killian reached a hand toward her.
Eleanora stopped abruptly, asking with concern. She was gesturing toward the woman in the adjacent room.
Killian looked utterly dumbfounded. Pathetic though he might have seemed, could he really be frightened of a woman who was bound hand and foot and out cold from chloroform?
And locked away in an entirely different room, no less!
Eleanora offered a gentle smile and walked out without the slightest hesitation.
The large hand that had reached toward her retreating back curled loosely in the empty air.
And in that vacant space where every sound echoed clearly, Killian’s belated sigh finally escaped.
Killian had intended, even if the authorities became involved, to pour vast sums of money into bribes to ensure not a whisper of a rumor got out.
As it turned out, someone had beaten him to it.
Owen shook his head in disbelief.
She had looked entirely like a destitute vagrant. Who could have guessed she was the sole daughter of the venerable Marquis Delamour?
Killian pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead and muttered under his breath,
The moment word got out, the Marquis’s lawyers had arrived in haste, immediately taking custody of the young lady, and expressed their wish to settle the matter quietly.
[“The Marquis is furious at the excessive force Lord Blackwell used against the young lady. Consenting to this proposal is the only way to avoid his wrath. Even the Blackwell family, mighty as they may be, cannot afford a feud with the Marquis family of Delamour, whose veins carry royal blood.”]
Such brazen audacity, enough to leave one bewildered as to who the real victim even was!
Killian was left speechless.
After all, in the eyes of the law, a frail, delicate woman had merely slipped once into the home of a hulking, decorated war hero.
And if overwhelming feelings of love had driven her to commit such a misstep, what great harm was there?
True, she had carried an anesthetic, but what came of it? Had Killian actually suffered any harm?
In fact, the only person injured in the encounter was the young lady herself.
Killian ground his teeth together, already picturing the excuses that family would spin.
Even if he laid bare every single detail of what she had almost done to him, it would only tarnish his own reputation without securing any meaningful punishment for her.
‘Punishment? They’ll just claim it was an unintentional blunder. A single lapse in judgment born of foolish weakness.’
That was undoubtedly all he would hear.
( ‘So I have no choice but to let this slide?’ )
He was certain that woman would not stop at this one intrusion. The thought of living in constant vigilance, waiting for the moment she might spring upon him again, made him feel utterly suffocated.
Killian said regretfully. Owen then asked in a low murmur,
That obsessive stalker who had tracked Killian's every move day after day, bombarding him with letters.
Truth be told, an ordinary woman leading a regular life would never have had the means to trail Killian like that in the first place.
Because of that, the thought that she might very well be that stalker had crossed Killian’s mind as well.
That stalker had very distinctive handwriting.
However, there was no chance the Marquis’s camp would ever hand over documents bearing her usual handwriting.
It was common knowledge that the Marquis’s daughter had lived in seclusion for years.
As Owen racked his brain, Killian’s gaze was drawn toward the window when the noise outside quieted down.
The workers who had spent the morning putting up an additional low wall had stopped to converse with Eleanora.
Just what were they discussing that made her smile so brightly?
Killian frowned without realizing it.
At the sudden sound of Owen's voice, Killian's shoulders flinched.
Right. Even though Eleanora had appeared completely composed, she had lived through a dangerous ordeal. That was why he had told Owen to check on her.
Owen stared at Killian, dumbfounded. Was this man… actually worrying about a woman?
Come to think of it, he had spoken to her fairly normally yesterday.
Even though, given what he had endured, he should have been the most unsettled of them all.
So he wasn't genuinely worried about her after all?
In any case, Owen gave a nod.
Owen complied with Killian's order and, since Eleanora was right outside, invited her inside the mansion.
Moments later, Eleanora stood before Killian.
She spoke with a smile as radiant as the morning sun. The hand propping up his chin shifted slightly, and he quickly averted his gaze.
Eleanora repeated the word, then quickly shook her head.
Killian snapped his head up and looked into her face.
He assumed she would naturally be hurt hearing the man she loved tell her to her face that he did not trust her.
However…
She joked lightly, explaining that doing so would offer her no benefit whatsoever.
Killian crossed his arms and cleared his throat softly before sitting up straight.
Did lending a hand even have a price tag?
It wasn't something she had done expecting a reward. But since he was this stubborn about it, Eleanora had no choice but to agree.
Killian was about to tell her it was none of her business. But…
Owen, who had stood in the background like a shadow since Eleanora entered, enthusiastically began explaining the situation.
( ‘Why on earth are you bringing up me being stalked?! As if I need to be known as a stalking victim on top of everything else! Isn't having failed to resolve it until now enough of an easy laughingstock to everyone?!’ )
Just as Killian shot a venomous glare at Owen to shut him up, Eleanora spoke in wide-eyed astonishment, her voice rushed,