Chapter 96

When the blizzard stopped, Zion and Vero led the knights through the western territory and soon found Kael and Adeline.
Adeline had fallen asleep, and Kael was holding her in his arms. He climbed onto the horse while holding Adeline, and the two returned to the castle safely.

Adeline had regained consciousness a little by the time they arrived at the castle, but she was so exhausted that she was in a stupor until she was submerged in a hot tub and warmed up.
It was only after she had washed up and leaned on the bed that her consciousness had cleared up and she was able to face Isabel and Melissa.

“I apologize. It is our fault, Your Grace. There is no excuse.”
“There is no need to apologize. Rather, I am too ashamed to face Isabel and Melissa. My stubbornness caused trouble.”

Isabel and Melissa sighed deeply, saying they were sorry. They must have been crying, as the area around their eyes was a little red and swollen.

“What if something bad happened to Your Grace…”

Isabel closed her eyes tightly, dazed at the thought. It was a blizzard, of all things. She still vividly remembered the moment when she worried that Adeline, who wasn’t even a northerner, might have been harmed.

“I’m really fine. I came back safely like this. His Grace…”

Just as Adeline was about to say that Kael had saved her, Kael entered her sight.
Leaning slightly against the door, he was looking at Adeline.
Isabel and Melissa, who had followed the end of Adeline’s gaze, quickly got up and walked away.
But Kael didn’t move. Adeline thought he was going to run to her, who was left alone, but he just stood there, looking down at her with a pretty serious face.

“Kael. Will you continue to stand there like that?”

It wasn’t until Adeline, who had been waiting, spoke first that Kael slowly approached. But his expression was still dark, and he couldn’t look directly at Adeline.

“Kael?”

Adeline took Kael’s hand as he approached, feeling suspicious. She was worried that he was submerged in unnecessary anxiety again.
As her soft hands wrapped around Kael, he let out a deep sigh before finally making eye contact with Adeline.

“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
“Do you feel weak anywhere, or is it difficult to breathe?”
“Not at all. I’m fine. I’m just a little tired. That’s all.”
“Do you have a headache? Or is your mind in a daze…”
“Kael. Please. I’m not in pain, really.”

It wasn’t until Adeline spoke firmly that Kael’s questions stopped.
When he heard that she would survive no matter what, his reasoning was cut short and he frantically held Adeline in his arms and promised never to leave her side, but tens of thousands of thoughts struck Kael as he looked at her sleeping as if she had died from exhaustion.
All the promises to fight together and not to leave her side were sincere. Even the oath to not push Adeline away anymore didn’t contain a single lie.

But after seeing her keeping her calm under Kael’s tremendous curse, he was worried. The dark energy Kael harbored was very pure. It could harm anyone, and it could ruin Adeline’s body.
Once he realized this, he just couldn’t approach Adeline comfortably. Even though he knew it would be funny to act like this now, he felt so sorry that it was hard to look at Adeline fully.

“I can see what you’re thinking.”

Adeline saw through Kael’s mind at once.

“I told you. That I would survive somehow, and that I wouldn’t get hurt. I won’t let you hurt me. So stop having useless thoughts and hug me.”

Adeline opened her arms with a stern expression like she was scolding a child. Kael grinned.
His smile widened looking at her, who felt quite resolute. He nodded and embraced her tightly.
Both the soft warmth that came to his arms and the thick rose scent were lovely.

“I want to sleep a little longer.”

Adeline muttered, digging into Kael’s embrace. Kael went right to Adeline’s side, laid her down, and pulled her into his arms.

“Adeline. If you feel just a little bit…”
“Alright. I’ll be sure to tell you.”

Adeline cut off his words as if to tell him to stop worrying. Kael smiled briefly and kissed her forehead.
Adeline continued to appease Kael, but even though he kept her in his arms and stared at her like this, he didn’t feel relieved.

“Kael. Promise me one more time.”

As she patted him on the back like she was putting a child to sleep, her light green eyes, which had disappeared behind her heavy eyelids, looked at Kael.

“You can ask me again and again if I’m okay like now, so don’t stay away from me. Swear to me once more that you will never leave me again.”

Her heavily sunken eyes were more eager than ever. Staring at her eyes, he remembered how Adeline had clung to him last night so intensely that he could feel her desperation.
The outpouring of stimulation was too much, and it might have been due to it being too much for her to receive the dark energy emanating from Kael, but she also felt clearly afraid and anxious that Kael would leave her.

Kael took Adeline’s hand and gently pulled it to kiss her wedding ring.

“I swear on my life. I will never leave you. I mean it when I say we’ll fight together.”

His voice, which had sunk low, and his blue-grey eyes, which were clearer than ever, proved Kael’s sincerity. Adeline smiled in relief and looked at Kael.

“There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you.”
“What is it?”

Adeline tilted her head.

“That brainwashing. Did you really think I could kill you? Even after realizing that my feelings had deepened?”

Adeline’s eyes trembled at the question she had never expected.

“Ah… To follow the content… So that the possession would end… I thought… I should make it like that.”
“So, did you believe I could kill you? Did you actually try to die by my hand?”
“Ah…”

Adeline’s eyes moved around. It was clear that Kael would be hurt if she said straightforwardly that she believed that, but even so, no excuse that she could use came to mind.
Besides, he had already caught her thinking hard about it, so he must have known what Adeline was thinking.

“You have a bit of a cruel side, too.”
“It was the brainwashing. So, I just… In any case, I thought I should let things go according to the contents…”
“Then did you really believe that I would fall in love with Lady Felix?”
“Ah…”

Adeline’s words trailed off again, and Kael’s expression turned quite dark.

“I wasn’t able to fully love you either, but I never thought you believed I would like another woman.”
“No, I… Kael, it was the brainwashing. I had no choice but to believe that it would just go that way.”

Adeline hurriedly spoke when she saw his really hurt face. Even the drowsiness she had been feeling disappeared.

“It was painful even though I thought it was inevitable that it had to end like that. Imagining you loving another woman broke my heart. That’s why my mind was so complicated and…”

As soon as she poured out an explanation like a rapid-fire cannon, Kael’s serious face suddenly changed, and he soon let out a small laugh. It was evident that he couldn’t hold back the laughter that burst out.

“Did you do this on purpose?”

Adeline finally realized that Kael was trying to make fun of her.

“Please don’t joke around with that face. Who in the world would think it was a joke? I thought you were genuinely serious and hurting.”
“I heard you confidently say that you can recognize what others can’t. I guess I’m the only one who remembers that.”
“I can! I can recognize it! But if you talk like you just did…!”

Adeline raised her body, expressing her utter injustice. Then, Kael apologized and kissed Adeline. It was a light, tickling kiss.

“I know. It was an inevitable situation.”

Kael said in a low voice, smiling softly. His face and voice were overly gorgeous. Though she gave him a sidelong scowl with angry eyes, he was beautiful enough to make her heart melt.

“I can’t hold another woman in my heart, much less kill you with my own hands,” Kael firmly said.

Adeline stared at him quietly, then asked implicitly, “No matter what? Even if it’s your fate, or if killing me solves everything?”
“If that’s my fate,” Kael continued as soon as Adeline finished speaking, “You’re going to kill me. So that I don’t hurt you.”

It was something extremely heavy to say, but Kael said it firmly as if it was something extremely natural.

“Don’t say that. And let’s not even imagine this now.”

When she felt his full sincerity, Adeline reached out and touched Kael’s face.

“We will live happily together for a long time. Staying by each other’s side like this, like now.”

Feeling the sincerity delivered in a low voice, Kael kissed her.
It was Kael’s most desired wish.
Smiling brightly next to Adeline like now, and drawing a distant future together.

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