Chapter 90
Suddenly, I remembered the black-haired woman in the broken portrait.
The woman who clearly didn’t look like Layla or Layla’s mother.
Only then did I realize something was wrong, and my gaze turned toward Layla.
Blood continued dripping from my fingertips and pooling on the floor.
Layla had clearly spoken as though this were her room.
As though it were her room…
Thud.
My mind went blank as though I had been struck in the head.
But looking at it another way, she had never once explicitly said with her own mouth that this room belonged to her.
She had only answered my questions ambiguously.
Even when she invited me for tea, she had only said we should meet in her room.
She had never told me where that room was.
Even if she had intentionally allowed me to misunderstand.
I was still the one who had assumed this room belonged to Layla.
I looked at Layla with a trembling gaze.
Layla was looking at me with her eyes curved into a gentle smile.
“Ha…”
Only then did Kallion’s unusually extreme reaction begin to make sense.
So did Layla’s strangely obedient behavior today.
Even though he belonged to an enemy house, he had once been the man I loved.
I didn’t know the details, but I had at least known that he had lost his mother when he was young.
And the woman in the portrait looked remarkably like Kallion.
As everything fell into place like pieces of a puzzle, I began to feel pathetic.
Layla had known I misunderstood this room and had deliberately allowed it.
If anything, she had encouraged the misunderstanding and used how much Kallion treasured this room to create the current situation.
I strode toward Layla, who was secretly smiling behind Kallion.
Before Kallion could even understand what was happening, I walked straight up to Layla and slapped her across the face with all my strength.
Smack—!
Layla fell sideways.
Looking down at her as she clutched her cheek, I spoke indifferently.
“I’ll admit it. You won this time.”
At my cold words, Layla clutched her split lip and glared at me.
Then Kallion stepped between us and shouted angrily.
“What the hell are you doing!”
From his perspective, it must have looked as though I had suddenly slapped his completely innocent secretary.
Too exhausted to explain, I spoke weakly with a hollow expression.
“Ask your secretary. I’m curious what she’ll say.”
“Haah…”
Kallion swept back his bangs as though displeased with the entire situation, then glared at Layla.
“You explain. Why did Juliana hit you?”
Suddenly, Layla dropped to her knees before me and began crying like some tragic heroine.
“M-Madam, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I should have hidden the fact that Madam was coming into this room. But I simply couldn’t lie to Lord Kallion…”
I stared at her in disbelief as she abruptly fell to her knees and began trembling.
“M-Madam, please don’t hit me. I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
She reacted hysterically as though I regularly struck her.
I was dumbfounded.
“What are you talking about…!”
When I stepped toward her in confusion, Kallion reflexively moved in front of Layla.
“Speak from there, Juliana.”
Seeing him block my path as though I might hit Layla again didn’t even make me angry.
It was so absurd that all I could do was let out an incredulous breath.
Kallion glared at me, then turned toward Layla.
“Layla, stand up first.”
“Sniffle, I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”
Layla continued crying almost like someone who had lost her senses.
Her legs repeatedly gave way beneath her, and she kept slipping back down.
Sensing something strange, Kallion’s expression hardened.
He strode over and pulled Layla to her feet.
“What’s wrong with your legs…”
Kallion stopped mid-sentence.
His eyes widened, and he spoke in a deeply lowered voice.
“Lift your skirt.”
At his stiff command, Layla looked anxiously at me while tears ran down her face.
I stared blankly at her, utterly unable to understand what was happening.
After hesitating for a long while as though watching my reaction, Layla finally gave in to Kallion’s urging and lifted her skirt slightly.
Her calves were revealed.
They were bruised so badly they had gone beyond blue and turned nearly black.
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